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
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.
