NEED TO KNOW
- Trump calls 50-year Mortgages “a win for homeowners and eternity.”
- Plan lowers monthly payments by stretching them into the afterlife.
- Critics say it’s debt slavery; officials call it “patriotic perseverance.”
President Donald Trump announced a bold new housing initiative on Monday, promising 50-year mortgages to make homes more “affordable for hardworking Americans and their descendants.” The plan, Trump said, will help buyers “achieve the dream of homeownership before they pass away, or shortly after.”
“We’re giving Americans the longest, most luxurious loans ever made,” Trump told reporters. “You can now buy a home, pay half as much per month, and still owe money when your grandkids graduate. That’s called legacy.”
White House officials praised the program as an innovative way to reduce monthly payments without lowering prices. “It’s the same house, but the debt lasts longer,” said FHFA Director Bill Pulte. “Think of it like a marriage — except you can’t refinance your way out.”
‘Owning the American Dream Forever’
The plan mirrors Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 30-year mortgage model, which helped Americans recover from the Great Depression. Trump called his version “an even greater depression prevention plan” and promised interest rates so “fair” that banks could profit for multiple generations.
Critics, however, labeled the idea “debt slavery for the patriotic.” One economist said the average borrower would pay three homes’ worth of interest over the life of the loan. Another noted that most borrowers would likely die halfway through the repayment term, “leaving their children a priceless heirloom: a statement balance.”
Supporters defended the plan, arguing it helps people “think long-term about property and personal mortality.” A viral post on X read, “Finally, a mortgage that outlives my student loans.” The Treasury Department later confirmed that funeral expenses will not be tax-deductible against remaining loan balances.
Critics Suggest Alternatives, Administration Offers Condolences
Opponents proposed tackling affordability through zoning reform or curbing Wall Street ownership of homes. The administration dismissed these as “unrealistic and un-American.” A Trump adviser said, “If you can’t buy a house in 30 years, try 50. If that doesn’t work, maybe housing just isn’t your destiny.”
Housing groups say the program could create the first “multi-generational mortgage pipeline,” where families inherit both property and the privilege of paying for it. Banks are already marketing it as “the loan that keeps on living.”
As one Real Estate ad put it: “Why rent for life when you can own for two?”
Finally, a plan that lets Americans die doing what they love — paying interest Maggie Toth, Financial Grievance Institute
