Trump Defends His Record As Voters Grow Anxious Over Costs Npr

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 23, 2025, 7:52 AM

trump defends his record as voters grow anxious over costs npr

Updated December 18, 2025 at 12:45 PM ET 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 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. To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates. U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to the battleground state of North Carolina on Friday to defend his economic policies and reassure voters that the U.S. economy remains on solid footing, as concerns grow ahead of a critical midterm election cycle that could threaten Republican control of Congress. Speaking to supporters in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Trump highlighted the latest inflation data as evidence that his administration’s approach is working. He pointed to the Consumer Price Index report for November, which showed inflation rising 2.7% year over year, a figure he said was lower than expected.

Trump told the crowd that the easing inflation trend validated his economic strategy, particularly after months of voter anxiety over rising costs. Despite the upbeat message, economic headwinds persist. Prices for everyday goods remain elevated, unemployment has increased, and public confidence in Trump’s economic leadership has weakened. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 33% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump has handled the economy, underscoring the political risks Republicans face heading into next year’s elections. Trump argued that the economy is on the verge of a strong rebound due to his policies, including tariffs that he says are generating billions of dollars for the U.S.

Treasury and helping attract large-scale foreign investment. He also claimed credit for lower gasoline prices and blamed Democrats for ongoing economic challenges faced by American households. Republican leaders are increasingly concerned that economic dissatisfaction could jeopardize their chances of retaining control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the upcoming elections. Democrats, meanwhile, contend that Trump has mismanaged the economy, an issue that was central to his most recent campaign. This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter.

Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Every holiday season, mailboxes fill up with family letters from beloved aunts who tell us about the cousins’ developments, the vacations and pets, goals for the new year—all coated with as much sugar as... On Wednesday evening, the world was treated to President Donald Trump’s Christmas letter, delivered in a disjointed rant from the White House. It was a self-graded check-in, coming nearly one year into office as the public is increasingly skeptical about what they signed up for when they gave Trump the keys to the White House for... And unlike his position when the year started, Trump now seems to have lost control over his Republican Party, as more lawmakers are starting to realize the prices they might pay for their continued... It was, as departing Republican Rep.

Marjorie Taylor Greene observed on Tuesday, a sign that “the dam is breaking.” Even so, it sure felt like Trump was taking a self-congratulatory victory lap even as those watching were wondering when he... Trump’s message, delivered in just under 20 minutes from the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room, would have fit in naturally at a campaign-style rally. But those events are not always carried live by the major networks and treated as primetime must-watch events. So Americans and those around the globe watched as Trump unleashed his favorite set of grievances about Democrats, migration, border policies, transgender rights, wokeness, self-dealing, the environment, the economy—basically every issue or piece of... 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. These were the updates from US President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.

Trump orders naval blockade targeting Venezuelan oil President Trump heads to Pennsylvania to defend his record on affordability as polls show voters increasingly blame his policies for high prices.The Supreme Court appears poised to grant presidents far greater power over independent... Subscribe to the Up First newsletter. Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Rebekah Metzler, Krishnadev Calamur, Kelsey Snell, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Kaity Kline, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott.

And our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Senior Supervising Producer is Vince Pearson. MOUNT POCONO, PA ‒ As President Donald Trump touts a rebounding economy and downplays affordability concerns, new polling suggests most Americans aren't seeing the improvements ‒ and some are making significant sacrifices to save... Findings in a poll released Dec. 11 from the progressive think tank the Century Foundation, shared exclusively with USA TODAY, show rising costs are taking a heavy toll on the American family, with the working class bearing the brunt of... Nearly 3 in 10 of voters polled said they held off getting medical care over the past year because of costs.

One-third said they have skipped a meal. Two-thirds of respondents said they are buying cheaper groceries or buying less food, while half said they dipped into savings to cover basic expenses. Cost-of-living hardships are felt most acutely by Americans without college degrees, young Americans, people of color and women, according to the poll. Less than a year from the 2026 midterm elections, the Century Foundation has briefed several Democrats in Congress on the poll results to counter Trump's assertions that affordability concerns amplified by Democrats are a... In a primetime address Wednesday, President Trump said the nation is on the brink of an economic boom and claimed prices are falling quickly, even as affordability remains a top concern for voters. In a defensive and boastful address to the nation Wednesday night, President Trump insisted that the U.S.

is poised for an economic boom and said that high prices are falling. He blamed his predecessor and immigrants for many of the country's problems. The speech comes as a majority of voters say they are not feeling the economic relief Trump promised in his campaign and touted in his speech. Recent polling shows Trump's rating on the economy is historically low and high prices remain a top concern. FADEL: With us to talk this through is NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram. Hi, Deepa.

Trump Defends His Record As Voters Grow Anxious Over Costs Npr

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Updated December 18, 2025 At 12:45 PM ET President Trump

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Trump Told The Crowd That The Easing Inflation Trend Validated

Treasury And Helping Attract Large-scale Foreign Investment. He Also Claimed