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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with promises to lower prices starting on day one. However, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal attention to the cost of living. This shifted following inflation-weary citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled effort to address affordability. Regrettably, this initiative is a hot mess—filled with absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Truth

Merely 48 hours post-election, the president began 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.” These words from billionaire Trump—often mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement about declining prices was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas increased nearly 7% over the past year, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—partly because of punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Economic Statements

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about affordability. 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 his predecessor.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, even though government figures show 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. A lot of voters are angry about prices continuing to climb following promises of decreases. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Impact

With certain taxes reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will probably announce that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for putting out a blaze that he had started. In another instance, when addressing McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and told the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—particularly when many face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter rate them positive. Another poll showed that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted assertions of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and shed approximately tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing these challenges, Bessent called on the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could help affordability.

In response to widespread concern about living costs, Trump suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, push up borrowing costs, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

A further supposed fix for cost issues involved introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that this would lower housing costs. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these mortgages could more than double the total interest borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Prospects

In their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” These are unfounded and inaccurate claims. In reality, Biden left a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi fears that if key regions such as California and New York tumble into recession, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Sadly, with the highly-touted affordability campaign probably ineffective to hold down prices, his primary method for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.