Trump's 'Bah! Humbug!' address suggests he is feeling the chill of opinion polls

[dalton99a]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/18/trump-end-year-primetime-nation-address-opinion-polls-economy

Trump’s ‘Bah! Humbug!’ address suggests he is feeling the chill of opinion polls
Primetime speech – delivered with shouty spirit but no cheer – betrayed a figure dogged by a cost of living crisis and the looming release of the Epstein files
David Smith in Washington
Thu 18 Dec 2025 00.55 EST

It will go down in history as the “Bah! Humbug!” address.

Surrounded by Christmas trees and garlands before a fireplace, Donald Trump on Wednesday gave a convincing rendition of Ebenezer Scrooge, the elderly miser who despises Christmas and blames everyone but himself.

The US president sounded like a desperate man, pointing an accusing finger at Joe Biden and spreading the opposite of charity and cheer on issues such as immigration. So much for ’tis the season to be jolly.

Like Biden, Trump has abandoned the traditional end-of-year presidential press conference. He preferred to give a much-hyped 20-minute speech. If he had been sitting in the Oval Office, he might have got sleepy; instead he stood in the diplomatic room and ranted with monotone anger.

Wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie, Trump unleashed a shouty stream of consciousness with barely a pause or punctuation mark. Susie Wiles, his chief of staff, recently observed that he has an “alcoholic’s personality” but apparently this was a sugar high: just before the remarks started, according to a White House pool report, an usher brought in three Diet Cokes and ice.

...

[Trueblue1968]

1. I will be soooooooo happy when he is at 25% !!!!!!

[AZ8theist]

6. I'll be much more happy when he's FUCKING DEAD.

[electric_blue68]

12. That. Too!

[buzzycrumbhunger]

28. Seriously.

[Blues Heron]

2. How do you get a sugar high from Diet Coke? I think he means a cocaine high. Also why bring Biden into it?

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Struck Me, Too

Writer was more clever by half.
The simplest explanation is that he's nuts.

[Katinfl]

8. He brings Biden into everything. Don't you know that everything is Biden's fault?

[Blues Heron]

9. I mean the writer

[Katinfl]

17. Most likely that it what he is told to do. Always blame Biden. And you know his flunkies do what they are told.

[ShazzieB]

18. The Diet Coke thing jumped fight out at me. How idiotic!

Doesn't that writer know that the whole point of Diet Coke is the LACK of sugar? How can anyone living in Western society NOT know that?

Most likely Schlump was drugged on Adderall or some other stimulant.

[NJCher]

3. I've never had anyone

Yell Merry Christmas at me.

[oasis]

4. Desperado Donald. The end is near.

[SunSeeker]

5. Yup. He didn't convince anyone tonight.

The internet was not having it.

Link to tweet

[Clouds Passing]

10. lol

[ShazzieB]

19. Perfect!

[BradBo]

11. Basically he was high on caffeine.

[ShazzieB]

20. I doubt it.

We know he drinks Diet Coke ALL the time. When you regularly consume caffeine, you build up a tolerance for it.

It's more likely he was drugged on Adderall or some other stimulant.

[Blues Heron]

21. The amount of sniffing he was doing, it had to be some kind of powder stimulant, probably fine Colombian coke

[Crowman2009]

13. Not to mention crumbs for the troops.

[tonekat]

14. Eighteen minutes

Of whining, lying and blaming others.

A so-called "president" with no positive character traits whatsoever.

[Martin68]

15. I beg to differ. It just means Trump is trying to bluff his way through as always. It won't work. He's lost a lot of

political capital.

[twodogsbarking]

16. Suppose you gave a speech and no one cared.

[Aussie105]

22. The same old, same old Trump speech is getting repetitive and boring.

But for those who missed it, here is a translation:

'I hate you all, you don't respect me, it is all Biden's fault, I hate this job!'

Actually, I didn't see his monologue, don't want to see that face, so I'm guessing.
Am I close?

[paleotn]

24. Probably close from what I've heard.

I haven't heard the weasel actually speak a word since 2016.

[paleotn]

23. Someone needs to spike the diet coke...

with cyanide.

[maxsolomon]

25. If MFer "inherited a mess" from Biden in 2025,

WTF was that Biden inherited from MFer in 2021? 9% Inflation? A raging Pandemic that killed thousands? 8% unemployment?

Narcissist please.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Whatever he was trying to accomplish, that didn't get it done.

Years from now it won't be ridiculed, it will be laughed at.

[Hassler]

27. Except for the screaming, he could have been

An orange Bernie in Weekend at Bernie's

[OAITW r.2.0]

29. He should do these fireside chats every week.

It couldn't possibly hurt his ratings, right?