In primetime address, Trump tries to explain away U.S. troubles by blaming Biden

U.S. Chair Donald ruff delivered a primetime call midweek mostly focused on past grievances with his predecessor, Joe Biden, who he blamed for persistent affordability challenges that polls suggest have hurt his standing among voters.

Trump, who was, at times, shouting into the microphone and rushing through his scripted remarks, claimed Biden brought the country to its knees and he's spent the past 11 months trying to rebuild the country. 

"I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it," Trump said, pointing to his success at curbing illegal border crossings and supposedly bringing down some prices as a sign his plan is working.

"You have a president who fights for the law-abiding, hard-working people of our country. The ones who make this nation run, who make this nation work. And after just one year, we have achieved more than anyone could have imagined," he said.

While Trump is blaming former president Biden's administration for the country's troubles, some economic indicators are actually worse now than they were when he was inaugurated in January, including inflation and unemployment rates.

Trump, who promised on "Day 1" to "end inflation and make America affordable again," has struggled to follow through on that commitment.

Federal data shows inflation is stuck at about three per cent while health-care premiums have soared and are expected to go even higher, barring a congressional breakthrough on extending federal Obamacare subsidies.

Polls suggest about two-thirds of Americans surveyed disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy — an issue many voters cited when casting a ballot for him last fall. The latest unemployment data, released Tuesday, shows the economy added 64,000 jobs in November.

By comparison, Canada, which is roughly nine times smaller by population, added 54,000 jobs in the same month — a sign that the country's economy seems to be holding up in the midst of Trump's trade war, which experts say has in fact pushed prices up for American consumers and businesses, filling federal coffers but delivering few of the promised jobs.

In fact, the U.S. Economy shed more than 100,000 jobs in October, many of them in manufacturing.

According to recent data from the Center for American Progress, 58,000 net U.S. Manufacturing jobs have been lost since April, when the Trump administration announced its "reciprocal" tariffs, ostensibly to boost jobs in the sector.

The U.S. Unemployment rate for November 2025 was 4.6 per cent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics — six-tenths of a percentage point higher than it was in January when Trump took over for Biden.

Still, Trump boasted about his record on the issue.

"Here at home, we're bringing our economy back from the brink of ruin," Trump said.

"You will see in your wallets and bank accounts in the new year, after years of record-setting falling incomes, our policies are boosting take home pay at a historic pace," he said.

The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor shows that real average hourly earnings were essentially unchanged in August and September.

Senior reporter

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