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Throughout the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed voters with pledges to reduce costs starting on day one. However, once he assumed office, there was precious little focus to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a slapdash effort to address living costs. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—filled with absurdity, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days after the election, the president began his affordability drive with a poorly received statement: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go supermarkets. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as trivial, implying they were mistaken about actual costs.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. How could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up prices? Recent data show banana prices rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—in part because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six food categories tracked by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Economic Claims

Despite the evidence, the president persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks contradict the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump boasted that fuel costs had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data show they average over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. A lot of voters are angry about rising costs following assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Potential Impact

As certain taxes being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will probably claim that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—especially when many face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents think the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter rate them positive. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Suggested Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He stated that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and lost approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to this weakness, Bessent urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, the president proposed a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. The scheme could increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have once more blamed Biden for economic problems, including increasing costs. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and untruthful claims. In reality, Biden handed over a robust economic situation, with low price growth, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—particularly his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are already in recession, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi worries that if key regions such as major economies tumble into recession, the US could face a broad economic slump. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, given the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might prove to be triggering an economic contraction—something that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.