Trump announces a Christmas bonus of $1,776 for U.S. troops

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday night from the White House that 1.45 million U.S. military personnel would receive $1,776 before Christmas. The president assured that the payments are being financed with revenue from tariffs and presented them as a direct recognition of the service of the country's Armed Forces.

“The checks are already on the way,” Trump confirmed during his speech from the Diplomatic Reception Room.

The president used his speech to present a political and economic balance of his first eleven months in office, assuring the country that it is entering an accelerated recovery after the presidency of Joe Biden.

"Tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure, inflation is stopped, wages are up, prices are down, our nation is strong, America is respected, and our country is back... We're poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen," Trump said.

Trump also took direct aim at the previous Democratic administration, blaming it for the deterioration of purchasing power, particularly in the housing market.

“The yearly cost of a typical new mortgage increased by $15,000 dollars under Democrat rule. In 11 months, I have already gotten that annual cost down by $3,000 dollars,” the Republican president argued.

On investment, Trump claimed to have secured historic figures for the U.S. economy.

"Already, I've secured a record-breaking $18 trillion dollars of investment into the United States—which means Jobs, wage increases, growth, factory openings, and far greater national security," he declared.

The speech also included several statements on security, foreign policy and control of narco-trafficking. "Drugs brought in by Ocean and Sea are down 94%," he said.

On the international front, Trump was even more forceful: "I've restored American Strength, settled 8 wars in 10 months, destroyed the Iran Nuclear Threat, and ended the war in Gaza—bringing, for the first time in 3,000 years, Peace to the Middle East."

Trump closed with a political message aimed at his electoral base, marking a contrast with the last four years: "For the last four years, the United States was ruled by politicians who fought only for the insiders… But now, you have a president who fights for the law-abiding, hardworking people of our country—the ones who make this nation run."