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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed the electorate with promises to lower costs immediately upon taking office. But, once he assumed office, there was minimal attention to the cost of living. This shifted after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled campaign to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive has proven a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous statement: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from billionaire Trump—often associates with fellow billionaires—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle when visiting supermarkets. In effect, he dismissed their concerns as trivial, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could all costs be falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Recent data show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—in part because of import taxes applied to Brazilian products. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the reality that prices overall have clearly increased since Biden left office. At present, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, which is half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, Trump boasted that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, despite official data indicate they are $3.19.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. Many voters are angry about prices continuing to climb after promises of reductions. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs reduced 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, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a golden age. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed around tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing these challenges, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, the president proposed a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—concerned about huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability centered on introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Prospects

In their affordability campaign, the administration have once more pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president handed over a robust economic situation, with low price growth, solid expansion, and unemployment low. However, Trump’s policies—particularly his tariffs—have created an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states like California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could face a broad economic slump. In downturns, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, given the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.