Watch Live: Trump holds Cabinet meeting amid increasing tensions with Venezuela

The president said the focus on “affordability” is a “fake narrative” driven by Democrats, even though inflation continues to be a top issue for voters. 

“There’s this fake narrative that the Democrats talk about, affordability,” the president said, adding, “The word affordability is a con job by the Democrats.”

“The word affordability is a Democrat scam,” he said.

Mr. Trump kicked off his Cabinet meeting just before 12 p.m. local time. He said it will be the final gathering of his Cabinet for 2025, which he called “a year that will go down as the most consequential and successful first year of any administration.”

“Now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world,” the president said.