U.S. service members are set to receive a cash bonus just days before Christmas. In a Wednesday evening address to the nation, President Trump announced that over 1.45 million military personnel will receive a $1,776 “Warrior Dividend,” a figure nodding to the nation’s founding year.
“The checks are already on the way,” Trump said, framing the payout as a result of revenue generated from recent tariffs and legislative bills.
The announcement served as the centerpiece of a speech that leaned heavily on a retrospective of his first 11 months in office, contrasting his administration’s performance with the previous four years.
Speaking from the White House, the President characterized the state of the union he inherited as a “mess” defined by inflation and border insecurity, before pivoting to a list of what he termed historic turnarounds.
Economic metrics took center stage. Trump claimed credit for a rapid cooling of inflation, citing steep drops in the costs of everyday goods ranging from gasoline to groceries. “The price of eggs is down 82% since March,” he noted, asserting that real wages are now rising faster than inflation for the first time in years. He linked these shifts to his aggressive trade policies, specifically the use of tariffs to encourage domestic manufacturing.
“Companies know if they build in America, there are no tariffs,” Trump said. “That’s why they are coming home to the USA in record numbers.”
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Beyond the economy, the President unveiled a major healthcare initiative slated for January: a new government website, trumprx.gov. The platform is designed to offer prescription drugs at significantly reduced prices. Trump stated he used the threat of tariffs to negotiate lower prices with foreign nations and pharmaceutical companies, promising reductions of up to 600%.
“There’s never been anything like this in the history of our country,” he said regarding the drug pricing reforms.
The address also touched on immigration and public safety, with Trump asserting that strict border enforcement has led to a “reverse migration” trend. He claimed that for the past seven months, zero illegal entries have occurred—a statistic he described as a feat previously deemed “impossible.”
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Looking ahead to the new year, the President teased further economic reforms, including the appointment of a new Federal Reserve Chairman committed to lowering interest rates “by a lot” to spur the housing market.
He closed the roughly 28-minute remarks by looking toward the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, positioning his administration’s work as the foundation for the nation’s next chapter.
“One year ago our country was dead,” Trump declared. “Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
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