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During the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed voters with pledges to lower prices immediately upon taking office. However, once he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little focus to affordability issues. All that changed after inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, his team initiated a hastily assembled effort to address affordability. Regrettably, this initiative has proven a hot mess—filled with absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president kicked off 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 affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—often associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans facing difficulties every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Official statistics show banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged 18.9%—partly due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six food categories monitored by the Consumer Price Index, including meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

Despite these numbers, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. At present, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, which is half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, he boasted that gas prices had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data indicate they average $3.19.

Confronted by actual conditions and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” message made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about prices continuing to climb after assurances of reductions. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Effects

With some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, the administration will likely claim that he has lowered costs once these products begin to fall in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a fire that he had started. On another occasion, while speaking fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and told the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them positive. A separate survey found that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Reality and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently contradicted claims of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, some parts of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed around 33,000 jobs this year. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to widespread concern about living costs, the president suggested a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely raise government expenditure, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability centered on introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could lower housing costs. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these mortgages could more than double the overall cost borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Past Government and Financial Outlook

In their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, such as increasing costs. Officials claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and untruthful allegations. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. But, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if key regions such as major economies enter a downturn, the nation could face a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers generally possess less money to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.