Reporter uncovers key missing detail of barber's story to Trump about $15K utility bill

A barber whose shop former President Donald Trump visited at a campaign stop in the Bronx this week had an eye-popping complaint about his utility bill skyrocketing since President Joe Biden took office — but it appears he didn't tell the whole story.

Javier Rodriguez, the barbershop owner, told Trump, "My issue was more energy. I've been paying $2,100 since I first opened up, and the last seven months it shot up to $15,000."

Even Trump himself appeared taken aback by that number, exclaiming, "What?" at Rodriguez's words.

This sparked instant incredulity from many on social media, as Con Edison, the utility that manages power in New York City, has only seen the price per kilowatt-hour increase from 9 cents to 14 cents over the last 10 years — not even close to the increase Rodriguez had shared.

NOW READ: Signs of what will happen on Election Day are everywhere

New York Times reporter Ashley Southall dug into how Rodriguez's store could have seen a greater than 600 percent increase in its utility bills in half a year — and discovered a critical piece of omitted context.

"IT TURNS OUT: Javier Rodriguez, the Bronx barber with a $15,000 utility bill, is the unlucky victim of a billing error, according to Con Edison, the city's utility for electric, gas and steam," wrote Southall. "A spokesman said that the company has been working with him to resolve it."

Trump has sought to make inflation a key focus of his closing argument to be re-elected to the presidency — despite the fact that inflation has cooled dramatically in the last year while wages have outpaced prices, and despite the fact economists broadly warn Trump's proposal for massive new broad-based tariffs across all consumer goods would lead to a dramatic increase in costs for American households.