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Throughout last year's race for the White House, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with pledges to lower costs immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, there was precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, his team launched a hastily assembled effort to tackle living costs. Regrettably, the drive has proven a hot mess—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days after the election, Trump began his cost-reduction push with a poorly received remark: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—often mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go supermarkets. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as trivial, implying they had it wrong about actual costs.

This statement about declining prices proved highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing prices? Recent data indicate banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged 18.9%—in part due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (rising over 4%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Economic Claims

Despite these numbers, Trump persists in repeating 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 sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks contradict the reality that prices overall have unarguably risen since Biden left office. At present, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, which is half again as much than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he boasted that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data show they are $3.19.

Confronted by actual conditions and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “costs are falling” message portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about prices continuing to climb following promises of reductions. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Impact

With some tariffs reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products begin to fall in price. That would be similar to a firestarter boasting for putting out a blaze that he had started. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, he declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured the audience that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—especially when millions risk cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey from October, three-quarters of respondents think the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. A separate survey found that a majority of citizens say Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Truth and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, lately contradicted assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that far from booming, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and shed around tens of thousands of positions this year. Pointing to these challenges, Bessent urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president suggested a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “the wealthy.” For many households in need, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. This idea could raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for cost issues involved creating half-century home loans, with the notion that this would lower housing costs. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have again pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” These are unfounded and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. But, Trump’s policies—especially import taxes—have resulted in an difficult situation, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, numerous regions are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi fears that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and price increases often falls. Sadly, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed cost initiative likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.