Today I took a Lyft into DC to visit the National Gallery of Art—one of my favorite museums in the district. On the way, I ended up having an unexpectedly interesting conversation with my driver about neighborhoods and the cost of living.
I currently live in Crystal City, in the Aurora Hills neighborhood of Arlington, VA. The driver commented on how nice the area is and how centrally located it feels—close to DC, close to National Airport, close to everything. I agreed, but I also pointed out that while it’s a lovely neighborhood, housing is extremely expensive. I’ve lived in the DC area for nearly 18 years, and in all that time I’ve never rented my own apartment. Like many single people who aren’t making well above six figures—which I’m not—renting a bedroom in a group house is simply the only realistic option. When a one‑bedroom can swallow half or more of your monthly income, there aren’t many alternatives.
He told me he used to live the same way until he got married a few years ago, when his wife insisted they buy a house in Springfield, VA. He jokingly called this “house sickness,” an illness that can be extremely costly. He mentioned he had recently dropped a customer off in Reston and even homes out there can start around $700,000. I told him that if a place is near a Metro station or anywhere close to DC, those prices are pretty much the norm.
Before buying a home, he said he lived “stress‑free.” Now he’s losing hair and working endless hours driving for every rideshare company he can just to cover the mortgage and other expenses—especially since he’s the only income earner in the household. He’s currently paying $5,300 a month in mortgage and housing‑related costs. What shocked me most was that when he bought the house, he didn’t realize he’d be paying mostly interest for nearly a decade before touching the principal. Selling isn’t an option; he’d take a financial hit he couldn’t recover from. So his only real escape hatch is to rent out the entire house and move into a smaller apartment—assuming he ever wants to stop driving to the point where the rideshare apps kick him off for exceeding their limits.
Adding to all of this is the state of the economy. Despite what MAGA‑world and Fox News insist, the cost of living has gotten worse since Trump took office. The driver definitely felt the economic strain in multiple ways. Of course, Trump didn’t tell him to buy a house or take on debt, but he still had the sense that something in the broader economy wasn’t right—and a lot of the country seems to feel the same way.
People have largely reached this conclusion because of high living costs, housing unaffordability, slow wage growth, and Trump’s unpredictable tariffs and economic uncertainty. There may be a disconnect between public sentiment and expert analysis, but as the last administration learned—and as this one will too—you can’t ignore how people feel. And at this point, it’s far too late to reverse course, even if they wanted to.
Then came the surprise: my Lyft driver told me that as a middle‑aged Latino man, he voted for Trump last year. Now he wishes he could take his vote back. He genuinely believed Trump would do what he promised—fix the economy and release the Epstein files. He admitted he doesn’t really follow politics and based his vote on what he saw in mainstream media at the time.
That moment really drove home how many Americans make their electoral decisions. I’m in the minority here—a political activist, nonprofit professional, and former campaign field staffer from the 2000s. Politics is not something I can turn off. But for everyday working Americans, the media—traditional or digital—is both messenger and influencer.
Those who want to win elections know this and pay handsomely for a bigger megaphone, from 24/7 cable news networks to an army of right‑wing podcasters and social‑media personalities. I wish more citizens were knowledgeable and engaged with the issues facing the country. Civic participation doesn’t end at the ballot box. One day, I hope the number of engaged citizens grows while the number of people sitting out shrinks.
I won’t even get started on those who choose not to vote.