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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed the electorate with pledges to reduce costs starting on day one. But, after he assumed office, there was precious little attention to affordability issues. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to address living costs. Unfortunately, the drive is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Merely 48 hours post-election, Trump 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.” These words from the wealthy leader—often mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go supermarkets. In effect, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices was absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing prices? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—partly due to punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, the president persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements contradict the reality that general costs have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data indicate they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. Many citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb after promises of reductions. As a result, advisers suggested one quick fix: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, the administration will probably claim that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for putting out a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when millions risk losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter rate them positive. Another poll found that a majority of citizens say the administration’s actions have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed around 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to this weakness, Bessent urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, increase borrowing costs, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have once more blamed Biden for economic problems, including increasing costs. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and untruthful allegations. In reality, the former president handed over a robust economic situation, with low price growth, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—particularly import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if key regions such as major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers typically have less money to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.