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During last year's presidential campaign, the former president courted voters with promises to lower costs immediately upon taking office. But, after his inauguration, there was precious little focus to the cost of living. All that changed after price-fatigued voters expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled effort to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a poorly received 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 supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose nearly 7% over the past year, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and the cost of coffee jumped 18.9%—partly due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in five of the six food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

In spite of these numbers, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite government figures indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, advisers apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” message portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about rising costs after promises of decreases. In response, aides proposed a simple solution: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Effects

With some tariffs reduced 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 taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when many face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey from October, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while only 26% consider them positive. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted assertions of a golden age. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and lost around 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, Trump suggested a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and potentially fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

Another supposed fix for affordability centered on introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these loans could more than double the total interest borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more blamed the previous president for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful allegations. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially import taxes—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, lead analyst at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. He fears that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could slide into a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.