Takeaway: Trump’s Year-End Address
Trump covered a wide variety of topics in the 18-minute speech, from wages and employment to the strength of the military and his efforts to address illegal immigration.
On December 17, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered a primetime year-end address to the nation, rather than a formal State of the Union. This 18-minute speech focused on the achievements of his administration's first 11 months and outlined several new initiatives intended to provide financial relief to Americans. Trump announced a "$1,776 dividend" for U.S. military personnel, totaling roughly $2.6 billion. The payments are being disbursed from a military housing supplement established under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act". Highlighting that housing affordability has improved slightly, Trump pledged further reforms for 2026 to lower mortgage costs, which he claimed have already decreased by an average of $3,000 annually since he took office. The administration announced the termination of previous "CAFE standards" and electric vehicle mandates, which the White House claims will save the average consumer at least $1,000 on the price of a new car.
Trump touted new tax relief measures under a Republican-led budget bill, framing them as a major pillar of his economic strategy for the coming year. The president reaffirmed his commitment to his "immigration crackdown," linking past policies to current economic stability.
“1,450,000 military service members will receive a special, we call, warrior dividend before Christmas. A warrior dividend. In honor of our nation’s founding in 1776, we are sending every soldier $1,776,” Trump said during his televised address to the nation. “And the checks are already on the way.”
On December 11, Trump signed an executive order intended to curb state-level artificial intelligence regulations to prevent a "patchwork" of laws that might hinder national security or innovation.
Recent executive actions in November and December exempted certain agricultural products (such as coffee, fruit, and beef) from reciprocal tariffs to mitigate rising food prices. New directives were issued to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to expedite license applications and quadruple nuclear energy capacity by 2050. ++
