‘Affordability’ was the buzzword that propelled Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani to victory in the New York City mayoral election, and it will no doubt be a big talking point heading into the 2026 midterms.
Since Mamdani and Democrats as a whole had success with that messaging in November, the Trump administration has been trying to make the case that the economy is getting stronger and Americans have more money in their pockets than they did a year ago. But is it working?
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn asked Vice President J.D. Vance about the so-called ‘affordability crisis’ and how the Republican Party can improve its messaging on the economy.
The Problem
As Megyn noted, the polls are “not good for the administration on the economy,” which she said “just reflects what people are feeling.” While President Trump has been touting the “progress” made on his watch in relation to inflation, take home pay, and more, Megyn said the numbers suggest “the average American sitting at home doesn’t feel it.”
With that in mind, she asked the vice president what can be done between now and November to improve the economic outlook. He said the “numbers on affordability” are already “starting to move in our direction a little bit” and that improvement has especially been seen in the last “four or five months.” But he believes there are other indicators of progress.
“Here’s the way that I think about it… If you go just dollars and cents, the average American household lost about $3,000 of net wages during the Biden administration. That’s through inflation; that’s through higher taxes,” Vance explained. “The average American households now – this [number] is about a month old – have gained about $1,200 during the Trump administration.”
He acknowledged that there is both good and bad news in that stat. “The good news there is that, compared to last year, you are $1,200 richer than you were,” the vice president noted. “The bad news is that, compared to four or five years ago, you’re about… $1,800 poorer than you were.”
Making Progress
That is why, Vance said, the Trump administration “recognize[s] there is still a lot of work to do.” In the short term, he said the administration is focused on grocery prices, particularly the price of beef. “We’re working very hard to bring that down, not for the midterms, but just because we want the American people to buy some ground beef and to buy some steak if they so choose,” he said.
When it comes to housing costs, the vice president pointed out that “rents have now declined five months in a row,” and he said there is “real progress” being made when it comes to the price of homes and cars.
Vance also touted the “$18 trillion in new investment” coming from foreign countries investing in the United States. “That has been the exact opposite for our economy our entire lives. It has been American money building factories overseas. Now, it’s other money coming in to build factories for American workers and the American people,” he explained. “We are not going to see the full benefits of that for years, maybe even a decade, but that is the sort of investment in the country that really pays long-term dividends.”
Messaging Matters
Megyn noted that the “number one question” she received from her audience ahead of their sit-down had to do with the Republican Party’s ability or, rather, inability to properly message what is happening with the economy, immigration, and the like.
As it relates to the economy, Vance admitted “you’re going to be able to trick the American people” because “they know they got $3,000 poorer during the Biden administration,” which is why he agreed messaging is so important.
He said both he and Trump are “going to get on the road a lot more in the next eight, nine months” and spend time with voters. “You’ve got CBS, NBC, ABC. There’s always going to be an editorial slant to those networks, but they’re also declining in power,” Vance noted. “Most people still consume their news through their local affiliate, right? If their local CBS guy is saying, ‘Oh, the vice president came to town. The president came to town.’ This is what they’re talking about. That’s how you get the message out there. It’s non-traditional media.”
That plays into a media strategy that worked very well for the Trump-Vance ticket in the 2024 election. “I think we were very good about this in the campaign in 2024 and something we want to get back to in 2026 is actually taking the message to people,” he shared, “by going on a lot of podcasts and a lot of the non-traditional media, which, frankly, I think, has more narrative power than the traditional media does.”
After spending the first year of the second Trump term “focused on governing,” the vice president said it is time to make the American people aware of what they’ve been working on. “Now, we’ve got to go out there and talk a little bit more about what we’ve achieved,” he said. “I do think there’s a lot to hang our hat on, to be proud of, that the American people should be proud of. But you’re right, we gotta get out there and talk about it more.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Vice President Vance by tuning in to episode 1,245 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.