In White House speech, Trump highlights victories amid sinking approval ratings

• Trump addresses 2025 accomplishments amid low approval ratings.
• Poll shows only 33% approve of Trump’s economic handling.
• Speech may tout policies to come next year.

In a rare evening address from the White House, US President Donald Trump boasted on Wednesday of his accomplishments and blamed his Democratic predecessor for soaring consumer prices as his party braces for a tough midterm election next year.

“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump said in his opening remarks.

The Republican president, who regularly complains that he does not get credit for his accomplishments, touted his administration’s work this year on a range of issues from reducing border crossings to bringing down prices of some goods.

The address offered an opportunity for the president, if he could stay on message, to address people’s concerns about affordability, an issue that Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly referred to as a Democratic hoax. And again on Wednesday, he blamed the previous administration led by former President Joe Biden, even as Trump conceded that prices remain high.

“I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast,” he said.

Trump’s Republicans are seeking to maintain control of the House of Representatives and Senate in the November elections next year, while Democrats are highlighting affordability concerns and differences over healthcare policy in an attempt to wrest power away.

High inflation during Biden’s four years in office helped Trump beat former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election. But Trump’s tariff policies this year have created uncertainty and lifted prices in an economy that has now been overseen by his administration for nearly a year — and Trump, like Biden before him, has been struggling to persuade Americans that the economy is healthy.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed just 33% of US adults approve of how Trump has handled the economy.

Trump’s remarks took place in the White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room and not the Oval Office, as presidential addresses often do.

Before the speech, the Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, contended that Trump had failed to live up to his campaign promises.

“He promised he’d bring costs down on day one. That was his number-one promise. That was the number-one reason he won the election. And costs are going up and up and up,” Schumer said at a news conference on Capitol Hill.