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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted voters with pledges to lower costs starting on day one. But, after he assumed office, there was precious little attention to affordability issues. All that changed following price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a slapdash effort to tackle affordability. Unfortunately, this initiative has proven a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and misleading statements.

Detached Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump 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 affordability.” These words from the wealthy leader—often mingles with fellow billionaires—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. How could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up prices? Recent data show banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped by nearly 19%—in part due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

Despite these numbers, Trump continues to push his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks ignore the reality that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he claimed that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, even though government figures show they are $3.19.

Confronted by reality and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. A lot of voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following promises of decreases. In response, aides proposed a simple solution: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Possible Impact

As certain taxes reduced on several food items, Trump will probably claim that he has cut prices once these products start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he stated 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 they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—especially when many risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while only 26% rate them positive. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s top economic official, lately disputed claims of a golden age. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and lost around 33,000 jobs since January. Citing this weakness, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

In response to widespread concern about living costs, the president suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve such a plan. The scheme would likely increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more blamed the previous president for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Spokespeople stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and untruthful allegations. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a broad economic slump. In downturns, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and price increases usually declines. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might end up pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.