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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president courted the electorate with promises to lower prices starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, there was minimal attention to affordability issues. This shifted following inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled effort to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive has proven a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Truth

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump began his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “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 fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their concerns 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 falling when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Recent data indicate the cost of bananas increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up almost 15%, and the cost of coffee jumped 18.9%—in part because of punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of food categories monitored by the government’s price index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Economic Claims

Despite the evidence, the president continues to push his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks ignore the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. At present, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he boasted that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, despite official data show they are over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of voters are angry about prices continuing to climb after promises of decreases. As a result, aides proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Effects

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has cut prices once those foods start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing fast-food leaders, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but they ring hollow to countless households who are struggling—especially when many risk losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, recently disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for eight months in a row and shed around tens of thousands of positions since January. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump proposed a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many households in need, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. This idea could increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

A further supposed fix for affordability centered on creating 50-year mortgages, with the notion that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages would do little to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these loans could more than double the overall cost borrowers pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Outlook

In their affordability campaign, the administration have again pointed fingers at Biden 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 untruthful claims. In reality, the former president left a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. Zandi worries that if key regions such as major economies tumble into recession, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers generally possess reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, given the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.