President Donald Trump downplayed worries about the rising cost of living when pressed by a reporter about how Americans are coping with higher prices and looming increases in insurance premiums.
Speaking with Politico reporter Dasha Burns on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Trump insisted that “prices are coming down.”
Addressing her question about everyday costs, the 79-year-old president said, “You talk about affordability, the Democrats love to say, ‘affordability, affordability,’ but then they never talk about it. They’re the ones who gave us the high prices. I’m the one that’s bringing them down.”
Burns pointed out that one of the biggest affordability concerns is healthcare, noting that key Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire in a few weeks. Those subsidies help lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans, and their expiration at the end of the month could trigger higher premiums.
As she began to pose a question, Trump cut in to argue that former President Barack Obama “knew nothing about healthcare” and claimed that the Affordable Care Act — commonly known as Obamacare — “was set up for insurance companies to become rich.”
Trump said he wanted to “let the people get their own healthcare” with “no money for the insurance companies,” but claimed Democrats are “fighting” him on that goal.
Burns then pressed him on the immediate impact for consumers, asking, “In the meantime, two weeks, Mr. President, people will see those premiums go up. So will you tell Congress to extend those Obamacare subsidies while you work out another deal?”
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Trump responded that he was not sure yet, but reiterated that he wants people to “buy their own healthcare” and “get much better healthcare.”
When Burns tried to broaden the question by saying, “Right now, people are buying their holiday presents, they’re planning for—” Trump interrupted her, saying, “Look, don’t be dramatic.”
She continued, “No, no, they’re planning on budgets for next year, Mr. President,” but Trump again told her, “Don’t be dramatic.”
Trump went on to say, “What I want to do is help them,” while Burns continued to press him on whether premiums would rise. He repeated that he wants “to give the money to the people to buy their own healthcare,” adding, “That’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”
His remarks to Politico followed comments he made during a televised Cabinet meeting on Dec. 2, when he called the word “affordability” a “Democrat scam.”
“They say it, and then they go on to the next subject,” Trump said at the time. “And everyone thinks, ‘Oh, they had lower prices.’”
He also argued that “nobody could afford anything” when former President Joe Biden was in office, blaming Biden’s policies for what he described as the “worst inflation in history.”
Inflation did rise significantly during Biden’s term, and it remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show the annual inflation rate rose to about 3% in September.
