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During last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with promises to lower costs starting on day one. But, once he assumed office, there was precious little attention to the cost of living. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a slapdash campaign to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Merely 48 hours post-election, the president began his cost-reduction push with a poorly received remark: “Our groceries are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” These words from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans facing difficulties when visiting supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—in part due to punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (rising over 4%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Economic Statements

Despite the evidence, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks contradict the reality that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. At present, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he boasted that gas prices had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, despite government figures show they average $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. Many citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb after assurances of decreases. In response, aides suggested a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Potential Impact

With some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, the administration will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. That would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking McDonald’s executives, he declared that “this is the peak period 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 who are struggling—especially when millions face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter rate them positive. A separate survey showed that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, certain sectors of the US 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 tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing this weakness, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—an action that could help affordability.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that Congress—concerned about huge budget deficits—will approve such a plan. The scheme could raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

A further proposed solution for cost issues involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—often cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Financial Outlook

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and inaccurate claims. Actually, Biden handed over a strong economy, with low price growth, solid expansion, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—particularly import taxes—have created an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if large states such as major economies enter a downturn, the nation could face a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers generally possess less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, with the highly-touted affordability campaign 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 hard-pressed households cannot handle.