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Each holiday season, mailboxes are stuffed with family updates from dear aunts—sharing cousins’ milestones, vacations, pets, and New Year’s goals—all wrapped in as much sweetness as their cookie platters.
Wednesday evening, the world got a look at President Donald Trump’s version of a Christmas letter: a disjointed tirade delivered from the White House. It was a self-assessed check-in, coming as the public grows increasingly skeptical about what they signed up for by re-electing Trump. Unlike at the start of the year, Trump now seems to have lost control of his Republican Party; more lawmakers are realizing the costs of continuing to defend him on issues like health care costs, political retaliation, economic recovery, and even files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
As outgoing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene noted Tuesday, this is a sign that “the dam is breaking.” Still, Trump appeared to be taking a self-congratulatory victory lap while onlookers wondered when he’d stop getting in his own way.
Trump’s 20-minute address from the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room could have easily fit at a campaign-style rally. But those events don’t always get live major network coverage or primetime billing. So Americans and global viewers watched as he vented his go-to grievances about Democrats, migration, border policies, transgender rights, wokeness, self-dealing, the environment, and the economy—every culture war issue that helped him win last year but has proven harder to tackle than promised.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess and I’m fixing it,” Trump said in what felt like a blatant plea for his base to stay loyal. If this were a late-night selfie, friends might call it overly desperate.
Sensing frustration over how unaffordable daily life is for many Americans, Trump tried to blame Democrats—who’ve held no power in Washington for the past 11 months. “This happened during a Democratic administration. That’s when we first heard the word ‘affordability,’” he claimed. “Over the past 11 months, we’ve brought more positive change to Washington than any administration in history. Nothing like this has ever happened.”
He highlighted tariffs (which, unmentioned, sparked a trade war making holidays costlier for millions) and touted a no-mercy border policy cutting crossings to decades-low levels, plus anti-immigrant measures that have made raids common in major cities. To top it off, he promised active-duty soldiers a $1,776 bonus—already in the mail, he said—to honor the U.S.’s 250th anniversary next year.
Despite Trump’s boastful claims of unmitigated success, his polling is among the worst for any president at this term stage. The NPR/PBS/Marist poll taken last week found 57% of Americans disapprove of his economic handling—once a key asset. Even 30% of Republicans believe the country is already in a .
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose last month to its highest level since September 2021, when Biden guided the economy out of the pandemic. A monthly inflation report—the first since a record-long government shutdown—is due Thursday.
Trump’s speech also omitted that health care subsidies are set to expire in days. Hours earlier, House Republicans again defied leadership, using a procedural trick to demand a vote on extending subsidies (despite Trump’s opposition). The vote won’t happen until after expiration, so many could see premiums double Jan. 1. The Senate already rejected a similar gambit.
The fact that Trump gave this speech shows he knows most Americans doubt his presidency’s success. Wednesday night’s address won’t fix that. Trump thrives on praise, but even long-time apologists are fed up. Recently, his comment on a murdered Hollywood legend and his wife drew near-unanimous revulsion. Eventually, people see reality and ignore the rhetoric.
It’s like the family letter that uses mountains of euphemisms to hide disappointment. Fancy stationery doesn’t make a positive message believable—whether it’s family lore or a national agenda.
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