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Right-wing media figures are starting to acknowledge the affordability problem

Some have even called out Trump's false claims about prices going down

Written by Pete Tsipis

Published

While President Donald Trump has insisted that prices are coming down and his tariff policies are working, some in right-wing media have recently offered a rare rebuke to his economic claims, acknowledging that affordability is a major problem and that prices are, in fact, on the rise.

  • Recent elections show that voters are not sold on Trump’s economic agenda. Trump is doubling down.

    • Republicans recently suffered defeat in elections across the country, with voters citing economic worries as a primary concern. While Trump continues to tout his economic policies, recent polling shows only 34% of registered voters believe he has lived up to expectations on the economy. [The Associated Press, 11/4/25; NBC News, 11/5/25]
    • Trump has doubled down on his economic policies, claiming that prices are down, his tariffs are working, and that the economy is strong. In reality, the cost of the tariffs — taxes on imported goods — has been handed off to American consumers causing an increase in prices. [NBC News, 11/9/25; BBC, 2/3/25]
    • Trump has repeatedly claimed that grocery prices, except for beef, are down under his administration. In reality, prices on dozens of grocery items have increased under Trump, with average grocery prices up 1.4% since he took office. [CNN, 11/7/25]
    • According to the National Association of Realtors' (NAR) 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the share of first-time home buyers has dropped to a historic low of 21% and the median age of first-time buyers has risen to 40 years old. According to NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research Jessica Lautz, “The historically low share of first-time buyers underscores the real-world consequences of a housing market starved for affordable inventory.” [National Association of Realtors, 11/4/25]
    • Nevertheless, Trump has called the issue of affordability a “con job” perpetrated by Democrats. The White House also rejected the notion that recent policy proposals around affordability were made in response to the recent election. [Politico, 11/11/25]

  • Right-wing media are pushing back on Trump’s claims that America is affordable as well as some of his economic proposals

    • The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro rejected Trump’s claims that groceries are becoming more affordable. He said, “When President Trump says things are becoming more affordable, people don't believe that they are becoming more affordable because they aren't really more affordable.” [The Daily Wire, The Ben Shapiro Show, 11/6/25]
    • Conservative streamer Zack Hoyt, also known as Asmongold, contradicted Trump, suggesting that people don’t feel the economy is good “on a personal level.” Hoyt stated, “Trump saying that, like, the economy is really good, is great. But when people don't feel that on a personal level, it's like, who cares if Nvidia is worth $5 trillion, or, you know, how big the stock market is or something like that. When you're a paycheck to paycheck person, which a lot of people are, that type of stuff is, like, so abstract that it doesn't really matter to you. [YouTube, 11/5/25; The Atlantic, 4/25/25]
    • The Federalist’s Sean Davis said Trump “looks weak and rudderless” because his domestic policy “is still not working for the majority of people.” Davis railed against the Trump administration and Republicans in general, saying, “Newly minted college grads can’t find work and are saddled with debt. Where is their path to the American dream right now? Who is giving them a vision of a future worth fighting for? You cannot have a viable country or future when half your country and all its young people are locked out of the economy and locked out of ever owning a home or much of anything beyond next month’s streaming subscription.” [Mediate, 11/9/25]
    • The New York Post editorial board went after Trump for doubling down on his economic policies, with a headline reading, “Affordability is an urgent and burning issue, Mr. President — Americans want action.” The editorial argued: “What Trump shouldn’t do is double down on his obsession with tariffs. Tariffs can be a tool for fairer trade, when targeted at particular industries and particular countries. But by introducing across-the-board tariffs, Trump increased the cost of almost ­everything. … Retailers have not eaten the tariffs.” [New York Post, 11/6/25]
    • National Review’s Jim Geraghty said that Republicans should be worried because “Americans still feel like the cost of living is too high — and tariffs make retail prices go up.” Geraghty lamented, “When you have an omnipresent president and widespread economic pessimism — 74 percent of Americans describe economic conditions as only fair or poor — it’s just an enormous headwind blowing against any GOP candidate.” [National Review, 11/5/25]
    • Fox Business host Charles Payne criticized Trump’s proposal of 50-year mortgages, arguing homebuyers would pay hundreds of thousands more in the long term. A 50-year mortgage, an idea from Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte, would lower monthly payments for borrowers at the cost of building equity slower and paying more in interest over time. The proposal has been met with skepticism and backlash from financial experts, conservative influencers, and people inside the Trump administration. [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 11/10/25; Politico, 11/10/25]
    • Conservative radio host Erick Erickson said, “Yes, Republicans, the economy still matters, and, contrary to the President, tariffs are hurting people.” Erickson went on to highlight rising grocery prices, saying, “Like it or not, inflation is growing faster than wages again. And yes, tariffs are playing a role, but not the only role. Republicans promised they’d lower grocery prices, and grocery prices are on the rise. It’s not a coincidence that coffee prices and banana prices are showing up repeatedly in stories about grocery prices going up. The President has placed a big tariff on the countries from which we get those things. Yes, Republicans, the economy still matters, and, contrary to the President, tariffs are hurting people.” [Twitter/X, 11/5/25]

  • Right-wing media figures have started to admit that prices are going up and that Trump hasn’t brought prices down

    • Streamer Nick Fuentes said the Trump administration had not brought prices down since taking office. Fuentes said, “What's the Trump administration been up to in the golden age? They promised to bring prices down. Did they do that? No.” [Rumble, America First, 11/5/25]
    • Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum said people “are not convinced” that Trump’s policies are working to bring prices down. During an interview with Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters, MacCallum also noted that voters are more concerned about the cost of living than immigration and crime heading into the 2026 midterm elections. [Fox News, The Story, 11/7/25]
    • Fox News guest Marcus Lemonis said that Trump needs to own up to food prices going up. Lemonis said, “I don't think President Trump needs to run away from the fact that prices are up, they're up. There is nothing you can say about it.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/6/25]
    • Outkick founder Clay Travis acknowledged frustration over high grocery and rent prices, but argued it's not possible for Trump to “make prices go back to where they were.” Travis said, “I think the people who are most frustrated with Trump are upset because grocery bills are still high and rent is still high and everything costs more than you think it should.” [Premiere Networks, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, 11/7/25]
    • Charles Payne said consumers are feeling “sticker shock” and that prices “never really come back down.” Payne stated, “People know what they have paid for things. Unfortunately, when prices spike, they never really come back down. The best you can do is get them sideways for a little bit and hope that salaries start to catch up. You know what I mean? So that sticker shock isn’t — we talk about shock as if it is a short-term event. This is a long-term shock, and this is why I think demand is going to go down. Some of these prices are going to start going down, but not because of anything other than people just will stop buying.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/7/25]
    • The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles acknowledged: “Maybe people are concerned about rising prices. Maybe people are concerned about grocery prices in particular. Maybe people are concerned about the fundamentals of the economy and the political order.” Knowles added, “We’ve long said if the economy falters at all it’s going to really mess up the Republicans in the midterms and potentially in 2028.” [The Daily Wire, The Michael Knowles Show, 11/5/25]

  • Right-wing media are acknowledging the affordability crisis' role in the 2025 elections

    • Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly ridiculed Republicans and the Trump administration for not focusing on affordability following recent GOP election losses. Kelly said, “Meanwhile Trump is all over the Middle East while people’s grocery bills are still high, they’re still dealing with inflation. They’re suffering. Like, that’s it, OK? Focus on domestic policy and on making people's lives better.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 11/5/25]
    • Fox News anchor Dana Perino acknowledged rising prices as a problem for Republicans following the 2025 election. Perino said, “When you have the grocery prices being the number — 71% of people in The Washington Post poll said they are spending more on groceries now than a year ago. They’ve got a problem.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 11/5/25]
    • Fox anchor Bret Baier said the “dichotomy between how Wall Street is doing and how big business is doing and how you feel about it at home is something Republicans really have to look at closely.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/5/25]
    • Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham blamed Trump’s tariff policies for 2025 election losses, saying, “Hampering the economy with instability and explicitly raising some prices, when inflation is a top issue, is gonna hurt you.” Ham referenced one of her own posts from March 2025 in which she warned that Trump’s tariffs could “sink his whole presidency” by “indulging in his vice & shushing people about their struggles.” [Twitter/X, 11/5/25]
    • American Majority founder Ned Ryun, as a guest on Fox News, said that the economy hurt Republicans in the 2025 election. Ryun said, “What we saw Tuesday night should be kind of a little bit of a wakeup call for Republicans going into the midterms. They’ve got to start really buckling down on some of the affordability issues for the American people.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 11/6/25]
    • While on a panel on the 2025 election results, Fox contributor Brett Cooper said, “Young people are struggling. I look around at my friends, at my peers, and they’re not sure if they’re ever going to be able to start a family or buy a home. Like all of that seems very very out of reach for most young people.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/6/25]