Trump makes another affordability push as Americans sour on the economy

The White House on Wednesdaymoved to scrap Biden-era fuel economy requirements, saying the change would help drive down automobile prices. It’s the latest attempt to convince Americans that their bank accounts are better off under President Donald Trump.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump bashed former President Joe Biden for his previous fuel efficiency regulations, calling them a “green new scam” that had “brainwashed” people.

“People were paying too much for a car that didn't work as well,” Trump said. “Now, they're going to have a great car that's environmentally friendly, but it's going to cost you a lot less.”

But those changes aren’t likely to affect car prices any time soon,according to industry experts. Meanwhile, the cost for everything from groceries to utility bills remains stubbornly high, and Democrats have been buoyed by a set of election wins in New Jersey, Virginia and recently Tennessee, where affordability concerns took center stage.

Administration officials have said they’re doing their best to blunt the effects of what they call years of Democrats’ bad policy decisions, and have urged the public to be patient.

“The word ‘affordability’ is a Democrat scam,” the president said Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting, after going through a litany of investments and achievements he said have helped the country prosper. And Vice President JD Vance assured reporters during the meeting that next year will see an economic boom.

“2026 is going to be the year when this economy really takes off,” Vance said.

But the public may not wait that long to see results. The president faces questions about the cost of living at virtually every public appearance, and his “blame the Democrats” message doesn’t seem to be convincing Americans, at least so far.

According to a Yahoo!/YouGov pollconducted before Thanksgiving, 49 percent of respondents said Trump’s actions since taking office have raised prices. In addition, more people said they blamed Trump for current levels of inflation — 38 percent — compared to those who said they blamed Biden at 31 percent.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said in an interview with POLITICO Wednesday that he had many legislative proposals aimed at reducing prices, including one related to a persistent economic pain point: housing. But that takes engagement from the administration, he said.

Congress hasn’t “seen enough effort legislatively to push through the process” of getting prices down. “The administration could help. They could work with Congress to actually make law with us and then we’d have more policy solutions that actually drive down cost. In the absence of that, we’re left with politics and messaging.”

Young added that this isn’t a problem unique to Trump, however.

“I don't say this critically, because certainly the Biden administration didn't do this,” he said. “In fact, I haven't encountered any [administrations] that have done it really well since I arrived in Washington in 2011.”

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Wednesday’s announcement “perfectly illustrates how Democrats are the ones who drove up cost of living for Americans,” adding that “it was Democrats like Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg who illegally rammed through phony [fuel efficiency] regulations that made cars more expensive and less safe,” he said.

“Much work remains,” Desai added in a statement. “But with inflation cooled and real wages up, the Administration is confident that President Trump’s agenda will continue to restore working-class prosperity — just as it did during his first term.”

Even some Republicans acknowledge that high costs are making life difficult for Americans.

Though he didn’t address whether the Trump administration’s policies are responsible, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), said while home for Thanksgiving break, he heard from people in his state who said “they can’t afford their health care.”

“Affordability, cost of living, it's huge for people — people don’t feel like they're getting ahead at all because they're not, they can't ... everything around them is getting more expensive and health care leads that list.”

Voter discontent is starting to show at the ballot box, as well.

Earlier this month, Democrats claimed big wins in New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races, where affordability concerns featured prominently. And on Tuesday, in a special election in Tennessee, the Democratic candidatelost by 9 points in a deep-red MAGA seat that Trump won by 22-points in 2024. Both candidates framed the election as one based on affordability concerns.

The National Republican Congressional Committee claimed victory Tuesday, as Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.)said in a statement that “no one is better positioned to take up the mantle and deliver results for Tennessee families, workers and small business owners,” than Republican candidate Matt Van Epps.

But during a closed-door briefing for House Republicans Wednesday, top Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio said the too-close race was because Republicans weren’t talking enough about affordability concerns, POLITICO has learned.

Still, after Democrats swept several statewide and local races earlier this month, Trump acknowledged public discontent over the cost-of-living — noting that many Americans “just don’t feel” an economic boom, despite his administration’s view of the economy as strong. In response to the results, the administration began rolling back some tariffs on consumer goods, such as beef and coffee, to try to ease price pressures.

Last month, the White House ran a post titled “Lower Prices Bigger Paychecks,” claiming that certain commodity indexes like groceries and everyday essentials were dropping, and that wage growth was outpacing price increases. In a recent policy rollout on drug pricing, the administration used the affordability lens. The White House consistently has cited data on food and household essentials, asserting that “everyday prices are beginning to drop.”

On Wednesday, Trump again bashed Democratic policies as responsible for the country’s economic ills, and said that commodity prices such as beef and eggs are “coming down.” While retail egg prices have come down, beef prices remain elevated. Last month, the CEO of Omaha Steaks told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that Americans could soon pay $10 a pound for ground beef, significantly more than its current cost.

“Remember this, when they use the word affordability, they never say anything else,” Trump said Wednesday. “We're getting those prices down. And they're coming down rapidly. And you'll see those results very soon.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also urged patience, saying that some prices are down. He said he paid $2.50 per gallon for gasoline in Alabama over the weekend.

“But I understand a lot of things are not, not down — but again, President Trump went with his head underwater back in January. Now he's just barely, barely getting his head above water. But we're making progress,” he said.

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.