Harry Enten says Trump’s housing bill reversal could haunt Republicans on affordability

WASHINGTON, DC: CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten believes President Donald Trump's last-minute decision to cancel the signing of a bipartisan housing affordability bill could create political challenges for Republicans as affordability remains a top concern for voters.

During a CNN segment on Thursday, June 25, Enten argued that the legislation addressed one of the issues that helped Republicans win support from voters. He suggested the sudden reversal may leave GOP lawmakers in a difficult position as they prepare for upcoming elections.

Harry Enten says Republicans had reason to want housing bill signed

Enten said Republican lawmakers had every reason to hope the bipartisan housing legislation would become law because it directly addressed affordability concerns that continue to dominate voters' minds.

"You know, if I were a Republican member of Congress and I was listening to President Trump, the only words that enter my mind are, 'Oh God, oh God, no, what are you doing?'" Enten said.

He explained that Republicans won congressional majorities while campaigning on issues such as rising grocery, fuel and housing costs during former President Joe Biden's administration.

According to Enten, affordability remains one of the defining issues for voters, making the housing bill politically significant.

Earlier in the week, the White House described the measure as "one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history."

However, Trump canceled the scheduled signing ceremony on Wednesday after indicating he wanted to use the legislation as leverage while Congress considered the SAVE America Act, which includes proof-of-citizenship and voter identification requirements.

Harry Enten points to rising affordability concerns among Americans

Enten argued there are growing signs that Americans remain focused on the cost of living.

He cited Google search trends, saying searches for the word "affordability" reached an all-time high last week and were up 500 percent compared to the weekly average before 2026.

"The issue of affordability isn't going away," Enten said.

"There's a reason why Republicans wanted this legislation not just passed, but signed into law by the President of the United States, because this, this is the issue, of course, that got Donald Trump elected in the first place, and they want to be able to give their voters something... So that the voters don't vote them out of office come November."

For Enten, the housing bill represented an opportunity for Republicans to show progress on an issue many voters continue to rank among their biggest concerns.

Harry Enten questions whether voters believe campaign promises are being met

Enten also discussed larger public perceptions of the economy, arguing that many voters remain unconvinced that campaign promises on inflation and affordability have been fulfilled.

"President Trump got elected to bring down inflation, got elected to fix the economy in the voters' minds, and do they think he's keeping his campaign promises? No, no, no, no. Oh God, no," he said.

The discussion came as core inflation reached 3.4 percent in May, its highest level since October 2023.

CNN host John Berman also noted during the segment that Trump had referred to the housing legislation as "minor legislation."

While the bipartisan housing bill remains a topic of discussion, Trump has recently focused on several other priorities, including negotiations surrounding the SAVE America Act, ongoing foreign policy matters involving Iran, and projects tied to the White House and Washington, DC.