Trump alleges affordability 'hoax.' Here's the reality on the ground

Frank McRae, a retiree who lives in Koreatown, did not hesitate when I asked what he'd say to President Trump about his claim last week that the affordability crisis is a hoax.

- STEVE LOPEZ COLUMNIST

A DRIVER prepares deliveries at Valley InterCommunity Council in 2023.

(MEL MELCON Los Angeles Times)

"I would say, 'Mr. President, please travel with me ... so that you can experience firsthand ... what it means to have to search for affordable food,'" McRae said.

I met McRae at the Goldrich Multipurpose Center, one of multiple locations where Jewish Family Service LA offers food and other assistance to growing legions of people in need. McRae, an 81-year-old military veteran who uses a walker because of severe arthritis, had just enjoyed a complimentary lunch, which is a big help for Goldrich clients on tight budgets.

"I know more people are coming in here now, because I'm seeing people I've never seen," said McRae, who'd just finished a lunch of whitefish with squash and kasha.

If Trump were to take McRae up on his offer, the president would have to ride three buses to get to the Goldrich center from McRae's apartment, where the rent just went up to $900 a month from $863, and it doesn't even have a kitchen. McRae also takes three buses to get to what might be the cheapest cup of coffee in Los Angeles.

"At McDonald's on Western, south of Santa Monica, senior coffee is 87 cents," McRae said. And you get one free refill, he added.

Well, we know Trump loves McDonald's. At 79, he'd qualify for the senior discount, and he might learn something about the economy he oversees.

I can think of two explanations as to why Trump said "just about everything is down" pricewise, and that affordability is "a Democrat hoax" and "the greatest con job."

Either Trump truly has no idea what things cost, other than, say, the $300-million ballroom he's having built after bulldozing the East Wing of the White House.