New York Times White House reporter Erica Green writes that despite President Donald Trump's campaign trail promises, the issue of affordability has become a thorn in his crown.
And he's doing little to refocus his message.
Dr. Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, an economic policy group, said the affordability issue had clearly become “existential” for Trump.
Owens tells Green that "it would take more than talking about it to convince voters."
“I don’t think Americans’ attitudes toward the economy, and toward Trump’s sophistication on the economy, will change until the facts on the ground change,” Owens says.
“It is his one strength that has now turned into a pretty considerable weakness, and we’re starting to see bumps in data that we haven’t seen in over 15 years.”
Recent polls indicate that a majority of Americans have a negative perception of Trump's handling of the economy, with significant concerns about inflation and the cost of living. Several polls show that more people believe his policies are worsening the economy rather than improving it.
Green notes that "Trump has mentioned the word affordability as much in the last week as he has in the past nine months," adding that his "renewed attention to the issue comes after weeks in which he faced mounting criticism for appearing out of touch with everyday Americans."
That perception was exacerbated after posting incessantly on social media about his multi-million dollar White House renovations, spending the weekend golfing at Mar-a-Lago and flying back to Washington to attend a football game at which he was loudly booed.
Despite his attempts to recalibrate his message on rising inflation and the cost of living, Green writes, "Trump’s attention was back on a project that has commanded his undivided attention."
“The Main Entrance to the new Ballroom at the White House,” Trump posted on his social media account,"with a picture of the progress of his newly decorated space.”