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Throughout the previous race for the White House, Donald Trump wooed voters with promises to lower prices immediately upon taking office. However, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted following inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, his team initiated a slapdash effort to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days after the election, the president kicked off his cost-reduction push 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 associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as trivial, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Recent data show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices surged by nearly 19%—in part because of punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

In spite of these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks ignore the fact that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, which is 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, even though official data indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb after assurances of decreases. In response, advisers proposed one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Effects

As certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely claim that he has lowered costs once these products begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for putting out a blaze that he had started. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, he declared that “we are in the golden age of America” and told the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when many face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed claims of a golden age. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and lost approximately tens of thousands of positions since January. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, Trump suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” For many households in need, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for cost issues involved introducing 50-year mortgages, with the notion that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—often cutting them by just $100 or $200 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 Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, such as rising prices. Officials claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” These are unfounded and inaccurate allegations. Actually, Biden left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states such as major economies tumble into recession, the nation could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.