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During last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with pledges to lower prices starting on day one. However, after his inauguration, there was precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration launched a slapdash campaign to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days post-election, the president kicked off his cost-reduction push with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries 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 mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated a lack of empathy for millions of Americans facing difficulties every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as trivial, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement about declining prices was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. How could all costs be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate banana prices rose nearly 7% over the past year, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—partly due to punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

Despite these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements ignore the reality that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is running at a 3% annual rate, which is half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, even though government figures indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” message made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following promises of reductions. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Possible Effects

With some tariffs reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. That would be like an arsonist boasting 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 told the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—especially when many risk losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter rate them good or excellent. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Suggested Measures

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—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.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—concerned about huge budget deficits—will enact the proposal. This idea could raise government expenditure, push up borrowing costs, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

A further proposed solution for cost issues centered on creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

In their affordability campaign, the administration have again pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as increasing costs. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and inaccurate claims. In reality, Biden left a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. But, Trump’s policies—particularly his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if key regions such as California and New York tumble into recession, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers generally possess reduced funds to spend, and price increases usually declines. Unfortunately, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.