Trump called affordability a 'con job.' After midterm losses, he blames 'bad messaging'

Eleven months ago, President Donald Trump told the country that the cost-of-living worry Democrats kept talking about was not real. At a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2, 2025, he said the word "affordability" was "a con job by the Democrats" ³.

On Sunday, five days after Republicans lost both the House and the Senate, Trump told CBS's 60 Minutes that the economy was fine and the real problem was how it was sold. "I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me," he said ¹.

On tapeCNN · Nov 7

▶10:20

The record shows that voters did not miss a message. They got one, and they did not believe it.

Then: 'a con job' and a 'hoax'

At that December Cabinet meeting, Trump said he had inherited "the worst inflation in history" and claimed his administration was bringing prices down ³. PBS NewsHour reported that he cast the rising cost of living as a "fake narrative" pushed by Democrats, even as grocery prices stayed high ³.

From Channel GOPShapiro says Trump pocketed $2 billion in officeJosh Shapiro · 49 plays · captioned, with the source named

The word 'affordability' is a con job by the Democrats

At the same meeting he went further, calling the word a Democrat scam, according to USA Today ⁴. He was taking aim at a Democrat in a Tennessee special election that day who kept repeating the word affordability ⁴. Democrats had just won governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia by running on cost of living ⁴.

One week later, in a 90-minute speech in Pennsylvania, Trump called affordability a hoax that Democrats were using to exaggerate the cost of living, Reuters reported ⁵. In the same stretch of remarks he also said he had no higher priority than making America affordable again ⁵.

Some Republicans warned him at the time. "Repeating this claim that affordability is made up ignores what's happening in our economy," Republican consultant Jason Cabel Roe told Reuters ⁵. Back then, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found just 31% of Americans approved of how Trump was handling the cost of living ⁵.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, had a blunter reading of that speech ⁵.

telling Pennsylvanians not to believe what they can see with their own two eyes

Now: 'We couldn't get the word across'

In the 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat, which aired Nov. 8, Douthat noted that in poll after poll, people say they are unhappy with this economy in a way they were not in Trump's first term ¹. He asked whether the cost of living and inflation came down entirely to the Iran war ¹.

Trump said no. "Well, it's not really the Iran war because the numbers are phenomenal," he answered ¹. He blamed the press, saying it does not cover "positive news for Republicans," and repeated that "We have historically good numbers. We have the highest stock market in history" ¹.

I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time.

Asked what the bad message was, Trump said only, "We couldn't get the word across" ¹. He did concede one point voters raised: "They didn't like the fact that gasoline went up, 'cause I had it down at a low" ¹. He also urged people, "Please look at your 401(k) before you go to vote," and said "401(k)s have made people rich" ⁸.

What the voters actually said

Exit polls don't support the idea that voters missed the message. About 75% of voters rated the economy negatively, CBS News reported, and about 70% of those voters backed Democratic House candidates ². Voters were especially worried about the cost of gas, food, utilities and health care ².

About two-thirds of voters said Trump's tariffs have hurt the economy ². Roughly 63% disapproved of the job he is doing, and 44% said one reason for their vote was to show opposition to him ².

Even Florida's Republican governor-elect, Byron Donalds, framed the election in the very terms Trump once waved off. "At the end of it all, it's about gas and groceries," Donalds said on NBC's "Meet the Press" ⁶.

Democrats who flipped seats said the same thing. Kansas Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton, who won a seat Republicans had held for 94 years, credited affordability ⁶.

It had to do with kitchen table conversations around the cost of fuel, the cost of fertilizer if you're a farmer.

The pattern

Last December, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina chaired the House Republicans' campaign arm. He defended Trump's approach by telling Reuters, "He's the most effective messenger we have" ⁵. Last week, Democrat Richard Ojeda defeated Hudson ⁷.

That matters because the two explanations lead to very different futures. If the problem was messaging, the answer is more speeches. If the problem was the prices voters paid at the pump and the grocery store, the answer is policy. That fight now moves to a Congress run by Democrats.

The receipt is simple. In December, Trump said affordability was a word Democrats made up. In November, voters who said the economy was hurting them voted Democratic by a wide margin ². Trump's own explanation still leaves out the prices themselves.

The Record

1. Dec 2, 2025At a Cabinet meeting, Trump says 'The word 'affordability' is a con job by the Democrats' and calls it 'a Democrat scam.' ³⁴
2. Dec 9, 2025In a 90-minute Pennsylvania speech, Trump calls affordability a 'hoax' by Democrats. Republican strategists warn him publicly. ⁵
3. Nov 3, 2026Midterm exit polls find about 75% of voters rate the economy negatively, and about 70% of them back Democratic House candidates. ²
4. Nov 5, 2026Democrat Richard Ojeda defeats Rep. Richard Hudson, the House GOP campaign chief who had called Trump 'the most effective messenger we have.' ⁵⁷
5. Nov 8, 2026On '60 Minutes,' Trump blames the losses on 'bad messaging, maybe by me' and says the economic numbers are 'phenomenal.' ¹

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<h2>Trump called affordability a &#39;con job.&#39; After midterm losses, he blames &#39;bad messaging&#39;</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Receipts Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-called-affordability-a-con-job-after-midterm-losses-he-blames-bad-messaging">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>Eleven months ago, President Donald Trump told the country that the cost-of-living worry Democrats kept talking about was not real. At a Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2, 2025, he said the word &quot;affordability&quot; was &quot;a con job by the Democrats&quot; .</p> <p>On Sunday, five days after Republicans lost both the House and the Senate, Trump told CBS&#39;s 60 Minutes that the economy was fine and the real problem was how it was sold. &quot;I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me,&quot; he said .</p> <p>The record shows that voters did not miss a message. They got one, and they did not believe it.</p> <h2>Then: &#39;a con job&#39; and a &#39;hoax&#39;</h2> <p>At that December Cabinet meeting, Trump said he had inherited &quot;the worst inflation in history&quot; and claimed his administration was bringing prices down . PBS NewsHour reported that he cast the rising cost of living as a &quot;fake narrative&quot; pushed by Democrats, even as grocery prices stayed high .</p> <blockquote><p>The word &#39;affordability&#39; is a con job by the Democrats</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President of the United States, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>At the same meeting he went further, calling the word a Democrat scam, according to USA Today . He was taking aim at a Democrat in a Tennessee special election that day who kept repeating the word affordability . Democrats had just won governor&#39;s races in New Jersey and Virginia by running on cost of living .</p> <p>One week later, in a 90-minute speech in Pennsylvania, Trump called affordability a hoax that Democrats were using to exaggerate the cost of living, Reuters reported . In the same stretch of remarks he also said he had no higher priority than making America affordable again .</p> <p>Some Republicans warned him at the time. &quot;Repeating this claim that affordability is made up ignores what&#39;s happening in our economy,&quot; Republican consultant Jason Cabel Roe told Reuters . Back then, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found just 31% of Americans approved of how Trump was handling the cost of living .</p> <p>Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, had a blunter reading of that speech .</p> <blockquote><p>telling Pennsylvanians not to believe what they can see with their own two eyes</p><p>&mdash; Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, D-Pa.</p></blockquote> <h2>Now: &#39;We couldn&#39;t get the word across&#39;</h2> <p>In the 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat, which aired Nov. 8, Douthat noted that in poll after poll, people say they are unhappy with this economy in a way they were not in Trump&#39;s first term . He asked whether the cost of living and inflation came down entirely to the Iran war .</p> <p>Trump said no. &quot;Well, it&#39;s not really the Iran war because the numbers are phenomenal,&quot; he answered . He blamed the press, saying it does not cover &quot;positive news for Republicans,&quot; and repeated that &quot;We have historically good numbers. We have the highest stock market in history&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President of the United States, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Asked what the bad message was, Trump said only, &quot;We couldn&#39;t get the word across&quot; . He did concede one point voters raised: &quot;They didn&#39;t like the fact that gasoline went up, &#39;cause I had it down at a low&quot; . He also urged people, &quot;Please look at your 401(k) before you go to vote,&quot; and said &quot;401(k)s have made people rich&quot; .</p> <h2>What the voters actually said</h2> <p>Exit polls don&#39;t support the idea that voters missed the message. About 75% of voters rated the economy negatively, CBS News reported, and about 70% of those voters backed Democratic House candidates . Voters were especially worried about the cost of gas, food, utilities and health care .</p> <p>About two-thirds of voters said Trump&#39;s tariffs have hurt the economy . Roughly 63% disapproved of the job he is doing, and 44% said one reason for their vote was to show opposition to him .</p> <p>Even Florida&#39;s Republican governor-elect, Byron Donalds, framed the election in the very terms Trump once waved off. &quot;At the end of it all, it&#39;s about gas and groceries,&quot; Donalds said on NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; .</p> <p>Democrats who flipped seats said the same thing. Kansas Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton, who won a seat Republicans had held for 94 years, credited affordability .</p> <blockquote><p>It had to do with kitchen table conversations around the cost of fuel, the cost of fertilizer if you&#39;re a farmer.</p><p>&mdash; Adam Hamilton, Senator-elect, D-Kan.</p></blockquote> <h2>The pattern</h2> <p>Last December, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina chaired the House Republicans&#39; campaign arm. He defended Trump&#39;s approach by telling Reuters, &quot;He&#39;s the most effective messenger we have&quot; . Last week, Democrat Richard Ojeda defeated Hudson .</p> <p>That matters because the two explanations lead to very different futures. If the problem was messaging, the answer is more speeches. If the problem was the prices voters paid at the pump and the grocery store, the answer is policy. That fight now moves to a Congress run by Democrats.</p> <p>The receipt is simple. In December, Trump said affordability was a word Democrats made up. In November, voters who said the economy was hurting them voted Democratic by a wide margin . Trump&#39;s own explanation still leaves out the prices themselves.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-called-affordability-a-con-job-after-midterm-losses-he-blames-bad-messaging">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-called-affordability-a-con-job-after-midterm-losses-he-blames-bad-messaging.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. CBS News, “60 Minutes Transcript: Donald Trump, the 2026 post-midterm elections interview” (2026-11-08). cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-2026-post-midterm-elections-in
2. CBS News, “10 takeaways from Trump's 60 Minutes interview: Why GOP lost the midterms, what went wrong on immigration and more” (2026-11-08). cbsnews.com/news/10-takeaways-from-trump-60-minutes-intervie
3. PBS NewsHour, “WATCH: Trump says the word 'affordability' is a 'con job' by the Democrats” (2025-12-02). pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-says-the-word-affordab
4. USA Today (via AOL), “'Affordability is a con job by the Democrats,' Trump says” (2025-12-02). aol.com/articles/affordability-con-job-democrats-trump-17250
5. Reuters (via Yahoo News), “Analysis-The 13-letter word tripping up Trump - and risking Republicans' hold on Congress” (2025-12-11). yahoo.com/news/articles/analysis-13-letter-word-tripping-110
6. NBC News, “Meet the Press - November 8, 2026 transcript” (2026-11-08). nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/transcripts/meet-press-november-8
7. Fox News, “Republicans begin post-election reckoning after Democrats surge to power (live updates)” (2026-11-05). foxnews.com/live-news/republicans-soul-search-midterms-democ
8. Roll Call Factba.se, “Interview: Ross Douthat of CBS News' 60 Minutes Interviews Donald Trump - November 8, 2026” (2026-11-08). rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-intervie

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