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Throughout the previous race for the White House, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with pledges to lower costs starting on day one. But, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay precious little focus to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Within days, his team initiated a hastily assembled effort to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and misleading statements.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Just two days after the election, Trump kicked off his affordability drive with a poorly received statement: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” This comment from billionaire Trump—who frequently associates with fellow billionaires—revealed utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go supermarkets. In effect, he dismissed their struggles as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion that everything was “way down” proved highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when his cherished tariffs were pushing up prices? Recent data indicate banana prices increased 6.9% over the past year, beef prices climbed almost 15%, and coffee prices surged by nearly 19%—in part because of punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

Despite the evidence, Trump continues to push his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” insisted “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks contradict the reality that general costs have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, he claimed that fuel costs had dropped to around two dollars, despite government figures indicate they average over three dollars.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, advisers apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about rising costs after assurances of reductions. As a result, advisers suggested one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Proposed Solutions and Their Potential Effects

With certain taxes reduced on several food items, the administration will probably claim that he has cut prices once these products begin to fall in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he declared that “this is the peak period of America” and told the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—especially when millions risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a survey from October, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Measures

The treasury secretary, Trump’s top economic official, recently contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, 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 approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Pointing to this weakness, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—an action that could ease financial pressure.

In response to widespread concern about affordability, the president proposed a direct payment of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will enact the proposal. The scheme would likely raise government expenditure, push up interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into consumers’ pockets.

A further proposed solution for affordability centered on creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. However, reality is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—often reducing them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Financial Prospects

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more blamed the previous president for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Spokespeople stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate allegations. In reality, Biden left a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—especially import taxes—have created an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to an economist, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if key regions like major economies tumble into recession, the US could slide into a broad economic slump. During recessions, consumers generally possess less money to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted cost initiative probably ineffective to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that hard-pressed households cannot handle.