The cost of living in the United States has not eased under Trump’s second term, no matter how often he insists otherwise.
By Matthew A. McIntosh
Public Historian
Brewminate
Introduction: The Gap Between Rhetoric and Reality
President Trump has spent the past week repeating a new talking point: “affordability.” In rallies and brief press appearances, he has framed the word as if it were suddenly central to national policy debate, even suggesting it is a “new” term politicians are finally using. But his renewed focus comes at the very moment Americans are experiencing the opposite of what he promises. Grocery prices remain historically high, with fact checks documenting year-over-year increases in staples Trump claims are getting cheaper. Even his assertion that a basic Thanksgiving meal would cost less this year was contradicted by independent analysis and on-the-ground pricing.
The disconnect widens when the lens shifts from supermarkets to the broader cost of living. Rents are continuing to climb even in the nation’s least expensive metro areas, while data shows sustained pressure on tenants who now spend an unprecedented share of their income on housing. Rising utilities compound that strain: More than half of Americans are struggling with energy bills, and food banks across the country are seeing increased demand as families turn to assistance programs stretched thin by inflation and stagnant wages.
Trump insists the economy is improving. He claims withdrawing some tariffs has begun lowering prices, promising that broader relief is on its way. But none of the available data supports that narrative. Facts document how his tariff policies drove up the price of imported goods, destabilized supply chains, and pushed retailers to pass higher costs directly onto consumers. Even now, after partial rollbacks, the elevated prices remain firmly in place.
As the administration promotes the idea of “affordability,” Americans are left confronting a reality that looks nothing like the president’s scripted optimism. Nine months into his second term, the promise that prices would “come down on day one” has given way to a landscape where nearly every household expense is heavier than before. The rhetoric may be new, but the struggle it attempts to obscure is not, and millions of Americans are feeling it every time they check out at the grocery store, open a utility bill, or transfer most of their paycheck straight to rent.
Rising Food Costs Despite Claims of Improvement
Trump’s insistence that grocery prices are easing has been one of his most frequent economic talking points, but every credible dataset available tells a different story. The cost of basic staples (bread, eggs, cereal, meat, produce) remains significantly higher than both pre-2025 levels and the prices Americans saw in his first term. Even items that have dipped slightly from their peak remain elevated compared to the baseline families used to plan their weekly budgets. Fact-checking Trump’s recent remarks on beef prices underscores this point: the claim that beef has become “cheaper” is false. Retail meat prices have not meaningfully fallen, and in many cases are still increasing month to month.
Independent analysis overseas mirrors this pattern. A broader look at food inflation finds that U.S. consumers continue to face stubborn food-price pressures regardless of political talking points. These findings reinforce what American shoppers already know from experience: whatever small fluctuations occur, grocery bills have not returned to where they were before Trump imposed his sweeping tariffs.
Those tariffs remain a central part of the price story. The duties placed on imported goods disrupted supply chains and increased the costs for domestic distributors, who then passed those increases directly to consumers. Even with Trump now reversing some of those tariff decisions, economists interviewed in the coverage emphasize that supply chains do not reset immediately. The higher costs have already worked their way into retail pricing structures, and the rollback has not created the dramatic price relief Trump portrays on stage.
Trump’s claim that Thanksgiving dinner would be “cheaper this year” has also been contradicted by the facts. An analysis of holiday meal costs shows no measurable decrease in the price of a standard Thanksgiving basket. In many regions, the cost of sides, rolls, and basic ingredients remains higher than last year. There has been no broad, sustained reduction in food expenses for American households. What Trump labels an affordability improvement simply does not appear anywhere in the verified numbers.
Housing Costs: One of the Most Pressing Crises
While Trump talks about affordability as if households are finally catching a break, the cost of simply having a place to live continues to rise faster than wages or savings can keep up. Even the nation’s least expensive metro areas saw rents climb this year. Cities were once considered “affordable” where tenants are now routinely pushed beyond standard budget thresholds, with many paying over 30%, and often far more, of their income just to maintain housing.
This trend is not limited to isolated markets. National median rents remain historically high, especially for one- and two-bedroom units. The data shows that the brief slowdown in rent increases during the early 2020s has vanished completely. Instead, rents have either plateaued at elevated levels or continued creeping upward, leaving tenants with little flexibility and no meaningful relief despite Trump’s repeated assurances that the economy is “improving.”
Beyond monthly rents, Americans hoping to move into homeownership are facing their own barriers. High housing costs have created a growing population of permanent renters, locked out of the market not only by high home prices but by prohibitively expensive mortgage payments, limited inventory, and investor-driven competition for starter homes. These pressures leave families stuck in a cycle where rent absorbs most of their income, preventing them from saving enough to transition into ownership.
This housing strain echoes across virtually every region of the country. The facts converge on the same conclusion: housing affordability has not improved under Trump’s second term. Instead, the core financial burden of keeping a roof overhead has become heavier. Whatever political messaging may claim, the hard data shows that Americans are navigating an environment where stable, reasonably priced housing is harder to secure now than it was before Trump returned to office.
Utilities, Energy, and Transportation Costs
The strain of elevated living expenses extends well beyond housing and groceries. More than half of all Americans are struggling to keep up with their utility bills, a burden driven by rising electricity and heating costs that show no sign of easing. The report describes a widening gap between what households can afford and what basic energy services now require, leaving families forced to cut back elsewhere or rely on assistance programs that are already stretched thin.
Transportation has followed the same pattern of rising expenses. While Trump has pointed to occasional dips in gas prices as evidence of economic improvement, the broader trend remains upward. Fuel costs remain higher than pre-2025 levels, driven in part by market instability and earlier tariff disruptions that affected supply chains. These increases, though sometimes fluctuating week to week, continue to shape household budgets in ways that undermine Trump’s assurances that costs are “coming down.”
Taken together, these essentials (utilities, fuel, and transportation) represent some of the most unavoidable monthly expenses Americans face. The reporting across the sources you provided makes the same point: despite the president’s claims that the economic pressure has eased, the most basic elements of daily life remain more expensive than they were before his second term began. Families are not feeling relief; they are managing a set of recurring costs that have steadily climbed, leaving them with less financial room every month.
SNAP Benefits, Wages, and Basic Survival
As the cost of everyday essentials rises, more Americans are turning to assistance programs to fill the gap between stagnant wages and ballooning expenses. Food banks nationwide are experiencing a surge in demand, driven in part by reduced purchasing power and the persistent gap between wages and the rising cost of living. Many households that are employed full-time still rely on supplemental food support because their paychecks no longer stretch far enough to cover groceries, housing, utilities, and transportation together.
These pressures are reflected in the strain placed on SNAP recipients. The reporting shows that benefit levels, while adjusted periodically, have not kept pace with the increases in food and household costs. Families depending on SNAP for a portion of their food budget are finding that the same benefit amount now buys less, forcing them to turn more frequently to local food banks or community organizations that are already overextended.
Trump’s recent promotion of so-called “affordability rebate checks” has been presented as a solution to these financial pressures. But the reporting makes clear that the proposal is unlikely to materialize in practice. Analysts cited in the coverage highlight that the funding mechanisms are unclear, the projected payouts do not align with economic realities, and the plan echoes previous promises that never advanced beyond rhetoric. The checks function more as a political talking point than a substantive policy capable of offsetting the financial strain Americans face.
At the same time, wage growth has not kept up with inflation across essential goods and services. While the administration frequently points to isolated employment statistics as evidence of economic strength, the broader picture painted by the reporting is very different. Workers earning low or moderate incomes are experiencing dwindling real wages once higher rent, utilities, transportation, and grocery prices are factored in. As a result, Americans depending on wage income or federal assistance programs find themselves further behind each month, despite repeated assurances from Trump that the economy is on the mend.
The Tariff Factor
One of the most significant drivers of today’s higher consumer costs is the impact of Trump’s tariff policies. The tariffs imposed during the first months of his second term and constantly raised and lowered since then have increased prices across a wide range of imported goods, from raw materials to consumer products. Retailers, distributors, and manufacturers absorbed those increased costs initially, but most were ultimately passed directly to consumers, contributing to the price pressures that define the current economy. Even now, after Trump has reversed some of those tariff decisions, the reporting makes clear that the pricing structures shaped by those disruptions have not reverted.
The administration’s shifting approach to tariffs has created instability across supply chains. Economists cited in the coverage explain that sudden tariff changes (first imposed, then partially withdrawn) introduced uncertainty that led businesses to raise prices as a hedge against unpredictability. These adjustments take time to unwind, which is why reversing tariffs does not produce immediate, broad-based price reductions no matter how often the administration suggests otherwise.
The earlier rounds of tariffs increased the cost of essential imported components used in manufacturing, transportation, and food production. Those upstream increases have compounded over months, showing up as higher retail prices even in categories Trump publicly insists have become cheaper. Because businesses recalibrated their pricing structures around the elevated costs, economists interviewed in the reporting note that reversing tariffs months later does not undo the financial pressure that has already filtered through every stage of the supply chain.
The political narrative around tariffs has also shifted, with the administration framing partial rollbacks as evidence of responsiveness to economic challenges. But this framing clashes with the data. The tariff-driven disruptions have produced long-term consequences that are not resolved simply by lifting a subset of duties. Supply chains reorganized under the pressure of higher costs, shipping routes adjusted, and many businesses renegotiated contracts and sourcing strategies that are still in effect. These structural changes maintain higher pricing even after some tariffs are removed.
Ultimately, the reporting across these sources converges on a simple reality: the tariffs played a direct, measurable role in raising consumer costs, and the effects remain baked into the economy. Trump’s claims that prices are falling because tariffs were reduced do not align with the verified data. The damage (higher import costs, supply chain instability, and long-term price recalibrations) is already done. Rolling back a portion of the tariffs does not undo the months of inflationary pressure that Americans continue to feel in groceries, goods, utilities, and household essentials.
Political Fractures over the Messaging
Trump’s push to center “affordability” as his signature theme has also exposed growing fractures within his own party. Prominent Republicans are privately warning that the messaging is backfiring because it conflicts with what voters are actually experiencing. According to GOP strategists cited in the coverage, the attempt to promote improved living conditions rings hollow when rents, groceries, utilities, and consumer goods remain elevated. These internal tensions reflect a broader concern that Trump’s narrative risks alienating voters who no longer trust optimistic economic claims that do not match their daily lives.
This discord is already shaping the early maneuvering for the 2028 presidential cycle. Several potential Republican contenders are distancing themselves from Trump’s framing, arguing behind the scenes that the affordability message is politically risky in an environment where nearly every indicator shows rising costs. While many are cautious about criticizing Trump directly, the hesitancy to embrace his economic narrative underscores a deeper fear: that voters may punish the party for echoing claims that contradict widely felt financial pressure.
These concerns extend beyond campaign strategy. Continued inflation and mounting affordability challenges are emerging as defining issues heading into the next midterm elections. Analysts in the coverage note that the GOP faces growing difficulty defending the administration’s economic performance when essential costs remain high and when Trump’s statements about improving conditions are repeatedly contradicted by independent data. This tension has fueled quiet debates within the party about whether to continue rallying around the president’s messaging or pivot to a more realistic economic assessment.
The facts show a party grappling with the political consequences of an economic message that many voters find detached from their lived reality. While Trump insists that “affordability” is improving, the internal disagreements and strategic caution described in the coverage illustrate a widening gap between the administration’s narrative and the concerns of Republican lawmakers, strategists, and candidates who fear that clinging to an unconvincing message will weaken the party in the elections ahead.
Conclusion: The Real Cost of Disconnect
The reporting across every source points to a consistent reality: the cost of living in the United States has not eased under Trump’s second term, no matter how often he insists otherwise. Groceries remain high, rents continue to climb, utilities strain household budgets, and supply chain disruptions triggered by earlier tariff policies have left long-lasting effects that a partial rollback cannot undo. The president’s claims of falling prices simply do not appear anywhere in the verified data.
The administration’s attempt to brand “affordability” as a new economic theme is ultimately undermined by Americans’ daily experiences. Families see their paychecks vanish under the weight of elevated housing costs, rising food bills, higher utility expenses, and persistent transportation challenges. Assistance programs are stretched, wages are not keeping up, and proposed rebate checks are dismissed by analysts as political messaging with no credible path to implementation. The gap between political rhetoric and economic reality has widened, not closed.
Nine months into Trump’s second term, the promise that prices would “come down on day one” stands in stark contrast to the lived experience of millions who find every month harder than the last. The reporting shows that the economy Americans inhabit is shaped by pressures the administration has not resolved and often helped create. “Affordability” may be a new talking point in Trump’s speeches, but for most households it remains an unmet need, one obscured, not solved, by the president’s insistence that things are getting better.
Originally published by Brewminate, 11.18.2025, under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.
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