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I Watched Donald Trump's Speech So You Don't Have To: Here's What You Missed

Newsflash: shame on the media for allowing this to run in full.

Aaron Parnas Dec 18

Good evening everyone. As promised, Donald Trump has just concluded his address to the nation. I watched it so that you do not have to. Please make sure to subscribe to support my work if you can. While some networks will just say this was just another “normal” address to the nation. I will say what it actually was: a campaign style speech filed with misinformation.

Here’s the deal. I will talk about it briefly below, but truthfully, this speech tonight was nothing more than a recitation of Donald Trump’s campaign rallies. And a major problem emerged because of that. In 2014, some major TV networks refused to air Barack Obama’s address to the nation on immigration. In 2022, some networks refused to air Joe Biden’s address to the nation about the future of democracy. Tonight, however, every major network aired Trump’s speech in full, despite the fact that what viewers were given was essentially a campaign stump speech delivered from behind a presidential podium.

Below, I’m going to run through a few of the highlights and fact-check them in real time.

First, Trump once again repeated the claim that he has secured a record-breaking $18 trillion in investment. This number is not only misleading, it is inconsistent. Just weeks ago, Trump was citing figures as high as $21 trillion. The administration’s own list of major investments “made possible by President Trump’s leadership” totaled $9.6 trillion as of its most recent update, and even that number is exaggerated.

It includes investments announced under the Biden administration and trade commitments that the United States is only partially responsible for. The headline number sounds impressive, but it simply does not hold up under scrutiny.

Second, Trump announced what he called a “warrior dividend,” promising $1,776 to every service member before Christmas, supposedly paid for with tariff revenue.

The problem is that this money may not exist. The Supreme Court is currently weighing cases that could invalidate large portions of Trump’s tariff authority. If those tariffs are struck down, the revenue disappears, and the cost ultimately falls back on the American taxpayer, increasing the deficit or the national debt. This is not sound fiscal policy, it is a political promise built on legal uncertainty.

Third, Trump repeated the claim of “no tax on Social Security.” That is still a lie. Despite flashy headlines and campaign emails declaring victory, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains no provision eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits.

Not one. What it does include is a repackaged senior deduction that, under very specific income circumstances, may allow some seniors to offset a portion of their taxable Social Security income. Social Security itself is still taxed exactly as it was before. This so-called historic tax cut is little more than a rhetorical trick.

Trump made no announcements on healthcare and said nothing about Venezuela. He claimed an “aggressive” housing plan is coming next year, but provided no details, no framework, and no explanation of what that plan would actually look like.

At the end of the night, this was not a governing address. It was a campaign speech. And the fact that every major network aired it in full, without context or fact-checking, should concern anyone who cares about an informed public.