Voters' Anger Over High Prices Unlikely to Be Alleviated by Next Congress, Driven by Geopolitics and AI Boom

Voters are expressing significant anger over persistently high prices, a sentiment that is unlikely to be addressed effectively by the incoming U.S. Congress. The primary drivers of inflation are identified as the impact of the Iran war on energy prices, the economic fallout from the artificial intelligence boom, and President Donald Trump's trade policies. Experts suggest that even if Democrats gain control of Congress, they would have limited ability to reverse these factors, such as ending the war or Trump's tariffs, or to curb the AI boom. Consumer prices have risen 30 percent since the start of the pandemic.