In the high stakes arena of American politics, few strategies are as bold as denying the very existence of a voter’s primary concern. Yet, in early December 2025, President Donald Trump did exactly that. During a cabinet meeting and a subsequent rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, the President dismissed the nation’s affordability crisis as a “fake narrative” and a “hoax” fabricated by Democrats. He insisted that his administration had “crushed” inflation and that prices were falling rapidly. This assertion marks a significant pivot in his administration’s messaging, moving from promising solutions to denying the problem exists. However, a closer look at the economic indicators reveals a stark divide between the President’s optimistic rhetoric and the financial reality facing millions of American households.
The Rhetoric Of Denial
President Trump’s recent comments suggest a calculated political gamble intended to reshape public perception ahead of the approaching midterm elections. Speaking to his cabinet on December 2, 2025, he labeled the term “affordability” a “con job” and argued that the concept “doesn’t mean anything to anybody”. He doubled down on this sentiment days later in Pennsylvania, claiming that he had inherited the worst inflation in history but had since reversed the trend entirely. By grading his own economic management as an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” in a recent interview, the President is attempting to overwrite the electorate’s lived experience with a narrative of unprecedented success. This strategy mirrors the very tactic that plagued the previous administration, where telling voters the economy was healthy when they felt otherwise led to a disconnect that Trump himself capitalized on in 2024. Now, by labeling the cost of living struggle a “hoax”, he risks appearing equally out of touch with a constituency that is still reeling from high prices.
The Data Tells A Different Story
Despite the President’s claims of falling prices, the hard data from late 2025 paints a picture of entrenched unaffordability, particularly in the housing sector. According to a grim analysis by the National Association of Home Builders released in 2025, nearly 75 percent of U.S. households are now unable to afford a median priced new home. With the median price hovering around $460,000 and mortgage rates remaining stubborn near 6.5 percent, homeownership has become mathematically impossible for the vast majority of families. This is not a “hoax” but a statistical reality that leaves over 100 million households priced out of the market.
Furthermore, the broader price of goods continues to climb, contradicting the narrative of deflation. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that prices rose 3 percent in the twelve months ending in September 2025. Specific essentials have seen even sharper increases, with grocery costs up 2.7 percent and electricity jumping more than 5 percent over the same period. While the President touts revenue from his aggressive tariff policies, economists note that these import taxes are actually driving up the cost of consumer goods like clothing and furniture, further straining household budgets.
A Future Outlook
The danger for the Trump administration lies in the widening gap between this rhetoric and the daily struggle of the American voter. Political consultant Frank Luntz recently warned that the President risks repeating the mistakes of 1929 by telling people “happy days are here again” while they struggle to pay rent. When a leader dismisses a central crisis as a partisan fabrication, they forfeit the ability to empathetically address it. If the administration continues to pursue policies that restrict supply and raise costs through tariffs while simultaneously denying that an affordability problem exists, the political fallout in the upcoming midterms could be severe. Voters may forgive a leader who struggles to fix a problem, but they rarely forgive one who tells them their suffering is imaginary.
