U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to deliver remarks on the U.S. economy and affordability at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 9, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
In Pennsylvania on Tuesday, President Donald Trump attempted to reassure Americans he was hard at work on making things more affordable. That message, according CNN and the AP, was muddled by the president oscillating between calling affordability "a hoax" and grieving "about immigrants from ‘filthy’ countries."
Amid the president's messaging melee, Politico reported Wednesday that their recent poll conducted in November "paint(s) a grim portrait of spending constraints: More than a quarter, 27 percent, said they have skipped a medical check-up because of costs within the last two years, and 23 percent said they have skipped a prescription dose for the same reason."
The numbers show that more than one-third of people (37 percent) are starting to make cuts in their spending on recreation. Nearly half (46 percent) say that they couldn't pay for a vacation if it involved air travel.
Speaking to Politico on Monday, Trump gave himself an “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” grade on the economy." In his Pennsylvania speech, he called the affordability crisis an outright "hoax" and said high costs were "coming down." He then blamed the crisis on former President Joe Biden and told Americans they should buy fewer toys for their children during the holidays.
“You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter,” Trump said. “Two or three is nice, but you don’t need 37 dolls. So we’re doing things right. We’re running this country right.”
Politico's data also showed that Americans aren't buying his Trump's claim that tariffs are great and will deliver over time. Even 36 percent of Trump's own voters said that tariffs are hurting prices. Just 22 percent of those who voted for Trump in 2024 supported his tariff efforts.
Worse, half of Americans say food prices are so high that they're finding it difficult to pay for it. A majority, 55 percent, blame the Trump administration for those high prices, even as Trump tries to blame the previous administration.