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During last year's race for the White House, the former president courted the electorate with pledges to reduce prices starting on day one. However, after he assumed office, he seemed to pay minimal focus to affordability issues. This shifted after price-fatigued voters expressed dissatisfaction at the ballot box. Within days, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to tackle living costs. Unfortunately, the drive is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump began his cost-reduction push with a poorly received statement: “Food prices are way down. Everything is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from the wealthy leader—often associates with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting supermarkets. Essentially, he ignored their concerns as unimportant, implying they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion about declining prices was highly misleading and dishonest. In what way could all costs be falling when his cherished tariffs were increasing prices? Official statistics show the cost of bananas rose 6.9% in the last twelve months, the price of beef climbed 14.7%, and coffee prices jumped by nearly 19%—partly because of import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. Between January and September, costs increased in five of the six main grocery groups tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as animal proteins (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and fruits and vegetables (up 1.3%).

Contradictions and Inaccuracies in Financial Claims

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about affordability. Since election day, he has stated there is “almost no price increases,” declared “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” Such remarks ignore the fact that prices overall have unarguably risen since Biden left office. Currently, inflation is running at a 3 percent per year, that’s half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he boasted that gas prices had fallen to nearly $2 a gallon, despite official data show they are over three dollars.

Confronted by reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “costs are falling” message made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. Many citizens are frustrated about prices continuing to climb after assurances of reductions. In response, advisers proposed one quick fix: roll back some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs would not increase costs for American shoppers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Impact

As certain taxes being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. That would be similar to a firestarter taking credit for extinguishing a fire that he had started. On another occasion, while speaking fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “this is the golden age of America” and assured listeners that “costs are decreasing and all of that stuff.” Such statements come naturally for a wealthy individual to make, but seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—especially when millions risk cuts to nutrition assistance or skyrocketing health premiums.

According to a recent poll conducted last fall, three-quarters of respondents believe economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while only 26% consider them positive. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens feel Trump’s policies have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Proposed Steps

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently contradicted assertions of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—which Trump vowed to save—appears to have contracted for multiple consecutive months and shed around tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing these challenges, Bessent called on the central bank to cut interest rates—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about living costs, the president proposed a direct payment of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” For many households in need, it seems like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about large shortfalls—will enact such a plan. This idea would likely increase federal spending, push up interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved creating 50-year mortgages, with the notion that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—frequently cutting them by a small amount each month. The downside is that these mortgages could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow their accumulation of equity.

Blaming the Past Government and Economic Outlook

As part of their cost-cutting effort, the administration have again blamed Biden for financial challenges, such as rising prices. Officials claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is absurd and untruthful claims. Actually, Biden left a strong economy, with low price growth, solid expansion, and minimal joblessness. However, the current administration’s actions—especially his tariffs—have created an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. He fears that if large states like major economies enter a downturn, the US could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Unfortunately, with the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his most effective “tool” for achieving increased affordability might end up pushing the nation into recession—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.