United States President Donald Trump, as he is about to complete one year of coming back to power for a second term, promised Americans an economic boom in an address to the nation on November 17, while blaming his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for high prices that have hit the Republican’s popularity.
“Good evening, America. Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” the 79-year-old said in his live speech from the White House, as he continues to face growing voter anger over the issue of affordability, despite his efforts to dismiss it as a “hoax” by Democrats, an issue that has sparked fears among Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The President insisted that prices of gas and groceries that have worried Americans were “falling rapidly, and it’s not done yet. But boy, are we making progress.”
The address contained another surprise announcement, where the Republican said that 1.45 million United States military service members would each receive “warrior dividend” bonus checks for USD 1,776 before Christmas, paid for with revenues raised from trade tariffs. Another specific amount has been set aside to honour the year of the founding of the United States, the 250th anniversary of which the world’s largest economy will celebrate next year.
Donald Trump then promised that “we are poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen” in 2026, as the country gears up to co-host the FIFA World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico. However, a lion’s share of Trump’s address contained repeated attacks against Biden, Democrats, and migrants whom he said “stole American jobs,” instead of setting out an economic agenda that will dominate his administration’s discourse in the next three to four years.
Polls further reflect Americans’ worst concern: high prices, with experts stating the situation has been partly fuelled by the tariffs Donald Trump has slapped on trading partners around the world. While the previous administration faced similar outrage as well, as the United States was recovering from the disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump got his worst approval ratings ever for his handling of the economy in a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll published on December 17, with 57% of Americans disapproving and expressing concerns about the cost of living.
A YouGov poll published on December 16 showed that 52% of Americans thought the economy was getting worse under Donald Trump’s watch. He has also faced criticism from voters for focusing on peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza and on tensions with Venezuela, instead of domestic issues. And things look shaky in the lead-up to the midterm elections, as Republicans lost heavily in elections in November for the mayor of New York and governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, while Democrats ran them close in a previously safe area in Tennessee.
To counter this, Donald Trump has been on a domestic travel spree. On his recent trip to Pennsylvania, the Republican promised to “make America affordable again.”
Vice President JD Vance, who is rapidly becoming Trump’s messenger on the issue as he eyes his own presidential run in 2028, also urged voters to show patience.