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During the previous race for the White House, the former president wooed the electorate with promises to reduce prices starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, there was minimal focus to the cost of living. All that changed after price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to tackle living costs. Regrettably, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, the president kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—often mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement about declining prices proved highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Official statistics show banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—partly due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

Despite the evidence, Trump persists in repeating his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks contradict the fact that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the central bank’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump claimed that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data show they are $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” message portrayed him as disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following promises of reductions. In response, advisers proposed one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Potential Impact

With some tariffs reduced on several food items, Trump 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 fire that he ignited. On another occasion, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey from October, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while only 26% rate them good or excellent. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—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 cut interest rates—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president proposed a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” To numerous households in need, it seems like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme could increase federal spending, increase borrowing costs, and potentially drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for cost issues involved creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. However, reality is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have again pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, including rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and inaccurate allegations. In reality, Biden handed over a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. But, Trump’s policies—particularly his tariffs—have resulted in an difficult situation, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

Per an economist, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if large states such as major economies enter a downturn, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. In downturns, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might prove to be triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.