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During the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted voters with promises to reduce costs starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed following price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a slapdash effort to address living costs. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours post-election, the president began his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Food prices 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—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans facing difficulties every time they go supermarkets. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Official statistics show banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—partly due to punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, Trump persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks contradict the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump boasted that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite government figures indicate they average over three dollars.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, advisers apparently warned that his “prices are down” message made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb following assurances of decreases. In response, aides proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. This sensible idea clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Potential Effects

With certain taxes being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will likely claim that he has cut prices once those foods begin to fall in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he stated that “this is the peak period of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—especially when many face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% consider them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Steps

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately disputed claims of a prosperous era. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the American 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 Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will approve such a plan. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. However, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, the administration have again pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and untruthful allegations. In reality, Biden handed over a strong economy, with low price growth, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are already in recession, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a broad economic slump. During recessions, consumers typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up pushing the nation into recession—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.