President Donald Trump used his Wednesday night address to largely blame former President Joe Biden for most of the Nation’s shortcomings while attempting to highlight his accomplishments through the first 11 months of his second term in office.
Trump’s address opened with a direct attack on his predecessor, saying he “inherited a mess” before sounding off on several political hot points like border control, inflation, transgender athletes and crime. Trump then attempted to contrast the perceived failures of the former administration with the success of his own. This was a recurring tactic throughout the roughly 19-minute speech.
“Our country was laughed at from all over the world, but they’re not laughing anymore,” Trump said. “Over the past 11 months, we have brought more positive change to Washington than any administration in American history. There has never been anything like it, and I think most would agree.”
Despite Trump’s claims about widespread enthusiasm for his second term, he currently sits at a 39% approval rating, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The most contentious issues for Trump are the economy, which he ran strongly on in the 2024 election, and healthcare, which has remained a sticking point for lawmakers as premiums for millions of Americans threaten to spike if the subsidies from the Affordable Care Act are allowed to expire.
Trump promised that positive change is coming to Americans’ “wallets and bank accounts in the New Year.” He said much of the coming economic growth is thanks to “tariffs, his “favorite word.” In the last legs of his speech, he claimed, “Inflation has stopped, wages are up, prices are down.”
Inflation is currently around 3%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While lower than peaks during the Biden era, inflation is higher than the tail end of 2024. Trump reassured Americans that “prices on electricity and everything else will fall dramatically.”
On the topic of insurance, Trump pushed all the blame on the Left. He claimed that Democrats are “controlled by the health care companies” and have “demanded” increases in premiums. On the contrary, Democrats have been trying for months to renew the Affordable Care Act subsidies and stop premiums from rising.
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Trump was light on actual news, outside of a promise to give 1,450,000 military service members a “warrior dividend” of $1,776 in honor of America’s founding year. The president said these will be granted before Christmas.
From Variety US