Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Trump’s Out-Of-Touch And Elitist Comments On “Affordability” As Middle-Class Americans Struggle

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor calling out Donald Trump for his out-of-touch comments on affordability, amidst the growing cost of living crisis facing American families. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

In less than a year, Donald Trump has gone from promising to bring costs down “on day one,” as he said, to claiming that the word “affordable” is some kind of “new word” and even a “con job.”

That’s right, Donald Trump doesn’t even want to see the word “affordable” on his teleprompter because it will send him into a tailspin. Poor guy. He can't reduce prices. He doesn't care about prices. But he doesn't want to see the word. If there was ever ostrich-like behavior, that was it.

Here’s what he said yesterday at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum: “That’s the new word that they use, ‘affordability,’” he says. “We are bringing prices down, but they came up with a new word: affordability!”

What the heck is Donald Trump talking about? Does he think “affordable” is some kind of new, made-up, fancy word? Doesn’t he realize that working and middle class Americans talk about affordability all the time? “I can't afford this” they say, “I can't afford that.” Is he trying to hide the problem by denying the word? Does he think that rising grocery costs, rising rent, rising healthcare are all some kind of lie invented by the Democrats? Does he think if the word is abolished, people will magically be able to afford all the things they can't afford anymore?

When was the last time Donald Trump actually spoke to someone earning a middle-class income? Or someone who earned minimum wage?

If Donald Trump actually spent time talking to real people around the country, instead of bragging about ballrooms and jetting around the world in luxury, he’d realize that there’s nothing “made up” about the affordability crisis. These kinds of comments from Donald Trump give the game away: he has absolutely no conception of what every day Americans are going through right now. He’s on another planet.

It’s gotten so bad that he doesn’t even want to listen to people talk about rising costs. Here is what he said just a few days after the recent election: “I don’t want to hear about affordability.”

Well, he’s gonna hear about “affordability” from the American people, above all, because they can't afford a whole lot of stuff! And when Donald Trump wants to know why his popularity is sinking, it's because of things like this. The number one crisis that the average American feels is when they sit down and try to figure out how to pay the bills. They can't afford them. And Donald Trump says he doesn't want to hear about “affordability”.

Do you hear that, America? Donald Trump doesn’t even want to hear your worries about your high rent or high grocery costs. Don’t even mention that they aren’t “affordable” because that word will send him into a rage. It's unbelievable. He thinks by abolishing a word that you abolish the problem, and the magnitude of this problem is so large.

Ask America, Trump: is your healthcare too expensive? They will say yes. Are your groceries are too expensive? They will say yes. Can you afford your healthcare? They will say no. Can you afford your groceries? Can you afford the cost of electricity? Can you afford to buy a new car? They will say no. And he doesn't want to hear about it.

He says extending the ACA premium tax credits—which would save people thousands a month—is nothing but a waste of time. This president is so out of touch with Americans, and every day, more and more Americans are realizing how out of touch he is when he says things like this.

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