Affordability Pitch Eludes At-Risk Republicans as Trump Demurs

Congressional Republicans are struggling to craft a message on affordability with the White House providing no help.

More than a dozen House and Senate Republicans interviewed by Bloomberg Government said there’s been minimal guidance from the administration on discussing the issue of affordability, which President Donald Trump has referred to as a “hoax” this week.

“The key to affordability is continual progress,” said Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.). “There’s only so much we can do to fix the problems that we inherited. Once we fix them, it’s going to take a little time for those market forces to work.”

The White House has been trying to craft an effective message on the cost of living and the economy, as Trump grapples with falling approval numbers driven by pocketbook issues.

Trump is also planning a Tuesday trip to Pennsylvania to discuss inflation in his latest effort to tout his own policies and shift blame for voters’ economic concerns to Democrats — who have effectively turned “affordability” into a top campaign issue.

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump blamed high costs on former President Joe Biden, going as far as to call the word “affordability” a “con job” created by his political rivals.

Top administration members, including Vice President JD Vance, have also asked Americans to be “a little more patient” on costs coming down.

Republicans have followed the White House’s lead while they search for a better way to reassure voters they are taking economic anxieties seriously. Lawmakers are making the case to voters that Trump is cleaning up Biden’s mess and to bet with them that the economy will soon turn around.

“It’s going to take the president probably another full year to get inflation under control,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged the public to “relax,” arguing that tax provisions and other benefits from the reconciliation bill passed earlier this year will soon kick in.

“We are exactly on the trajectory of where we’ve always planned to be,” Johnson said. “Our best days are ahead of us.”

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) insists better economic days are to come.

Photographer: Allison Robbert/Bloomberg

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told Bloomberg Government he spoke with Trump directly by phone last week, and the issue of affordability came up. Van Drew said the president was “frustrated” by the slow pace of declining costs, but also “hopeful” about the next few months.

“I don’t know that costs have gone up a lot, but they haven’t gone down,” Van Drew said. “That’s the problem. There’s a lot of inflation.”

Van Drew said he was particularly optimistic about higher tax returns next year, which can be credited to Trump.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a close Trump ally, echoed the president by blaming Biden, but also acknowledged the delayed relief many are feeling.

“It’s still tough on families because Biden drove up the cost of living so high,” Jordan said. “The president is doing a great job of bringing it down, but families are still feeling it because the Big Beautiful Bill hasn’t happened yet. I think that will be helpful.”

Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, said Trump is “unveiling one policy initiative after another” to tackle Biden’s “inflation and affordability crisis.”

“Much work remains, but the Trump administration has already secured deals to lower drug prices, slashed costly car regulations, and unleashed American energy,” Desai said in a statement. “This work will continue, and the Administration will continue to underscore its progress and results.”

Democrats Cheer Trump’s Dismissal

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said affordability concerns are not a “hoax.”

Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg

Trump’s decision to downplay high costs has given Democrats plenty of opportunity to attack the president. And they have used the president’s dismissal to boost their own messaging.

“It’s preposterous that he’s calling this a hoax,” Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), who represents a swing district, said. “It’s the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth issue in my district. American people are really struggling, and we need to take that seriously.”

Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) said high costs are the top issue in her district too.

“People who never felt financial insecurity before are feeling it now,” McClellan said. “For people who have felt it most of their lives, it’s getting worse.”

Trump ran his 2024 presidential campaign with a focus on the economy, slamming Biden and Kamala Harris for rising inflation, and the GOP successfully tied high costs of groceries and household goods to Democrats.

Nearly a year into office, polls indicate the majority of Americans remain unhappy with the state of the economy. A pre-Thanksgiving Fox News poll found a whopping 76% of voters viewed the economy negatively.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the American Dream “has been broken” for many people, criticizing Trump for his recent rhetoric.

“It’s unconstructive for him to conclude that it’s a scam and Democratic hoax,” Jeffries said. “The American people know it’s not a scam. It’s not a hoax. It’s very real.”