The Trump administration’s actions on affordability have been “underwhelming” so far, GAI President Peter Schweizer tells podcaster Alex Marlow. While grocery prices have gotten more attention, Schweizer is focused on housing costs, health care costs, and the lingering damage of inflation.
Schweizer’s own podcast, The Drill Down, explored housing affordability last week in an episode called “A Nation of Renters” and Marlow, editor in chief for Breitbart wanted more detail.
“In the early 90s, I bought a condo in suburban Virginia. I paid $105,000 for it. I was working for a nonprofit. I made one-third of the cost of that condo,” Schweizer tells Marlow. “Today, if you think of any major city in America, based on what the average person is making, could you purchase something that’s three times the cost of their annual income? No way.”
Schweizer says that housing costs relative to everything else have been rising for a long time. “There are a number of factors contributing to it, but a lot of it has to do with the massive regulations that have been imposed over the years, whether it’s energy efficiency, land use restrictions, zoning, fees and costs,” he says. “The numbers are so bad that in the city of San Francisco, regulations add $400,000 to the cost of a home construction,” more than double the rest of the country. “It’s a huge problem.”
He warns that “nation of renters” policies align with a broader cultural shift that weakens financial independence and strengthens political control.
He has not been impressed so far with the Trump administration’s efforts in this area, which he believes was a key reason Trump won in 2024. “Yes, there was all the cultural stuff—the trans athletes, the issue of the abuse of power, the cover-up of Joe Biden—but I think the core issue for a lot of voters, especially swing voters, was this affordability issue. And what the administration’s been doing so far, it’s kind of underwhelming. I’m sorry,” he says.
“Trump has basically been saying, ‘no, you can buy this Thanksgiving kit at Walmart cheaper than you could a couple years ago,’ Schweizer says. “But it’s a different kit. It’s smaller. The point is, don’t try to argue with what people are experiencing.”
The two discuss how Republicans risk losing voters if they can’t articulate solutions that directly improve people’s daily lives. They also examine problems with health-care policy, H-1B visa abuse, and revelations about Clinton-era pay-to-play investigations buried by the FBI. Schweizer stresses that winning future elections depends on addressing practical, kitchen-table concerns rather than fringe political topics.
