Trump's 18-Month Deadline To Cut Electricity Prices in Half Has Arrived. Rates Are Up 18%.

Donald Trump pledged on the campaign trail that he would slash electricity prices in half within 18 months of returning to the White House. That self-imposed deadline is today, and—as with many of the president's promises—he appears to have fallen short of his goal. From Trump's inauguration in January 2025 to April 2026, the most recent month for which government data are available, residential electricity rates have risen by an eye-watering 18 percent. From April 2025 to April 2026, rates jumped by 7.3 percent, or about twice the rate of inflation, according to the Energy Information Administration. Unfortunately, for many consumers, there is not much relief in sight. Last week, PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest grid operator, announced the results of its annual capacity auction,