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During last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed voters with promises to lower prices immediately upon taking office. But, once he assumed office, there was minimal attention to the cost of living. All that changed following price-fatigued citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, his team initiated a slapdash campaign to tackle affordability. Unfortunately, this initiative is a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump began his affordability drive with a disastrous statement: “Our groceries are way down. All items 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 utter contempt for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were increasing prices? Official statistics indicate banana prices rose 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—partly due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in five of the six food categories monitored by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

Despite these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his misleading narrative about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks ignore the fact that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data show they average over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, advisers apparently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric portrayed him as dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following assurances of decreases. In response, aides suggested one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Potential Effects

As some tariffs being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will probably claim that he has cut prices once these products start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, he declared that “this is the peak period of America” and assured the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—especially when millions face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them positive. Another poll found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Reality and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and lost around 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to this weakness, the secretary called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact the proposal. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages would do little to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Prospects

In their cost-cutting effort, the administration have again pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are unfounded and untruthful claims. Actually, the former president left a strong economy, with low price growth, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly import taxes—have created an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if large states like California and New York tumble into recession, the nation could face a broad economic slump. In downturns, consumers generally possess less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, with the highly-touted affordability campaign probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.