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Throughout the previous presidential campaign, the former president wooed voters with promises to lower costs immediately upon taking office. But, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal focus to affordability issues. All that changed after price-fatigued voters delivered a rebuke at the ballot box. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration initiated a hastily assembled campaign to address living costs. Unfortunately, the drive is a disorganized endeavor—filled with illogical claims, inconsistencies, unrealistic expectations, blame-shifting, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Assertions and Grocery Store Reality

Just two days post-election, Trump began his affordability drive with a disastrous statement: “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. Essentially, he ignored their struggles as unimportant, suggesting they had it wrong about actual costs.

His assertion that everything was “way down” was highly misleading and inaccurate. In what way could all costs be falling when the taxes he imposed were increasing costs? Official statistics indicate banana prices rose nearly 7% in the last twelve months, the price of beef went up almost 15%, and coffee prices surged by nearly 19%—partly because of punitive tariffs on Brazil’s coffee and beef. In the first three quarters, prices rose in the majority of food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, including animal proteins (up 4.5%), drinks (increasing nearly 3%), and produce (up 1.3%).

Inconsistencies and Inaccuracies in Financial Statements

In spite of the evidence, Trump continues to push his big lie about affordability. Since election day, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is at a 3 percent per year, which is half again as much than the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. In another falsehood, Trump boasted that gas prices had dropped to nearly $2 a gallon, despite government figures show they are $3.19.

Faced with reality and lower approval ratings, some Trump aides evidently cautioned that his “prices are down” rhetoric made him sound dangerously out of touch from typical Americans. A lot of voters are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of decreases. As a result, aides suggested a simple solution: roll back certain import taxes. The logical move clashed with Trump’s absurd assertion that additional taxes would not increase costs for US consumers.

Proposed Fixes and Their Possible Impact

With some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, the administration will probably claim that he has cut prices once those foods begin to fall in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for putting out a blaze that he had started. On another occasion, when addressing fast-food leaders, Trump declared that “we are in the peak period of America” and told listeners that “prices are coming down and all of that stuff.” These comments are easy for a billionaire to make, but seem insincere to countless households facing hardships—particularly when millions face cuts to nutrition assistance or rising insurance costs.

According to a survey from October, 74% of Americans believe the state of the economy are fair or poor, while only 26% consider them positive. A separate survey found that 61% of Americans feel the administration’s actions have “made the economy worse” in the country.

Economic Truth and Proposed Measures

Scott Bessent, the president’s top economic official, lately contradicted claims of a prosperous era. He stated that instead of thriving, certain sectors of the American economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for eight months in a row and lost around tens of thousands of positions this year. Citing these challenges, the secretary called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could ease financial pressure.

In response to public dismay about living costs, Trump proposed a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” not for “high income people.” To numerous struggling Americans, this sounds like manna from heaven, but it is unlikely that lawmakers—concerned about huge budget deficits—will approve the proposal. This idea would likely raise government expenditure, increase interest rates, and possibly fuel inflation by putting more money into the economy.

A further supposed fix for affordability centered on creating half-century home loans, based on the idea that this would reduce monthly mortgage payments. However, reality is that 50-year mortgages have minimal impact to lower monthly payments—frequently cutting them by just $100 or $200 per month. The downside is that these loans could significantly increase the overall cost homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Blaming the Previous Administration and Economic Outlook

As part of their affordability campaign, Trump and his team have once more blamed the previous president for economic problems, including rising prices. Officials claimed they “inherited a disaster from Joe Biden” and were “addressing Biden’s inflation.” These are unfounded and inaccurate claims. In reality, the former president handed over a strong economy, with inflation way down, economic growth strong, and unemployment low. However, Trump’s policies—especially his tariffs—have created an difficult situation, pushing up prices and reducing economic output.

Per Mark Zandi, lead analyst at Moody’s Analytics, 22 states are experiencing economic decline, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states like California and New York enter a downturn, the US could face a widespread recession. During recessions, consumers typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation usually declines. Unfortunately, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign likely to do little to hold down prices, his primary method for achieving increased affordability might end up triggering an economic contraction—a scenario that struggling Americans really can’t afford.