Although Americans are rightly worried about inflation and the affordability of basic goods and services, much of the commentary on the issue has offered more heat than light. How much blame does the president deserve, and what could he do to stave off electoral disaster in November 2026?

WASHINGTON, DC – At a recent rally to tout his economic policies, US President Donald Trump suggested that voters’ growing concerns about affordability were a “hoax” created by the Democratic Party. Though he later attempted to offer a clarification, he still denied the problem: “Our prices are coming down tremendously from the highest prices in the history of our country.” And when asked on another occasion to grade the US economy, Trump gave himself an “A+++++.”