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During last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed the electorate with pledges to reduce costs immediately upon taking office. However, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed after inflation-weary voters expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, his team launched a slapdash campaign to address living costs. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Truth

Merely 48 hours post-election, the president began his affordability drive with a poorly received statement: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their concerns as trivial, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas increased nearly 7% over the past year, beef prices went up 14.7%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—in part due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of food categories monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his misleading narrative about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed 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.” Such remarks ignore the reality that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. At present, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, Trump claimed that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, despite government figures indicate they are $3.19.

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 citizens are angry about rising costs after assurances of reductions. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Effects

With some tariffs reduced on several food items, the administration will likely announce that he has cut prices once these products start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, while speaking fast-food leaders, Trump stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when millions face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while only 26% consider them positive. Another poll found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed around tens of thousands of positions since January. Pointing to this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. The scheme would likely increase federal spending, push up interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

A further proposed solution for affordability involved creating half-century home loans, with the notion that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president handed over a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—especially import taxes—have created an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.