Executive Summary
- President Trump’s dismissal of Americans’ affordability concerns as a “con job” and “fake polls” is seen as a more significant political challenge than President Biden’s past misjudgments on inflation.
- Recent polling data indicates a majority of Americans attribute current economic difficulties, including worsening conditions and inflation, directly to President Trump’s policies.
- Factors contributing to Trump’s economic vulnerability include his earlier pledges to reduce prices, tariffs, and the public’s perception that his administration has not adequately focused on lowering prices.
The Story So Far
- President Biden’s administration previously faced political repercussions for initially downplaying inflation as “transitory,” setting a precedent for the political risks associated with misjudging economic conditions. Now, Donald Trump is confronting a similar, potentially greater, political challenge by dismissing Americans’ current affordability concerns as a “con job” and disputing negative economic polls, an approach that is contrasting with public sentiment. Recent polling data indicates a significant portion of Americans, including some Republicans, believe Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions and that his administration has not adequately focused on lowering prices, making economic issues a pronounced vulnerability for him.
Why This Matters
- President Trump’s strategy of dismissing affordability concerns as a “con job” and denying public sentiment poses a significant political risk, as polling data indicates a greater public tendency to blame his policies for current economic problems like inflation and rising prices, making affordability a more pronounced political vulnerability for him than it was for President Biden.
Who Thinks What?
- Aaron Blake’s analysis suggests that President Trump’s dismissal of affordability concerns as a “con job” presents a greater political challenge than President Biden’s past misjudgments on inflation, as Trump’s stance directly contradicts public sentiment and makes economic issues a more pronounced vulnerability for him.
- President Trump asserts that Americans’ affordability concerns are a “con job by Democrats” and dismisses polls reflecting economic anxieties as “fake,” essentially denying the existence of the problem.
- Polling data indicates that a majority of Americans attribute worsening economic conditions, current inflation, and increased food and grocery prices to Trump’s policies, and believe his administration has not focused enough on lowering prices.
An analysis published on November 11, 2025, by Aaron Blake suggests that President Donald Trump’s recent commentary regarding the economy, particularly his dismissal of affordability concerns, presents a more significant political challenge than President Joe Biden’s previous handling of inflation. The analysis argues that Trump’s approach, which includes characterizing economic anxieties as a “con job,” departs further from public perception compared to Biden’s administration’s earlier misjudgments.
During a Fox News interview, Trump escalated his downplaying of Americans’ affordability concerns, labeling them a “con job by Democrats” and asserting that “polls are fake.” This stance draws comparisons to President Biden’s administration, which faced political repercussions for its initial predictions about inflation.
Four years prior, President Biden and his officials repeatedly described inflation as “transitory,” implying the problem would quickly subside. Biden stated in July 2021 that price increases were not indicative of “persistent inflation,” a view that proved incorrect as the annual inflation rate climbed from approximately 5% to over 9% in the subsequent year.
However, the analysis posits that Trump’s current approach differs significantly. Rather than misjudging the persistence of inflation, Trump is described as “pretending the problem simply doesn’t exist,” directly contradicting public sentiment and various economic data points.
Political Implications
The analysis contends that while inflation and economic issues were political liabilities for President Biden, they appear to be even greater problems for Trump. This is primarily because the public is reportedly more inclined to connect current economic difficulties directly to Trump’s policies.
Recent polling data supports this assertion. A CNN poll indicated that 61% of Americans believe Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions,” a figure that previously peaked at 58% under Biden. Similarly, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 59% of Americans blamed Trump for the current inflation rate, a higher percentage than Biden received even during periods of spiking inflation.
Further polls highlight this trend: a CBS News-YouGov survey reported 64% of Americans attributing increased food and grocery prices to Trump’s policies. A Reuters-Ipsos poll from May also showed that 59% of Americans would blame Trump if the country were to enter a recession, compared to 37% who would blame Biden.
Contributing Factors
Several factors may contribute to this increased perception of Trump’s economic liability. The analysis suggests that Trump’s earlier pledges to quickly reduce prices and his decision to implement tariffs early in his second term could be contributing elements.
Additionally, President Biden’s administration may have benefited from some economic problems being attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a significant factor highlighted is the public’s view that Trump has not directly addressed affordability concerns, with 75% of Americans, including 57% of Republicans, believing his administration has not focused “not enough” on lowering prices.
In summary, the analysis suggests that President Trump’s strategy of dismissing economic concerns as a “con job” and denying the validity of polls presents a substantial political risk. This approach, which contrasts with President Biden’s past acknowledgment of misjudgments on inflation, appears to be making economic issues a more pronounced political vulnerability for Trump.
