Last night, POLITICO reported that eight months after the Trump administration announced an “Affordability Czar,” the appointment “never materialized.” Back in March, Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent promised to appoint an “Affordability Czar” to focus on lowering costs, but no one has been appointed, and there seems to be no clear plan to bring prices down for everyday Americans.

And yesterday, Trump dismissed Americans’ growing concerns about affordability — saying, “affordability is a hoax” and declaring that he “fixed” inflation. 

In response, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement: 

“It’s ‘help wanted’ for the American people. Donald Trump has failed to even try to fulfill his promise to ‘lower costs on Day One.’ Now his message to everyday Americans is that higher prices and mass layoffs are a ‘hoax.’ Under Trump’s watch, Americans are facing inflation and disappearing jobs — and he can’t even pretend that he cares or follow through on his promises to address affordability. Meanwhile, he continues to find more and more ways to help out his billionaire buddies. Voters have had enough of Trump’s bullshit, and he knows it.” 

Trump’s affordability crisis is far from a hoax. Everyday Americans are already paying more for health care, groceries, and electricity amid a painfully expensive holiday season that’s forcing consumers to cut back on holiday shopping. On top of that, Trump’s reckless tariffs are causing blue-collar jobs to collapse and layoffs to skyrocket. Trump is desperately trying to gaslight Americans about his failed economy, but they see through it — his approval rating recently hit a second-term low.