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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed voters with promises to reduce prices immediately upon taking office. However, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed following inflation-weary voters expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, his team launched a slapdash campaign to address affordability. Unfortunately, this initiative is a hot mess—filled with absurdity, contradictions, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days post-election, the president kicked off his cost-reduction push with a disastrous statement: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from the wealthy leader—often associates with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their concerns as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could every price be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose nearly 7% over the past year, beef prices went up almost 15%, and the cost of coffee surged by nearly 19%—in part because of punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six food categories tracked by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

Despite these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “prices are way down,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks contradict the reality that general costs have clearly increased since Biden left office. Currently, price growth is at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the central bank’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, he claimed that fuel costs had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data show they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. A lot of voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following promises of reductions. In response, advisers suggested a simple solution: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

With certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, Trump will probably claim that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing fast-food leaders, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when many risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents think economic conditions are fair or poor, while only 26% rate them good or excellent. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Suggested Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s chief financial officer, lately contradicted claims of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and shed approximately tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing these challenges, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about living costs, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. This idea could raise government expenditure, push up interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

A further proposed solution for cost issues involved creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—often cutting them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the total interest borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, lead analyst 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 tumble into recession, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. During recessions, people generally possess reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans really can’t afford.