The current socio-political landscape feels increasingly volatile, driven in large part by the growing complexity and unpredictability of our national discourse. One of the major points of contention we face here in the States is the current housing crisis, and our nation has been on the edge of its seat waiting to see what Trump plans to do about it. The promise of homeownership has effectively withered for millions across the land of the free. Recent data reveals a sobering reality: upwards of 21 million families are currently underwater, grappling with rental costs that consume more than 30 percent of their monthly earnings (Economic Security Project, 2026). The strategies employed by Donald Trump regarding this national crisis reveal a significant failure to fulfill his political obligations. This, my friends, is where I find the issue we’ll be discussing today. Not in the plans themselves, but in the lack of accountability to follow through with the commitments being made.
Donald Trump has made several pledges regarding potential solutions to the housing disparities being experienced here in the land of the free, but according to his own statements he does not actually plan to actually bring housing costs down. The reason that’s important is because the data has consistently shown that affordability is the main factor of this equation. A national survey revealed that 62 percent of Americans now view buying a home in 2026 as an unrealistic goal (Economic Security Project, 2026). When the majority of the American population can’t afford the American dream, there is a problem.
Renting and owning being unaffordable sends waves through other parts of the economy. National economic growth is affected in this chain of events because if too large of a portion of the household income is going toward keeping the roof above their heads, people stop spending as much in local businesses. Families suffering in these circumstances will also spend less on vacations. What’s even worse than having to cancel the family trip to Disneyland, is having to turn down a life changing job opportunity due to your inability to move closer to the employer and take the job. This causes a monstrous domino effect throughout our capitalist-centered economic system.
This isn’t just some blob of data to me, I understand this struggle from first hand experience. Growing up less-fortunate, my family moved constantly. I had no real home. We lived out of a series of temporary spaces, always chasing a stability that remained just out of reach. When my dad finally secured a good job at the university, we saved enough to buy a house. That single property became our anchor. My dad eventually used that first house as a financial stepping stone to buy more properties, hoping to build a secure future.
Next thing we knew, 2008 hit and the system crumbled. He lost his retirement money in the housing crash. He managed to hold onto a few properties, but they weren’t tools for building wealth anymore. Instead, they became survival pods. He used them to house my grandmother and my aunts so they wouldn’t end up struggling to find a place to stay. These challenges only served to sharpen my hunger for the American dream. Back then I was under the impression that our lack of a permanent residence was merely a symptom of poverty. Following my parents’ separation during my elementary years, my mother found herself priced out of homeownership. My sister and I split for a while between parents and I ended up staying with my mother, while she stayed with my dad most of the time. I stayed by my mom’s side navigating the financial turbulence as we transitioned between several rental properties. We were in a state of perpetual
motion. That lack of stability created a subtle sense of longing within me. I told myself that reaching adulthood, securing a professional career, establishing a solid credit history, and combining two salaries would be the ultimate ticket to achieving that elusive anchor of a home. I was wrong.
As an adult, I currently check every box on that list. I did everything “right”. Yet, the market has completely mutated. Housing prices have skyrocketed so high that even with a good job and two incomes, I still can’t afford a house. The system is as broken as ever, and the politicians are still playing games with our lives while families like mine pay the price.
So, how has Donald Trump promised to get us as a nation over these hurdles and restore the American Dream to its throne of possibility? For starters, he stated the following: “Hardworking young families cannot effectively compete for starter homes with Wall Street firms and their vast resources. My Administration will take decisive action to stop Wall Street from treating America’s neighborhoods like a trading floor and empower American families to own their homes” (The White House, 2026a). He also stated that “large institutional investors should not buy single-family homes that could otherwise be purchased by families” (The White House, 2026a). This all sounds fantastic and allotted him quite a bit of political capital. If he’d stood on business and executed on these promises when the opportunity came knocking there would be no gripes to be had. But, he did not.
Trump detailed this calculus via a social media broadcast, minimizing the legislation to maximize his leverage: “I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT” (WRAL, 2026). The question that
comes to mind when I read this information is, did he ever plan to solve the crisis or was it always just lip service?
In March 2026, Trump signed an executive order targeting federal housing regulations (The White House, 2026b). This was supposed to lower construction costs, which would in-turn lower housing costs. Unfortunately none of this ever happened, his party never expended the political energy to break through the obstacles they faced once the idea was supposed to actually materialize. The federal government doesn’t actually have control over local zoning, so this was never going to be as simple as he and his constituents made it seem. Furthermore, when given the opportunity he didn’t fight for the buyers. He didn’t use his power to push the protections across the finish line. He simply let the bill sit on his desk, and ultimately it became law without his signature (White, 2026).
Now here I am asking myself the conclusory question: what is the ultimate economic cost to our nation’s future when an entire generation of working-class families is forced to sit on the sidelines of wealth building, while Washington treats their shelter as a chess piece? This has many Americans growing increasingly more frustrated. But, frustration is not a strategy. Frustration may motivate us to do something, and while that is a start, it is not a plan of action or solid strategy.
If we want real change we’ve got to stop looking at Washington for salvation. The federal theater is designed to distract us. The real battle for housing is happening right in our backyards. It starts with us showing up where the decisions actually get made. Since local municipalities control the majority of zoning laws and permits, your local city council meetings are the real stage. We’ve got to organize and show up to these meetings to demand zoning reform. We must advocate for high-density, multi-family housing and affordable units. If we don’t
speak up, the only voices the city council hears are rich homeowners who want to protect their own property values at the expense of our future.
The system won’t fix itself. We’ve got to stop accepting flashy propaganda campaigns as a substitute for actual progress. Demand that your local and national leaders show receipts, not just press releases. Run for local office. Push for tenant unions. Build community wealth from the ground up. When we take control of our own neighborhoods, we strip the power away from the politicians who treat our lives like chess pieces. Stop waiting for a signed bill to save you. Organize, show up, and reclaim your community.
References
RespaNews. (2026, July). Housing Act Analysis.
https://www.respanews.com/rn/articlesrn/lawmakers-release-sectionbysection-analysis-of-hou-97530.aspx
Smart Cities Dive. (2025, March 31). Federal Land Policy.
https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/trump-administration-federal-land-affordable-housing/743965/
The White House. (2026a, January 20). Wall Street Homebuyers Fact Sheet.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-stops-wall-street-from-competin g-with-main-street-homebuyers/
The White House. (2026b, March 13). Regulatory Barriers Fact Sheet.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/03/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-removes-regulatory-barriers-to affordable-home-construction/
White, J. (2026, July 11). Bipartisan Housing Law. Davis Vanguard.
https://davisvanguard.org/2026/07/trump-refuses-sign-housing-bill/
WRAL. (2026, July 10). Housing Bill Protest.
https://www.wral.com/news/ap/77ec3-trump-will-let-bipartisan-housing-bill-become-law-without-signing-in-protest-over -gop-voter-id-law/
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
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A topic close to my heart. Let me know y'all thoughts on this one.