 "US President Donald Trump looks on during a Hanukkah reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, December 16, 2025. File Image/Reuters")
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered a year-end review of his first year since returning to the White House. Trump opened his address to the nation by slamming the record of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden , insisting that his administration ‘inherited a mess’.
“Over the past 11 months, we have brought more positive change to Washington than any administration in American history. There’s never been anything like it,” Trump said. He went on to list out all his policy achievements, including the tariffs he imposed on foreign goods. The American leader attributed much of his administration’s perceived successes this year to his tariff policies.
“Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs, my favourite word, tariffs, which for many decades have been used successfully by other countries against us, but not anymore,” Trump said. “Companies know that if they build in America, there are no tariffs, and that’s why they’re coming home to the U.S.A. in record numbers. They’re building factories and plants at levels we haven’t seen,” he added. However, he did not elaborate on the details of the figures.
However, a report from Goldman Sachs analysts published in October suggested that American consumers were taking on as much as 55 per cent of the costs of tariffs. Trump has continued to insist that the country is doing better than ever, an approach he is taking tonight.
Trump says prices are coming down, but the figures say otherwise
In his brief address to the nation, the American leader pointed out how prices are coming down under his administration. He said that under his predecessor, car prices rose 22 per cent, and in many states 30 per cent or more," gasoline rose 30 to 50 per cent, hotel rates rose 37 per cent, and airfares rose 31 per cent.
“Under our leadership, they are coming down and coming down fast,” he furthered. However, the reality is more complicated. It was unclear what source the White House used for its price information.
According to the Consumer Price Index data , which the government publishes, new and used car prices rose 26 per cent, gasoline prices rose 22%, hotel rates rose 20 per cent, and airfare rose 3.5 per cent under Biden.
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View AllTrump announces ‘warrior dividend’
One of the key highlights of his address was the announcement of a “warrior dividend” for military service members. “A warrior dividend in honour of our nation’s founding in 1776,” Trump said in his address to the nation. “We are sending every soldier $1,776. Think of that, and the checks are already on the way.”
Trump noted that more than one million service members will receive the payment. “Nobody deserves it more than our military, and I say congratulations to everybody,” he said. He also claimed that his government have secured a “record-breaking $18 trillion of investment into the United States.”
Overall, Trump used his speech to take potshots at some of his most frequent targets, including Biden, migrants and transgender people. He even called out the Biden administration for “men playing in women’s sports, transgender for everybody,” and he later aimed at migrants whom he accused of taking jobs that he rescued back for the American worker, saying, “Illegal aliens stole American jobs.”