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Trump offered few details of the content of the speech but told reporters that the message of the address is ‘we inherited a mess and we've done a great job’
Rhian Lubin in New York & Kelly RissmanThursday 18 December 2025 01:20 GMT- Bookmark
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President Donald Trump is set to address the nation amid rising tensions with Venezuela, and as Americans are growing more frustrated with his handling of the economy.
Trump offered few details of the content of the speech but told reporters Wednesday that the message of the address is “we inherited a mess and we've done a great job.”
In the hours leading up to the scheduled address from the Oval Office, where Trump is also expected to announce his agenda for 2026, the president trolled his Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
White House staff updated the portraits along the so-called “Presidential Walk of Fame” by describing Biden as “the worst President in American History,” and Obama as “one of the most divisive political figures.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that some of the plaques “were written directly by the President himself.”
Leavitt also teased the contents of Trump’s Wednesday night address by telling reporters that the president plans to “talk a lot about the accomplishments over the past 11 months, all that he's done to bring our country back to greatness, and all he continues to plan to do to continue delivering for the American people over the next three years.”
Trump is due to speak at 9 p.m. ET.
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- Trump calls for ‘total and complete blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers from Venezuela
Team Newsom troll Trump over Presidential Walk of Fame
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his team appear to be having a good time mocking the Trump administration over the recent additions to the so-called “Presidential Walk of Fame.”
Newsom’s official press office account on X shared a mock-up of the extremely close-up Vanity Fair shots of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Vice President JD Vance and White House aide Stephen Miller, and threw one in of Trump closing his eyes for good measure.
Earlier Wednesday, White House staff updated the portraits along the so-called “Presidential Walk of Fame” by describing Joe Biden as “the worst President in American History,” and Barack Obama as “one of the most divisive political figures.”
Newsom also weighed in on Trump’s address to the nation and agreed that he has had “a year of historic accomplishments”
Rhian Lubin18 December 2025 01:20Watch: Trump doesn't give away many details of his address
President Donald Trump didn’t give much away when quizzed by reporters earlier about what he might say later this evening.
Rhian Lubin18 December 2025 01:00How Venezuela sends oil around the world despite sanctions — and why Trump wants to put a stop to it
The White House has not shared the full details of President Donald Trump’s remarks, expected at 9 p.m. tonight.
Trump’s address follows his order Tuesday night of a “total and complete” blockade of sanctioned oil tankers from Venezuela as part of an ongoing pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Venezuela has control over the largest known oil reserve in the world, producing around 1 million barrels a day.
Its oil reserves are found primarily in the Orinoco Belt, a region in the country’s east that covers around 55,000 sq km.
The country’s proven reserves are estimated at more than 303 billion barrels, which is the largest reserve worldwide — trumping Saudi Arabia’s 297.7 billion barrels.
Alex Croft has more.
How Venezuela sends oil around the world despite sanctions
The U.S. seized a Venezuelan oil tanker last week in a move described by Nicolas Maduro’s government as an ‘act of international piracy’Rhian Lubin18 December 2025 00:40Trump address comes as Americans are growing more angry with his handling of the economy
President Donald Trump’s address tonight comes on the heels of new polling that found Americans are expressing growing frustration with his management of the economy.
The latest NPR/PBS News/Marist survey found that 57 percent of respondents disapprove of Trump’s economic management, compared with 36 percent who approve — the lowest rating on this issue across his two terms in office.
Partisan differences remain sharp: 81 percent of Republicans say Trump is doing a good job, while 91 percent of Democrats disagree. Among independents, a clearer picture emerges: 68 percent disapprove, compared with just 24 percent who approve.
Brendan Rascius reports.
Americans are growing more angry with Trump’s handling of the economy, poll finds
“The longer this goes on, the harder it is to get those numbers back,” one pollster said.Rhian Lubin18 December 2025 00:20Full story: Fani Willis blasts Republican-led ‘QAnon committee’ in heated hearing over collapsed Trump case
The Georgia prosecutor who led a sprawling criminal case against Donald Trump sparred with Republican state lawmakers investigating her decision to investigate the president and his allies for their efforts to overturn the state’s election results in 2020.
A furious Willis asked Republicans on a state Senate committee why they didn’t investigate “how many times my house has been swatted” and “how many times they’ve called me the n-word” after her office secured a grand jury indictment.
“I took an oath to do the right thing. People came into my community and committed a crime and I indicted them, and rest assured, if someone else comes in my community and commits a crime, I will indict them again,” she said.
Fani Willis blasts GOP-led ‘QAnon committee’ in heated hearing on Trump case
Fulton County prosecutor slams ‘dumba**’ questions from Republicans investigating her office after Trump’s last criminal case fell apartAlex Woodward18 December 2025 00:00Survivor finale to be interrupted by Trump’s address
Bad news for fans of Survivor...the finale will be interrupted on CBS tonight while President Donald Trump delivers his address.
CBS announced that the 3-hour finale will begin at 8 p.m. ET and “will resume where it left off immediately following the president’s address for Eastern and Central Time Zone viewers.”
The show is in its 49th season.
The network is hosting an hour-long special report on Trump’s address with anchor Norah O’Donnell at 9 p.m. ET
Rhian Lubin17 December 2025 23:40NEW: FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announces plans to step down early next year
Hours ahead of President Donald Trump’s address, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced that he is set to depart his role next month, concluding a brief tenure as the bureau's second-highest official.
“I want to thank President Trump, AG Bondi, and Director Patel for the opportunity to serve with purpose. Most importantly, I want to thank you, my fellow Americans, for the privilege to serve you,” Bongino said on X.
Bongino’s tenure with the department has been in question since July, when he reportedly clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the administration’s failure to release the Jeffrey Epstein files over the summer.
Read more below...
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announces plans to step down early next year
‘I think he wants to go back to his show,’ Trump said when asked about Bongino’s departure Rhian Lubin17 December 2025 23:20What will Trump say in his primetime address?
Trump is expected to deliver remarks from the Oval Office at 9 p.m. ET but has not offered few details about what they will be about.
In a brief message on Truth Social Tuesday, he said “it has been a great year for our country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
He told reporters Wednesday that the message of the address is “we inherited a mess and we've done a great job.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president plans to “talk a lot about the accomplishments over the past 11 months, all that he's done to bring our country back to greatness, and all he continues to plan to do to continue delivering for the American people over the next three years.”
She told Fox News that he may be “teasing some policy that will be coming in the new year.”
But his rare evening address is coming in the middle of growing tensions with Venezuela, nosediving polls and a grim economic outlook as he concludes his first year back in office with a largely unpopular agenda.
He also is delivering the remarks within a formal White House setting while he prepares to return to rally-like events where he can speak at length about anything ahead of 2026 midterm elections with the balance of power in Congress — and the fate of his legislative agenda for his last years in office — at stake.
(AP)Alex Woodward17 December 2025 23:00Read The Independent's interview with the photographer who shot the images in Vanity Fair
Striking photos in Vanity Fair depicted every freckle, line, strand of hair and makeup smudge on Trump’s inner circle at the White House.
For many, seeing every imperfection on the faces of the typically polished political figures was jaw-dropping.
We talked to the photographer who shot them.
I like the idea of penetrating the theater of politics
Vanity Fair portraits of White House leaders hoped to cut through ‘political theater’
Exclusive: Photographer Christopher Anderson told The Independent that his photographs of administration officials were consistent with his other portraitsAriana Baio17 December 2025 22:40Ex-cop sues after arrest over anti-Trump meme
Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail on a $2 million bond after posting a meme on Facebook in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing that quoted Donald Trump’s response to a different shooting.
The quote? “We have to get over it.”
“I spent over three decades in law enforcement, and have the utmost respect for the law,” Bushart said Wednesday. “But I also know my rights, and I was arrested for nothing more than refusing to be bullied into censorship.”
Bushart and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Tennessee authorities alleging violations of his constitutional rights in retaliation for his protected speech.
“If police can come to your door in the middle of the night and put you behind bars based on nothing more than an entirely false and contrived interpretation of a Facebook post, no one’s First Amendment rights are safe,” FIRE senior attorney Adam Steinbaugh said.
Alex Woodward17 December 2025 22:20Newer1 / 6OlderMore about
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