Michael Smolens: Trump grapples with affordability as San Diego candidates focus on costs

Donald Trump campaigned on, among other things, bringing down prices across the board for Americans.

Once back in the White House, he declared “affordability” concerns a “Democratic hoax” and more recently called it a “fake” word. Yet all the while he has thrown numerous cost-reduction ideas against the wall to see if anything sticks — or, perhaps, distracts.

Then he did something really weird. He called Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the progressive from Massachusetts he has frequently disparaged, to consult on cost-of-living ideas. This was after she gave a speech criticizing him for not doing enough, particularly on reining in housing costs and credit card rates.

As much as anything, who controls Congress after this year’s midterm elections may hinge on which candidates and party make the best argument for taming the rising cost of living. It permeates virtually every competitive House race, including two in San Diego County.

That’s been the political dynamic for some time and continues to favor Democrats. Trump is desperately trying to change that in hopes of preventing Democrats from regaining th...