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During last year's race for the White House, Donald Trump wooed voters with pledges to reduce costs starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little focus to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration launched a hastily assembled effort to tackle living costs. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president began his cost-reduction push with a poorly received statement: “Our groceries are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting supermarkets. In effect, he ignored their concerns as unimportant, suggesting they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices was highly misleading and dishonest. How could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Recent data show the cost of bananas increased 6.9% over the past year, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped by nearly 19%—partly due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the government’s price index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements contradict the fact that prices overall have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, he boasted that gas prices had dropped to around two dollars, even though official data indicate they are over three dollars.

Confronted by reality and declining opinion polls, advisers apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” message portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of citizens are angry about rising costs after assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers proposed one quick fix: roll back certain import taxes. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Potential Effects

With certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, the administration will probably claim that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he had started. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, he declared that “we are in the golden age of America” and told the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when many risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a recent poll conducted last fall, 74% of Americans think the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them positive. A separate survey found that a majority of citizens say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s top economic official, lately disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the US economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and lost around tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing these challenges, the secretary called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president proposed a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. The scheme could increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

A further proposed solution for affordability involved introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, the truth is that 50-year mortgages would do little to reduce installments—often reducing them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these loans could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, such as rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful allegations. In reality, Biden left a robust economic situation, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to an economist, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He fears that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could slide into a broad economic slump. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Sadly, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed 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 struggling Americans cannot handle.