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Throughout the previous presidential campaign, the former president courted voters with pledges to reduce costs starting on day one. However, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal attention to the cost of living. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a slapdash campaign to address living costs. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump began his affordability drive with a poorly received 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 associates with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for millions of Americans facing difficulties every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as trivial, implying they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Official statistics indicate the cost of bananas rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, the price of beef climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged 18.9%—in part because of import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of food categories tracked by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks ignore the fact that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he boasted that gas prices had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, even though government figures indicate they are $3.19.

Confronted by reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “costs are falling” message made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs following promises of reductions. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: roll back certain import taxes. This sensible idea contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs would not increase costs for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Potential Impact

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will probably announce that he has lowered costs once these products begin to fall in price. That would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for putting out a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he stated that “this is the golden age of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—particularly when millions face losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter rate them positive. A separate survey showed that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Reality and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost around tens of thousands of positions this year. Pointing to these challenges, the secretary urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up interest rates, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages would do little to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount per month. The downside is that these loans could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Financial Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful claims. Actually, the former president left a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. But, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to an economist, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi fears that if key regions like California and New York enter a downturn, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted affordability campaign 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 cannot handle.