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During last year's presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted voters with promises to lower prices starting on day one. However, once his inauguration, he seemed to pay minimal attention to affordability issues. This shifted after inflation-weary citizens expressed dissatisfaction at the polls. Shortly thereafter, his team initiated a hastily assembled campaign to tackle living costs. Unfortunately, this initiative is a disorganized endeavor—characterized by absurdity, inconsistencies, magical thinking, scapegoating, and Trumpian dishonesty.

Out-of-Touch Claims and Supermarket Reality

Just two days after the election, the president began his affordability drive with a disastrous remark: “Food prices are way down. All items is way down… So I don’t want to hear about affordability.” These words from billionaire Trump—who frequently mingles with other ultra-rich individuals—demonstrated utter contempt for everyday citizens facing difficulties when visiting the grocery store. Essentially, he dismissed their concerns as trivial, implying they had it wrong about price levels.

This statement about declining prices proved absurdly obtuse and dishonest. In what way could every price be falling when the taxes he imposed were pushing up costs? Official statistics show banana prices rose nearly 7% over the past year, beef prices climbed 14.7%, and coffee prices surged by nearly 19%—in part due to import taxes applied to Brazilian products. In the first three quarters, prices rose in five of the six food categories tracked by the Consumer Price Index, such as meats, poultry, and fish (up 4.5%), non-alcoholic beverages (up 2.8%), and produce (rising slightly).

Contradictions and Falsehoods in Economic Statements

In spite of these numbers, the president persists in repeating his big lie about lower costs. After the vote, he has claimed there is “virtually no inflation,” insisted “prices are way down,” and argued “living is cheaper under Trump than it was under his predecessor.” These statements contradict the reality that prices overall have clearly increased after the previous administration. Currently, price growth is at a 3% annual rate, that’s 50% higher than the central bank’s 2% goal. Adding to the inaccuracies, he boasted that gas prices had dropped to around two dollars, even though government figures show they average $3.19.

Faced with actual conditions and declining opinion polls, some Trump aides apparently cautioned that his “prices are down” message made him sound disconnected from ordinary people. Many voters are frustrated about rising costs following assurances of reductions. As a result, aides suggested one quick fix: reduce some of Trump’s beloved tariffs. The logical move clashed with the president’s unrealistic claim that new tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American shoppers.

Suggested Solutions and Their Potential Impact

As some tariffs being rolled back on several food items, Trump will likely claim that he has lowered costs once these products start declining in price. This would be similar to a firestarter boasting for extinguishing a fire that he ignited. On another occasion, while speaking McDonald’s executives, Trump declared that “this is 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 seem insincere to millions of Americans facing hardships—particularly when millions risk losing food stamps or rising insurance costs.

According to a recent poll from October, 74% of Americans think economic conditions are mediocre or bad, while just a quarter consider them good or excellent. Another poll showed that a majority of citizens feel the administration’s actions have “worsened economic conditions” in the country.

Financial Truth and Suggested Steps

The treasury secretary, the president’s top economic official, recently contradicted claims of a golden age. He noted that instead of thriving, some parts of the American economy “are in recession.” The manufacturing sector—which Trump vowed to save—seems to have shrunk for multiple consecutive months and lost around 33,000 jobs this year. Citing this weakness, Bessent called on the Federal Reserve to reduce borrowing costs—a move that could help affordability.

In response to public dismay about affordability, Trump suggested a cash handout of “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person” excluding “the wealthy.” For many struggling Americans, it seems like a financial lifeline, but the prospects are dim that Congress—already alarmed about large shortfalls—will approve the proposal. This idea would likely increase federal spending, increase interest rates, and potentially drive prices higher by injecting cash into consumers’ pockets.

Another supposed fix for cost issues centered on introducing half-century home loans, with the notion that they could lower housing costs. However, reality is that such lengthy loans have minimal impact to reduce installments—often reducing them by a small amount each month. The drawback is that these mortgages could significantly increase the total interest homeowners pay and slow building home value.

Faulting the Previous Administration and Financial Prospects

In their cost-cutting effort, the administration have again pointed fingers at the previous president for economic problems, such as rising prices. Officials stated they “faced a mess from Joe Biden” and were “addressing the prior administration’s price hikes.” This is unfounded and untruthful claims. In reality, Biden left a strong economy, with low price growth, economic growth strong, and minimal joblessness. But, the current administration’s actions—particularly import taxes—have resulted in an economic mess, driving costs higher and slowing GDP growth.

Per an economist, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, numerous regions are already in recession, with their economies damaged by the administration’s trade policies. Zandi worries that if large states like California and New York tumble into recession, the US could slide into a widespread recession. In downturns, people typically have reduced funds to spend, and inflation often falls. Sadly, with Trump’s much-ballyhooed affordability campaign probably ineffective to control costs, his most effective “tool” for improving living standards might end up triggering an economic contraction—something that struggling Americans cannot handle.