As midterms approach, rising grocery prices are causing frustration among many 2024 Trump voters. Consumer prices climbed 3.7 percent over the past year, impacting food costs. While some shoppers still support the president, others are questioning their past vote. As Jessy Hakizimana said, "I don't think he has lowered prices."

With the midterms nearing, some are venting frustration with the president while others are standing by him.

How are they feeling about high grocery prices?

By Tim BalkAnn KleinKevin Williams and Sam Easter

Tim Balk reported from New York, Ann Klein reported from Iowa, Kevin Williams reported from Ohio and Sam Easter reported from Michigan.

Donald J. Trump rode to the White House in 2024 on a pledge to make America more affordable and bring down the cost of everyday essentials.

"I won on groceries," he told NBC News in 2024, referring to his electoral victory.

But as the midterm elections draw near, grocery prices have been climbing, driven upward by the Iran war, which has caused a surge in diesel and gasoline costs and made shipping goods more expensive.

Consumer prices overall are up 3.7 percent from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Wednesday, well above the government's target. Food costs have risen 2.5 percent over the past 12 months. Among the goods whose prices are rising: fruits and vegetables (up 3.7 percent since last year), nonalcoholic beverages and materials (up 3.8 percent) and cereals and bakery products (up 2.1 percent).

The cost increases pose an intensifying problem for Republican candidates, and a growing number of them are distancing themselves from Mr. Trump and his policies. A White House spokesman, Matthew Middleton, defended the administration's handling of the economy, saying the president had a strong pro-growth agenda.

In interviews in four states with crucial Senate races -- Iowa, Ohio, Maine and Michigan -- grocery shoppers who cast ballots for Mr. Trump in 2024 reflected on the rising prices, with some venting frustration with the president and others sticking by him. Here's what they had to say about whether the president was to blame, and how (or whether) they might vote in the Nov. 3 midterms.

What Do They Think About High Grocery Prices?

"I don't think he has lowered prices for anything."

-- Jessy Hakizimana, 44, of Indianola, Iowa

Mr. Hakizimana, an refugee from Rwanda who owns an excavating company, said price increases had changed the way he shopped and caused him to question his vote for Mr. Trump in 2024. "I never used to use coupons," he said. "Now I'm looking for coupons," Mr. Hakizimana, an independent, said as he loaded his pickup truck with vegetables, bananas, chicken, milk and lunch meat to make sandwiches for school lunches for his three children. He added of his 2024 vote: "It's too soon to say I regret it. But so far, it doesn't look good." He was open to voting for either party in 2028 and undecided in this year's Senate race in Iowa, but leaning toward the Republican candidate, Representative Ashley Hinson, he said.

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