Trump’s ‘stunning’ joke could make life ‘incredibly treacherous’ for GOP: analysts

One of President Donald Trump’s jokes at a rally in Georgia wasn’t well received on CNN.

Trump spoke at a high school in Marietta, Georgia, a wealthy Atlanta suburb, on Wednesday about issues ranging from the upcoming Georgia Governor’s race to the 2026 midterms. But one joke he made about an issue that most Americans care about stunned panelists on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.”

Trump went through a spiel about the issues his administration faced when he entered office, one of which was a term he claimed to have never heard before his first press conference.

“First time I heard it, it was a word, you know, made up by the Democrats: ‘affordability,’” Trump said to a silent crowd. “They said, ‘affordability.’ I said, ‘I’ve been here one day. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’ And we’re taking care of it.”

Host Erin Burnett described the joke as “stunning.”

Gretchen Carlson, a former Fox News host, did not mince words in her response.

“None of that is true,” Carlson said. “He doesn’t want to talk about the economy right now, but if you look at every single poll, it’s still the number one issue that people will vote on. So, affordability is not a hoax.”

Carlson also took Trump to task for trying to blame the Biden administration for his economic woes.

“You can’t continue to blame this economy on Biden,” she said. “President Trump promised that on his very first day in office, he would reduce prices for the American consumer. And until he starts focusing on that, he is making the whole scenario for other republicans in the midterms incredibly treacherous.”