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During last year's race for the White House, the former president courted voters with pledges to reduce prices starting on day one. But, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little attention to affordability issues. All that changed after inflation-weary voters expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled campaign to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump kicked off his cost-reduction push with a disastrous 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 other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Official statistics show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—partly because of 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, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, Trump persists in repeating his misleading narrative about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements ignore the fact that general costs have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump claimed that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, even though official data show they are over three dollars.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following promises of decreases. As a result, aides proposed a simple solution: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

With certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, the administration will probably claim that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump stated that “this is the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households who are struggling—especially when millions face losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them positive. Another poll found that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s top economic official, lately contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and lost around 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to these challenges, the secretary urged the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could help affordability.

In response to widespread concern about affordability, Trump proposed a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

A further supposed fix for affordability involved creating half-century home loans, with the notion that they could lower housing costs. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these loans could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again blamed Biden for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and untruthful allegations. In reality, Biden left a robust economic situation, with low price growth, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly import taxes—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if key regions like California and New York enter a downturn, the US could slide into a widespread recession. During recessions, people generally possess reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up pushing the nation into recession—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.