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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed voters with pledges to lower costs starting on day one. However, once he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little attention to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a slapdash campaign to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump kicked off his cost-reduction push with a disastrous statement: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” These words from the wealthy leader—who frequently mingles with fellow billionaires—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their concerns as trivial, suggesting they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. How could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Official statistics indicate the cost of bananas increased 6.9% over the past year, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and the cost of coffee surged 18.9%—partly because of import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about affordability. Since election day, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. At present, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump boasted that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, even though official data indicate they average over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs following promises of decreases. As a result, advisers suggested a simple solution: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

With some tariffs being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump 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 McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “this is the peak period of America” and told listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—especially when millions face losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey from October, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll showed that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that far from booming, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and shed around tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing this weakness, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

In response to widespread concern about living costs, the president suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many households in need, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact the proposal. This idea could increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

Another proposed solution for cost issues involved creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—often cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, including rising prices. Officials claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and untruthful allegations. Actually, Biden handed over a robust economic situation, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are already in recession, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if large states like California and New York tumble into recession, the US could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Sadly, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective 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.