During a recent press briefing on Thursday, President Donald Trump discussed his proposal to make housing more affordable. Focusing particularly on mortgage rates, he emphasized that he wants to make homeownership more accessible.
However, while discussing housing costs, Trump sparked debate with his comments on border policy. During the briefing on mortgage rates and homeownership, Trump said the country’s border is now fully secured, a statement that did not sit well with netizens.
He claimed that in the past eight months, almost no one crossed into the country illegally. According to him, strict border policies have helped reduce housing pressure and brought down rent prices. However, U.S. citizens do not appear to agree with Trump’s assessment.
President Trump: “So rent prices have hit four year lows based on what we’ve done by bringing down mortgage rates, we’ve also slashed the yearly cost of new mortgages by $4,000 a year and new mortgage applications are up 30%.”
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“Not one person in the last eight months has come through our border except if they come through legally. So rent prices have hit four-year lows based on what we’ve done by bringing down mortgage rates,” Trump boasted during the meeting.
He added, “We’ve also slashed the yearly cost of new mortgages by $4,000 a year, and new mortgage applications are up 30%, and Kelly Loeffler is doing a fantastic job.”
The president then concluded, “In the last 12 months, Fanny and Freddy Mack helped 22,000 first-time homebuyers purchase a home right here in the great state of Georgia.”
Soon after Trump’s comments, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the same topic during a separate press briefing. Praising the president, she said rental costs for new units have dropped by nearly $100 under Trump.
“The annual rental cost for a new rental unit has fallen nearly $100 so far under President Trump after rising more than $3,000 under Joe Biden,” Leavitt stated. She added, “And many are crediting that to the president’s deportation efforts to remove illegal aliens from our communities and therefore from housing that should be used for American citizens.”
Supporting Trump’s border policies, Leavitt said deportation measures helped free up housing by removing undocumented immigrants from communities, allowing more housing to become available for American citizens.
Press Sec: “The annual rental cost for a new rental unit has fallen by nearly $100 so far under President Trump after rising more than $3,000 under Joe Biden.”
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However, netizens strongly disagreed with these claims, whether they came from Leavitt or Trump. Taking to X, people from across the country shared their personal experiences, saying rent prices are still very high in many areas.
One user from Oregon said, “It’s still $2,400 to rent a 2 bd apt. When a person only makes $4,000 per month, it’s impossible to pay that!” Another renter from Ohio added, “Rent going up $189/month next lease. No upgrades in 8 years. Started at $900. Will be $1,600.”
Others dismissed Trump, saying, “You can say it all you want but it didn’t make it true.” Some users further added, “Cherry-picking numbers doesn’t change reality — many families are still struggling with high housing costs and affordability remains a crisis.”
Glad to hear it, but when half of the country makes less than $4k a month after taxes & insurance, $100 change isn’t deciding whether or not they can afford the avg $2750 rent for a small home or decent apartment.
— Jay Edwards (@BadCat38b) February 18, 2026
So, despite Donald Trump’s boastful claims and Karoline Leavitt supporting them, housing costs still remain a sensitive and personal issue for many Americans. Therefore, while government officials point to national trends and policy results, renters refuse to agree, saying their real-life costs are still rising.
