President Trump took office with a promise to “immediately bring prices down.” But conquering inflation is tricky and efforts can take months to trickle through the economy. At this early stage in his presidency, prices for groceries, used cars and prescription drugs are rising faster than they were a year ago.

Hot inflation has raised the stakes of President Trump’s plans to escalate his use of tariffs on the country’s biggest trading partners, risking even higher consumer prices and pushing back the prospects of the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates soon.

Donald Trump promised as a candidate that he could easily conquer inflation, but the reality is proving tougher than he expected.