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During the previous race for the White House, the former president wooed the electorate with pledges to reduce costs starting on day one. But, after he assumed office, there was minimal attention to affordability issues. This shifted after price-fatigued citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, his team launched a slapdash campaign to tackle living costs. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Grocery Store Truth

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president 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 affordability.” These words from the wealthy leader—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose nearly 7% over the past year, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—in part because of import taxes applied to Brazilian products. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups monitored by the government’s price index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, price growth is at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, even though official data show they are $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many voters are angry about rising costs following promises of reductions. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Potential Effects

With certain taxes reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will likely claim that he has cut prices once those foods begin to fall in price. That would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing McDonald’s executives, Trump stated that “this is the golden age of America” and assured the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when many face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey from October, 74% of Americans believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them positive. A separate survey found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Reality and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, the president’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted assertions of a golden age. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost around tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, the president proposed a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—concerned about huge budget deficits—will enact the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for affordability centered on introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the total interest borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have once more blamed Biden for financial challenges, including rising prices. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate allegations. Actually, the former president handed over a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—especially import taxes—have resulted in an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, chief economist at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi fears that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could face a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.