US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent deflected concerns about high costs under President Donald Trump, saying the administration had inherited elevated price levels and that its policies would generate real income gains for American workers.

“We inherited an affordability crisis,” Bessent said on MSNBC Tuesday, adding that inflation was the worst in 40 or 50 years under President Joe Biden. “We have slowed the price increases down, and they are going to continue to slow down.”