Donald Trump has consistently claimed he would free Americans from the longstanding cost-of-living crisis. He and his administration have said they have done everything in their power to restore affordability. These include cheaper housing, reduced inflation and efforts to de-escalate rising prices.
However, a significant portion of the public still believes these claims are far from reality. Many citizens have continued to allege that conditions have instead taken a negative turn.
On Thursday, MSNBC host Chris Hayes discussed what went wrong in the Trump administration as it failed to keep its promises. He said that the U.S. president’s policy changes over the past few months of his second presidency have been a significant failure.
Hayes criticized Trump’s approach to the economic crisis. He added that the 79-year-old relied more on rhetoric than on implementing actual reforms.
What will Trump do once the stock market closes? Attack Iran or declare a ceasefire? We’ve had it all: tariff wars, war, oil inflation, Initiated crime, Jane Street manipulation, Bitcoin Ponzi scheme, etc 😶🌫️😶🌫️🇺🇸🇺🇸 #usa #trump #iran #ormuz #inflation #crash #market #bearmarket 📉 https://t.co/zzp0zXubI7 pic.twitter.com/vncMISPuUc
— Ponke7memeSolana 🪖🧡 (@ponke7solana1) March 27, 2026
In his words, “Since day one, the Trump administration has acted as if they had hired some crack team of consultants to study the problem and find all the ways that the President of the United States could personally jack up prices for people. Like what’s in the toolkit, systematically doing just about everything you could do as president to personally make things more expensive.”
Chris pinpointed three crucial areas where Trump’s policies aggravated America’s economic situation. These included exorbitant tariffs, fight with the Federal Reserve and the conflict with Iran. All of them have cumulatively caused ripple effects that have ultimately taken a toll on every ordinary citizen’s pockets.
Referring to Trump’s constant attempts at pressuring the Federal Reserve, Hayes remarked, “To cap it all off, bullying the Federal Reserve, the folks who are in charge of trying to keep a hand on inflation, bullying them so severely, you even threaten prosecution through the Justice Department, all to try to get them to lower rates prematurely, which, if successful, would likely uncork more inflation.”
Chris Hayes went on to discuss the deplorable state of America’s economy, particularly after the Iran strikes. He exclaimed that everything from food to gas, and even the cost of fertilizer, has skyrocketed due to the U.S. strikes on the Middle Eastern nation. There have also been additional losses in major market areas, Hayes underlined, besides those already impacted due to high tariffs.
This – ‘golden age of America’ may not happen with the current trajectories. More like “murky age of America” at this point. Costly Iran War and potential for 4% inflation this year alone. More than likely another debt ceiling rise on the horizon. https://t.co/7G8OpadYmO
— Richard Davenport (@trini0t3y) March 27, 2026
Moreover, he added that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces had ultimately driven up prices for almost every other minuscule things. In his words, “Petrochemicals, things you haven’t even heard of, packing, paper bags, plastic bags, all going up. Mortgage rates just jumped again. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is just over 6 percent. That is the fourth increase just since the war began. Car payments are up, making it harder for people to buy or keep cars.”
The MSNBC host stated that despite all of this crystal clear evidence of a struggling economy, Trump and his associates are not willingly accepting their missteps. Chris Hayes took the example of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defending the U.S. president’s record with words of praise.
The commentator added, “People are not buying it. It’s really like the one lie he can’t get away with. Go figure.” A recent poll by Reuters/Ipsos indeed hinted at the situation. It found that over 60 percent of Americans disapprove of how Donald Trump has been handling the economic crisis of the nation. Even the inflation rate has risen, compared with a peak of 9 percent during the Biden administration.
