President Donald Trump left Washington for China on Tuesday after a combative exchange with reporters in which he insulted journalists who pressed him on inflation and the rising cost of his White House ballroom while also saying Americans' financial pain was not shaping his approach to the Iran war.
The confrontation came as new inflation data showed prices rising at their fastest pace in nearly three years. According to the Labor Department, the consumer price index climbed 3.8% in April from a year earlier, with gasoline prices up more than 28% as the war with Iran continued to disrupt global energy markets. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.8%, while real hourly wages fell 0.3% from a year earlier.
