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During the previous race for the White House, Donald Trump wooed voters with pledges to lower prices starting on day one. But, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted after inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Within days, his team launched a hastily assembled campaign to address living costs. Unfortunately, this initiative has proven a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days post-election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a poorly received statement: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” These words from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with fellow billionaires—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go supermarkets. In effect, he ignored their concerns as trivial, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and dishonest. How could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, the price of beef climbed 14.7%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—in part due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks ignore the fact that prices overall have clearly increased since Biden left office. At present, price growth 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 boasted that gas prices had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, even though official data indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides apparently warned that his “prices are down” message portrayed him as disconnected from typical Americans. Many citizens are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. This sensible idea contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter boasting for putting out a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, while speaking fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and told listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions face losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey from October, three-quarters of respondents think the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter rate them good or excellent. A separate survey found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately tens of thousands of positions this year. Pointing to these challenges, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president proposed a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve such a plan. This idea would likely raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for cost issues centered on creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—often cutting them by a small amount per month. The downside is that these mortgages could more than double the overall cost borrowers pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful allegations. Actually, Biden left a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have created an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if key regions such as major economies tumble into recession, the nation could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers generally possess less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Sadly, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.