Washington, DC: President Donald Trump looked confident, had a sip of his favourite Diet Coke in White House’s diplomatic reception room as he delivered a 20-minute address ahead of Christmas, flanked by the cosy holiday decoration in the room.
President Trump turned Santa and announced a slew of goodies for American people including a $1,776 warrior dividend to over 1.45 million US armed forces personnel, symbolising the year of US independence, a grand 250th birthday celebration is planned in 2026.
While many expected an announcement on Venezuela or foreign policy, his prime time address was aimed as setting the tone for his midterms 2026 election campaign which will be a big agenda for the administration in the new year.
Trump’s focus was on affordability and how his first year in office and the new year 2026 will make life better for every day Americans.
He also spoke about the action against illegals immigrants and how he has achieved record reduction of prices and fuel prices was at an all time low.
He also focused on drug prices coming down for Americans and said that the drugmakers have promised to participate in the new TrumpRx online platform, which will become operational in January.
The website will direct visitors to drugmakers’ direct-to-consumer channels, where their products will be available at a discount to those paying cash and forgoing insurance.
He spoke with a quick recap of his administration’s record. He said he has got 18 trillion dollars of investment in the US, much of this has been achieved by my favourite word tariffs.
During his speech he also lambasted former President Joe Biden which has been a theme for many of his speeches.
His speech was lauded by many including former Speaker Newt Gingrich and White House aides dubbed his speech as one of the Trump top grosser.
.@newtgingrich on @POTUS‘ address to the nation: “Some day, people will say it was one of the most important speeches of his career… I think it’s a very, very important speech.” pic.twitter.com/K6aNzNeaTm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 18, 2025
Here are the key takeaways from his address:
- Christmas bonus for troops: Trump announced a special “warrior dividend” for nearly 1.5 million active-duty military service members, calling it a Christmas bonus in honour of America’s founding nearly 250 years ago. He said the checks are already being sent.
- Praise for the military: The president said no group deserved the payout more than the armed forces, congratulating service members and highlighting their role in national security.
- Record enlistment claim: Trump claimed the US military is seeing record enlistment under his leadership, contrasting it with what he described as some of the worst recruitment numbers in history during the previous year under Joe Biden.
- Sharp political contrast: He used the address to draw a clear comparison between his administration and the previous one, saying, “What a difference a year makes.”
- Showcase of achievements: The speech served as a broad recap of his administration’s agenda and accomplishments since returning to the White House.
- Policy victories highlighted: Trump pointed to gains in the economy, immigration enforcement, crime reduction, women’s rights, healthcare costs and efforts to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.
- Confidence in leadership: Emphasising the pace of change, Trump said his administration had achieved more in one year than expected, adding, “We just needed a new president.”
