One of the most frustrating aspects of the Biden administration was the incessant gaslighting about the state of the economy for hard-working Americans. Almost routinely, President Biden and others lied to the American people about the increasing costs of bare necessities like housing, gasoline, groceries, electricity, etc.
Due to their dissatisfaction with the surging cost of living, the American people reelected Donald Trump late last year, believing his policies were best equipped to address the affordability crisis and revive the fading American dream.
So far, the Trump administration has made some progress in reducing prices for gasoline, eggs, and a few other consumer staples. Still, the affordability crisis remains the top concern for Americans, especially those under age 40.
Recently, President Trump has been quoted as referring to the affordability crisis as a “Democrat scam,” “hoax,” and “con job.” Although I think Trump was likely trying to remind Americans that policies enacted when Democrats had total control of the federal government under the first two years of the Biden administration accelerated and exacerbated the affordability problem, it is dangerous for the president to use that type of language.
Already, mainstream media reprobates are twisting Trump’s words, leading people to believe that he is saying the affordability crisis does not exist.
In proper context, Trump is not denying that middle- and lower-class Americans are struggling to make ends meet; rather, he is trying to assign blame and hang the affordability crisis on the Democrats.
But even doing that is politically unwise.
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The American people are not nearly as concerned with pointing fault as they are with seeking immediately viable solutions to the untenable reality they face.
For many Americans, the affordability crisis is so severe that they think the American dream is no longer within reach. In fact, only 22 percent of young Americans think they will be better off than their parents.
This lack of confidence in the future has propelled socialist demagogues like New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the forefront of the political conversation.
The main reason young people are falling under the spell of democratic socialism is because they are desperate for radical solutions to a system they feel is rigged against them.
In other words, the affordability crisis cannot be solved on the margins. It cannot be solved with better messaging. And it assuredly cannot be solved by blaming one’s political opponents.
Regardless of its origins, which are long and complicated, the affordability crisis is coming to a head.
Did you know that nearly three in four young Americans think the cost of housing has reached a crisis level?
When the masses feel hopeless and believe their political leaders are aloof to their pain, very bad things happen. The French Revolution and Russian Revolution both occurred under these circumstances, and both resulted in wanton violence, political upheaval, and eventually, a new societal order.
However, new societal orders are not always the best option. Which was better: life under the czar or life under Stalin? Was Robespierre’s Committee of Public Safety an upgrade?
The point is that dire economic times typically result in radical societal transformations that make things worse, not better.
According to legend, Marie Antoinette was so detached from the reality faced by poor French citizens on the cusp of the French Revolution that she casually remarked, “Let them eat cake.”
Although President Trump’s recent remarks about the affordability crisis are not remotely as out-of-touch as Antoinette’s infamous quip, they do not help the millions of Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
It is time to put political bickering aside. The American people aren’t interested in the blame game anymore. They overwhelmingly desire tangible solutions that will make the American dream achievable again, which is exactly what President Trump promised he would do during the 2024 campaign.
In my humble opinion, America is at its greatest when the American dream is attainable for all who are willing to work hard, play by the rules, and assume personal responsibility. We can and must make the American dream achievable, lest the American dream become the American socialist nightmare.
Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.
