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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed voters with pledges to reduce costs immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little attention to affordability issues. This shifted following price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, his team initiated a hastily assembled effort to address living costs. Unfortunately, this initiative is a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days after the election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “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 associates with fellow billionaires—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting supermarkets. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as trivial, implying they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Recent data indicate banana prices rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—in part due to import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the government’s price index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

Despite the evidence, Trump continues to push his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the fact that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. At present, price growth is running at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, Trump boasted that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, despite government figures show they are $3.19.

Confronted by reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. A lot of voters are angry about rising costs following promises of reductions. As a result, advisers suggested a simple solution: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

As certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, the administration will probably announce that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. That would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners 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 facing hardships—particularly when many risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them positive. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Measures

Scott Bessent, the president’s top economic official, recently disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, some parts of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Citing these challenges, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about living costs, Trump suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—concerned about huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, push up borrowing costs, and potentially drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

A further proposed solution for affordability centered on creating 50-year mortgages, with the notion that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—often cutting them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Financial Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more blamed the previous president for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Officials claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president handed over a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if key regions like major economies tumble into recession, the US could face a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might end up pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.