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Throughout the previous presidential campaign, the former president wooed voters with pledges to reduce costs immediately upon taking office. However, once he assumed office, there was precious little focus to the cost of living. This shifted following inflation-weary voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Within days, his team launched a hastily assembled effort to tackle affordability. Unfortunately, the drive has proven a disorganized endeavor—filled with absurdity, contradictions, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Detached Assertions and Supermarket Reality

Just two days post-election, the president began his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Our groceries 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—who frequently associates with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties every time they go the grocery store. In effect, he ignored their concerns as trivial, suggesting they were mistaken about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could all costs be decreasing when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Recent data indicate banana prices increased nearly 7% in the last twelve months, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and the cost of coffee jumped by nearly 19%—in part due to import taxes on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of main grocery groups monitored by the government’s price index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), drinks (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Financial Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has stated there is “virtually no inflation,” declared “prices are way down,” and argued “it is far less expensive 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, inflation is at a 3 percent per year, that’s 50% higher than the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. Adding to the inaccuracies, Trump boasted that fuel costs had fallen to around two dollars, despite official data show they average $3.19.

Faced with reality and declining opinion polls, advisers evidently warned that his “prices are down” message made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. Many voters are frustrated about prices continuing to climb after promises of decreases. In response, advisers suggested a simple solution: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that additional taxes wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Fixes and Their Possible Impact

With some tariffs reduced on several food items, Trump will likely announce that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. This would be like an arsonist boasting for extinguishing a fire that he had started. On another occasion, when addressing McDonald’s executives, he declared that “we are in the golden age of America” and assured the audience that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments come naturally for a billionaire to make, but they ring hollow to millions of Americans who are struggling—particularly when many risk cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

Per a survey conducted last fall, 74% of Americans think the state of the economy are fair or poor, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll found that 61% of Americans feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Measures

Scott Bessent, Trump’s chief financial officer, recently disputed assertions of a golden age. He stated that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” Industrial production—a priority for the administration—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost approximately tens of thousands of positions since January. Citing these challenges, the secretary called on the central bank to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

Reacting to public dismay about living costs, Trump suggested a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” For many households in need, this sounds like a financial lifeline, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—already alarmed about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. The scheme could raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and potentially fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

Another supposed fix for affordability involved introducing 50-year mortgages, based on the idea that they could reduce monthly mortgage payments. But, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to reduce installments—often cutting them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these loans could more than double the total interest homeowners pay and hinder building home value.

Faulting the Past Government and Economic Prospects

In their cost-cutting effort, the administration have once more pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, including increasing costs. Officials claimed they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “cleaning up Biden’s inflation.” These are absurd and inaccurate claims. In reality, the former president left a robust economic situation, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. However, Trump’s policies—particularly import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, pushing up prices and slowing GDP growth.

According to Mark Zandi, chief economist at a research firm, numerous regions are already in recession, with their conditions worsened by Trump’s tariffs. He fears that if large states like California and New York tumble into recession, the US could face a broad economic slump. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, given the highly-touted affordability campaign likely to do little to control costs, his primary method for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that hard-pressed households really can’t afford.