A fiery President Donald Trump on Wednesday night promised Americans a shock-and-awe push for affordability, offering a glimpse of his 2026 agenda to overhaul Democrat policies that have left housing and health insurance increasingly out of reach for working Americans.”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 – stronger than ever before. We are poised for an economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen,” he declared in a nationally televised address from the White House.
In tone and delivery, Trump brought optimism to the 20-minute address and vowed to voters that they would soon see lower prices, higher wages and a brighter future. He also made clear he intends to inject himself onto the midterm elections ballot when Americans will choose which party will control Congress in 2026.
Woven throughout the speech were assurances that while many foreign issues have captured the Trump triage, America’s kitchen table issues are his main focus.
At many points in the speech, Trump reflected back on a year prior, and the near-anemic economy Americans were suffering with, emphasizing that they can’t afford to go back to the era of Democratic policies.
The speech was markedly and definitively “Trump.” Senior White House aides confirmed to Just The News that shortly before the speech, the president tinkered with it and added his own fiery flair.
Affordability reigns supreme going into 2026
Affordability has been a looming issue over much of Trump’s first year of his second term. Early wins like the One, Big Beautiful Bill Act and immigration policy successes are in the rearview mirror going into midterms, so all eyes for congressional campaigns next year will be on kitchen table issues and bringing down prices.
Democrats lead Republicans on the 2026 generic ballot 48 to 45, but a change in prices could convince 74% of them that inflation and costs are no longer a problem, according to a new Echelon Insights poll.
In Trump’s second term, policies like sweeping tax cuts, aggressive deregulation and unleashing American energy production have driven real wage growth of nearly 4% and lowered inflation to an average of 2.7%, making essentials more affordable for Americans. Republicans support these America First measures, which have fueled explosive GDP growth and reversed the cost-of-living damage inherited from previous administrations.
The lingering affordability challenges stem from prior reckless spending and global disruptions, but Trump and Republicans can address them head-on through existing energy policies that will further produce energy abundance, lowering gas prices, protective tariffs encouraging domestic manufacturing, and deficit-reducing reforms that could bring even greater relief ahead.
Affordability crisis: an inherited mess
When Trump assumed office in January, he inherited an economy still reeling from the inflationary surge of the Biden administration. Prices for everyday necessities — groceries, gas, and housing — rose sharply over the previous four years, with cumulative inflation pushing costs up by more than 21% in many categories.
“We’re bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin. The last administration and their allies in Congress looted our Treasury for trillions of dollars, driving up prices at levels never seen before. I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast,” he promised Americans.
Although headline-grabbing inflation had moderated by late 2024, the permanent increase in price levels left many American households struggling with reduced purchasing power, record-high credit card debt, and a persistent affordability crisis that hit working families hardest.
Addressing the other piece of the inflation equation, wages, Trump touted increasing wages under his administration, “You will see in your wallets and bank accounts in the new year, after years of record-setting falling incomes, our policies of boosting take-home pay are at a historic pace. Under Biden, real wages plummeted by $3,000. Under Trump, the typical factory worker is seeing a wage increase of $1,300. For construction workers, it’s $1,800. For miners, we’re bringing back clean, beautiful coal, and it’s $3,300 and for the first time in years, wages are rising much faster than inflation.
Compounding these issues is a ballooning national debt, which, under Biden, grew by trillions due to expansive spending programs and rising deficits. Interest payments on the debt were consuming a larger share of the federal budget, while elevated interest rates—needed to tame the prior inflation—made borrowing more expensive for businesses and consumers alike, slowing investment and contributing to housing unaffordability. Trump took over at a time when these structural imbalances required careful navigation to restore stability. He assured Americans on Wednesday that the policies his administration enacted in year one would bear fruit in year two.
Gas prices plummet under Trump
During Trump’s second term, U.S. national average gas prices have significantly declined, dropping below $3 per gallon in early December for the first time since May 2021 and reaching around $2.91 per gallon in recent days, marking the lowest levels in over four years.
The sharp decrease is due in part to falling global crude oil prices—down substantially due to increased production from OPEC+ countries and non-OPEC producers like the U.S., alongside ample supply, strong refinery output, and softer seasonal demand. Trump’s pro-energy policies, including deregulation and emphasis on “energy dominance” and “drill, baby, drill” through expanded domestic production and drilling, have contributed to boosting U.S. output and supporting lower prices.
Next year’s return to domestic issues
While Trump has achieved significant successes on the foreign front, like ending conflicts and renegotiating trade deals, many of his voters want to see his focus returned to U.S. soil. Trump’s Chief of Staff echoed that sentiment when she spoke to Vanity Fair earlier this week.
In a series of on-the-record interviews published December 16, Wiles candidly suggested that Trump should shift his public emphasis, saying, “More talk about the domestic economy and less about Saudi Arabia is probably called for,” while adding that voters “like peace in the world” but “that’s not why he was elected.”
Her remarks embody the sentiment of much of Trump’s base that his heavy focus on foreign affairs risked overshadowing kitchen-table concerns like affordability and cost of living. That sentiment also reaches the Republican Party with broader bubbling concerns within lawmakers, strategists, and allies who have privately and publicly urged the administration to pivot toward domestic priorities amid anxieties over economic perceptions and upcoming political challenges.
A Christmas gift for America’s warriors
Trump also announced a special one-time payment called the “warrior dividend” for over 1.45 million U.S. military service members, amounting to $1,776 each, to be delivered before Christmas and funded through tariff revenues. The amount symbolically references the year 1776, honoring the nation’s founding.
“Nobody deserves it more than our military,” he said.
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