Just months ago, "affordability" was the left's favorite buzzword. President Trump hated it so much he called it a "fake word by Democrats" and a "hoax."
Now, it is catching on in another circle: conservative podcasts.
As the cost of living emerges as a top issue for voters ahead of the 2026 elections, right-leaning podcasters are using the term about as often as left-leaning ones, a Wall Street Journal analysis of tens of thousands of hours of podcasts aired since January found.
The Journal's analysis used an in-house tool that monitors social-media trends, podcasts and more than 10 million TikToks and Instagram posts gathered from across the internet.
Republicans have been working the issue for months. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa gave a floor speech on the GOP's "affordability agenda" in April, and the Senate Republican campaign arm ran ads in May aimed at "making life more affordable."
Trump has kept attacking the word anyway, telling the party's own midterm convention in September that Democrats "used the word affordability. Right? It's fake," and repeating the riff at rallies as recently as this week. Now a super PAC aligned with his own MAGA Inc. has taken the name Safety and Affordability PAC.
A Journal poll found that populist policies to lower the cost of living -- such as various price caps and government-run discounts on drugs -- are resonating with voters from both parties. The issue is one of the biggest headwinds for Trump and Republicans, who promised the president's second term would result in lower prices following steep inflation under the Biden presidency.
A White House spokeswoman blamed high costs on Democrats and the Biden administration, and said Trump has acted to reduce prescription-drug costs, cut taxes and create jobs.
"For Democrats, 'affordability' is just another political hoax they lie about while supporting socialist candidates," the spokeswoman said.
Left-leaning creators have pinned the high gas prices on Trump for prolonging war in Iran. Right-leaning podcasters are taking note.
Voters consistently rank high costs as a top election issue. Podcasters on both sides have focused on prices -- egg, grocery and now, gas, which hit a Labor Day record last month. The concerns about price at the pump could be a Republican liability in November.
Republican members of Congress in vulnerable seats are walking a tightrope between staying aligned with Trump as the war in Iran continues and allaying voter concerns over gas prices. Last month, as the Senate narrowly defeated a resolution to curb the war, Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said Republicans in tight races should be free to break with Trump.
"I think they need to be their own person," he said. "And I think that's the best way to win."