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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, the former president courted the electorate with promises to lower costs immediately upon taking office. However, after his inauguration, there was precious little attention to the cost of living. This shifted after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Within days, his team launched a slapdash effort to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Supermarket Truth

Just two days after the election, Trump began 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.” These words 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 supermarkets. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as trivial, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. How could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Official statistics show banana prices rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped 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 tracked 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 Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

In spite of the evidence, the president persists in repeating his big lie about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump claimed that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, despite government figures show they average over three dollars.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs after assurances of reductions. In response, advisers proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Effects

As some tariffs reduced on several food items, Trump will likely announce 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 fast-food leaders, he declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—particularly when millions risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter rate them positive. A separate survey showed that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and shed around tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing this weakness, Bessent called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact the proposal. 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 cost issues centered on creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, the truth is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by a small amount per month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Financial Prospects

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Spokespeople claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president left a robust economic situation, with low price growth, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially import taxes—have resulted in an difficult situation, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if key regions like major economies tumble into recession, the US could face a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers generally possess less money to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might end up pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.