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Throughout last year's race for the White House, Donald Trump courted voters with promises to reduce prices starting on day one. But, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal focus to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a slapdash effort to address affordability. Regrettably, this initiative has proven a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump began his cost-reduction push with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as trivial, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Recent data show banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef climbed almost 15%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—partly due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in the majority of food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Economic Statements

Despite the evidence, Trump continues to push his big lie about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks ignore the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, inflation is running at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he boasted that gas prices had dropped to around two dollars, despite official data indicate they average over three dollars.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric portrayed him as disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of voters are angry about rising costs after promises of decreases. As a result, advisers proposed a simple solution: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs would not increase costs for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for putting out a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “this is the peak period of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—particularly when many risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while only 26% consider them positive. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently disputed assertions of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed around tens of thousands of positions since January. Pointing to this weakness, the secretary urged the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could help affordability.

In response to public dismay about affordability, the president suggested a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, with the notion that this would lower housing costs. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—often reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, such as rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and inaccurate allegations. Actually, Biden left a strong economy, with low price growth, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have created an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

According to an economist, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi worries that if key regions like major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, people generally possess reduced funds to spend, and price increases usually declines. Sadly, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.