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Fox News Confronts Trump Economic Adviser With Troubling Affordability Data — Hassett Defends Administration

04:54 AM, 12/05/2025

Kevin Hassett, a top economic adviser to Donald Trump, defended the administration on Fox News after data showed rising concern about affordability. CNN analyst Harry Enten highlighted that Google searches for "affordability" are up 110% year‑over‑year and that the cost of living is the top voter issue at 36%. A Fox News poll found 76% rate the economy "only fair" or "poor," and 62% place responsibility on Trump. Hassett blamed prior inflation and cited gains in purchasing power under the current administration, while FactCheck.org reports consumer prices rose 21.5% over Biden's term.

Fox News Confronts Trump Economic Adviser Over Affordability Concerns

Kevin Hassett, a senior economic adviser to Donald Trump, faced pointed questioning on Fox News Thursday after a CNN analyst and fresh polling underscored rising voter worry about affordability and the cost of living.

Host Martha MacCallum aired a clip of CNN analyst Harry Enten, who noted a sharp increase in public interest:

"Google searches for 'affordability' are up 110% versus a year ago, and more people searched the term in the last month than at any point since the Great Recession. The cost of living is the most important issue to voters at 36%, with the broader economy at 20% — and 'he won on affordability' in 2024 but has 'completely lost the plot.'"

MacCallum asked Hassett whether President Trump had "lost the plot" on the economy. Hassett rejected that characterization and framed the debate as an attack by Democrats, calling it an "affordability hoax." He argued that inflation spikes under President Joe Biden had eroded Americans' purchasing power and said the current inflation rate is roughly 2.5% annually. Hassett asserted that Americans lost about $3,000 in purchasing power during Biden's term and that, so far in "Trump's economy," people have regained about $1,200.

MacCallum interjected with a FactCheck.org citation to correct or contextualize some of Hassett's claims. FactCheck.org reports that consumer prices rose 21.5% over Biden's full term and that private-sector average weekly earnings declined by about 4%; it also noted average unemployment of 4.1% and annual GDP growth of at least 2.5% during that period.

The exchange turned to a recent Fox News poll that found 76% of respondents rated the current state of the economy as "only fair" or "poor," and 62% said President Trump was more responsible for current economic conditions than President Biden. When asked how he would respond to voters who felt that way, Hassett blamed the recent government shutdown and pointed to strong holiday shopping as a source of optimism. He added that he and Scott Bessent are confident they will see economic growth in the first half of next year.

Key takeaway: The interview highlighted growing public concern about affordability — reflected in search trends and polling — and featured competing narratives: Hassett defended Trump-era policies and disputed characterizations of the administration's handling of the economy, while fact-checking sources and polls cast those claims in a more mixed light.

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