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During last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed voters with promises to lower costs immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal focus to affordability issues. This shifted after inflation-weary voters expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a slapdash effort to tackle affordability. Regrettably, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours post-election, the president kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their struggles as trivial, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion about declining prices was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Official statistics show banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, the price of beef climbed almost 15%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—partly because of punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of food categories monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as animal proteins (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

In spite of these numbers, Trump continues to push his big lie about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the reality that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump claimed that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data indicate they are over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently cautioned that his “prices are down” message portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of citizens are angry about rising costs after promises of decreases. In response, aides suggested one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has cut prices once these products begin to fall in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for putting out a fire that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when millions face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% consider them positive. A separate survey found that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, lately disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and lost around 33,000 jobs this year. Pointing to this weakness, Bessent urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and potentially drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

A further proposed solution for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, with the notion that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, the truth is that 50-year mortgages would do little to reduce installments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Financial Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have again pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, including rising prices. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and untruthful claims. Actually, the former president handed over a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—especially import taxes—have created an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to an economist, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are already in recession, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if key regions like California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. During recessions, people generally possess less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that struggling Americans really can’t afford.