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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted the electorate with pledges to lower prices starting on day one. But, once he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little attention to affordability issues. This shifted following inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to tackle affordability. Regrettably, the drive has proven a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days after the 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 other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Recent data indicate banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef climbed almost 15%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—partly because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of food categories tracked by the government’s price index, including animal proteins (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Economic Claims

Despite these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his misleading narrative about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that general costs have clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, Trump claimed that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. Many citizens are angry about rising costs after assurances of reductions. In response, advisers proposed one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Effects

As certain taxes reduced on several food items, Trump will likely claim that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. That would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households who are struggling—especially when many risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, three-quarters of respondents think economic conditions are fair or poor, while only 26% consider them good or excellent. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Measures

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Pointing to this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, the president suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by injecting cash into the economy.

A further supposed fix for cost issues involved creating half-century home loans, with the notion that they could lower housing costs. But, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these mortgages could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Prospects

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, including rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are absurd and untruthful allegations. Actually, the former president left a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—especially import taxes—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states like major economies tumble into recession, the nation could face a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have reduced funds to spend, and price increases usually declines. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative probably ineffective to control costs, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.