CNBC Anchor Confronts Trump Econ Chief Over Inflation 'Increasing for 5 Straight Months' [View all]

Source: MEDIAite

Nov 11th, 2025, 12:59 pm


CNBC anchor Carl Quintanilla confronted Trump White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett over inflation on Tuesday, noting it has been “increasing for 5 straight months” as of September.

Due to the government shutdown, there hasn’t been a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report measuring inflation since the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which showed an increase of 3 percent over the prior year and a .3 percent increase over August.

Last week, Republicans lost big on Election Day in an electoral bloodbath that President Donald Trump chalked up to factors that included “affordability” — which he then repeatedly claimed to have already solved. On Tuesday’s edition of CNBC’s Money Movers, Hassett was praising the “trajectory” of inflation when Quintanilla cut in to ask if he was taking the five months of increases into account — not counting October:

KEVIN HASSETT: And the trajectory is really, really, really good if you look at it. And inflation is one of those things that has a lot of momentum, if you look at the charts, and the momentum right now is headed really towards the Fed’s target.

CARL QUINTANILLA: Even though– so even though it’s been increasing for five straight months as of September?