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During last year's race for the White House, the former president courted the electorate with promises to lower prices starting on day one. However, once his inauguration, there was precious little focus to affordability issues. This shifted after price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, his team initiated a slapdash effort to address affordability. Unfortunately, this initiative is a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump kicked off his cost-reduction push with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as trivial, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Recent data show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, the price of beef climbed 14.7%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—in part due to import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, 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%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Economic Claims

Despite these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. Since election day, 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 sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks contradict the fact that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. At present, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he boasted that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data indicate they average over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs following promises of decreases. In response, 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 US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will likely announce that he has lowered costs once those foods begin to fall in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he had started. In another instance, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “this is the peak period of America” and told the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them positive. Another poll showed that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, lately contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and lost approximately tens of thousands of positions this year. Pointing to this weakness, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—a move that could help affordability.

In response to widespread concern about living costs, Trump suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, push up interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

A further supposed fix for cost issues centered on introducing half-century home loans, with the notion that they could lower housing costs. However, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these mortgages could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, including rising prices. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is absurd and inaccurate allegations. In reality, the former president left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if large states like 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, with the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that struggling Americans really can’t afford.