During his televised Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Donald Trump claimed that concerns about the affordability of goods and services are a “fake narrative.” Trump also falsely claimed that the entire issue is a “scam” by the Democratic Party.
Trump’s ridiculous comments are even stranger because just a few days ago he touted himself as the “affordability president.”
“There’s this fake narrative that the Democrats talk about—affordability. They just say the word, it doesn’t mean anything to anybody,” Trump said. He went on to say “the word ‘affordability’ is a con job by the Democrats” and said it was a “Democrat[ic] scam.”
Trump sang a completely different tune in a Nov. 29 post to Truth Social, where he wrote, “I AM THE AFFORDABILITY PRESIDENT. TALK LOUDLY AND PROUDLY! President DJT”
Trump did not explain why the term is a “scam” when Democrats use it but perfectly fine when he does.
He also expressed purported concern about the high cost of living during his White House meeting with New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani two weeks ago. Mamdani cruised to victory on a platform of addressing affordability, and Trump incorrectly claimed that the Democrat has “the same ideas that I have.” Trump has made affordability worse for middle- and working-class families since he took over an economy in recovery under former President Joe Biden. Trump has pushed tariffs against the advice of economic experts that have increased costs which are being passed on to consumers. Trump has overseen nine straight months of manufacturing job losses as a result.
Meanwhile as Americans struggle to pay bills and look for jobs, Trump has spent his time obsessing over his plans for a gigantic ballroom at the White House. He reportedly has been feuding with the architect because he wants the new structure to be almost twice the size of the existing White House building.
Related | Why Republicans don’t actually give a damn about affordability
Despite Trump’s rhetoric on affordability, he and other Republicans have long shown an aversion to using the power of the government to address costs. Republicans and conservatives have historically paid lip service to the topic while focusing on increasing the wealth of the rich.
The failure to handle affordability has already led to Republicans losing races in places like New York City, Virginia, and Rhode Island—and other races in safe GOP territory have simultaneously been drifting toward Democrats.
Describing a concern held by millions of Americans as merely a “fake narrative” and “scam” is unlikely to shift things back into the Republican column.
