President Donald Trump’s hastily announced Wednesday evening address to the nation proved anticlimactic. The president mostly used the event to hit familiar talking points, such as painting an overly rosy picture of the economy or blaming former President Joe Biden for ongoing problems. The speech also failed to address many of the criticisms and controversies that continue to linger over the Trump administration.
Trump blames Biden, misrepresents own record in campaign-style White House speech
After announcing earlier this week that he would address the nation, Trump delivered an 18-minute speech from the White House on Wednesday night. The address was primarily centered on claiming a list of accomplishments and blaming Biden for the current administration’s failures.
“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump began his speech, setting the tone for the rest of his remarks.
What followed was a list of things that Trump claimed to have either achieved already or pledged to accomplish soon. The president claimed success in lowering inflation, cracking down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking, and “restoring safety to our most dangerous cities.” Trump also claimed that his administration would continue to lower drug prices through a new “Trump Rx” website, and he again touted his nebulous plan to reduce the cost of health insurance.
Trump delivered his speech standing behind a podium in the White House Diplomatic Reception Room instead of sitting behind the desk of the Oval Office, and the address was reminiscent of his campaign rallies. The president frequently raised his voice and at times appeared to stumble while reading the prepared text. The speech also resembled Trump’s rallies in the amount of misleading claims and disinformation he presented. According to one NBC News fact-checking article, Trump exaggerated or outright lied concerning inflation numbers and the prices of goods, grossly inflated the number of undocumented immigrants that entered the United States under the Biden administration, and made boasts about lowering drug prices that are not supported by data.
Trump’s speech lacked policies or a clear purpose
Trump’s speech was perhaps most notable for what it didn’t include. Despite speculation that he would give major policy announcements, the president mostly covered familiar talking points, ranging from boasts about tax cuts to racist attacks against Somali residents in Minnesota. The president didn’t discuss escalating military actions against Venezuela, including a military blockade of oil shipments. Nor did he cover controversial issues such as the lingering Epstein scandal; new files relating to the sex offender’s case are set to be released Friday, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of many people viewing GOP moves like Trump’s speech as distraction techniques.
“Reminder that the Epstein Files are supposed to be released on Friday and every political development that you see between now until then should be viewed with that in mind,” the Democratic congresswoman posted hours before Trump’s speech.
Perhaps the only new initiative announced Wednesday was a payment of $1,776 — a reference to the founding of the United States — that Trump announced will be paid this month to each of the 1.4 million active-duty U.S. military personnel. The president claims that revenue from his tariff policy and money resulting from this summer’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would pay for the one-time bonus. Otherwise, the speech lacked new policy announcements or major revelations concerning existing domestic and international controversies. The content and tone of Trump’s speech reminded some viewers of his social media comments more than a presidential address.
“We’re watching a televised Truth Social post,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, said with a meme GIF.
Overall, Trump’s speech likely did little to alleviate concerns about inflation or the prospect of the U.S. going to war in Latin America. Nor did it cover controversies ranging from Epstein to the recent, unflattering and shockingly candid remarks made by the president’s chief of staff. Instead, Trump delivered a rare primetime presidential address that many view as misleading, uninformative and unnecessary.