Donald Trump announced a $1,776 ‘warrior dividend’ for more than a million soldiers and previewed the ‘largest tax refunds’ ever during a Wednesday primetime speech touting his first 11 months in office and blaming Democrats for America’s problems.
In the year-end address, the president stood behind a podium and shouted into a microphone trying to convince Americans that the economy is on an upswing despite widespread reports of financial hardships.
Trump was in rare form. He had no audience; only spoke for 18 minutes; and, at times, appeared angry as he squinted at the teleprompter.
And the message was clear: It’s all Biden’s fault.
Despite downplaying the affordability crisis, the president debuted his plan to send all 1.45 million active duty troops a ‘special warrior dividend’ before Christmas.
Now 11 months into his second term, Trump is still harboring grievances regarding the ‘mess’ he ‘inherited’ from his predecessor’s administration. He spent a bulk of the speech claiming his tariffs and his tax cuts have helped turn things around.
‘One year ago, our country was dead,’ Trump insisted. ‘Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.’
He also predicted that in the spring Americans would see the ‘largest tax refund season of all time’ due to his Big Beautiful Bill ending tax on tipped wages and Social Security.
The remarks came just one day after a stunning Vanity Fair article shook up the West Wing after exposing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ unfiltered thoughts about Trump and other members of his administration.
Donald Trump announced a Christmas bonus check for all US troops during a year-end speech live from the White House
The speech also comes at a particularly fractious time for the Republican Party at large as it prepares to confront a difficult midterm election environment next year. The GOP remains divided on a healthcare plan and how to approach abortion.
Trump plans to get on the campaign trail in 2026 to help his party keep a majority in Congress – and his speech was a preview of the message he will deliver as a stump on the road.
But a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found just 36 percent of Americans feel that Trump is doing a good job as president. This is the lowest reported by the survey across both terms.
His remarks were a preview of what’s to come in the next three years, but mainly a wrap on the accomplishments the president claims have defined his first nearly year back in office.
This included boasting about tariffs imposed on nearly every country – and how Trump believes this is leveling the playing field on the international stage and lowering costs for Americans.
He presented three separate visual aids during his remarks exhibiting how his policies have brought down the price of gas, cars, airfare, prescription drugs and sports tickets since taking back control from Biden.
One slide focused on the price of food and claimed that the Trump administration has made waves in lowering the price of essentials.
Additionally, the president listed the border and immigration crackdown, a focus on violent crime in US cities and the economy as cornerstones of the first 11 months of his second term.
Before the speech, Trump spent his day participating in the dignified transfer of two Iowa National Guard troops and one civilian interpreter who were killed in an ambush in Syria
Trump salutes as the bodies were returned to their families at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Wednesday, December 17, 2025
But it’s not lost on voters that the administration has missed the mark on some of its promised milestones.
Trump vowed to deport 1 million immigrants by the end of 2025. Despite its vicious raids in immigrant-heavy communities, DHS has formally removed just over 600,000 undocumented immigrants since January – a 40 percent miss from the goal Trump sent.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump said he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine just by getting elected and before being sworn in for a second term. That didn’t happen.
But he did secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza to end the conflict with Israel. And Trump makes sure to mention at every turn how he’s ended more than a dozen wars since getting back into office – though it’s unclear the full list of conflicts that he is referencing.
Trump encouraged press to tune-in for his 9:00 PM televised address to the nation from the White House on Wednesday, December 17, 2025
The economic focus of the speech served as a last ditch effort before Christmas to reassure Americans that financial relief is coming despite growing concerns about affordability.
Last month, unemployment rose to a four-year high, according to new data released on Tuesday, which is a major sign of weakness in the economy.
Vice President JD Vance tried to paint a prettier picture on Tuesday, claiming his assessment of the US economy is an ‘A+++.’ But he was a bit more measured than his boss and acknowledged Americans are feeling pains from the prior administration.
He pleaded for patience.
Before the remarks on Wednesday, Trump took a day trip to Delaware where he participated in the dignified transfer of two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an Army interpreter from Michigan after the three were slain in an ambush in Syria.
The president spent Wednesday afternoon meeting with the families of the fallen and receiving their bodies back on US soil and returning them to their loved ones.
