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During the previous race for the White House, the former president courted voters with promises to reduce prices starting on day one. However, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal attention to the cost of living. All that changed following price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled campaign to address living costs. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a poorly received remark: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from the wealthy leader—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go supermarkets. In effect, he ignored their concerns as trivial, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up costs? Recent data show banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices surged by nearly 19%—in part due to import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six food categories monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Statements

Despite these numbers, the president persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements ignore the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that gas prices had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, even though government figures show they average over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs after assurances of decreases. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Potential Impact

As certain taxes reduced on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has cut prices once these products begin to fall in price. That would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for putting out a fire that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, Trump stated that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households who are struggling—particularly when many face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while only 26% consider them positive. A separate survey showed that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and shed around 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to these challenges, the secretary urged the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, Trump proposed a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. This idea could raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, with the notion that they could lower housing costs. But, the truth is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these mortgages could more than double the overall cost borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Financial Outlook

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more blamed the previous president for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are absurd and inaccurate allegations. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. But, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the US could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and inflation usually declines. Sadly, given the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that hard-pressed households cannot handle.