Trump claims he’s brought prices down so much that Democrats don’t say ‘affordability’ anymore
MIAMI — President Donald Trump said Monday that prices have fallen enough that Democrats have stopped using the word “affordability.”
Speaking at the annual House Republican retreat in Miami, Trump argued that the term became popular only after policies from Democrats drove prices higher.
“They also gave us very high prices and then they started using the word ‘affordability.’ That’s the first time I ever heard it,” Trump told attendees.
He said that on his first day in office the term was frequently used by critics of rising costs. According to Trump, that language has largely disappeared as his administration works to reduce prices.
“My first day in office, they said ‘affordability.’ They’re the ones that caused the problem,” he said. “But we’re really bringing down prices big. Do you notice you don’t hear that word anymore? They don’t say it anymore because we brought down prices so much.”
Trump said Republicans should keep their message ahead of the upcoming midterm elections straightforward.
“Democrats created the high prices and our policies are totally ending them,” the president said.
Meanwhile, gas prices have risen following joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with dozens of senior officials and key elements of Tehran’s ballistic missile and drone programs.
The Feb. 28 military action triggered retaliatory attacks by Iran against Israel and nearby Persian Gulf countries, as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply moves through the strategic waterway. Trump has said the United States would take whatever steps are necessary to keep oil shipments moving, including deploying U.S. naval escorts for tankers traveling through the Gulf.
During a news conference Monday, Trump also suggested he could ease sanctions on certain countries as part of an effort to lower global energy prices.
“I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage,” he said, adding that U.S. military operations had destroyed 51 ships in Iran’s fleet and struck more than 5,000 targets, including the majority of the country’s missile and drone launchers.
Despite those efforts, disruptions to the global supply chain pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel for the first time since inflation reached a 40-year high in 2022, before easing somewhat by Monday afternoon.
Trump made the remarks while meeting with more than 100 House Republican lawmakers at their annual policy conference, held this year at his golf resort in Doral, Florida.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders are considering advancing another bill through Congress using the budget reconciliation process, which allows passage by a simple majority. Lawmakers recently approved Trump’s signature tax-and-spending legislation, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
Trump also urged House Republicans to move forward with the proposed Save America Act, saying he would consider ignoring other legislation from Congress until the voter-ID measure is passed.
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