Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wants you to know the economy is doing great, even if your gas receipt suggests otherwise. On a recent episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson ran through a mix of topics: the Texas Senate race, Treasury developments involving Trump Accounts and school choice, and passengers who stopped a cockpit attack on a Flydubai flight to Israel. But the segment that mattered most for wallets was Cruz's defense of President Donald Trump's economic record.

Cruz Highlights Income And Poverty Data

Cruz said the latest figures showed the U.S. had reached record levels for family income while poverty had fallen to its lowest recorded level.

"Median income is the highest it's ever been recorded in the history of America," Cruz said. He added that the country also had "the lowest poverty rate that has ever been recorded in the history of America."

Cruz also pointed to what he described as the lowest recorded poverty rates among African-American, Hispanic and Native American populations.

He said Trump had been emphasizing those figures while responding to criticism over affordability. Cruz also addressed gasoline prices, saying they had increased but remained below levels during Biden's presidency.

"But gas prices are still a lot lower than they were under Joe Biden," Cruz said.

Gas Prices Remain Elevated

The national average for regular gasoline was $4.3961 a gallon as of Friday, according to AAA, up from $4.1203 a month earlier and $3.1593 a year earlier, while diesel averaged $6.3726 a gallon, compared with $5.6879 a month earlier and $3.7049 a year earlier.

The figures come as Democrats have continued to point to energy costs when criticizing the administration's handling of affordability.

Last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) argued that gasoline and diesel prices were becoming unaffordable for households and truckers. He pointed to gas at $4.44 a gallon and diesel at $6.40 a gallon at the time, saying families were also facing elevated heating-oil costs. Days later, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) focused on rising energy costs while criticizing President Donald Trump's oil and gas holdings. Warren said Trump's nine largest oil and gas holdings had gained an estimated $1.5 million to $4.4 million between the eve of the Iran war and the end of August, while Americans were paying more at the pump.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) also made affordability a broader part of his criticism in September, pointing to increases in gasoline, groceries, housing costs, and health insurance premiums. Jeffries argued that the combination of higher everyday expenses was making it harder for Americans to manage the cost of living.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.