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During last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted the electorate with pledges to lower costs starting on day one. But, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay minimal attention to affordability issues. This shifted after price-fatigued citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, the Trump administration launched a slapdash campaign to address affordability. Regrettably, the drive is a hot mess—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days post-election, the president kicked off 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 the cost of living.” This comment from the wealthy leader—often associates with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for millions of Americans who struggle when visiting the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing prices? Official statistics show banana prices increased 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—in part because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups tracked by the government’s price index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (rising slightly).

Inconsistencies and Falsehoods in Economic Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president continues to push his big lie about affordability. After the vote, he has claimed there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and asserted “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. Currently, inflation is at a 3% annual rate, which is 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that gas prices had dropped to around two dollars, even though official data indicate they are $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” message portrayed him as disconnected from ordinary people. A lot of citizens are angry about rising costs following assurances of decreases. In response, advisers proposed a simple solution: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs reduced on coffee, beef, tomatoes, and bananas, Trump 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, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he stated that “we are in the golden age of America” and told listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when millions face losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents think economic conditions are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans feel Trump’s policies have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Economic Reality and Suggested Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He noted that instead of thriving, some parts 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 approximately 33,000 jobs this year. Citing these challenges, Bessent urged the central bank to cut interest rates—an action that could ease financial pressure.

Reacting to widespread concern about affordability, the president proposed a cash handout of “a payout of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “high income people.” For many households in need, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that Congress—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme would likely increase federal spending, push up borrowing costs, and possibly fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

A further proposed solution for affordability involved creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. But, the truth is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—often reducing them by just $100 or $200 per month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the total interest borrowers pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more blamed Biden for financial challenges, including increasing costs. Spokespeople claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” This is absurd and inaccurate claims. Actually, the former president handed over a strong economy, with low price growth, solid expansion, and unemployment low. However, the current administration’s actions—particularly his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if large states such as California and New York tumble into recession, the US could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, consumers generally possess reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, given the highly-touted 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.