Trump press secretary makes major admission on the economy but plays the blame game

PoliticsWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonBy Howard Koplowitz | hkoplowitz@al.com White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged the ‘affordability crisis’ is real, contradicting President Donald Trump, who has dismissed the term as a Democrat “scam.”During an appearance on “My View with Lara Trump” on Fox News, the press secretary was asked how the White House is addressing the cost of living, which 46% of voters told the Reuters/Ipsos poll last month was their top issue heading into the midterm elections.Leavitt acknowledged an “affordability crisis” facing America, but she did not point the finger at Trump.“The president and the White House — we fully recognize that, and I would remind your viewers and the American people of who caused the affordability crisis in this country. It was Joe Biden and it was the Democrats in this city when they were in power, and President Trump took immediate action on Day One to fix that,” Leavitt told Lara Trump.Leavitt pointed to several White House policies, including tax cuts, deregulation and “energy dominance” that have addressed the crisis. The press secretary made the case for voters to back Republican candidates in November.“All these things will only get better if given two more years with a Republican Congress,” Leavitt said.While Leavitt suggested the affordability crisis is reality, her boss doesn’t have the same take.Donald Trump has routinely referred to the crisis as a Democrat “scam.”“The word ‘affordability’ is a con job by the Democrats,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting late last year, adding that he saw an unnamed “low IQ” congresswoman repeatedly using the word.“She had no idea. Their prices were much higher” under former President Joe Biden, said Trump.“The word ‘affordability is a Democrat scam,” he continued.Donald Trump accused of being a rapist by popular actor: ‘You (expletive) pedophiles’Trump clobbered after weighing in on NBA GOAT debate and claiming contender might be ‘a racist’ Democrat demands House investigate Trump’s ties to Tate brothers, subpoena BarronTrump doubles down on ‘insane’ Iran war death toll remarks, gets slapped with fact checkGOP senator sounds off on Trump’s Iran war, warns of midterm backlash: ‘We’re worse off’Howard Koplowitz is AL.com's Breaking & Trending Reporter for afternoons and nights. He has been with AL.com since 2015 and has served in a variety of roles, ranging from coverage of Donald Trump's first...