Trump Bah! Humbug! Speech Casts a Dark Shadow Over the Holiday Season. It may come to be remembered as the “Bah! Humbug!” speech. Standing amid Christmas trees, garlands and a glowing fireplace, Donald Trump delivered a performance reminiscent of Ebenezer Scrooge joyless, accusatory and devoid of festive goodwill. Rather than spreading seasonal cheer, the US president struck a bitter tone, lashing out at Joe Biden and revisiting familiar grievances, particularly on immigration. Any sense of Christmas spirit was notably absent.
Like Biden, Trump skipped the traditional year-end presidential press conference, opting instead for a heavily promoted 20-minute address. Rather than seated in the Oval Office, he stood in the diplomatic room and launched into a flat, angry monologue. Dressed in his trademark blue suit, white shirt and red tie, he spoke in a breathless stream with little pause. According to a White House pool report, three Diet Cokes were brought in just before he began fuel, perhaps, for the tirade that followed.
Trump Bah! Humbug! Speech
Trump opened by claiming he had “inherited a mess” and was fixing it, repeating the false assertion that inflation was at a 48-year high when he took office, despite figures showing it had already fallen to around 3%. He blamed Biden, past trade deals, immigrants and what he called a corrupt system, while recycling inflammatory campaign rhetoric about borders, crime and “woke radicals”. He again mocked concerns about affordability, though he conceded prices remain high, insisting the country is on the brink of a boom.
He touted falling gas prices, despite graphics showing only modest changes, and announced a $1,776 “warrior dividend” for service members, funded, he claimed, by tariff revenue without acknowledging that those tariffs have also raised consumer costs. As usual, he boasted of ending wars and bringing historic peace, while repeating divisive remarks about migrants and minority communities.
The address felt less like a confident leader offering reassurance and more like a president under pressure. Low approval ratings, internal Republican dissent and the looming release of the Jeffrey Epstein files cast a shadow over the performance. Trump’s long-standing need for political enemies was also on display, even as figures like Biden fade from public focus. When it ended, Trump asked aides how he did and took another sip of Diet Coke. There was little comfort or joy just the sense that, for now, the story remains stuck in its bleakest chapter.
