Trump’s ‘Bah! Humbug!’ address signals he is feeling the cold of opinion polls

It is likely to be remembered as the “Bah! Humbug!” address.

According to Rokna, citing The Guardian, standing before a fireplace framed by Christmas trees and garlands, Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered a striking impression of Ebenezer Scrooge, the notorious miser who loathes Christmas and blames everyone but himself.

The US president sounded increasingly embattled, directing his anger toward Joe Biden and spreading the opposite of goodwill and generosity on issues such as immigration. So much for the season of joy.

Like Biden, Trump has dispensed with the traditional year-end presidential press conference, opting instead for a heavily promoted 20-minute address. Had he been seated in the Oval Office, he might have nodded off; instead, he stood in the diplomatic room, launching into a monotone tirade.

Dressed in a blue suit, white shirt and red tie, Trump delivered a breathless, shout-heavy monologue with almost no pauses. His chief of staff, Susie Wiles, has previously remarked that he has an “alcoholic’s personality”, though this appeared more like a sugar rush: according to a White House pool report, moments before the speech an aide brought in three Diet Cokes with ice.

“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump declared, opening with a false claim. He asserted that inflation was at a 48-year high when he took office, despite the fact it had already fallen to around 3%.

He proceeded to assign blame to Biden, earlier trade agreements, immigrants and what he called a corrupt system. Echoing his campaign rallies, Trump painted an extreme picture of Biden forcing “transgender for everybody” and opening the borders to criminals from mental institutions. He claimed to have “broken the grip of sinister woke radicals in our schools”.

The president has frequently dismissed concerns over affordability as a Democratic fabrication. On Wednesday, however, he acknowledged that prices remain elevated, while insisting the country is “poised” for economic growth. “I am bringing those high prices down, and I’m bringing them down very fast,” he said. As evidence, he cited falling gasoline prices, even though a White House graphic aired by Fox News at the same time showed only a modest decline in the national average.

Trump also announced a forthcoming “warrior dividend” of $1,776 for 1.45 million US service members. He said the payment was funded by tariff revenues, without noting that those same tariffs have contributed to higher consumer prices.

He repeated familiar boasts about ending eight wars and delivering peace to the Middle East “for the first time in 3,000 years”. Trump also revived inflammatory remarks targeting Somali Americans and echoed European far-right rhetoric, claiming: “We are now seeing reverse migration as migrants go back home, leaving more housing and more jobs for Americans.”

This was not the address of a confident leader handing out Christmas gifts to the nation. Instead, it conveyed desperation from a president acutely aware of the December chill of public opinion. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday showed just 33% of US adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy. Added to that are divisions within Republican ranks and the looming release of the Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday.

The speech further underscored Trump’s reliance on a familiar adversary. Over the years, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have served as convenient targets for a political movement defined more by opposition than by policy.

That theme was reinforced earlier Wednesday, when plaques were unveiled on Trump’s presidential walk of fame at the White House, labeling “Barack Hussein Obama … one of the most divisive political figures in American history” and declaring, “Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American history”.

In reality, Biden has been out of office for 11 months, and public attention has largely moved on. Trump appears in need of a new antagonist, but Democrats currently lack a clear figure for him to attack.

After the speech concluded and he was given the all-clear, Trump turned to reporters and asked, “You think that’s easy?” before taking a sip of Diet Coke. He suggested the address had been Wiles’s idea and asked how he had performed. She reassured him: “I told you 20 minutes and you were 20 minutes on the dot.”

Yet the speech offered little comfort or festive spirit. This remains the part of the story where Scrooge, the Grinch and Mr Potter are at their most unrepentant, determined to crush Christmas cheer. Friday, however, looms large: beware Epstein, the ghost of Christmas past.