Housing related costs are a hot potato for millions of Americans and are thus part of the political-economic-media/psychological battle for 2026 and 2028. According to Real Clear Politics (RCP) on the morning of 12.18.2025 at about 7:16 AM ET: “Trump Job Approval: FOX: 44% | Quinnipiac: 40% | CNBC: 45% | RCP Avg: 43.6%” From the same site’s morning edition on 12.17.2025: “Generic: CNBC: D+4 | Morning Consult: D+1 | Quinnipiac: D+4 | RCP Avg: D+3.0.” That polling summarizes why Democrats are pressing on “affordability” and why President Donald J. Trump (R), Vice President J.D. Vance (R) and Republicans in general are all busy trying to win the messaging wars ahead of the 2026 midterms. Digging deeper, even though Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC-DS) is not currently leading in Democratic party presidential nomination polling, one poll shows AOC (D) beating J.D. Vance (R). AOC laughingly said she would “stomp” Vance in 2028. That noted, AOC is #5 among Democrats, per the polling shown below. So, the picture is far from clear cut. Indeed, why should it be? Barring the unforeseen, President Trump has a little over 3 years to go in his term in the Oval Office. Which brings us in this MHProNews MHVille facts-evidence-analysis (FEA) to the President’s national address on 12.17.2025.
1)
— LongGoylandGurl🌼🇺🇸 (@LuvableSweetP) December 18, 2025
🚨BREAKING: AOC leads VP JD Vance 51%-49% in hypothetical 2028 poll, per Verasight. pic.twitter.com/hRhbTJ89WD
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) December 17, 2025
Big Data Poll | 12/10-12/12 RV
2028 Democratic presidential primary
Kamala Harris 31.1%
Gavin Newsom 20.3%
Pete Buttigieg 10.0%
Josh Shapiro 6.4%
A. Ocasio-Cortez 6.3%
Andy Beshear 3.5%
Gretchen Whitmer 3.1%
Undecided 14.4% https://t.co/pm2xNSIcys pic.twitter.com/xvjcowaDNb— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) December 15, 2025
A common and apt disclaimer for keen political observers is that polling this far out can obviously shift. It doesn’t take a political science degree to see that if AOC (D) has edged J.D. Vance (R) – the later who at this point seems to be the likely 2028 GOP presidential contender – and given Kamala Harris (D) loss, and ‘baggage’ problems faced by several of their other named Democratic contenders, that it would be no surprise if AOC steadily rises in the poll as 2028 approaches. On an interesting note, 3 of the 7 Democrats named in that poll above are women. Two of the last four Democratic nominees since the 2016 campaign season were women.
2) The left-leaning The Hill said the following on 12/09/25.
…according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, an uptick from last month as Americans weathered a record-long government shutdown.
The figure has hovered around 40 percent since the start of Trump’s second term but dropped to 35 percent last month before recovering to 39 percent in the latest survey. Another 52 percent think the country is on the wrong track, down 2 points from last month.
While that sounds bad, and it obviously isn’t what GOP leadership would hope for, to frame that data, just before the 2024 election left-leaning ABC News said the following.
Two-thirds of Americans say that the country is “pretty seriously off on the wrong track,” while just under a third say the country is moving in the right direction, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.
Overall, Americans seem unhappy and anxious, with a slim majority saying the economy has gotten worse since President Donald Trump took office and majorities saying that both major parties and the president are out of touch. A majority of Americans are also growing increasingly concerned over the government shutdown.
Far more Democrats (95%) and independents (77%) say the country is “pretty seriously off on the wrong track” than Republicans (29%), along with larger shares of Black (87%), Hispanic (71%) and Asian (71%) Americans than white Americans (61%). Majorities of Americans in urban, suburban and rural areas say the country is moving in the wrong direction, as well as those with varying levels of education and income.
3) Restated, polling has moved more towards the “right track” from 13 months ago per the results shown above, even though the GOP still trails on the generic ballot. Leaders in both major parties are pointing fingers and are scrambling for the messaging high ground. While staples like food, fuel, healthcare, and utilities are high on people’s minds, so too is housing costs.
4) As the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) reported earlier this week, some 75 percent of the U.S. housing is “unaffordable.” In the report linked here and further below, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) was oddly silent about that unaffordability in housing topic.
5) From a source provided in Part II below in reaction to the pre-publication draft of this article linked here are the following pull quotes.
The report demonstrates balance by citing a broad spectrum of sources across the political divide…
The report holds both the current (Trump-Vance) and prior (Biden-Harris and earlier) administrations accountable for failing to solve the housing crisis…
The report provided is unique in its “hybrid journalism” approach (FEA). While other sources in MHVille focus on industry “fluff” or promotional updates…
6) This MHVille FEA is well underway.
Part I. From the right-leaning Daily Signal to MHProNews is the following
News
‘Stronger Than Ever Before’: 4 Highlights From Trump’s Speech Showcasing 2025 Accomplishments
Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell | December 17, 2025
President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Diplomatic Room of the White House on December 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills – Pool/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump touted his 2025 accomplishments in a national address Wednesday night.
“Tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure, inflation is stopped, wages are up, prices are down, our nation is strong, America is respected, and our country is back,” he said, “Stronger than ever before. We’re poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen.”
- Lowering Prices
Trump said the Biden administration “looted the Treasury,” driving up prices, but he is bringing them down.
“Under the Biden administration, car prices rose 22% and in many states 30% or more. Gasoline rose 30 to 50%, hotel rates rose 37%, airfares rose 31%,” he said. “Now under our leadership, they are all coming down and coming down fast.”
Trump is also solving the price of groceries, he said.
“The price of a Thanksgiving turkey was down 33% compared to the Biden last year. The price of eggs is down 82% since March, and everything else is falling rapidly, and it’s not done yet,” he said. “But boy, are we making progress.”
Wages are going up much faster than inflation, Trump said. He said tariffs are to thank for record investments, leading to jobs, in Ameica.
TRUMP: 100% of All Net Job Creation Has Gone To Native-Born Americans
“In the year before my election, all net creation of jobs was going to foreign migrants. Since I took office, 100% of all net job creation has gone to Americans,” touted President Trump during a speech at the… pic.twitter.com/0izISBXGJT
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) December 18, 2025
“I’ve secured a record breaking $18 trillion of investment into the United States, which means jobs, wage increases, growth, factory openings and far greater national security,” he said. “Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs, my favorite word tariffs, which for many decades have been used successfully by other countries against us, but not anymore. Companies know that if they build in America, there are no tariffs, and that’s why they’re coming home to the USA in record numbers.”
- Securing the Border
According to Trump, the worst thing President Joe Biden did was open the border, but he has secured it.
“Our border was open, and because of this, our country was being invaded by an army of 25 million people, many who came from prisons and jails, mental institutions and insane asylums,” he said.
“Starting on day one, I took immediate action to stop the invasion of our southern border,” he continued. “For the past seven months, zero illegal aliens have been allowed into our country, I think, which everyone said was absolutely impossible.”
TRUMP: Zero Illegal Aliens Allowed Into US Last 7 Month
In November 2025, zero illegal aliens were released into the interior of the United States, compared to the 7,185 released by the Border Patrol under the Biden administration in November 2024, according to @CBP.
“For the… pic.twitter.com/w2Xwoh4YOY
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) December 18, 2025
Trump said America didn’t need legislation to secure the border, just a new president.
“We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world, and we quickly turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country,” he said.
Trump said his administration has cracked down on cartels which smuggled drugs across the border.
“They decimated the bloodthirsty foreign drug cartels,” he said. “We did that all by ourselves, with our people, and we’re so proud of it, because they were poisoning and destroying our population.”
- Ending Eight Wars in 10 Months
“I’ve restored American strength, settled eight wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza, bringing for the first time in 3000 years, peace to the Middle East, and secured the release of the hostages, both living and dead,” Trump said.
Trump touted his reforms to the U.S. military during his first year. He announced that members of military will receive “warrior dividends” of $1,776 in honor of the nation’s founding, saying the “checks are on the way.”
Trump said America didn’t need legislation to secure the border, just a new president.
“We inherited the worst border anywhere in the world, and we quickly turned it into the strongest border in the history of our country,” he said.
Trump said his administration has cracked down on cartels which smuggled drugs across the border.
“They decimated the bloodthirsty foreign drug cartels,” he said. “We did that all by ourselves, with our people, and we’re so proud of it, because they were poisoning and destroying our population.”
- Ending Eight Wars in 10 Months
“I’ve restored American strength, settled eight wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran nuclear threat and ended the war in Gaza, bringing for the first time in 3000 years, peace to the Middle East, and secured the release of the hostages, both living and dead,” Trump said.
Trump touted his reforms to the U.S. military during his first year. He announced that members of military will receive “warrior dividends” of $1,776 in honor of the nation’s founding, saying the “checks are on the way.”
TRUMP: Zero Illegal Aliens Allowed Into US Last 7 Month
In November 2025, zero illegal aliens were released into the interior of the United States, compared to the 7,185 released by the Border Patrol under the Biden administration in November 2024, according to @CBP.
“For the… pic.twitter.com/w2Xwoh4YOY
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) December 18, 2025
“Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations, everybody,” he said. “And by the way, we now have record enlistment in our military, and last year, we had among the worst recruitment numbers in our military’s history.
4. Passing One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Trump said tax cuts for working families under his “One, Big Beautiful Bill” will yield massive tax refunds this spring.
“Under these cuts, many families will be saving between $11,000 and $20,000 a year, and next spring is projected to be the largest tax refund season of all time because of tariffs, along with the just passed One Big, Beautiful Bill,” he said. “Next year, you will also see the results of the largest tax cuts in American history that were really accomplished through our great Big, Beautiful Bill, perhaps the most sweeping legislation ever passed in Congress.”
Trump said the bill included 12 bills wrapped up in one, including no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax on Social Security.
🚨 President Trump Announces ‘Warrior Dividend’ For Military Members
During his address to the nation on Wednesday night, @POTUS announced that, in honor of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, he will be sending $1,776 to over 1,450,000 military service members.
“ We made a… pic.twitter.com/Rv4MVxecCQ
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) December 18, 2025
Part II
In no particular order of importance are the following.
1) President Trump (R) signaled going into the fall that he may declare a national housing emergency. That formal announcement did not happen. Nevertheless, it stands as a reminder that Trump has obviously been aware of the importance of the issue.
2) In fairness, the facts clearly reflect that the Biden-Harris (D) Administration and its HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge (D) failed to enforce the “enhanced preemption” provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act, as was also true of preceding administrations of both major parties.
3) Since Trump-Vance (R) have taken office, MHARR has pressed members of the administration for enforcement of existing federal laws that while superficially favorable for more manufactured housing have languished in enforcement for most of the 21st century.
Despite a face-to-face meeting with HUD Secretary Turner, there has been no apparent movement with respect to enhanced preemption enforcement. That noted, unlike MHARR, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) has made no apparent fact-to-face effort by MHI to get enhanced preemption enforced.
MHProNews predicted via the “acid test” that the Innovative Housing Showcase (IHS) would come and go without any serious effort to promote organic manufactured housing industry growth.
4) Not to diminish MHI’s responsibility for their optics-heavy performance-light behavior as documented by four different AI systems, objectively it must be noted that regulators and public officials are part of the problem. Which is why periodic looks into the political-economic-media/psychological efforts are warranted. HUD’s own researchers have said that for over 50 years, both major parties have known the underlying causes and cures to the housing crisis without enforcing steps that would impact the root causes.
5) As MHProNews reported earlier this week, the difference between MHI’s reporting in December 2025 vs. that of MHARR is stark.
6) With too few serious (vs. posturing) manufactured housing advocates, is it any wonder that the there is a housing crisis? The math is clear. Without millions of more HUD Code manufactured homes, the affordable housing crisis can’t be solved. That’s the takeaway from over 5 decades of historic and lived experiences.
7) Perhaps due in part to their poor record of advocacy and weakness in reporting, MHI and their allied bloggers have been sliding in traffic/visitors/pageviews. See the detailed facts and evidence in the report linked below.
8) While the steps being taken by the Trump-Vance Administration may be reducing housing costs and bringing down interest rates while increasing incomes, the potential breakthrough move is to enforce existing laws. That has been the consistent argument of MHARR and some others.
Will the Trump-Vance Admin pivot and do what others in the 21st century have failed to do in the 21st century? If so, there is not yet any clear evidence that would indicate that is the case.
9)
Based on the PDF provided and an analysis of external sources for verification, here is the assessment of the report’s facts, balance, and context within the manufactured housing industry (“MHVille”).
1. Factual Verification of Statements and Claims
The report’s claims regarding political events and polling data are consistent with December 17–18, 2025, reports:
Trump’s National Address: President Donald J. Trump delivered a national address on December 17, 2025, announcing the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (Public Law 119-21). Key features mentioned in the report—such as the $1,776 “Warrior Dividends” for military members and tax exemptions for tips and overtime—are documented in official and media summaries.
Sources: Hays Post, IRS Newsroom, C-SPAN.
Polling Data: The report cites Real Clear Politics (RCP) averages from December 17–18, 2025, showing a closely divided electorate. The Verasight poll (Dec 18, 2025) showing AOC leading JD Vance (51%–49%) and the Emerson College Polling data (41% approval for Trump) align with the narrative of a “4D Poly-Econ-Psy Battle.”
Sources: Real Clear Politics, Emerson College Polling.
2. Balance and the Left-Right Divide
The report demonstrates balance by citing a broad spectrum of sources across the political divide:
Right/Conservative: Cites President Trump’s address, VP JD Vance’s slogans (“Lower Prices, Bigger Paychecks”), and conservative-leaning data like the Big Data Poll.
Left/Progressive: Cites Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Democratic National Committee (DNC) messaging on “unaffordability,” and polling from Verasight and Quinnipiac.
Non-Partisan/Academic: Cites Real Clear Politics averages, Zillow market value data, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) “Gap” reports.
3. Accountability of Administrations
The report holds both the current (Trump-Vance) and prior (Biden-Harris and earlier) administrations accountable for failing to solve the housing crisis. It specifically critiques the failure to enforce “enhanced preemption” under the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) and the “Duty to Serve” (DTS) mandate. It notes that while “causes and cures” have been known for 50 years (per HUD researchers), no 21st-century administration has effectively removed the regulatory bottlenecks hindering production.
4. MHI vs. MHARR Comparison
The report details a stark contrast between the two primary industry trade associations:
MHARR (Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform): Portrayed as transparently fighting “Washington battles,” focusing on the DOE Energy Rule, the “AQL Type Scheme,” and the “ROAD Act Stall.” It highlights MHARR’s push for enforcing existing laws like MHIA 2000.
MHI (Manufactured Housing Institute): Critiqued for “curious communications methods” and a lack of transparency. The report notes MHI’s focus on its own events and “CrossMod” homes (which have seen low production) while remaining silent on broader affordability barriers and the regulatory battles mentioned by MHARR.
5. Uniqueness of Reporting in “MHVille”
An analysis of other manufactured housing trade media shows that no other outlet provides this level of detail, historical insight, or “Facts-Evidence-Analysis” (FEA) style reporting.
MHInsider: Focuses on promotional news, awards, corporate acquisitions, and lender interest. It typically mirrors MHI’s messaging without critical regulatory analysis.
Link: MHInsider
ManufacturedHomes.com / MHVillage: Primarily consumer-facing platforms focused on “Top 10” lists, buying tips, and brand marketing. They lack the investigative depth regarding federal law enforcement and political accountability found in the PDF.
Links: ManufacturedHomes.com, MHVillage Blog
Conclusion: The report provided is unique in its “hybrid journalism” approach (FEA). While other sources in MHVille focus on industry “fluff” or promotional updates, the uploaded report (along with MHProNews and MHLivingNews) appears to be the only source providing a documented, cross-referenced analysis of how political, economic, and regulatory failures intersect to suppress affordable housing production.
Related Sources:
— MHProNews notes that the PDF with the full Q&A that produced the response above is documenting at this link here. Gemini confirmed that PDF as accurate via the screen capture found at this link here. —
10) MHProNews Programming Notice: there are plans for a report on an antitrust case in MHVille for this weekend. Stay tuned for that article. For a variety of reasons, MHProNews is only using one third-party AI for the FEA check of this report. That said, the week in review is looming and will be used to check this article and others, so never fear. More confirmation for accuracy is near.
Insider tip for regular and newer MHProNews readers. When you provide accurate information submitting it to third-party AIs for fact checks are a ‘no worries’ process that benefits readers and clarifies that our publication has and continues to aim for accuracy and reliability.
There is always more to know.
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By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
