California Governor Gavin Newsom faced criticism after posting a chart on X that showed home unaffordability spiking during the Biden administration, while he blamed former President Donald Trump. Many users pointed out the significant increase in housing costs occurred primarily between 2021 and 2024 when Joe Biden was president. The backlash included comments from critics like Chris Martz, who noted that Newsom "doesn't know how to read graphs," highlighting a spike under Biden's leadership.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom recently faced criticism on X after posting a chart depicting the increasing cost of homes from 2005 to 2026, sarcastically thanking former President Donald Trump for the situation. However, critics noted that while housing affordability worsened significantly under Trump's second term, it has continued to deteriorate substantially since Joe Biden took office in 2021. The chart shows a significant spike between 2021 and 2024, during Biden’s presidency. X user Libs of TikTok questioned Newsom about who was president during the period of most extreme unaffordability, pointing out that it aligns with Biden's time in office rather than Trump’s. This exchange highlights tensions between Democratic and Republican leaders over responsibility for current economic conditions affecting housing markets.
Written for “California Housing Costs Debate” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 14954 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-17
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom faced backlash Tuesday after taking a swipe at President Donald Trump for high housing costs, using a chart showing a massive cost spike during the Biden administration.
asserted
Newsom → face → administration
On his X account, Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, shared a post reporting that U.S. homes are "now the most unaffordable in history," along with a graph showing the income needed to qualify for a median-priced home from 2005 to 2026.
asserted
homes → share → 2026
"Great work, @realDonaldTrump!" Newsom wrote.
asserted
Newsom → write → work
However, several X users pointed out that although the chart reached its highest level during Trump's second administration, it shows a substantial increase between 2021 and 2024, when former President Joe Biden was in office.
asserted
Biden → point → office
"Hey @GavinNewsom, who was president during the biggest uptick in home unaffordability?" the Libs of TikTok account asked.
asserted
account → ask → TikTok
Meteorologist Chris Martz wrote, "Evidently, @GavinNewsom doesn't know how to read graphs.
asserted
@GavinNewsom → write → graphs
Housing prices skyrocketed under Joe Biden's presidency."
"California is the most unaffordable state in the country to buy a house, and it’s only gotten worse since Gavin Newsom took over.
asserted
Newsom → skyrocket → house
And no one in the media will call him out for saying this," OutKick writer Ian Miller commented.
asserted
Miller → call → this
California Post opinion editor Joel Pollak wrote, "You would be ashamed if they broke it down by state."
"Gavin, I guess you can’t read a graph.
asserted
you → write → graph
The biggest spike was before DJT took office," actor Doug Davidson commented.
asserted
Davidson → take → office
Author Jens Heycke joked, "Aspiring presidential candidate Gavin Newsom demonstrates that he is unable to read a simple graph.
asserted
he → joke → graph
Other users compared Newsom's post to a since-deleted X post from the official Democratic Party’s account featuring a graph claiming that "U.S. Grocery Prices Reached Record Highs in 2025" with prices "higher today than they were on July 2024" in categories such as dairy, produce and meat.
asserted
they → compare → dairy
At the time, users pointed out that the graph, in fact, showed prices skyrocketing in 2021, when Biden was president, and only leveling off at the end of 2024 when Trump was re-elected.
asserted
Trump → point → 2024
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Newsom's post came as the California governor has been working to tackle housing affordability in his state.
asserted
governor → reach → state
In 2025, he signed into law a housing package to exempt certain projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and streamline environmental review for qualifying housing and infrastructure development.
asserted
he → sign → housing
In July, he signed into law more housing affordability reforms focused on streamlining affordable-housing financing and project reviews.
asserted
he → sign → financing
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital Trump is more "laser-focused" on affordability than the "incompetent" Newsom.
asserted
Trump → tell → Newsom
"Unlike incompetent Governor Gavin Newscum, President Trump has been laser-focused on making housing more affordable.
asserted
housing → focus → Newscum
The president signed an executive order prohibiting large Wall Street firms from purchasing single-family homes, directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds that helped drive rates to four-year lows and cut unnecessary red tape at a historic pace to boost supply, speed construction, and lower costs," Ingle said.
asserted
Ingle → sign → costs
"The president will not stop fighting until the American dream of homeownership is within reach for every American, which is why he continues to sign bold new executive orders and calls on Congress to pass further legislation."
Fox News' Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.
asserted
DiMella → stop → report
The Aporia
