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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted the electorate with pledges to lower prices immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, there was precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed after price-fatigued voters expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Truth

Just two days after the election, Trump began his cost-reduction push with a poorly received statement: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from the wealthy leader—often associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices proved highly misleading and dishonest. How could all costs be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Official statistics indicate banana prices increased nearly 7% 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 the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

In spite of the evidence, Trump persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he boasted that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data show they are $3.19.

Confronted by reality and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” message portrayed him as disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of voters are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers suggested a simple solution: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Effects

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely claim that he has cut prices once these products begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for putting out a fire that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he declared that “we are in 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 facing hardships—particularly when many face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter rate them positive. A separate survey found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and lost around 33,000 jobs this year. Citing this weakness, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve such a plan. This idea could increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability centered on 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 reducing them by a small amount per month. The downside is that these loans could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have once more blamed the previous president for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and untruthful claims. In reality, Biden left a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—particularly import taxes—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if key regions such as major economies enter a downturn, the nation could face a broad economic slump. In downturns, consumers typically have less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.