With High Prices Persisting, Trump Tempers Tone on Slaying Inflation

President Trump promised voters that, if elected, he would enact policies that would bring prices down on “Day 1” in office.

But three weeks into his term, Mr. Trump and White House officials have become more measured in how they discuss their efforts to tame inflation. They have begun downplaying the likelihood that consumer costs like groceries will decline anytime soon, reflecting the limited power that presidents have to control prices. Those are largely determined by global economic forces.

The shifting tone could allow Mr. Trump to reset expectations about how fast prices will come down as he pursues policies like tariffs and tax cuts, which economists say could exacerbate inflation.

Mr. Trump and his advisers believe that expanding American energy production and rolling back regulations will reduce costs. They also argue that some of Mr. Trump’s tax proposals, such as eliminating taxes on overtime, would curb inflation by giving workers more incentives to work longer hours, therefore expanding the labor force.

At a news briefing last week, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Trump was doing everything possible to alleviate the nation’s cost-of-living crisis. But when asked at what point Americans would begin to experience relief from high consumer prices, she said, “I don’t have a timeline.”

Although it is still very early in Mr. Trump’s term, Democrats have been highlighting signs of higher prices as an indication that the Trump administration’s policies are not working.