Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume urged President Donald Trump to confront soaring prices head-on as inflation continues to squeeze voters in the run-up to the midterms.

Trump said he inherited an inflation crisis from former President Joe Biden and said his administration has begun reversing the damage by driving inflation down, boosting real wages, and delivering the first overall price decline since 2020. Appearing on “Special Report with Bret Baier,”  Hume said Trump must acknowledge the burden on Americans, express regret for the hardship, and demonstrate a commitment to addressing the issue rather than downplaying it.

“The best thing the president can do is to let people know that he recognizes that, for some, prices are too high and remain that way, and he’s sorry about that,” Hume told Bret Baier. “And [he] will do everything he can to try to ameliorate the problem. What you don’t do is to pretend it isn’t there.”

Hume suggested the administration should look to spur economic growth to help raise wages rather than relying on prices to fall on their own. (RELATED: Brit Hume Calls Current Shutdown Longest And Most Pointless He’s Witnessed)

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“The administration can hope that we’ll have some growth in the economy that may help to boost wages and make these prices more affordable, not because they’re coming down so much, as people are better able to pay for them,” Hume said. “And that’s the way it usually works over time.”

Hume said inflation remains a stubborn political liability for Trump.

“But this is kind of a devilish problem because the problem really was created in the previous administration, and it is hard to undo that. And so I think it’s going to be an issue in the midterms,” Hume added.

It was reported in May that Trump notched an economic milestone after the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index fell to its lowest level in four years, marking the strongest inflation reading since March 2021. The Commerce Department reported that overall spending still rose slightly in April, driven largely by housing and health care costs.

Inflation edged back up late summer as the PCE price index increased 0.3% in August and 2.7% year-over-year, while core PCE rose 2.9%, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The figures came in near expectations but signaled that underlying inflation pressures remain stubborn even as overall price growth has eased from its pandemic peak.

With inflation data already showing sharp swings this year, economists say the Labor Department’s statistical agency must prioritize releasing the November employment and inflation reports to give the Federal Reserve current numbers ahead of its December meeting. The shutdown forced the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis to suspend data collection and publication.

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