Politics

Trump’s Dismissal of Economic Anxieties: Will Downplaying Affordability Concerns Backfire?

Trump dismisses economic anxieties as a “con job,” unlike Biden’s inflation missteps. Polls show higher blame for Trump’s policies.

byEditorial Staff

November 11, 2025, 8:02 PM

A close-up profile of the President of the United States during an interview. By FotoField / Shutterstock.com.

Executive Summary

President Trump is actively dismissing Americans’ economic anxieties, labeling affordability concerns a “con job by Democrats” and polls on the matter as “fake.”

An analysis suggests Trump’s outright denial of economic problems presents a greater political liability than the Biden administration’s past mischaracterization of inflation as “transitory.”

Polling data indicates a majority of Americans attribute current economic difficulties to Trump’s policies and believe he has not adequately focused on lowering prices, potentially making him appear out of touch.

The Story So Far

Widespread American economic anxieties regarding affordability and inflation, which numerous polls indicate are attributed to President Trump’s policies, frame the context for his recent dismissal of these concerns. This stance presents a unique political liability compared to the Biden administration’s earlier mischaracterization of inflation as “transitory,” particularly as the public perceives Trump has not adequately addressed rising prices despite his previous pledges and early implementation of tariffs.

Why This Matters

President Trump’s strategy of dismissing widespread economic anxieties as a “con job” and labeling negative polling data as “fake” is seen as a greater political liability than the Biden administration’s past misjudgments on inflation, according to a recent analysis. This approach is already reflected in public perception, with polling data indicating more Americans attribute current economic difficulties, including inflation and rising grocery prices, to Trump’s policies compared to Biden’s. Consequently, this risks making Trump appear out of touch with voters’ financial realities, potentially exacerbating his political challenges concerning the economy.

Who Thinks What?

President Trump dismisses Americans’ economic anxieties as a “con job by Democrats” and labels negative economic polling data as “fake.”

The Biden administration previously characterized rising inflation as “transitory,” a prediction that proved incorrect, and later acknowledged its error.

Public polling and analysis indicate that Americans largely attribute current economic difficulties to President Trump’s policies, believing he has worsened economic conditions and not adequately focused on lowering prices.

President Donald Trump’s recent comments dismissing Americans’ economic anxieties, including labeling affordability concerns a “con job by Democrats” and polls “fake,” are drawing comparisons to the Biden administration’s past handling of inflation, according to an analysis published November 11, 2025. The analysis suggests Trump’s approach to downplaying economic issues presents a greater political liability than the challenges faced by former President Joe Biden.

Trump’s Economic Commentary

In a Monday Fox News interview, President Trump intensified his dismissal of public concerns regarding affordability, directly challenging the validity of economic anxieties and polling data. This stance marks an escalation in his public commentary on the economy, with Trump stating, “More than anything else, it’s a con job by the Democrats.” When pressed on polling data indicating public anxiety, he responded, “I don’t know that they are saying that. I think polls are fake.”

Comparison to Biden Administration

This approach contrasts with the Biden administration’s past misjudgments on inflation, particularly its repeated characterization of rising prices as “transitory” in 2021. Then-President Joe Biden stated in July 2021 that worries about persistent inflation were “not our view,” a prediction that proved incorrect as the annual inflation rate climbed from about 5% to over 9% in the following year. The Biden administration later acknowledged its error.

However, the analysis posits that the two situations are not entirely analogous. While the Biden administration’s challenges were primarily a failure to accurately predict or convey the persistence of inflation, Trump is described as actively denying the existence of the problem itself, rather than misjudging its duration.

Public Perception and Polling Data

Polling data cited in the analysis indicates that Americans are currently more inclined to attribute economic difficulties to President Trump’s policies. A CNN poll released last week showed 61% of Americans believe Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions,” a figure that topped out at 58% under Biden in CNN polling.

Other surveys reinforce this trend. A Washington Post-ABC News poll late last month found 59% blamed Trump for the current inflation rate, exceeding Biden’s figures (48% in November 2021, 50% in February 2022) even when inflation was peaking. Additionally, a CBS News-YouGov poll last month reported 64% of Americans believe Trump’s policies are increasing food and grocery prices.

Reasons for Divergent Perceptions

The analysis explores several potential reasons for this difference in public perception. These include President Trump’s previous pledges to quickly lower prices, the possibility that Americans attributed some of Biden’s economic challenges to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and Trump’s early implementation of tariffs in his second term.

Furthermore, the analysis suggests a significant factor is the public’s perception that Trump has not directly addressed the issue of affordability. A CBS poll indicated that up to 75% of Americans, including 57% of Republicans, feel the Trump administration has focused “not enough” on lowering prices.

The analysis concludes that President Trump’s strategy of dismissing widespread public economic concerns, rather than confronting them head-on, risks making him appear out of touch. This approach, it argues, could exacerbate his political challenges related to the economy.