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Dulcinea

(9,461 posts) Fri Nov 14, 2025, 06:43 AM Friday

Economic promises helped Trump get elected. Now he has an affordability problem

(NPR) President Trump says he is going to "make America affordable again." It's a pledge he made frequently during the campaign. And now, after dropping it from his lexicon for more than eight months, he's saying it again as polls show voters rank the economy and cost of living as their top concern and blame Trump's policies for making things worse.

A senior administration official tells NPR Trump will soon travel around the country with a message that while some things have improved, there is more work to do to help people feeling economic strain. The official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, added that when it comes to affordability, "there's no finish line."

Thus far, Trump has spent far more time boasting about how great the economy and stock market are doing than acknowledging any economic anxiety.

https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/nx-s1-5608348/trump-economy-affordability

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Economic promises helped Trump get elected. Now he has an affordability problem (Original Post) Dulcinea Friday OP

Ya know, every candidate for office claims to want to do something about the economy. mwmisses4289 Friday #1

"every candidate for office" You do realize that you just threw all of the Democrats in office under the bus? cstanleytech Friday #2

No. I have been voting since the 1970's, mwmisses4289 Friday #4

So, the Republican and Democratic politicians both you're contending make things unaffordable? cstanleytech Friday #5

"make America affordable again." -- not when inflation has been rising for 5 straight months progree Friday #3

Promise's made Promise's kept MW67 Friday #6

Lots of politicians over-promise results to get elected, but none in history has gone so far out on so many limbs. Martin68 Saturday #7

MaddowBlog-On Walmart and Thanksgiving costs, Trump's 'big fact' is neither big nor fact LetMyPeopleVote 17 hrs ago #8

mwmisses4289

(2,786 posts)

1. Ya know, every candidate for office claims to want to do something about the economy.

Reply to Dulcinea (Original post)

Fri Nov 14, 2025, 07:55 AM

Friday

And they do- they help to make things more unaffordable. Anyone remember being able to get a loaf of bread for around a dollar? Fruit for around 50 cents a pound? Meat for about 2 dollars a pound?
And now? If you can find a cheap loaf for less than two bucks, you're lucky (and I don't mean on special). Fruit is now about 2 dollars or more a pound, and because some fruits are grown more for size than taste, that means usually one piece of fruit. As for meat and fish, even cheap cuts have become more of a once or twice a week treat for many.
So yeah, they get elected on economic promises. But until they actually bring prices and such back down to about 1980's levels, I ain't gonna believe nothing they say about fixing the economy.

cstanleytech

(28,052 posts)

2. "every candidate for office" You do realize that you just threw all of the Democrats in office under the bus?

Reply to mwmisses4289 (Reply #1)

Fri Nov 14, 2025, 09:22 AM

Friday

Maybe an edit is needed?

mwmisses4289

(2,786 posts)

4. No. I have been voting since the 1970's,

Reply to cstanleytech (Reply #2)

Fri Nov 14, 2025, 12:13 PM

Friday

and repblican and democratic candidates have said some variation of we promise to fix the economy. I will acknowledge that dems have made some brave attempts, and have had a few successes, but in the end, things keep getting more unaffordable.

cstanleytech

(28,052 posts)

5. So, the Republican and Democratic politicians both you're contending make things unaffordable?

Reply to mwmisses4289 (Reply #4)

Fri Nov 14, 2025, 01:53 PM

Friday

I can get the Republicans doing it but I don't honestly see the Democrats doing it.

progree

(12,558 posts)

3. "make America affordable again." -- not when inflation has been rising for 5 straight months

Reply to Dulcinea (Original post)

Fri Nov 14, 2025, 09:45 AM

Friday

Last edited Sun Nov 16, 2025, 05:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Here's the year-over-year precentage increase numbers (probably the source of the claim that inflation has been rising over the last 5 months)
CPI data series: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUSR0000SA0
Click on "More Formatting Options", and on the page that appears,
Check the checkbox: "12-Month Percent Change"

YEAR: Jan Feb Mar etc. etc.
2024: 3.1 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.0 2.9 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.9
2025: 3.0 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.7 2.7 2.9 3.0

Graphs of 3 month rolling averages and of month-to-month are at
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3563862

Over the last 3 months: inflation has averaged an annualized 3.6%.
Comparing the CPI index in September over its June value, and annualizing it. Just like what is commonly done with inflation and GDP in the quarterly GDP reports.

MW67

(74 posts)

6. Promise's made Promise's kept

Reply to Dulcinea (Original post)

Fri Nov 14, 2025, 07:11 PM

Friday

Haven't seen that sign around here lately ,was all over the place around here the first go round, although I never really knew what they were talking about, and I'm certain they didn't

Martin68

(26,639 posts)

7. Lots of politicians over-promise results to get elected, but none in history has gone so far out on so many limbs.

Reply to Dulcinea (Original post)

Sat Nov 15, 2025, 11:18 AM

Saturday

All those promises are coming home to roost: inflation, Epstein files, tariffs, immigration, etc.

LetMyPeopleVote

(172,788 posts)

8. MaddowBlog-On Walmart and Thanksgiving costs, Trump's 'big fact' is neither big nor fact

Reply to Dulcinea (Original post)

Mon Nov 17, 2025, 07:57 PM

17 hrs ago

Pressed on federal efforts to address consumer costs, the White House has exactly one talking point — and it’s demonstrably false.

Link to tweet

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/walmart-thanksgiving-costs-trumps-big-fact-neither-big-fact-rcna244452

When it comes to inflation, affordability and Americans’ concerns about the cost of living, Donald Trump has spent months fighting a losing war. The president keeps lying, and the public keeps getting annoyed.

The White House, however, believes it has one key piece of evidence on its side.

Trump shamelessly lies: "Go to Walmart and other companies, and in every case it's about 25% that a Thanksgiving meal and surroundings are 25% lower. That's big fact."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-11-16T23:58:35.286Z

......In reality, the claim is neither big nor a fact, as the president really ought to understand by now.

The truth is simple: Walmart lowered the cost of its Thanksgiving dinner by reducing the number of items included in the package and replacing brand-name products with value products. Consumers will pay less, in other words, because they’ll get less, no thanks to the White House’s misguided agenda......

A couple of days later, after the president repeated the lie at a White House event, a reporter explained reality to him. “I haven’t heard that,” the Republican replied, shortly before condemning the truth as “fake news.”

In the days that followed, he continued to peddle the same falsehood. Members of his team, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, faced similar difficulties reconciling the talking point with the truth.

That leading administration officials, including the president, keep trying to mislead the public about one of the issues Americans care about most is obviously indefensible, but I’m also struck by the bigger picture: Pressed on federal efforts to address consumer costs, the White House has exactly one talking point — and it’s not true

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