Donald Trump Defends Record On Economy In Combative White House Addres

WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump delivered a forceful defense of his first 11 months in office during a primetime address from the White House, pointing the finger at Democrats for Americans' economic anxieties in... "Boy, are we making progress," Trump said Dec. 17 in a speech focused heavily on affordability, which has increasingly bedeviled his administration and threatens his party's electoral chances next year. Trump blamed the problem on his White House predecessor and immigrants without legal status as polls shows Americans increasingly losing confidence in his economic stewardship. The president's brief address − it clocked in at under 20 minutes − often looked backward as he mentioned former President Joe Biden seven times. Trump said that he “inherited a mess,” and that under the Biden administration, life became “unaffordable for millions and millions of Americans."

"This happened during a Democrat administration, and it's when we first began hearing the word affordability," Trump said in comments from the White House Diplomatic Room, which was adorned with Christmas decorations. US President Donald Trump has announced a "warrior dividend" payment to US service members, in a speech in which he also defended his track record on the economy after 11 months back in office. In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, Trump said cheques for $1,776 (£1,329) for 1.45 million US service members were already on the way" and should arrive before Christmas. He said they would be paid for, in part, by his tariffs. In the combative address, Trump also touted his achievements on immigration while railing against opposition Democrats. Speaking loudly and quickly, he seemed determined to convince Americans that the US was doing well - and things would only get better.

He claimed prices were falling, at a time when polls show that many Americans are unhappy about the cost of housing, childcare and healthcare. United States President Donald Trump used a nationally televised address from the White House just days before Christmas to present his first year back in office as a period of recovery and momentum, even... The roughly 20-minute speech, broadcast live in prime time, avoided some of the most pressing foreign policy issues confronting his administration. The address was delivered against a festive backdrop but carried a distinctly combative tone, reflecting a presidency increasingly focused on defending its economic record and reassigning blame as inflation ticks upward and approval ratings... Trump opened his remarks with a line that set the tone for the entire address. “Good evening, America.

Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it.” The statement encapsulated the core argument he returned to repeatedly throughout the speech: that the economic and social difficulties Americans are experiencing today are the result of decisions made by his predecessor, former US... Amid slumping approval ratings, President Donald Trump used a prime-time speech Wednesday to deride his predecessor, assert that his economic plan is working and suggest that Americans need to be patient as his policies... Trump, in an 18-minute address from the White House, rolled out no new proposals apart from what he called a $1,776 “warrior dividend” that will go to nearly 1.5 million military service members in... “And the checks are already on the way,” he said. “No one understood that one until about 30 minutes ago; we made a lot more money than anyone thought because of tariffs.”

Trump marshaled the power of incumbency to command broad television network coverage for a speech that largely reiterated points he has made in public appearances and interviews since he returned to office in January. He spoke at a faster clip than usual and for the most part appeared to stick to the prepared text. He rattled off the price of eggs, Thanksgiving turkeys and airline tickets to amplify his argument that costs are dropping on his watch and to persuade the nation that former President Joe Biden left... President Trump addresses the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on Wednesday. Doug Mills/AFP via Getty Images hide caption President Trump opened a primetime address to the nation on Wednesday with a message intended to reassure Americans.

"Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I am fixing it," he said at the start of his speech. However, in his roughly 20-minute address from the Diplomatic Reception Room, Trump broke little new ground, restating messages his White House has been pushing for months: that current economic problems can still be blamed... Indeed, Trump took a familiar, hyperbolic tone in describing his term. President Donald Trump delivered a rare, 20-minute primetime speech from the White House on Wednesday night. The address included relatively little news but did frame up how the White House would like to sell its record on the economy and other issues amid increasingly dire political indicators. Here are some takeaways from the address.

In case there was any doubt, Trump made clear his message will continue to feature a heavy dose of the B-word: Biden. Trump repeatedly compared his economic and inflation numbers to his predecessor. Former President Joe Biden’s numbers were significantly worse, in large part due to the Covid-19 pandemic which caused economic turmoil and inflation to spike around the world. President Donald Trump used a prime-time address Wednesday night to promote his policies and “historic” progress, while repeatedly blaming his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for the nation’s economic “mess” as he sought to... President Donald Trump says he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas, indicating in a White House speech that tariffs were funding the payments as he tried to reassure a worried public about the health of the economy.

President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool) President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

President Donald Trump speaks during an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

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