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During last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed voters with pledges to lower prices starting on day one. But, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay minimal attention to affordability issues. All that changed after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled effort to tackle living costs. Unfortunately, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Truth

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from the wealthy leader—often mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as trivial, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. How could all costs be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up costs? Official statistics indicate the cost of bananas increased nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—partly because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in the majority of food categories monitored by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

Despite these numbers, the president continues to push his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. At present, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, he boasted that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, despite official data show they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of voters are frustrated about rising costs following promises of reductions. In response, advisers suggested a simple solution: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

With some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, the administration will likely claim that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans think the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them positive. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, the president’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a golden age. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Citing this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about living costs, the president proposed a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by injecting cash into the economy.

A further proposed solution for affordability involved creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—often reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, including rising prices. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and untruthful allegations. Actually, Biden handed over a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly import taxes—have created an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per an economist, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if key regions like California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could face a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.