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During the previous race for the White House, Donald Trump wooed the electorate with pledges to lower prices starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, there was precious little attention to the cost of living. All that changed following inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, his team launched a hastily assembled campaign to address living costs. Regrettably, this initiative is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by illogical claims, contradictions, magical thinking, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Merely 48 hours after the election, the president began his affordability drive with a poorly received remark: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—often associates with fellow billionaires—demonstrated a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion about declining prices proved highly misleading and inaccurate. How could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up prices? Official statistics indicate the cost of bananas increased 6.9% over the past year, beef prices went up almost 15%, and coffee prices jumped by nearly 19%—partly due to punitive tariffs applied to Brazilian products. Between January and September, costs increased in five of the six food categories tracked by the government’s price index, including meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Claims

In spite of the evidence, the president continues to push his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the reality that general costs have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, which is half again as much than the central bank’s target of 2 percent. In another falsehood, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, despite government figures show they average over three dollars.

Confronted by actual conditions and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “costs are falling” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from ordinary people. Many voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb after promises of reductions. In response, aides proposed a simple solution: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. This sensible idea contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Potential Effects

With some tariffs reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, the administration will probably announce that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for putting out a blaze that he ignited. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, Trump stated that “we are in the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans who are struggling—especially when millions face losing food stamps or skyrocketing health premiums.

Per a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans say Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Measures

Scott Bessent, Trump’s top economic official, recently disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that far from booming, some parts of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and shed approximately 33,000 jobs since January. Citing this weakness, Bessent called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, Trump proposed a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. This idea could raise government expenditure, increase borrowing costs, and possibly drive prices higher by putting more money into the economy.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. But, reality is that such lengthy loans would do little to reduce installments—often reducing them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these loans could more than double the overall cost borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

In their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have again pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, including increasing costs. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” This is absurd and untruthful claims. Actually, Biden left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He worries that if key regions such as major economies enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. In downturns, people generally possess less money to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign probably ineffective to hold down prices, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans really can’t afford.