The political buzzword today is “affordability.” It is supposedly the reason the Democrats did so well in the November elections and cut the margin of the GOP victory in a conservative Tennessee congressional district last week.
The pundits claim Americans are upset at the “affordability” crisis facing the country and are showing their anger by voting Democrat.
Of course, such political behavior is ridiculous because Democrats created the “affordability” crisis. However, it is also a sign that Republicans are inept at political messaging. They have a compelling story to share with voters, but, as usual, the GOP is letting the media and the Democrats spew lies to Americans.
At the end of President Donald Trump’s first term, mortgage interest rates were at a historic “50-year low,” averaging 2.16 percent for 15-year mortgages and 2.65 percent for 30-year mortgages. In January 2021, the inflation rate was also incredibly low, at only 1.4 percent
Low inflation and interest rates equal affordability for the American people. It is especially beneficial to couple low interest rates and low inflation with solid wage increases.
As President Trump was leaving in January of 2021, “real average weekly earnings” increased 6.3 percent over the previous year. When wage growth outpaces costs, Americans can pay their bills, save money for retirement, and reduce their credit card debt.
Unfortunately, Trump left office in January 2021, and he was replaced by President Joe Biden. His administration proceeded to wreck the economy by passing legislation that massively increased the size and scope of the federal government.
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These bills included the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Chips and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which featured an array of unwise and unworkable “climate change” proposals from the infamous “Green New Deal.”
Consequently, the Biden administration added $8.4 trillion to the national debt during its four years of profligate spending. This level was $600 billion more than President Trump added to the national debt in his first term, which included the extraordinary spending that was needed to respond to the COVID pandemic.
When the federal government spends money recklessly and adds gargantuan levels of debt, the response is usually inflation, which is exactly what happened during the Biden administration. In July 2022, the inflation rate reached an astounding level of 9.1 percent, the highest increase since November 1981.
Over the four horrific years of the Biden administration, the cumulative increase in inflation was 21.2 percent. During the same period, earnings rose by only 19.4 percent, so, unlike the dynamic in the Trump administration when wages outpaced inflation, “the typical family did, in fact, fall behind during Biden’s presidency.”
Not surprisingly, this poor economic situation forced Americans to use their credit cards to pay for necessities. Thus, nationally, the level of credit card debt reached $1.1 trillion, an all-time high.
To make matters worse, in response to the high inflation levels, the Federal Reserve dramatically increased interest rates. By October of 2023, mortgage rates reached 7.8 percent, the highest level in 23 years and approximately 3X higher than at the end of the first Trump term.
This economic nightmare is what President Trump inherited in January of 2025. Obviously, it would cause Americans to believe they were facing an “affordability” crisis. However, this unfortunate predicament was clearly caused by Joe Biden and his reckless policies, not by President Trump, who has only had ten months to solve the problem.
In President Trump’s second term, the economic numbers are solid. The current inflation rate is only 3 percent, a major reduction from the Biden era. The Federal Reserve has made two interest rate cuts in recent months and may cut the rates again this week.
Other good news includes various Trump policies to reduce prescription drug costs and the prices for eggs and other groceries.
One major accomplishment has been the reduction in gasoline prices and the increase in domestic energy output, which will bring consumers relief in the years ahead.
In addition, President Trump signed into law the extension of large tax cuts that were guaranteed with the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which also included “no tax on tips” and an increase in the child tax credit.
While these provisions will deliver economic relief to millions of Americans, starting in January of next year, there are major concerns about health care premiums that are set to explode unless COVID-era subsidies are continued. Yet, this health care debacle is not a Republican problem, as it was a direct result of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare.”
Republicans predicted it would be a disaster, and it has lived up to those expectations. It was passed without a single Republican vote, so Democrats should entirely own this catastrophe.
If the issue were properly covered by the media, “affordability” would destroy the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, Americans cannot count on the media to be honest, so Republicans need to do their own messaging.
Newly elected U.S. Representative Matt Van Epps (R-TN) accurately said, “I’m tired of too many Republicans ceding affordability to Democrats.” As Vice President J.D. Vance noted in an NBC News interview, “affordability problems” have been “caused by Democrats.” He claimed the “hoax” that President Trump continually mentions “is the idea that it’s our fault and not the Democrats’ fault.”
To address this issue, President Trump will travel to Pennsylvania to promote his economic agenda. A White House official told NBC News, the event will be “more of a narrative thing than a substantive thing…it’s more to reiterate or underscore that we’ve been working on this since Day 1. That’s not changing anytime soon.”
In this Pennsylvania event, and at all public events as the midterm elections approach, President Trump and Republican leaders should constantly remind voters that, if not for the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Americans would have faced huge tax increases.
Paying more taxes to the federal government does not help Americans deal with the “affordability” crisis.
Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America's Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-9 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance, and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and at Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com
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