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During the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump wooed voters with promises to reduce prices immediately upon taking office. But, once he assumed office, he seemed to pay minimal attention to affordability issues. All that changed after inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a slapdash effort to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days post-election, the president kicked off 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—often mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as trivial, suggesting they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Official statistics show banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped 18.9%—partly due to punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups monitored by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. 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 sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. At present, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data indicate they are over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, advisers apparently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs after promises of reductions. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

With certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, the administration will probably announce that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist taking credit for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, he declared that “this is the golden age of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when many risk losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a recent poll from October, three-quarters of respondents think the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter rate them positive. Another poll showed that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Measures

Scott Bessent, the president’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He stated that instead of thriving, 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 tens of thousands of positions this year. Pointing to these challenges, the secretary called on the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, Trump suggested a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, push up borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The drawback is that these loans could more than double the overall cost borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and inaccurate claims. In reality, Biden left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, Trump’s policies—particularly his tariffs—have resulted in an difficult situation, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the nation could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted affordability campaign probably ineffective to control costs, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.