In a defiant 18-minute address from the White House, Trump awarded his administration straight A’s for what he hailed as a year of unprecedented American greatness.
“We are making America great again tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure. Inflation has stopped. Wages are up, prices are down. Our nation is strong. America is respected, and our country is back stronger than ever,” he said.
FULL EVENT: US President Donald Trump addresses the nation
FULL EVENT: US President Donald Trump addresses the nation
Using the speech as both a retrospective and a campaign-style pitch, Trump claimed to have saved the economy through aggressive tariffs and “settled eight wars in 10 months” through a series of foreign policy pivots, including a controversial peace deal for Gaza.
He pointed to “bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin” and the “strongest border in history” as evidence of a fulfilled mandate, while teasing next year’s priorities, which included tax cuts, cash giveaways and lower energy costs. The issues are expected to define next year’s midterm elections.
Trump ran through a list of grievances from the Biden years, citing what he called open borders, transgender athletes in women’s sports, rising crime and the “worst trade deals ever made”.
