Trump gives himself high marks in 2025 report card, with his eyes on 2026 fight
In a White House speech, the president claimed economic and foreign policy wins while urging voters to back his agenda in the midterms
In a defiant 18-minute address from the White House, Trump awarded his administration straight A’s for what he hailed as a year of unprecedented American greatness.
“We are making America great again tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure. Inflation has stopped. Wages are up, prices are down. Our nation is strong. America is respected, and our country is back stronger than ever,” he said.
Using the speech as both a retrospective and a campaign-style pitch, Trump claimed to have saved the economy through aggressive tariffs and “settled eight wars in 10 months” through a series of foreign policy pivots, including a controversial peace deal for Gaza.
FULL EVENT: US President Donald Trump addresses the nation
He pointed to “bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin” and the “strongest border in history” as evidence of a fulfilled mandate, while teasing next year’s priorities, which included tax cuts, cash giveaways and lower energy costs. The issues were expected to define next year’s midterm elections.