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Throughout the previous presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted voters with promises to reduce prices starting on day one. However, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted following inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, his team launched a hastily assembled effort to address living costs. Regrettably, this initiative has proven a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Detached Claims and Supermarket Truth

Merely 48 hours after the election, Trump began his cost-reduction push with a disastrous statement: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” These words from billionaire Trump—often mingles with fellow billionaires—revealed a lack of empathy for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. How could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Recent data show the cost of bananas increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped 18.9%—in part due to punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), drinks (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Economic Statements

In spite of these numbers, Trump persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the fact that general costs have clearly increased after the previous administration. At present, price growth is running at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite government figures show they average over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently warned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of reductions. As a result, aides proposed one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs reduced on several food items, the administration will probably announce that he has cut prices once those foods begin to fall in price. This would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a fire that he had started. In another instance, when addressing fast-food leaders, he declared that “this is the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents think the state of the economy are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. A separate survey showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Reality and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, lately contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Pointing to these challenges, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, the president proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many households in need, it seems like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that Congress—concerned about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme would likely increase federal spending, increase borrowing costs, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

Another proposed solution for cost issues involved creating 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 lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost borrowers pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more blamed the previous president for economic problems, such as rising prices. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and inaccurate allegations. Actually, the former president handed over a robust economic situation, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. But, Trump’s policies—particularly import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if large states such as California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a broad economic slump. During recessions, people typically have less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted affordability campaign probably ineffective to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans cannot handle.