Donald Trump Proposing 50-Year Mortgages Sparks Backlash

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Published Nov 09, 2025 at 06:48 AM EST updated Nov 09, 2025 at 07:38 AM EST


U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to introduce 50-year mortgage terms for homebuyers has sparked a backlash from online commentators.

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte said on Saturday that the Trump administration is working on a plan to introduce the measure. Writing on X, people criticized the idea, which they said could increase debt levels. Newsweek reached out to the FHFA by email outside of normal business hours for comment.

Why It Matters

Home ownership has emerged as a key issues in the U.S., with many people struggling to get on the housing ladder. The average age of first-time homebuyers had reached an all-time high of 40, according to a recent report by the National Association of Realtors and the U.S. housing market has slowed this year due to sky-high home prices, elevated borrowing costs and other factors.

What To Know

Pulte's X post came after Trump posted an image on his social media platform Truth Social in which he placed an image of himself next to one of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who established the 30-year mortgage standard. He wrote "30-year mortgage” above Roosevelt’s image and “50-year mortgage” above his. In a separate post, Pulte wrote: “Trump proposes 50-year mortgage to help affordability.”

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-50-year-mortgage-backlash-11017505

[Lovie777]

1. 30 years is hard enough.............

damn these sociopaths..........

[wolfie001]

4. Biden suggested taxing the profits of REITs

Of course that went nowhere. And yes, sociopaths.

[LSparkle]

2. That's not "affordability" -- that's lifetime debt service

You won’t ever really OWN your home but be a lifetime renter dressed up in fancy gold

It’s kind of like Raygun selling the idea of putting the so-called “American Dream” on a credit card instead of being able to afford that lifestyle with cash. We are being softened to accept a lifetime of debt.

[FalloutShelter]

5. This will pass on mortgage debt to the children of homeowners .

Yet another plan to destroy the middle class.

[karynnj]

29. Do children inherit debt or do you mean they lose

the higher equity that a home would have had when the last owner died.

This does suggest another thing to think about. In 2008, one of the worst parts of that crash was that it led to many homes being financially underwater as the value dropped below the owner's equity. In some vulnerable communities, this was a vicious circle as more homes in a neighborhood became unaffordable to their owners, the lower the value of all homes became with more becoming underwater. (If a home is financially underwater, selling your house leaves you without a house and still in debt for part of the mortgage.)

[TheFarseer]

8. Imagine being foreclosed on in year 49

Then imagine it was because Wells Fargo intentionally misapplied your payment and there’s nothing you can do about it because Trump got rid of the CFPB.

[NotHardly]

40. It's called renting.

[OnlinePoker]

3. When I was posted to Germany in the early 90's, they had 100 year mortgages.

They were intergenerational. Of course all of the homes were constructed of concrete blocks and cost a fortune even then, but you knew they would last that long, unlike a lot of the housing in North America.

[lastlib]

48. Japan actually has 150-year mortgages!

Your great-grandchildren have to finish paying it off (then of course, there's the fight over the property.) But actual houses in Japan are so scarce that buying one is a pipe dream for most folks.

[hamsterjill]

6. As someone who spent 45 years working in real estate

Someone please tell me which of the homes produced by any of the national builders of cookie cutter homes would still even be standing after fifty years.

I’ll wait…

[Hey Joe]

25. I thought the same thing

How many houses would even last half a century and be worth anything?

[durablend]

32. "Oh well. That mortgage payment is still in the mail, right?"

[FakeNoose]

7. Bring back the FannyMae and FreddieMac mortgages

That's how I became a homeowner as a single woman with no dependents. In the 1990's it was difficult for an unmarried woman to obtain a mortgage unless it was co-signed. (I was 40 years old and I wasn't about to ask my Dad to co-sign on my mortgage!) Even having a down payment and steady fulltime employment wasn't enough. But the FHA mortgage program allowed me to purchase my house with a 30-year mortgage, and now it has been paid off in full. I had reasonable monthly payments and escrow for collecting property taxes and insurance in a withholding account. Homeownership would never would have happened for most Americans, without the blessings of the FHA program.

[mopinko]

21. same here.

my then hubs wasnt making that much money when we bought our 2 flat. we barely made the downpayment of 3%. in fact, we lost (got screwed out of) our lock and had to beg his parents for an extra $2500 at the last minute.
in his next job, he climbed the ladder. went on to make crazy money.
he got big bonuses. we applied most of that to our mortgage and paid it off in about 15 yrs.

these new loans make u pay 3 times as much for your house. insane. it’s bad enough most of us pay twice as much.

[EarthFirst]

9. Get private equity out of residential ownership...

It’s estimated that 40% of single-family residential rental housing will be controlled by private equity by 2030.

Housing should not be a financial commodity bundled into investment products to the advantage of the investor class.

[Fiendish Thingy]

10. Canada tried 40 year mortgages briefly under Harper

Along with Zero down. Housing prices jumped by double digits because buyers could suddenly qualify for much more debt.

Horrible idea.

[paleotn]

20. Increased demand, with probably little to no incentives to increase supply to meet that demand.

What the hell did they expect would happen?

[Puppyjive]

11. Indentured servants

What is happening here? The Trump administration has lost their minds. We are not going to get anything good from this administration. Trump has always been a landlord, and a corrupt one at that. These people are as shallows as those who elected him.

[Javaman]

12. Lifetime of indentured servitude to the corporate machines

always being in debt. Dying before you own.

And thrown in a little adjustable variable rate for good measure

That the feature and most certainly not a bug

[Diamond_Dog]

15. Not to mention ten year car loans on top of that.

[Javaman]

18. As long as you are in permanent debt

You always have to work with no hope at all for anything at all.

I think of the ending of 1984 with William Hurt. He’s just resigned to it all and goes all in for big brother

[Hey Joe]

27. Indeed

The people, (billionaires) who dream these schemes up should be pulled from their homes and thrown in a pen to hungry hogs.
Wouldn’t that be a fitting end for them?

[Javaman]

42. Indeed it would👍 nt

[bucolic_frolic]

13. Fiberboard Glue homes won't last 50 years. Renovation every 25 years.

You will never own your home. It will own you. And the bankers will have steady income forever.

[twodogsbarking]

14. $200k borrowed. 30 yr loan payment at 6% $1200. 50 yr. loan pmt $1052. $148 a month diff.

I studied corporate finance and spent my working life finding financing. Many bankers weren't too smart. Just sales people.
Trump is all sizzle and no steak.

[lastlib]

46. And the amount of interest to be paid is MONSTROUS.

(I haven't calculated it yet, but it will be FAR greater than a 30-year loan.)

[FakeNoose]

55. Exactly! This would be ruinous for most families

What would happen is parents would buy a house as a young family and hang on, making payments for the rest of their lives. Children inheriting the house after parents are gone and still owing a huge chunk of the principal. How many children even want their parents' homes, anyway? Most kids would have moved out long ago to pursue their own dreams.

And what about the case of divorce? One of the partners would be saddled with way too much debt and lose the house, while the other partner walks away. This is unworkable for most American families.

[twodogsbarking]

49. The interest is the devil for sure. That makes it hard to move when your current rate is below 3%.

[mwooldri]

16. What's worse?

Interest only mortgages or this?

Yes, interest only mortgages are a thing.

[ChicagoTeamster]

17. Why is anyone surprised? He doesn't understand anything. He's a hateful dementia ridden moron.

[snowybirdie]

19. Years ago

I remember Trump trying to sell 100 year maturity bonds that paid nothing til year 100. They were for his casino, The Taj Mahal! He likes stringing along repayment of anything!

[mopinko]

22. i just want to point out, since a lot of ppl dont know,

if you make an extra principle payment every mo, even a small 1, u shorten your repayment by A.LOT.
esp in the early yrs. if only $100 goes to principle, and u pay an extra $100, u just knocked a payment off the end of your loan.
$10, $50/mo, every mo, greatly shortens your loan.

always do what u can to fuck the bankers.

[paleotn]

24. This!

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

28. I am currently doing this.

I also accelerated payments on 60 month auto loans in the past and paid off a car in 49 months. I still have it and now that I am retired I plan on keeping it for a while. These new car prices are insane.

[lastlib]

47. I used this to pay a recent car loan, saved $10K in interest!

and paid a 72-month loan in 8 months. Before I had the payment booklet from the lender, I had one-fourth of the principal payments made; that knocked about $4500 in interest off the loan total. This is the way to do it, folks! The interest you save looks a LOT better in your pocket than in the bank's!

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

64. We did this ...

... rounding up on our mortgage payments from $1200 to $1500 each month and throwing in other payments when possible (tax refunds, gift moneys, etc) and paid off a 30-year mortgage after 17 or so. We refinanced a couple of times in there too to keep the interest rates as low as possible.

Saved tens of thousands over the life of the loan, maybe hundreds of thousands. Can't remember the math. But it was worth it without hitting out standard of living too much.

I recommend it if you can.

[paleotn]

23. Home financing ideas from a multi-bankrupt, debt hog.

A guy who lost ALL of daddy's money appearing to playing it straight, and is rich* today through graft, money laundering, and spewing bullshit at unsuspecting rubes.

* He's in debt up to his eyeballs. And not counting the really shady, off the books stuff that, had he not won in 2016, could have landed him in some unmarked hole somewhere. Steal from certain guys and you get "Disappeared" Hoffa style. The ultimate "repo."

[Turbineguy]

26. What makes it more affordable

is that you pay interest for 50 years!

[bucolic_frolic]

31. It's a FAKE MORTGAGE! You'll be 80 years old and still paying it off /nt

[Turbineguy]

36. Trump will think of a way to shorten your life.

[Bluetus]

30. Step 1: 50-year mortgages. Step 2:

Debtor's prison.

The giant corporations get your house AND they get to bill the government $150 a day for your prison cell.

[rampartd]

33. will the bank reqjuire life insurance?

as our life expectancy decreases (inevitably = 3rd world conditions lead to actuarial results.)

or maybe they just want to repossess.

[SunSeeker]

44. Banks will just repossess the house, sell it, and get another poor fool paying them a 50 year mortgage. nt

[Jacson6]

34. IIRC There are Mortgages that go to the deceased person's next of kin upon death in Europe.

Maybe, I'm wrong.

[AZJonnie]

35. I refinanced during Covid. I already had a decent rate, think I lowered it by 1.25 or 1.5 percent

but more importantly switched from 30 year to 15 year. Best financial move I ever made. Payment went up monthly of course, but only by about 18% all told. And I went from just under 1/3 of my payment going towards principal to just over 2/3 every month. Which is obvious that would happen if you halve the time and lower the rate but man it is so much more satisfying at the end of the year when the principal really feels like it's dropped. And of course that % drop in principal keeps increasing as the amount owed (and hence the % going to interest each month) decreases.

Back of napkin calculation is that during the first 5.5 years I owned the place, my balance reduced by not even a full 10% and in the 5 years since the refi, it's dropped like 27%.

What I'm saying is I can't even imagine how frustrating a 50 year mortgage would be to hold. Your payment is probably like 90-95% interest for many years I have to think.

[Diamond_Dog]

37. 50 year mortgage, ten year car payments, student loan debt, full medical premiums with no ACA help

Are we great yet?

Oh and you wimmins better start having more babies!

[flvegan]

38. Goes hand in hand with the new 7 year car loans.

Lower the monthly payment but extend the note. It's what you get when wages don't keep pace with inflation or the marketplace.

Without any sort of financial planning/training, all folks see is that monthly expense. I've proposed some sort of personal finance class as a mandatory pass/fail starting in the 7th grade, but that would make too much sense.

[Diamond_Dog]

39. When my husband taught middle school math

He taught his kids about budgeting, loans, mortgages, etc. School principal told him there isn’t enough time in the school year for those kind of lessons. Stick to your pre-ordained requirements.

[flvegan]

45. I would have guessed "American education" regardless of where this was posted.

Bless your husband.

[Devilsun]

41. While we're at it

Let's bring back debtors prisons while we're at it! 🤨

[SunSeeker]

43. How about offering first time home buyers $25,000 toward their down payment, like Kamala did?

[questionseverything]

50. If that idea had turned into law, the 60 % of the country who don't have a thousand dollars for an emergency

Would be bankrolling the upper 40% who could qualify for a loan

The 60% of us that don’t have that lil cushion work 2 weeks of the month for rent and neither party seems to remember we are down here

[SunSeeker]

52. No they wouldn't, most don't pay federal taxes, which is how the down payments would be funded.

It is the middle class and rich who would mostly fund those down payments.

"Neither party seems to remember we are here" is bothsiderism, a right wing talking point, and just plain wrong. The Democratic Party is fighting for the working poor and is trying to save the ACA subsidies for the working poor, and the Republican Party would rather keep the country shut down and defund SNAP than help the working poor have health coverage. That is why we are in a shutdown. The Democratic Party knows we are "down here" and is trying to raise us up. It would be nice if we Democrats had your support.

[questionseverything]

53. 51,000 is considered the bottom of middle income

51- 14 ( standard deduction) = $36,000 ish

Tax rate 10% /12% or just less than 4 grand income

I’m sorry you feel the need to insult me

[SunSeeker]

57. I didn't insult you. You're the one throwing out "both sides" insults about the Democratic Party. nt

[questionseverything]

58. I'm pretty sure I get to decide if I'm insulted or not

[SunSeeker]

61. As do I. nt

[UpInArms]

51. Stupid fuk is proposing longer interest payments

Ergo, less principal paid for years … making anyone under that onerous burden have less equity

[Deep State Witch]

54. Mortgage Companies

Give this two thumbs up.

[Buddyzbuddy]

56. I'll take a 50yr mortgage fixed at 3% any day of the year.

Sure, not at 6% but definitely @ 3%. Your paying back a mortgage in 2076 with dollars valued in 2026. Inflation means your paying back with much cheaper money. Think about the price of things 50 years ago including the price of homes. In 1975 you could buy a 3 bedroom 2 bath home for under $30,000 which is now worth $750,000 more or less depending on location and condition.
So if you buy that same home today and use a very conservative estimate of 2% inflation your home might be valued at about $4,000,000 in 50 years.
Nobody says you have to take 50 years to pay it off. The interest is only charged on the principal balance. You could still pay it off in 30 years or less. The 50 year mortgage just helps you qualify at a lower monthly payment because it's stretched out over 50 yrs.
But there is no way a lender will make a 50 year loan @ 3%. But maybe %3 the 1st 5 years 3.5% for the next 5yrs, eventually ending up @6% for the last 10 years with the opportunity to refi at a lower rate in the future if lower rates are available.
I started @ 6.5% 28 years ago and now I'm locked in @2.9% for 27 more years. I'm paying with cheaper dollars. It's the one benefit of inflation.
Rich people never use their own cash if they can help it. Let cheaper borrowed dollars pay your bills. I plan on dying owing money on my home.
I am a retired Realtor after 27 years in the industry.

[FakeNoose]

59. That's no deal, it would be cheaper to pay rent for your entire life

Why endure the costs and risks of home ownership, when all you're doing is working your entire life to make the owners of the bank even wealthier than they already are?

People would be saddling their children and grandkids with their debts, since a 50-year mortgage would outlast the life of the parents in most cases. How many children want to live in their parents' house? Very few since most have moved out long ago to pursue their own dreams and careers. How many marriages last 50 years these days, when so many end in divorce and one partner getting the house. One partner would be saddled with way too much debt and probably lose the house, while the other partner walks away.

I can't see 50-year mortgages ever being a workable deal in the US.

[Buddyzbuddy]

63. First, I understand and respect your perspective.

We have lived in our home for 28 years and to this day, it's just an investment. That statement is true but it's to illustrate my perspective.
As a child we moved alot. I went to 11 different schools before high school. We moved because rents would go up or we couldn't pay the rent or we hid from bill collectors. Sometimes our belongings were put out at the curb, sometimes our pets were put out before we got home so, I don't get attached to things.
On the other hand we as a family, my wife and daughter, have made very good memories everywhere and all of the time. That is irreplaceable. That is the only thing I will take with me on this earth and what I leave behind. Sure my family is well taken care of financially, free to do what they want with anything I've left behind.

In direct response to your response, rents go up, period. A renter is at the mercy of a landlord and whatever the current market dictates. I refied my home a few years ago with a no cash out 30yr loan @2.9%. I say this not to brag but to show another possibility. The mortgage payment is low enough to make double in rent if I choose to and yet with enough equity to pull substantial funds out if needed. A 50 year loan is not a curse, it's an opportunity. You, the consumer can choose other options.
A longer loan just gives you choices. It's kind of like a college education. I taught my daughter that a PhD. doesn't guarantee a job or higher pay. What it does is give you more choices.

You can choose to payoff the loan in 30 years if you choose to, in which case you save all of that interest that you might have paid. No harm no foul.

[questionseverything]

60. A basic new construction house is $250,000 plus

Even in central Illinois there are lots of 2-5 million dollar homes being built, a longer loan timeline doesn’t seem unreasonable and you can always pay early which saves a ton of money on any loan

[TommyT139]

62. But with harsher natural disasters: fire, flood,

... hurricanes -- insurance for home purchases is harder to come by, right?

Or is Trump going to poop out an idea to fix that too?

If I ever can afford to buy a car, one of the requirements will be that I can use it to stealth camp in. But the way things are going, more likely is a quick and violent end to civil infrastructure and life as we know it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

65. This is another stupid trump idea