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Throughout the previous race for the White House, Donald Trump courted the electorate with promises to reduce costs starting on day one. But, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed after inflation-weary citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled effort to tackle affordability. Regrettably, this initiative has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Merely 48 hours post-election, Trump began his affordability drive 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 billionaire Trump—often associates with fellow billionaires—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans facing difficulties when visiting supermarkets. In effect, he ignored their struggles as trivial, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Recent data show banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—partly due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups tracked by the government’s price index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Economic Statements

Despite these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data indicate they average $3.19.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of voters are angry about prices continuing to climb after assurances of reductions. As a result, aides suggested a simple solution: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Potential Impact

As some tariffs reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will likely claim that he has cut prices once those foods begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. In another instance, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when millions risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per 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 good or excellent. Another poll found that a majority of citizens say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Suggested Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, recently disputed assertions of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Citing these challenges, Bessent urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay 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, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. However, the truth is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—often reducing them by a small amount per month. The drawback is that these loans could more than double the total interest borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful claims. Actually, Biden handed over a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—especially import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to an economist, chief economist at a research firm, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states such as California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a broad economic slump. In downturns, consumers generally possess reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, with the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.