(NewsNation) â President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address to the nation Wednesday, touting his administrationâs accomplishments and announcing new initiatives, including extra payments to military members.
Trump opened by declaring he âinherited a messâ and was elected to challenge what he called âa sick and corrupt system.â The president asserted his administration had âachieved more than anyone could have imaginedâ in its first year.
The 19-minute speech touched on border security, initiatives to cut drug costs and the economy. Trump credited his policies for improvements, rather than new legislation.
âWe didnât need new legislation, we just needed a new president,â he said.
Watch the full address:
Trump talks economy, affordability
On the economy, Trump said he was addressing high consumer prices âvery fastâ and touted rising wages he said were outpacing inflation.
He pointed to what he described as record employment levels and praised tariffs as instrumental to his economic strategy, calling tariffs his âfavorite word.â
âWe are poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen,â he said, stating that the âborder is secure, inflation is stopped, wages are up, prices are down, our nation is strong ⌠America is respected, and our country is back.â
The president said he would unveil âaggressiveâ housing reform plans in the new year and blamed the Biden administrationâs border policies for increased housing costs.
âThe last administration and their allies in Congress brought in millions of migrants, and gave them taxpayer-funded housing, while your rent and housing costs skyrocketed ⌠For the first time in 50 years, we are now seeing reverse migration ⌠leaving more housing and more jobs for Americans,â he said.
Trump says checks coming to every US military member
Trump announced a âwarrior dividendâ of $1,776 for every U.S. service member and said military enlistment had reached record levels.
âNobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody,â Trump said during his speech.
The White Houseâs Rapid Response account on X said, âActive duty service members in grades O-6 and below, and reserve component service members in grades O-6 and below and on active duty orders of 31 days or more as of November 30, 2025, are eligible.â
Trump also teased an upcoming announcement of his choice for the next Federal Reserve chair.
No mention of Venezuela in Trump address
The address came on the heels of escalating tensions between the United States and Venezuela, which Trump did not mention during his address.
On Tuesday, Trump said Venezuela was âcompletely surrounded by the largest armadaâ in South American history. He announced a blockade of tankers carrying âsanctionedâ oil and designated the NicolĂĄs Maduro-led Venezuelan regime as a foreign terrorist organization.
A White House official told NewsNation the president deliberately focused his speech on domestic issues rather than foreign policy, citing two reasons for the omission of Venezuela: the situation remains fluid with ongoing military operations, and the administration wanted to emphasize âbread-and-butter issuesâ affecting American households.
Drug prices to be slashed, president says
Trump suggested he would be âdoing what no politician of either party has ever done â standing up to the special interests to dramatically reduce the price of prescription drugs.â
He said he negotiated directly with drug companies and âforeign nations,â which would lead to slashes in drug and pharmaceutical prices of as much as 600%.
He said price reductions would be available starting January at TrumpRX.gov and referred to the legislation passed under former President Barack Obama as âthe Unaffordable Care Act.â
Trump blamed Democrats for increasing premiums and alleged the opposition party was âcontrolledâ by health insurance companies.
Trump approval rating slips: Survey
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found that Trumpâs approval rating slipped to nearly its lowest point in his second term.
The poll found that 39% of American respondents said they approve of Trumpâs handling of the presidency, while 59% said they disapprove of Trumpâs job performance.
Pollsters found that Trumpâs approval among Republicans remains high at 85%, though down from the 91% at the start of his second term in January. Trumpâs approval among Democrats dipped to 4% in December, down from 9% at the start of the new term.
Trumpâs approval among independents also declined since January: 26% of respondents in December approved of the presidentâs grasp on the economy, down from 44% in January.
Americans were also mostly unhappy with Trumpâs handling of the economy â 33% said they approve. The poll also found that 22% of Americans said they feel that the âeconomy, unemployment and jobs,â classified by Reuters/Ipsos as one category, is the most important problem facing the country.
Behind that, Americans saw âpolitical extremism or threats to democracyâ as the second-most important problem facing the U.S., at 16%.
Reuters/Ipsosâs lowest approval rating for Trump was at 38% in mid-November. Earlier in December, it was at 41% â six percentage points down from his approval rating when he returned to the White House.
Trumpâs approval saw a rebound in the latest Decision Desk HQ poll, which found that 44.8% approved of his job performance. Thatâs up from 41.3% last month from the same poll.
NewsNation partner The Hill contributed to this report.
âWarrior Dividendsâ
@POTUS announces âWARRIOR DIVIDENDS.â
Active duty service members in grades O-6 and below, and reserve component service members in grades O-6 and below and on active duty orders of 31 days or more as of November 30, 2025, are eligible. pic.twitter.com/e8McJo0NH2
â Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 18, 2025
More details from the Trump administration on the recently announced âWarrior Dividend.â
Trump has decreased inflation: Anna Kelly
âWe think the speech was a success because @POTUSâ agenda, as he very articulately laid out tonight, has been a success⌠inflation under Biden hit 9%, now we are at a 2.5% annualized rate,â the White House Deputy Press Secretary spoke to NewsNation following the presidentâs address to Americans.
Trump not mentioning Venezuela is âgood newsâ: Admiral
Retired Vice Admiral John W. âFozzieâ Miller, U.S. Navy, believes the president must be âsatisfiedâ with the state of the situation with Venezuela and operations in the Caribbean.
Trump back working
âAfter giving an epic address to the nation, President Trump is back in the Oval Office at 10:00PM to continue working on behalf of the American people,â Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, wrote on X.
Trump omits Venezuela from national address amid ongoing crisis
President Donald Trump made no mention of Venezuela during his Wednesday night address to the nation, a notable omission given the escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Trumpâs speech one of âhis greatestâ: White House official
A senior White House official tells NewsNation that President Trump âgave one of his greatest speeches. Perfect time and made the case of why this is the greatest presidency in history. â
Trump âwas yelling at usâ: Erickson
Erick Erickson believes the president seemed to be yelling at the American people, suggesting it may have fired up his base, but it may not have swayed independents.
White House âquite happyâ with address
According to NewsNation sources, members within the Trump administration are âquite happyâ with the messaging from the president Wednesday night.
Trump has put America last: Egbewole
Egbewole says the president has focused on âeverything outside of these borders,â and must do more than hand out checks to military members and focus on foreign policy.
Trump broke little news: Wegman
Wegman told NewsNation that Trumpâs $1,776 check to all military service members was the only news he broke in his speech, referring to it as an end-of-year report.
Media âlieâ about Trump: Boebert
Rep. Boebert blamed the mainstream media and its âliesâ when covering President Trump, suggesting he indeed inherited a mess and that Trump is the âgreatest president.â
Trump ârightâ on need to purchase own health care: Rep. Boebert
Rep. Lauren Boebert tells NewsNation the president is correct in stating Americans need more suitable health care options.
The Colorado Republican also criticized Obamacare, suggesting âDemocrats ruined the health care systemâ by implementing it.
US, Russian officials to meet this weekend
U.S. and Russian officials are expected to meet in Miami this weekend as part of the Trump administrationâs push to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, a White House official confirms to NewsNation.
Trumpâs speech a âsuccessâ: White House deputy press secretary
Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, tells NewsNation that President Trumpâs speech was âa success.â
âThe best is yet to come,â she added.
Dems can come back on economy: Egbewole
Yemisi Egbewole, former Biden White House press office chief of staff, tells NewsNation that Democrats can surge ahead of the Trump administration regarding the economy narrative.
âHe can promote 1776 costs all he likes ⌠thatâs less than a rent check in D.C.,â she added.
Trump needs to quit focusing on Biden and the past
GOP strategist Annalyse Keller tells NewsNation that the president must focus on the future and how he will fix Americaâs problems rather than focusing on what he was left with.
Has Trump done enough?
Wegmann believes Trump is already underwater and wonders if it is enough to reset the narrative surrounding affordability.
Trump âstayed on messageâ
Philip Wegmann, RealClearPolitics White House correspondent, tells Leland Vittert in NewsNationâs special coverage following the speech that Trump avoided the wave and âstayed on message.â
Trump ends speech
The president ended his speech, speaking for more than 18 minutes, wishing Americans a âmerry Christmas.â
âWeâre poised for an economic boomâ
The president says economic success is imminent.
Trump aims to change health care
President Trump says the price of drugs will decrease âby numbers never conceived possible.â
He says it will be called âMost Favored Nation,â and the price reductions will be available in January at Trumprx.gov, âgreatly reducing the cost of health care,â he says.
He says far better benefits will be on offer for Americans, and they will be able to purchase their own health care that will be far more effective than the Affordable Care Act.
Trump announces âWarrior Dividendâ for service members
Trump says every military service member will receive a âwarrior dividendâ in honor of the United Statesâ founding in 1776.
He says the checks for $1,776 are âalready on the wayâ and are partially a result of the success of tariffs.
More: https://digital-release.newsnationnow.com/politics/trump-checks-military-members/
Tariffs behind investment into US: Trump
âWages are going up much faster than inflation,â the president said. He added that $18 trillion of investment has been secured during his second term, much of which he attributes to the success of tariffs.
âOur country was ready to fail,â Trump said, now suggesting the U.S. is the hottest country in the world.
Trump also said more people are working in the United States today than at any time in history.
Trump bringing down prices âvery fastâ
The president says he is bringing prices down âvery fast,â suggesting Democrats were at fault for increased grocery prices.
Trump talks up his first year of second term
âAfter just one year, we achieved more than anyone could imagine,â the president said, highlighting the administrationâs border security policies.
âWe inherited the worst border anywhere in the world,â he said. Trump added they went from âworst to best.â
Trump says he âinherited a messâ caused by Biden
The president opens his speech by claiming that he inherited a mess of a country, criticizing the Biden administrationâs effectiveness at the border, its policies on crime and transgender athletes in sports.
OâReilly: Trumpâs speech is going to be a campaign speech
Bill OâReilly says President Trump is giving a speech to the nation to talk about the state of the country. âThere is no bold, innovative policy stuff being put forth,â OâReilly told NewsNation. âIt is meant to reinforce his base cause they are antsy.â
What is President Trump going to discuss?
A source tells NewsNation the address is going to be something like a âState of the Union hype speech.â