On Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern time (5 a.m. Thursday morning Moscow time), US President Donald Trump delivered a half-hour address to the nation from the White House. Contrary to expectations, he focused mainly on his priorities and achievements, often using public appearances to criticize Biden and not saying a word about the conflict in Ukraine or declaring war on Venezuela as observers had expected.
“I look forward to meeting you (USA). This has been a great year for our country and the best is yet to come!” the president wrote Tuesday on Truth Social without revealing details about his speech. White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told Fox News on Wednesday morning that the president will talk about “the historic achievements he has made for our country over the past year” and may also hint at some policies in the new year. At the beginning of the address, he fall with harsh criticism of Joe Biden and his administration, CNN reported. “Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess. And I'm fixing it,” Trump said. He present a long list of grievances against the Biden administration, citing “open borders,” LGBT+ men competing in women’s sports, crime, “the worst trade deal ever negotiated in history,” and a “sick and corrupt” federal government. “In just a few months, we went from the worst situation to the best,” said the White House boss.
Trump used parts of his speech to highlight his “exclusionary” immigration policies, including tighten control at the border to deny entry to immigrants who do not have legal rights in the United States, the Associated Press noted. He calmly talked about mass deportationsaid his administration was “exterminating criminals.” Independent analyzes show that US authorities often deport people with no criminal record and even those with long-term US residence permits.
Trump also talked about making some of America's “most dangerous cities” safe again through an aggressive approach to illegal immigration. “For the past seven months, not a single illegal immigrant has been allowed into our country, which everyone thought was completely impossible. Remember when Joe Biden said he needed Congress to pass legislation to help close the border?” – Trump said in a speech from the White House. “It turns out, we don't need laws. We just need a new president. We inherited the world's worst border and quickly turned it into the strongest border in our country's history,” the US president concluded. Meanwhile, 54% of registered voters in the United States disapprove of his approach to immigration, according to a Quinnipiac poll released this week. Trump's mass deportations of immigrants have proved unpopular, despite praise for his tightening border controls with Mexico.
Mr. Trump promised that energy prices, including gasoline, have fallen and will continue to fall. But they are not at the level you said. Trump said the national average gas price is 2.50 USD/gallon (4.55 liters). According to experts, the average price in the country is already 2.9 USD. Without providing evidence, Trump also claimed that household energy costs had dropped by $3,000. Trump promised that “within 12 months” the United States would open 1,600 new power plants without specifying how his administration would deploy such a large number of strategic facilities, even for America. The president said his administration will send $1,776 checks to more than 1.4 million U.S. military personnel before Christmas. “The checks are on their way,” he said.
The President sought to end his speech on a high note, noting that the games of the Olympic Games and World Cup will pass in the US next year. He added that next year also marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. “There could be no more fitting tribute to this monumental milestone than the completion of America's comeback that began just one year ago,” Donald Trump concluded, ending by wishing the nation a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The speech came as Mr. Trump is about to mark one year of his second term. The head of the US administration has recently faced harsh criticism for his statements about achievements in the economy ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and for his apparent emphasis on foreign policy at the expense of US domestic problems. The speech came as polls were released showing Trump's average approval rating at 39% due to widespread dissatisfaction with his economic policies. Americans have been largely unaffected by tax cuts and efforts to end conflicts, attack ships suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and attract investment to the United States. Trump said he believes more Americans would support him if they could hear him talk about his achievements.
In addition, the US is increasing pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, but in his pre-Christmas speech, seemingly on the advice of his advisers, the president avoided using military rhetoric. Trump previously said he had ordered a complete blockade of oil tankers authorized to enter and leave Venezuela. He also request The Bolivarian Republic has oil, land and assets that it says it “stolen” from the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded by saying that Donald Trump had revealed his true motives towards the South American country by “revealing” the “theft of property”.
