Trump is trying to make ‘affordability’ his issue. Good luck with that.
By: Aaron Blake
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Donald Trump is nothing if not gifted at crafting politically advantageous alternate realities. Through repetition, force of will and shamelessness , he’s convinced tens of millions of Americans of a host of dubious or outright-false claims – most notably that the 2020 election he lost was somehow “stolen.”
But Trump’s latest effort to rewrite reality is brazen and puzzling even by his standards.
As inflation has proven stubborn, and even ticked up, and as energy and grocery prices have continued to rise , Trump has set about trying to convince people that this isn’t the case at all.
“I will say this: If you look at affordability, which they campaigned on, they lied,” Trump told reporters on Friday, referring to Democrats’ success in Tuesday’s election.
“Because they talked about, ‘Oh, prices are up.’ No, no. Prices are down under the Trump administration. And they’re down substantially.”
He’s arguing that the rising costs people can see and feel are actually down. And now he’s trying to make “affordability” his calling card.
Good luck with that.
Polls have made clear Americans not only overwhelmingly understand prices are rising, but they strongly link this to Trump’s policies.
What’s more, the president has allowed a particularly troublesome perception to fester: that he’s been asleep at the wheel.
It’s difficult to see how pretending that inflation doesn’t exist and that his administration has done a great job on this issue is going to change that. If anything, it could exacerbate a perception that the administration is divorced from reality.
Trump’s newfound ‘affordability’ focus
Trump has responded to Republicans’ poor 2025 election results by suddenly keying like a laser on “affordability.” He might not have much regard for New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s democratic socialist policies, but he seems happy to rip a page out of Mamdani’s political playbook.
“Why did Zohran Mamdani do so well last night? He relentlessly focused on affordability,” top White House political adviser James Blair told Politico on Wednesday.
Trump’s MAGA ally Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for Ohio governor, cut a video on election night urging Republicans to set aside their focus on culture wars in favor of an affordability focus .
Trump has posted on social media and spoken repeatedly about affordability in the last few days, claiming on Friday that Democrats’ message on the topic was a “con job” and that Republicans need to do a better job talking about his economic successes.
“The only problem is the Republicans don’t talk about it, and Republicans should start talking about it and use their heads, because we have great numbers,” he said Thursday, claiming there’s “virtually no inflation.”
Trump has also repeatedly pointed to Walmart’s annual Thanksgiving grocery list costing under $40 this year compared to about $55 last year.
The talking point is a complete non sequitur , as CNN’s Daniel Dale writes. It’s not apples-to-apples because this year’s list has fewer items. And it’s clear that grocery prices writ large are up. In fact, average prices in September were up 1.4% compared to January and up about 3% since last year, according to a recent Consumer Price Index study. They also just saw their largest one-month year-over-year increase (0.6%) in three years this summer.
When pressed on the apples-to-oranges comparison of the Walmart Thanksgiving list on Friday, he dismissed the question as “fake news.”
Few believe in Trump’s alternate reality
But it’s not just that prices are up; it’s also that people recognize that, despite Trump’s claims.
A CBS News-YouGov poll last week showed just 7% of Americans said prices have been going down recently. Another 62% said they’re going up.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll, meanwhile, shows fewer than 10% of Americans say they’re paying less for groceries and utilities compared to a year ago. Conversely, 71% said they’re paying more for groceries, and 59% said they’re paying more for utilities.
Americans directly blame Trump for economic problems
And more than that, people draw a direct line from these price increases and economic pains to Trump.
- The CBS poll showed Americans said 64%-11% that Trump’s policies were making the prices they paid for food and groceries go up rather than down.
- The Post-ABC poll showed 59% blamed Trump at least a “good amount” for rising prices.
- A new CNN poll , meanwhile, showed 61% of Americans said Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions in the country.” That number has risen 10 points since March. And quite notably, it’s higher than it ever was with Joe Biden – despite the Democratic president suffering from even worse inflation problems.
All of which brings us to perhaps the one economic number that I keep coming back to on this topic.
CBS has asked repeatedly during Trump’s second term whether he was focused enough on lowering prices.
The percentage who said he’s focused “not enough” on this has risen from 64% in March to 70% in July to 75% in October.
That’s three-quarters of Americans who haven’t seen Trump doing enough on this topic. Even a clear majority of Republicans – 57% – say Trump has neglected the issue.
The risk of Trump’s new strategy
These perceptions are baked-in now, in large part because Trump has neglected the issue, at least until he decided to start saying “affordability” a lot in recent days.
If anything, he’s given people a shorthand to tie him to this persistent inflation. That’s in part because he decided to make tariffs, which are often inflationary, his signature economic policy. And he decided to implement them unilaterally, making it clear exactly who is responsible for them. He voluntarily took near-complete ownership of the economy, and now he’s trying to pretend things have gone better than they have.
Trump might be able to convince some people that what they see with their own eyes at the grocery stores or on their electric bills isn’t real. Maybe he’ll get some MAGA Republicans to misremember prices being higher a year ago.
But when it comes to convincing the rest of the population they’re better off now, it’s really hard to see that working.
Trump’s alternate realities often resonate because Americans live in information silos where his claims aren’t fact-checked. That can work well when it comes to complex subjects like voter fraud.
But prices are things people can fact-check with their own eyes. They’re facts that are quite literally in people’s faces on a daily basis.
And ultimately, what Trump risks is instead convincing people that he’s out of touch with their economic realities.
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Americans get it.
the maga brain trust will still be wondering what happened to them this time next year ...
took long enough
Hey, better late than never. It was a timely recognition as far as Tuesday's election goes.
Even Fox 'news' is now actually reporting how expensive things are for average US citizens. Be it few are far between their lying extreme, but it is a step in the right direction after the dire direction the last presidential election left US All pointing, pointing that mortar than enuff concrete evidence is out there to show which direction 'affordability' is currently and will eventually grow, and basically all due to some asses phault Trump paved Rhode to ruin scholar that should make 99% of US holler, back at the POS on the TV, again LYING for ALL to see, as this can't be spun, asz these prices affect everyone, unless making US Great GAtsby Again, cause when da fck do people wake up and say when do WE WAKE THE FCK UP in the WHite House is Y, he is Y things have gotten tougher, cause tarriffs only make it on US rougher, and without a GOP check to buffer, WE ALL SUFFER!
WAKE UP citizens, get your heads out of your asses and start seeing what the masses are slowly understanding about the Trump grandstanding about pseudo reality tout, that has taken this country down, down like a two Billion Dollar investment inn the Trump family Dump from Zi Zi as he is pardoned but Trump doesn't know him, as his sons would never share such info with Don, the Ho, as just remember the Hunter Gatherer Biden his time in Ukrainian Crime for what, a measly $20 Mill, cause TWO BILLION IS NOTHING TO SEE HERE, as Trump said it's all a scam, and for once, he wasn't LYING !!
Well said Iggy..
Waiting now for Trump supporters to show up defending Trump's brazen lies about the economy.
... the 2nd coming will arrive before that happens.
Why? They have been defending the buffoon’s lies and outrageous actions since before he was elected.
They're still waiting for the talking points memo.
I meant show up here ...
trump has forsaken the traditional brown shirts for maga brown noses instead ...
that stinks
... like stepping into a big pile of maga.
Could we see the beginning of an epiphany? No supporters showing up to defend Trump. Is it possible that they finally recognize that Trump is full-of-shit, incompetent, and callous? That Trump does not accomplish tasks like a genuine executive but rather merely invents his own alternate reality and then lies about it.
This only works on people who (for whatever reason) believe him. As people wise up, so ends Trump's influence.
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Nah.
They knew that a long time ago. That's what they love about him.
Do you think they realize that Trump's policies hurt them and that he does not care about them and that his incompetence will likely lead to more pain for them? Not just the 'left', but them!
Do you have a defense of Trump to offer?
Those that do realize it complain bittterly that Trump is "hurting the wrong people". So, fuck 'em.
yeah, americans ...
Trump brazenly lies about everything. Why should the economy be anything different.
Republicans should start talking about it and use their heads, because we have great numbers,
Is this yet another case of a "nobody's ever seen anything like it -ism"?
The best numbers ever. Better than George Washington.
Thank you for you attention to this matter!
This is just an example of the fact that George Orwell was a seer or prognosticator with his novel 1984. Is America becoming Oceana?
Those 7% probably never went to a grocery store
I finally joined the 21st century and haven't been to a grocery store in 2 months now ...
I won't do the "let Kroger shop for you"
I resent all those damn large carts in the aisles while I just want to get a loaf of bread. Besides...will they pick the best avocados or will they be over ripe or hard as rocks? I really hate bruised bananas and apples, too
I don't do grocery pickup for the same reason. I prefer to choose my own produce. Our local Food Lion has very narrow aisles already. Shoppers for pickups just about stop traffic going both ways.
For health and mobility reasons I do most of my grocery shopping online and have it delivered. Usually from Walmart but sometimes from local grocery stores. I think that people who have never shopped groceries online would be surprised at how extensive the items are, there is very little you could find live in the store that you cant order to have delivered. The one thing I dont like about it with Walmart is that very little is on sale so you end up spending more than you probably would in a live store.
they've crushed my loaf of bread every time, so I've never had to pay for it ...
I’m convinced that that is how they get rid of their most undesirable produce.
I purposely avoided any fresh produce comments with either of them ...
I think you're right
Why are you restraining yourself?
just here, not in real life ...
there were a lot of softballs available in this thread for me to hit out of the park ...
Yep I do my own shopping at a small town grocery store where they listen to me/us about what we want. Kind of nice to know the names of every employee. Gotta love living in the sticks.
Used to live in Nederland Co. where my buddy Joe said that the ladies said the store was bad...he told me that the Rocky Mountain way was better than the way he had.
(meaning the jungle of LA)
Grocery store?
What's a grocery store?
I'm not familiar with that term.
According to Trump groceries is a bag with different things in it. Huh?
Does that mean that Dear Leader thinks that that a women's handbag is a grocery strore?
Pretty sure you don't want to know what Trump thinks a woman's "handbag" is.
P.S. Have been carrying an olive drab, canvas WWII gas mask bag for years as a purse. Very handy for carrying stuff that won't fit into pockets and macho enough not to get into fights about it.
Trump says our Thanksgiving feasts costs 25% less this year. Which is true only if we get half as much!
FACT FOCUS: Trump’s stats on Thanksgiving meal costs are off | AP News
Did you look at the side-by-side lists, it's pretty funny that Trump thinks this proves affordability.
Here's what you got in 2024:
Walmart Sets the Table Early With a Thanksgiving Meal for Less Than $7 per Person
And here is 2025's list:
Walmart’s Annual Thanksgiving Meal Returns — Serving 10 People for Less Than $4.00 Per Person*
Even Walmart is trying to lean into the "No! Everything is still affordable!" Trump mantra. Notice how they give you a 13.5 lb bird instead of the up to 16lb bird and last years was $0.88 a lb and yet this year they claim " $0.97/lb. — lowest price since 2019". Apparently, they mean "lowest price on Butterball Turkeys".
6 oz of fried onions the year before, 4.5 oz this year, yet this year is suppsoed to feed 10 people and last year fed 8 which is how they get their $ per person price.
Last year feeding only 8 people they got two pies, makings for a pumpkin pie with whipped topping and a pecan pie. This year, makings for one pumpkin pie, no whipped topping.
No mini marshmallows and sweet potatoes this year either, those are just cut with no substitute. No corn bread. Last year you got two 10.5 oz cans of cream of mushroom soup, this year just one. And yet, with less food, it's supposed to feed more people. Fucking hilarious. And Trump claims this proves he beat Biden's economy. What a fucking loser.
surf and turf is my traditional meal. I liked the stuffing, mash and gravy on t-day, but they can stuff the feathered lizard.
Evening...16lb Turkey??...
Geez what are you mob cooking over there a flipping Emu?
Nope! Just a turkey. For me it's 22 pounds
We tend to plan to have leftovers. Lots of them.
If you've seen A Christmas Story, you know that list of leftovers made with turkey that Ralphie spiels off? Pretty accurate. Turkey sandwiches, turkey soup, etc.
I do love cold turkey sandwiches and my wife makes a fantastic turkey hotdish.
hell no, emus sell insurance on this side of the planet you bloody ripper ...
Morning...good grief you would be eating Turkey for a week..no wonder there would left overs and 101 ways with Turkey..
Just a question off topic..your power points, don't they have an on off button??
Was watching something on Google and this American could not get over the on off switch on the power points at the wall here..
So when you want to turn off an iron, toaster etc you just pull the plug straight out of the wall for example with electricity still running through it?? Or is that not the case?
most just leave the toaster not depressed. I don't iron, due to a deficiency, but I believe they need to be unplugged. Yes, we don't have on/off buttons, but, I tend to push them anyway, nor are our slots slanted, as they run parallel and at a 90 degree angle
I have a family of about 9 I'm feeding and they are all taking leftovers home with them whether they want them or not.
I've never seen anything like that before. We do have this red button on the switch plates that will pop out if it senses water. Then you have to push the red button back in which can be difficult since the button is small. These types of switchplates are usually found in bathrooms and kitchens
GFI protectors
thanks. never knew what they were called
Morning..well as they say you learn something every day..had no idea you didn't have on off switches on your power points..
Definitely prefer ours so the power is turned off at the point then unplug...
I knew the points were different shapes and voltages etc the British points are the worst I have seen..
Some outlets have on/off switches, but those switches are on the same switchplate as the light switches. So you can turn a floor lamp, for example, on and off with a wall switch. But they're kind of a pain in the ass, because there are usually several switches, and it takes a while to figure out which one. And you might end up turning off something you didn't want to. In my office, for example, a lamp and the water cooler are on that type of outlet. So if you turn off the lamp with the wall switch, you also turn off the water cooler.
I hate those damn commercials.
So we see a spark now and then when we unplug our irons. We all need a little excitement. Walk on the wild side, shona.
Yep certainly would be wild and one way of getting rid of the ironing while it goes up in smoke...
Fair dinkum, you mob really are strange at times...🤣
Arvo...just had a look at those adds..they are really bad..
It's not called an "e-moo"..
It's called an "em-you"..
I need a Vegemite sandwich, it's all to much...
First, let me state that I read the entire thread (as it 'were') before adding this: No, we do not just pull the plug straight out of the wall with electricity coursing through it. Although, sometimes we FORGET to turn off the switch on the item itself (or dial it down to "OFF" in the case of an iron or refrigerator.)
Finally, yes! we can pull the cord out from the wall (as Sandy wrote) and it is usually harmless. However, that 'bright flash' we sometimes see if not 'APPROVED' by electricians.
I've never actually heard of anything bad happening from unplugging an appliance while there's still power to it. Except this one time, when I was charging my phone at my parents' house. I unplugged it, and tripped a circuit breaker. The charger's prong melted. That was a lil bit scary.
But some things, we have to. Think of your phone charger - there's still current running through it when you unplug it, because it doesn't have a switch. If you unplug your TV or computer, even if it's powered off, it's likely drawing or storing some current.
Sure. I am referring to the proper removal of a cord from the wall generally-speaking. That is where I read Shona questioning deriving. As for phone chargers- I 'always' detach the phone end first (no, I don't
but I try to) before unplugging the 'brick' from the circuit.
We do the best we can with what we have and with 'state of mind' in the moment. As for my computer and tv, I always 'cuss' at myself when I forget to make sure those are not powered off before I 'pull' out the cord. Because 9 times out of ten I will get that visible 'flash' of energy that we all have been told could damage our equipment.
At work if we had to re boot the computer or anything electronic we had to turn off the computer, turn off the power point and unplug the lead from the wall..wait at least 20 seconds then replug it, turn on the power point then the computer...
90% of the time it fixed what ever it's brain malfunction was.. method in the madness as they say...
Different countries have different configurations of the prongs.
In any event I believe Australia uses 220 v not 110.
Like this?
M. U.
To be honest with you (dear) Shona, (and you are correct to follow approved/uniformed steps around electrical current) we of a certain age have life experience that permits (if that is the right word) to take 'short-cuts' where electrical current is concerned. It is not wise, and sadly eventually some of us will get caught with a nasty burn or fire one day-maybe as there is always a chance of that happening.
BTW, I am wary of this discussion because well—we are 'putting something in the air' for that 'spirit' that travels through space and time to potentially react on and 'Zap'!
So, though I am not superstitious. . . . I will temper my words with a prayer that this season we are heading into will be safe and sound in and out of our homes. Bless our homes to be save from fire and 'harm.' 
Tip: Do not overload your (multiple outlets) plugs either —I remember to leave at least one plug on the tract empty, or plug extension cords into other extension cords.
Okay, now I am 'up' and checking around all my connections to see if I am true to my word!
When someone starts a comment with the words "To be honest" or "Honestly" I've aways wondered if they should be believed when they DON'T say that.
I'm alone this turkey day so lobster tails and filet mignon are already in house. Will be smoking them over apple wood (from my own trees) in a bullet smoker. Have a long-standing recipe for twice baked potatoes. Still haven't decided on the wine. Suggestions?
Really. Just go with it, Buzz. I have no reason to lie to you as I have nothing to gain by coming here (wasting my time) lying. I am not paid to be here—HONESTLY. And, I take your 'word/s' for it that you are in China. Though I have no reason to know if it is so.
I was NOT calling you a liar, I just made a general observation about what the use of the expression could cause.
As for proof about my being in China, this photo has not been photoshopped or retouched by AI. LOL
Arvo CJ... lobster and steak can't get much better than that..stuff the turkey!! I say..
Do you accept free loaders?? I am sure I can catch a flight and be right over..I won't stay long, promise..🐨
Even if you are by yourself it sounds like you are still going to a lot of effort..good on you!..
Myself I love Moscato which is a sweet white wine, but many don't like it...for me it always goes down well..
With respect, I have always accepted you are where you say you are and have been where you say you have been—without doubt.
You are quite striking in appearance. Peace! And yes, I recognize the great wall of China. It's a beautiful day there!
Arvo... speaking of big chook day over there, if I recall correctly Mr Frost said last year it was his last Thanksgiving as he was sick of spending it by himself..
Quite a few people offered to have Mr Frost at this year's Thanksgiving..
I do hope the offer still stands and he accepts any invites..🙂
Over the years I've learned a "secret" that fixes most computer problems.
If somethings not working, turn off the computer. Then re-boot and try doing the same action again.
For some strange reason this often works.
(Sometimes you have to do it more than once).
I think its a bit weird when people keep starting their sentences with "Honestly..."
I feel like they are assuming in advance that the other person won't believe what thay are about to say.
To tell the truth that is the way I feel about that.
I was going to say that honestly I thought you are living in the Bronx!
(But to tell the truth I decided not to say that)
It was cold.
Yes, reboot. That's worked for me.
Believe me, I believe you.
Unlike Sgt. York, I never rode on the Bronx Express.
Kirshna, it is a convention of speaking is all it is. Do not overthink it.
I can see it from the 'swell' dress wrapping you have on. . . in the picture I can sense the surrounding cold about you (like a 'crisp' cold day).
Sometimes the computer transistors 'misfire' or there is system 'degradation,' or a good ole fashion 'brain fart' happens somewhere in the computer 'gears' and a reSET (restart) is the order of the day! A reboot/restart can fix a lot that 'ails' the system. As everything powers down and then powers up 'fresh"!
I bought that warm Greek fisherman's cap at the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. People have tried to buy it from me. The best story is about the boyfriend of a girl I really liked who asked me what I wanted for him to get that hat. I told him his girlfriend, but sadly he wouldn't make the trade. LOL
Well, of course (not)!
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