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During last year's race for the White House, the former president courted the electorate with promises to lower prices immediately upon taking office. However, once his inauguration, there was minimal attention to affordability issues. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled effort to tackle affordability. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store 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 the cost of living.” This comment from the wealthy leader—who frequently mingles with fellow billionaires—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their struggles as trivial, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices proved highly misleading and inaccurate. How could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Recent data show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—partly due to import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six 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%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Economic Statements

Despite the evidence, the president continues to push his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump claimed that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, even though government figures show they are over three dollars.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. A lot of citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb following promises of decreases. As a result, advisers 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 Solutions and Their Possible Effects

With some tariffs reduced 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 similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, while speaking McDonald’s executives, he stated that “we are in 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 millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when many face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans think the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter rate them good or excellent. Another poll found that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost approximately tens of thousands of positions this year. Pointing to this weakness, Bessent called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, Trump suggested a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve such a plan. The scheme could increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

A further supposed fix for affordability centered on creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages would do little to reduce installments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more blamed Biden for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and untruthful claims. Actually, the former president left a robust economic situation, with low price growth, solid expansion, and unemployment low. However, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign probably ineffective to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.