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WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a prime-time address at the White House on Wednesday, Dec. 17, as he nears the end of his first year in office.
President Trump announced his 9pm ET speech in a post on Truth Social, but did not say what he would discuss.
“Well, I look forward to seeing you all. It’s been a great year for our country, and the best is yet to come!” Trump said.
The speech came as Trump’s job approval rating has declined (NBC News reported his approval rating was 42% in a Dec. 14 poll) as the president struggles to turn around Americans’ bleak outlook for the economy.
An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted last week found that 31% of Americans approve of President Trump’s economic response, down from 40% in March and the lowest point in either of the president’s two terms.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters that President Trump will use the speech to summarize his administration’s accomplishments over the past year.
“He will talk a lot about the accomplishments of the past 11 months, what he has done to make our country great again, and what he continues to plan to continue to serve the American people over the next three years,” Levitt said.
With less than a year until the 2026 midterm elections, Democrats are defending Trump, accusing the president’s policies of exacerbating a “price crisis.” Trump called for lowering the cost of living from his first day in office last year.
President Trump last week began a speaking tour focused on the economy with a visit to Pennsylvania’s battleground Congressional district in Mount Pocono. In remarks at a casino, President Trump mocked the “affordability hoax” promoted by Democrats. He blamed his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for stubborn inflation and claimed he was trying to fix the mess left by Democrats. President Trump is scheduled to speak in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on Friday, December 19th.
This story has been updated to add new information.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
