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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed voters with promises to reduce costs starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little focus to affordability issues. This shifted following price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to address affordability. Regrettably, this initiative is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Truth

Just two days after the election, the president kicked off his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from the wealthy leader—often mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and dishonest. How could all costs be falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas rose 6.9% over the past year, the price of beef climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—partly because of punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in five of the six food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

Despite the evidence, the president persists in repeating his misleading narrative about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks ignore the fact that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. At present, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he boasted that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, even though government figures indicate they are $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. A lot of citizens are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of decreases. As a result, aides suggested a simple solution: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As certain taxes reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will probably announce that he has cut prices once these products begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans think the state of the economy are fair or poor, while only 26% consider them positive. A separate survey found that a majority of citizens say Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, the president’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “have contracted.” 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 this weakness, Bessent urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, Trump proposed 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 a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that Congress—concerned about large shortfalls—will enact the proposal. This idea could raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

Another proposed solution for affordability centered on introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to lower monthly payments—often reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the total interest borrowers pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more blamed Biden for economic problems, including rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and inaccurate allegations. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if key regions such as California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could face a widespread recession. During recessions, people typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Sadly, given the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for improving living standards might end up pushing the nation into recession—something that struggling Americans really can’t afford.