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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed the electorate with pledges to reduce prices starting on day one. However, once his inauguration, there was precious little attention to affordability issues. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled effort to tackle affordability. Regrettably, this initiative is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Merely 48 hours post-election, the president kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from the wealthy leader—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as trivial, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Official statistics indicate banana prices increased nearly 7% over the past year, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—partly because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Economic Statements

Despite these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. Since election day, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks ignore the reality that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, inflation 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 gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite government figures show they are $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs following promises of reductions. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Potential Effects

As some tariffs being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will likely claim that he has lowered costs once those foods begin to fall in price. That would be like an arsonist taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, Trump stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents think economic conditions are fair or poor, while only 26% rate them positive. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Measures

Scott Bessent, Trump’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 eight months in a row and shed approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to widespread concern about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. This idea could increase federal spending, push up interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

A further supposed fix for cost issues involved creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, the truth is that 50-year mortgages would do little to reduce installments—frequently reducing them by a small amount per month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, such as increasing costs. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president handed over a robust economic situation, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a broad economic slump. In downturns, people generally possess reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted affordability campaign 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.