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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed voters with pledges to reduce prices starting on day one. But, once his inauguration, there was precious little attention to affordability issues. This shifted following inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled campaign to tackle living costs. Regrettably, this initiative is a hot mess—filled with absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Truth

Just two days post-election, Trump kicked off his cost-reduction push with a disastrous 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 other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Recent data show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—partly due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six food categories tracked by the government’s price index, including animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Economic Claims

In spite of these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, even though government figures show they are $3.19.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. Many voters are angry about rising costs after assurances of reductions. In response, advisers suggested one quick fix: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Impact

With some tariffs reduced on several food items, the administration will likely claim that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. On another occasion, while speaking McDonald’s executives, he stated that “this is the golden age of America” and told the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when many risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them positive. A separate survey showed that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently disputed assertions of a golden age. He noted that far from booming, certain sectors of the American economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing these challenges, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” To numerous households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—concerned about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, increase borrowing costs, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for affordability centered on introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that they could lower housing costs. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount per month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Prospects

In their affordability campaign, the administration have once more blamed the previous president for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. In reality, Biden handed over a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. He fears that if large states such as California and New York tumble into recession, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that hard-pressed households cannot handle.