Trump touts victories amid sinking approval ratings
Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt |
US President Donald Trump has used an television address to boast of his accomplishments and blame his Democratic predecessor for soaring consumer prices as his party braces for a tough midterm election in 2026.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump said in a partisan speech on Wednesday that lasted less than 20 minutes and was delivered at a jarringly rapid-fire pace.
The Republican president, who regularly protests that he does not get credit for his accomplishments, offered few new policy initiatives to address high costs.
The speech instead was delivered with a pronounced sense of grievance, with Trump complaining about migrant invasions, violent crime and transgender rights in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room festooned with holiday decor.
He placed blame at the feet of former president Joe Biden, previous trade deals, immigrants and what he described as a corrupt system.
At the same time, Trump touted his administration’s work on a range of issues from reducing border crossings to bringing down prices of some goods.
And he promised the nation would be stronger in 2026.
Among the few policy initiatives, Trump announced his administration would send a “warrior dividend” of $US1776 ($A2700) to 1.45 million US service members in the coming week.
He also backed a Republican proposal to send cash directly to the public to offset the cost of health insurance rather than provide subsidies through the Affordable Care Act.
That proposal has yet to receive enough support in Congress.
“I want the money to go directly to the people so you can buy your own health care,” Trump said.
“The only losers will be the insurance companies.”
Suprisingly, he spent little time addressing foreign affairs, a subject that occupied much of his first year back in office.
He made a passing reference to the war in Gaza but made no mention of the war in Ukraine or the brewing conflict with Venezuela.
The address offered an opportunity for the president to address people’s concerns about affordability, an issue that Trump has repeatedly referred to as a Democratic hoax.
While casting blame on Biden’s presidency, Trump conceded that prices remained high, but argued the nation was poised for an economic boom.
“I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast,” he said.
He pledged conditions would improve in the coming year, citing his tax policies, tariffs and plans to replace the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell.
That timetable would come as welcome news to Trump’s fellow Republicans, who are seeking to maintain control of the House of Representatives and Senate in elections in November 2026.
Democrats are already highlighting affordability concerns and differences over healthcare policy.
Trump campaigned on the economy, effectively leveraging the high inflation of Biden’s presidency to beat former vice-president Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
As president, Trump’s tariff policies this year have created uncertainty and lifted prices in an economy that has now been overseen by his administration for nearly a year – and Trump, like Biden before him, has been struggling to persuade Americans that the economy is healthy.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed just a third of US adults approve of how Trump has handled the economy.
After the speech, Democrats contended Trump had offered Americans few solutions to their concerns.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia called the address “a sad attempt at distraction”, while California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender, simply posted the word “Me” – referring to Trump – more than 700 times.
Reuters
