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Throughout last year's race for the White House, the former president wooed the electorate with promises to lower prices starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted after price-fatigued voters expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled campaign to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Truth

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president kicked off his cost-reduction push with a poorly received remark: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about the cost of living.” This comment from the wealthy leader—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for millions of Americans facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as unimportant, suggesting they were mistaken about price levels.

This statement that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and dishonest. How could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Official statistics show the cost of bananas increased nearly 7% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up 14.7%, and the cost of coffee surged 18.9%—partly due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, costs increased in five of the six food categories tracked by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (rising over 4%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president continues to push his misleading narrative about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” Such remarks contradict the fact that general costs have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, price growth is at a 3% annual rate, that’s half again as much than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, even though government figures show they are $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “prices are down” message made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of citizens are angry about prices continuing to climb after assurances of reductions. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Impact

With certain taxes reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist taking credit for putting out a fire that he ignited. On another occasion, while speaking McDonald’s executives, he stated that “this is the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—particularly when many risk cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them positive. A separate survey found that 61% of Americans feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Suggested Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, lately contradicted assertions of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the US economy “have contracted.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and shed around 33,000 jobs since January. Citing this weakness, the secretary urged the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates—an action that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about affordability, the president suggested a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” 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. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up interest rates, and potentially fuel inflation by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

Another proposed solution for affordability involved introducing half-century home loans, with the notion that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, the truth is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—frequently reducing them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these mortgages could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Financial Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, the administration have again blamed Biden for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” This is unfounded and inaccurate claims. In reality, the former president handed over a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. But, Trump’s policies—particularly his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states such as major economies enter a downturn, the nation could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might prove to be pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.