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Throughout last year's presidential campaign, the former president wooed the electorate with promises to reduce costs starting on day one. But, after his inauguration, there was precious little attention to affordability issues. All that changed after inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the polls. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration launched a slapdash campaign to address affordability. Unfortunately, the drive is a hot mess—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days after the election, the president began his cost-reduction push with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—revealed a lack of empathy for everyday citizens who struggle every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he dismissed their concerns as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about price levels.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was absurdly obtuse and inaccurate. How could every price be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were increasing prices? Official statistics show the cost of bananas rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices went up 14.7%, and coffee prices surged 18.9%—in part because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, costs increased in the majority of food categories monitored by the government’s price index, such as animal proteins (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Economic Claims

In spite of these numbers, the president continues to push his big lie about lower costs. Since election day, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “costs have fallen significantly,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements ignore the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen after the previous administration. At present, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, which is 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, he claimed that gas prices had fallen to around two dollars, even though official data show they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound disconnected from typical Americans. A lot of citizens are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of reductions. In response, aides proposed a simple solution: reduce certain import taxes. The logical move contradicted Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will probably claim that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for putting out a blaze that he ignited. In another instance, while speaking fast-food leaders, he declared that “this is the peak period of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households who are struggling—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are fair or poor, while only 26% consider them positive. Another poll found that 61% of Americans say the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Suggested Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s chief financial officer, recently disputed assertions of a prosperous era. He noted that far from booming, certain sectors of the US economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and lost around tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing these challenges, 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 dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will approve such a plan. The scheme could increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and potentially fuel inflation by injecting cash into the economy.

A further supposed fix for affordability involved creating 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that this would lower housing costs. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages would do little to lower monthly payments—frequently reducing them by just $100 or $200 each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and hinder their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Financial Prospects

As part of their cost-cutting effort, Trump and his team have once more pointed fingers at Biden for economic problems, such as increasing costs. Officials stated they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. In reality, Biden left a robust economic situation, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, lead analyst at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He worries that if key regions like California and New York enter a downturn, the nation could slide into a broad economic slump. In downturns, people typically have less money to spend, and price increases often falls. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that hard-pressed households cannot handle.