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During last year's presidential campaign, the former president courted the electorate with promises to lower prices immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, there was precious little attention to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled campaign to tackle living costs. Regrettably, this initiative has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days after the election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous statement: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from billionaire Trump—often mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and inaccurate. How could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up 14.7%, and coffee prices jumped by nearly 19%—in part due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six food categories monitored by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president continues to push his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. At present, price growth is running at a 3% annual rate, which is half again as much than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump claimed that fuel costs had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, even though official data indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, advisers apparently warned that his “prices are down” message made him sound dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of voters are angry about rising costs following promises of decreases. As a result, advisers proposed one quick fix: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

With certain taxes reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will probably claim that he has cut prices once these products begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for putting out a fire that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans who are struggling—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll from October, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter rate them positive. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Suggested Measures

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and shed approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

In response to widespread concern about affordability, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve 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 affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount per month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming 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. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and inaccurate allegations. Actually, Biden left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi worries that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Sadly, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.