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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president courted the electorate with promises to reduce costs immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, there was precious little focus to affordability issues. All that changed following price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, his team launched a slapdash effort to address living costs. Regrettably, the drive has proven a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump began his cost-reduction push with a disastrous remark: “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 other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could all costs be falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate banana prices rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged 18.9%—partly because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated 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 contradict the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, which is half again as much than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data show they average over three dollars.

Confronted by reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs after promises of reductions. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Possible Effects

With some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will probably claim that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. That would be like an arsonist taking credit for extinguishing a fire that he had started. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “we are in the golden age of America” and told the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—particularly when many risk losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, the president’s top economic official, lately contradicted claims of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost around tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing these challenges, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, Trump suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—concerned about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

A further supposed fix for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, including rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful allegations. In reality, Biden left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He fears that if large states like California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could slide into a broad economic slump. During recessions, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might end up pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that hard-pressed households cannot handle.