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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president courted the electorate with pledges to reduce costs immediately upon taking office. However, once he assumed office, there was minimal attention to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, his team launched a slapdash campaign to address living costs. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days post-election, the president kicked off his affordability drive with a poorly received remark: “Our groceries are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with fellow billionaires—demonstrated a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as trivial, suggesting they had it wrong about price levels.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. How could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Official statistics indicate the cost of bananas increased nearly 7% over the past year, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped 18.9%—partly because of punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, costs increased in five of the six food categories tracked by the government’s price index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

Despite these numbers, Trump 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 “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, which is half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump claimed that fuel costs had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data indicate they average over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb following assurances of decreases. In response, advisers suggested a simple solution: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Potential Impact

With certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for putting out a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, he declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans facing hardships—particularly when millions face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them positive. Another poll found that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, lately disputed claims of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and lost approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Citing these challenges, the secretary urged the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, Trump suggested a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will approve such a plan. The scheme could increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

A further proposed solution for cost issues centered on introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that this would lower housing costs. However, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—often reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

In their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more blamed the previous president for economic problems, such as rising prices. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful claims. Actually, Biden left a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have created an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states like major economies tumble into recession, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. During recessions, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up pushing the nation into recession—something that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.