SAN DIEGO — All Americans want for Christmas is for things to cost less. Is that asking too much?

It is if they're making the "ask" of President Donald Trump. When it comes to fulfilling his 2024 campaign promise to be the "affordability president," he is way out of his depth. How is Trump supposed to battle inflation if he doesn't even understand the concept? When was the last time the multibillionaire had to worry about the price of eggs, milk and bread?

This week, Trump traveled to Pennsylvania to make a cameo appearance with regular folks and convince them that any anxiety they're feeling about high prices is totally attributable to the Democratic Party. According to Trumpian Economics 101, Democrats increased prices and Trump is lowering them.

Cool. When can we expect that last part to kick in? There doesn't seem to be much pressure being brought to bear on manufacturers, companies, or retailers to bring down prices.

At holiday parties, the high cost of everything is all my friends want to talk about. Recently, at a diner near San Diego, the bill for breakfast was $30. I was alone.

The worst part might be that consumers have to fight this battle alone. Elected officials in both parties seem to have decided that they would rather talk about literally anything other than inflation and the high cost of living for their constituents.

Democrats would love to have word about how the Justice Department needs to immediately release the Jeffrey Epstein files, even though those documents are likely to contain the names of Democrats. Meanwhile, Republicans are eager to discuss how our nation of immigrants urgently needs to rid itself of immigrants — or anyone who resembles them.

I have a theory. I think that most politicians like simple problems that don't require much time or effort. Then, if those problems get solved, they rush in and take credit. When it comes to taming inflation, there are no easy answers. Like the economy itself, there are forces at work that elected officials can't do much about. And if politicians bring up the issue to voters, they're just going to remind constituents of their ineptness. So, their survival instinct tells them to change the subject.

High prices have left many Americans feeling low this holiday season. Whether it's at the gas pump or the grocery store, whether you're grabbing takeout or having your car repaired, whether you're going to the movies or streaming a film at home, everything costs more than it did a year ago.

I won't gaslight you. I'm not going to try to convince you that what you're living through is a mirage, a myth or a hoax.

I'll leave that to Trump. In the last two years, he has been all over the map on the subject of inflation. You name the position, and the president has taken it.

In Act One, as the Republican nominee during the 2024 election, Trump promised to "make America affordable again." He vowed to "immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One." He specifically zeroed in on the rising price of groceries as the prime example of where "Bidenomics" had failed the country.

Later, in Act Two, as president, Trump reluctantly acknowledged that lowering prices was easier said than done. And he didn't make it any easier by levying tariffs against a big chunk of the world including allies like Canada, Mexico, India and the European Union. Those import fees only made inflation worse.

In fact, Trump's tariffs did so much damage to the agricultural industry that Trump is now proposing a $12 billion giveaway to farmers to alleviate some of the pain.

Remember when Republicans were against government handouts? Forget that. They're only worried about the handouts that go to poor people. Corporate welfare is fine.

In Act Three, Trump talked about how the whole idea of affordability was a "hoax" and a "con job" and a "Democrat scam" intended to make him look bad.

If so, the strategy is working. According to a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, more than half of voters — 57% — believe the president is getting walloped by inflation. That includes 21% of Republicans. When asked to rank the top issues facing the country, inflation and affordability were at the top of the list.

Finally, in Act Four, Trump is back where he started. He is promising to deliver on his earlier promise of affordability. All he asks is that the American people trust him to fix a problem that, just a few weeks ago, he claimed didn't exist.

To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Michael Walter at Unsplash