Trump speech praised achievements, bashed Biden presidency

US President Donald Trump has added often unflattering descriptions to portraits of former presidents included in the "Presidential Walk of Fame" that he established at the White House a couple of months ago.

Trump's predecessor for his second term, President Joe Biden — who is represented by a picture of an autopen signing his name rather than a portrait — reads: "Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American history."

The description falsely accuses Biden of winning the "most corrupt election ever" and claims he made "unprecedented use of the autopen."

Former President Barack Obama, the US' first Black leader, is labeled as "one of the most divisive political figures in American history."

The plaque below former President George W. Bush's portrait claims that Bush "started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which should not have happened."

However, one president, the incumbent, receives particularly fulsome praise spread over two displays marking his two terms.

In the first, Trump is lauded for having created "the Greatest Economy in the History of the World" and for what is described as a "landslide" victory in 2016 elections, where he received a vote of 304-227 at the Electoral College.

The second records his popular-vote victory in 2024 — which he failed to achieve in 2016 — and adds: "THE BEST IS YET TO COME."

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the "plaques are eloquently written descriptions of each President and the legacy they left behind."   

"As a student of history, many were written directly by the President himself," she said.

The descriptions do, indeed, bear the personal mark of Trump in their bombast, mockery and maverick use of capitalization.

 

Trump used a significant part of his speech to praise his record on immigration. 

He pointed to his efforts on tightening the US border and referred to mass deportations, saying his administration was removing criminals. 

Trump also slammed former President Joe Biden for letting the United States be "invaded by an army of 25 million people" during his term. 

Figures in the Trump administration have widely used this number since mid-2024 when Trump was running his presidential campaign. 

But this number has widely been debunked by fact checkers. 

It's estimated that some 7.4 million undocumented immigrants crossed illegally in the US under Biden. 

If undocumented migrants who cross at legal checkpoints are included, this figure would rise to just over 10 million people, according to broadcaster NBC and other US outlets. 

In his Wednesday speech, Trump claimed that energy prices, including gasoline, had dropped and that they would continue to drop more.

But they aren’t at the levels he claims.

The president said the national average gas price was $2.50 per gallon (around €.67 per liter). But the average nationally is $2.90 per gallon for the week ending December 15.

That's according to the -Energy Information Administration, a government statistical agency.

Without providing evidence, Trump also said household energy costs have dropped by $3,000.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino has said he'll leave the agency in January after holding the position for less than ten months. 

Bongino, a former right-wing podcaster, was appointed by Trump in March amid criticism of his lack of experience. 

You can read more about Bongino's departure from the FBI here.

Trump has finished speaking. 

We'll bring you analysis of what he said during the live televised address shortly.

Trump has promised what he called a "warrior dividend" of $1,776 (around €1,500) for military service personnel as a Christmas bonus.

He said the checks have already been sent to the around 1.5 million service personnel. 

The expenditure, paid for by revenues raised by tariffs, would total roughly $2.6 billion.

Trump is traditionally enjoys support from military personnel. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, somethree-fifths (or 61%) of those who served in the military or military reserves said they supported Trump.

Trump spent the beginning of his speech bashing former President Joe Biden and boasting of his what he sees as his achievements during his first year in office.

He said he had "inherited a mess" and "the worst border in the world" from the Biden administration.

"We have brought more positive change to Washington than any administration in American history," he said.

He briefly touched on many topics during his speech, including crime, immigration, the war on drugs and restoring strength in America's military.

He is also talking about bringing prices down, a topic of concern for many Americans amid an affordability crisis.

He is also praising his adminstration's record on wage increases and employment.

"We are the hottest country anywhere in the world," he said.

US President Donald Trump's speech comes amid his falling popularity and concerns over rising costs.

His approval rating decreased from 41% to 39% in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday.

Just one-third (33%) of Americans approve of how he is handing the economy, the poll found.

A November survey by US broadcaster CBS News and YouGov showed that nearly two-thirds (or 65%) of Americans felt Trump's policies were making the cost of groceries go up. 

US President Donald Trump previewed his speech to reporters on Wednesday, saying, "The message this evening is we inherited a mess, and we've done a great job, and we continue to, and our country is going to be stonger than ever before very soon."

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump may tease policy moves that are likely to come next year, too.

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