White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently asserted that Republican leadership and President Donald Trump have successfully driven down living costs and improved national safety through practical governance.
WASHINGTON, DC — As the 2026 midterm elections draw near, a bold assertion by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has sparked widespread online debate.
During a recent appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program, Leavitt claimed that President Donald Trump has successfully made the United States “more affordable.” However, a look at broader economic data and independent reports reveals a much more complicated reality. While inflation has cooled during certain stretches and specific goods have seen price drops, overall consumer prices have continued an upward trajectory since Trump assumed office in January 2025.
Let’s take a closer look at the facts behind Leavitt’s statement.
Claim: Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump has made life in America more affordable
During the broadcast, Hannity focused on the upcoming midterms, strongly encouraging viewers to head to the polls. “Your vote will be the only thing to stop this looming threat of communism and socialism in our country,” he warned.
Hannity then prompted Leavitt to share her thoughts on several Democratic candidates, specifically highlighting Texas state Representative James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed, who are the Democratic nominees for US Senate in Texas and Michigan, respectively.
The host also brought up a candidate running in the Maine Senate race, characterizing him as temperamental and referencing an alleged incident involving a water bottle.
Leavitt used the opportunity to deliver sharp criticisms of Democratic candidates and their overarching platforms.
“Well, I don’t think so. And I certainly pray it does not,” Leavitt responded. “I believe that there are millions of Americans across this country who see these Democrats for who they are. These are radical extreme liberals, socialists, communists, whatever you want to call them, Sean.”
She went on to target the Democratic party over stances on taxation, law enforcement, the prison system, and immigration. “This is no longer the Democrat party of JFK,” Leavitt stated. “Heck, this is not even the Democrat party of Barack Obama.”
Shifting her focus to the previous administration, Leavitt blamed Joe Biden’s tenure for widespread chaos and lawlessness. “We had four years of that under Joe Biden,” she declared. “Thanks to President Trump and Republicans and common sense policies across the board, our country is safer, our country more affordable.”
Leavitt’s comments quickly circulated online, drawing heavy skepticism and criticism from social media users. “Another day..Another LIE from self proclaimed cross wearing ‘Christian’?!?!” posted one user.
Another remarked out of frustration, “Karoline knows we look at the receipts when we buy stuff, right? And we keep track of how [much] money is left in our accounts?”
Fact Check: Inaccurate
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a reporter’s question during a briefing at the White House on January 26, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The assertion that Trump’s leadership has made the nation “more affordable” is largely unfounded when evaluating economic data available through mid-2026.
While inflation has fluctuated and select individual goods have dropped in price, the baseline of overall consumer prices has climbed since Trump took office at the beginning of 2025.
To back up her stance, the White House has pointed to various factors, such as deregulation, tax cuts, increased domestic energy production, temporary drops in gas prices prior to the 2026 conflict with Iran, lower prices for certain grocery items, upward ticks in real wages, and brief windows of improved housing affordability. Officials have also continuously laid the blame for lingering high expenses on the policies of the previous administration.
Even so, multiple fact-checks evaluating similar claims—such as assertions that prices are “plummeting” or dropping significantly—have found very little evidence to substantiate them.
Costs across the majority of major economic sectors remain higher than they were in January 2025, despite shifting inflation rates and localized price reliefs.
Market prices continue to be shaped by a mix of variables, including new tariff implementations, supply chain hurdles like livestock shortages, and elevated energy expenses driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
Ultimately, public sentiment remains deeply polarized over the actual trajectory of the economy, as well as the extent to which the current administration deserves praise or criticism for these financial conditions.