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Throughout the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed voters with pledges to reduce prices starting on day one. But, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little focus to affordability issues. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled campaign to tackle living costs. Unfortunately, this initiative has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president began his cost-reduction push with a poorly received statement: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from the wealthy leader—often mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their struggles as trivial, suggesting they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement about declining prices proved highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Recent data show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—in part because of punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his big lie about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. At present, price growth is running at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, despite official data indicate they are $3.19.

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 ordinary people. A lot of voters are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of decreases. In response, aides suggested one quick fix: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs would not increase costs for US consumers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Effects

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, the administration will likely announce that he has cut prices once those foods begin to fall in price. That would be like an arsonist taking credit for putting out a blaze that he had started. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—particularly when many face losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them positive. Another poll showed that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Suggested Measures

Scott Bessent, the president’s top economic official, recently disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and lost around 33,000 jobs since January. Citing these challenges, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—a move that could help affordability.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a payout 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 huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. The scheme could raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages would do little to reduce installments—frequently reducing them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these mortgages could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and inaccurate claims. In reality, the former president left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi worries that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. During recessions, people generally possess less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted affordability campaign probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.