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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed the electorate with pledges to reduce prices starting on day one. But, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal focus to affordability issues. This shifted following inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled campaign to tackle affordability. Unfortunately, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Grocery Store Truth

Merely 48 hours post-election, Trump kicked off his cost-reduction push with a poorly received statement: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from the wealthy leader—often associates with fellow billionaires—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, suggesting they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion about declining prices was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up prices? Official statistics indicate the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—partly because of import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in five of the six food categories monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

Despite these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks contradict the fact that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, even though government figures show they average over three dollars.

Confronted by reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. Many voters are angry about prices continuing to climb following assurances of decreases. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Potential Impact

With some tariffs reduced on several food items, the administration will likely announce that he has cut prices once these products start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump stated that “this is the golden age of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to countless households who are struggling—especially when many risk cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, the president’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the US economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Citing this weakness, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about living costs, the president suggested a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

Another proposed solution for cost issues involved introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. But, the truth is that 50-year mortgages would do little to reduce installments—often cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again blamed Biden for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president left a robust economic situation, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, Trump’s policies—particularly import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, lead analyst at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if key regions such as California and New York tumble into recession, the nation could face a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.