Affordability -- that word is now a household catch phrase thanks to the rising popularity of incoming New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
That narrative has helped the Democrats win several big elections outside of New York City as well, including the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, helped them notch a better-than-expected result in Tennessee -- even though they lost -- and a secure big win in this week's Miami mayoral election.
Trump is now hitting the road to address the topic, but his message has fallen flat thus far, and some in the GOP are pushing back on the president's narrative that concerns about affordability are all a hoax. So, it now appears that JD Vance is being called to step in and help.
When the “affordability” narrative was raised with Trump, he claimed it was a “hoax” created by the left.
He then proceeded to do the same thing Joe Biden did when he was in office, which was to tell people they are doing great even though their bank accounts are going in the wrong direction. I called Trump out for this, saying this was, by far, the wrong approach to take.
Betsey Stevenson, a professor of economics at the University of Michigan, stated, "My personal takeaway from the experience we had [in 2024] was that you can't tell people that prices aren't up when they're up.”
My recommendation to Trump would be to own the fact that prices have not come down as quickly as we expected, but remind Americans that they are going down. He should give a more realistic idea of when things will be back to normal, and stop telling people that the opposite of what they are experiencing is true. The American people need empathy and answers right now, not stubbornness.
For the first time, Trump is starting to see resistance among his supporters and not just among the usual players who have resisted him from day one. And they are not happy about him calling the crisis a hoax because they know it will hurt them at the ballot box.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) stated, “The president rightfully points to the policies of Biden as the hole that we’re digging ourselves out of, but while we’re still in a hole. We’re in a hole. I’m pretty sure if I go back to that trailer park I grew up in, if I did a town hall, they’re not doing fine.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who generally supports Trump, was coy but still critical, stating, “Presidential guidance would be very helpful.”
Never-Trumper Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was predictably critical, stating, “You can’t call it a hoax and suggest that people are going to believe it.” She later added, “By the time somebody is at the level that they’re serving as president of the United States, it’s not like they’re going out and doing their own shopping. Trump is not sitting down on a Thursday night and paying his own bills and seeing what’s going on with health care and how much his credit card shows for gas receipts. It is important that his team be really honest with him about what people are talking about around the dinner table.”
Trump is falling into the trap most politicians do, simply because they are detached from reality, as Murkowski suggested in her comments. When was the last time Trump shopped for groceries or bought gasoline at the pump? As much as he wants people to believe he is just a regular guy, that is simply not the case.
Now reports are surfacing that Vance is coming in to bat cleanup, and I think that is a great idea. As entertaining as Trump can be at his rallies, Vance is far better at delivering a very specific message.
To that point, it was announced that Vance will be touring battleground states, with an administration spokesperson stating, “Expect Vice President Vance to emphasize the fact that making America affordable again is the number one priority of the Trump administration.”
If you are a regular reader, you know I have been begging this administration and the RNC to get off its butt and get out there to talk to the American people like Trump and Vance did during the 2024 campaign. I love the idea, but I just hope they put out the right message and don’t try to ram a fiction sandwich about the economy down people’s throats. Don’t just speak at them, listen to them, and directly address their concerns. Do that, and this little tour will be a success. Just be honest... I truly believe that is all Americans want out of the White House, especially since it has been decades since we had that. Speak at them instead of to them, and, well, the GOP will get crushed in 2026.
