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Throughout the previous race for the White House, Donald Trump courted the electorate with promises to reduce prices starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, there was precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled effort to tackle affordability. Regrettably, this initiative has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Supermarket Truth

Just two days after the election, Trump began his affordability drive with a disastrous statement: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from the wealthy leader—who frequently associates with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Official statistics indicate banana prices increased 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—in part because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups tracked by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

Despite the evidence, Trump continues to push his misleading narrative about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that prices overall have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, he claimed that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data show they average over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and lower approval ratings, advisers apparently cautioned that his “prices are down” message made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. Many citizens are frustrated about rising costs after assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers suggested one quick fix: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Effects

As some tariffs being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will likely announce that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, he declared that “this is the golden age of America” and told listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions risk losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them positive. A separate survey found that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s chief financial officer, recently disputed claims of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and lost approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Citing this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, the president 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 the prospects are dim that lawmakers—concerned about huge budget deficits—will enact the proposal. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

A further supposed fix for affordability centered on introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. But, the truth is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Outlook

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again blamed the previous president for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate allegations. In reality, Biden handed over a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—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, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi fears that if large states such as major economies tumble into recession, the US could slide into a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers typically have less money to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might prove to be triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.