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During last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with promises to lower prices starting on day one. But, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little attention to the cost of living. This shifted after inflation-weary voters expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration initiated a slapdash effort to tackle affordability. Regrettably, the drive is a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, the president began his cost-reduction push with a disastrous remark: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently associates with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. How could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up prices? Official statistics show banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices surged by nearly 19%—in part due to import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of food categories monitored by the Consumer Price Index, including meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Statements

In spite of the evidence, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks contradict the fact that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, price growth is at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, even though official data show they are over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” message made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Potential Effects

As certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, the administration will likely claim that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. In another instance, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—especially when millions risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents think the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them positive. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, recently contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the US economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and lost approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to this weakness, Bessent called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about affordability, the president proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, push up interest rates, and possibly drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

A further proposed solution for cost issues involved creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount per month. The drawback is that these loans could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

In their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, including increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and inaccurate claims. In reality, the former president handed over a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. However, Trump’s policies—particularly import taxes—have resulted in an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi fears that if large states like California and New York tumble into recession, the nation could face a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers generally possess reduced funds to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.