President Donald Trump built his public reputation around real estate, attaching his name to towers and golf clubs while presenting himself as a decisive dealmaker on “The Apprentice.” Housing was supposed to be the subject he understood, even when basic elements of governing appeared to leave him baffled.

During his first presidential campaign, Trump stumbled over a straightforward debate question about nuclear weapons. He also failed to grasp the need for a presidential transition and repeatedly expressed surprise at the complexity of subjects such as health care policy.

Real estate was meant to be different. Yet in his second term, Trump has pursued policies that have made homes more expensive to build, harder for potential buyers to afford and less attractive for developers to construct.

That is quite a collapse for a politician whose brand rests heavily on the image of a commanding property tycoon. The supposed master builder is presiding over an agenda that puts additional pressure on nearly every major part of the housing market.

Trump’s tariffs have increased the prices of lumber, steel, appliances and other materials needed to build homes. Those increases have added an estimated $10,900 to the cost of a typical new home, according to the figures cited in the source.

That added expense lands before a potential buyer even begins confronting the challenge of affordability. For developers, more expensive materials make new construction less appealing, which in turn makes them less likely to build additional housing under the conditions created by Trump’s policies.

The administration’s immigration crackdown has also worsened an existing shortage of construction workers. Building houses requires both materials and labor, and Trump’s approach has made both parts of that equation more difficult and expensive.

His war with Iran has created another layer of pressure. The conflict has helped drive up energy prices, inflation and mortgage rates, further squeezing prospective buyers who are already dealing with elevated construction costs.

Mortgage rates matter directly to whether potential buyers can afford a home. Under Trump, the cost of constructing housing has increased at the same time that financing a purchase has become more difficult, a punishing combination for an industry he once claimed as his calling card.

The damage is not limited to tariffs, labor shortages and borrowing costs. Trump’s administration has also cut staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with housing grants that support the federal government’s work in this area.

The administration has proposed deep cuts to programs that help communities finance affordable homes as well. That choice comes while Trump’s other policies are raising construction expenses and making home purchases less attainable, exposing the emptiness behind his carefully marketed real estate persona.

Taken together, the policies point in the same grim direction. Materials cost more, the construction worker shortage has worsened, energy prices and inflation have risen, mortgage rates have climbed, federal housing capacity has been reduced and affordable housing programs face proposed cuts.

Trump’s reputation was built around luxury properties, branded towers and the televised performance of executive confidence. But understanding the housing market requires more than showing off expensive buildings or acting like a mogul for the cameras.

The administration’s record suggests an approach shaped around spectacle rather than the practical economics of producing ordinary homes. Knowing the price of a penthouse is not the same thing as understanding what it takes to finance and construct a single family house.

For homebuyers, developers and communities trying to finance affordable housing, the consequences are hardly theatrical. Trump has made it more expensive to build, harder to buy and less likely that developers will add the homes the market needs.

The irony could scarcely be sharper. The president who treated real estate expertise as proof of his business brilliance has delivered housing policies that undermine construction, affordability and investment throughout the industry he used to build his political identity.