Food prices are still rising two years after Donald Trump used a press conference at his Bedminster golf club on August 15, 2024, to blame Democrats for inflation and promise relief, leaving Republicans exposed on the cost of living before November's midterm elections. A Reuters analysis of 26 grocery categories tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found prices rose 3.4% in the first 19 months of Trump's second term, less than a quarter of the pace at the same stage of former President Joe Biden's term but still above Trump's pledge, as coffee, beef and apples offset declines in eggs and butter. A White House official pointed to July CPI (Consumer Price Index) data showing U.S. consumer prices barely increased from a month earlier, but a Reuters/Ipsos poll found voters now give Democrats a slight edge on the economy and Trump's net approval rating on the cost of living has fallen to -47% from -6% at the start of his term. In New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, more than half of 17 Republicans and independents interviewed by Reuters were undecided or leaning toward Democrat Rebecca Bennett over Republican incumbent Tom Kean, while University of California, Berkeley professor Francesco Trebbi said rising prices can drive an anti-incumbent shift when real wages (pay adjusted for inflation) barely keep up.