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During the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted voters with pledges to lower prices starting on day one. However, after his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little focus to affordability issues. All that changed following inflation-weary citizens delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, his team launched a hastily assembled effort to tackle affordability. Unfortunately, this initiative is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump began 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 the cost of living.” This comment from billionaire Trump—often associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. In what way could all costs be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Official statistics show banana prices rose 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up 14.7%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—partly due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about lower costs. Since election day, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” 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 clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, price growth is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, Trump claimed that fuel costs had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, even though official data indicate they average $3.19.

Confronted by actual conditions and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. A lot of voters are frustrated about rising costs after assurances of reductions. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for US consumers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Possible Effects

As certain taxes being rolled back on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once those foods start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter boasting for putting out a fire that he ignited. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump stated that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—especially when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey from October, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them positive. Another poll found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Measures

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, recently contradicted 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—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and lost approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Citing this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about affordability, the president proposed a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” To numerous households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme would likely increase federal spending, increase borrowing costs, and potentially fuel inflation by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for affordability centered on creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. But, the truth is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at Biden for financial challenges, such as increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and inaccurate claims. Actually, Biden handed over a strong economy, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and unemployment low. However, Trump’s policies—especially import taxes—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states like California and New York tumble into recession, the US could face a widespread recession. During recessions, people typically have less money to spend, and price increases usually declines. Unfortunately, given Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign probably ineffective to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.