Trump Touts "Unprecedented" Year of Economic and Security Gains

Speaking in the Cabinet Room, Trump thanked his Cabinet for what he called "12 months of unprecedented achievements," citing record economic growth, falling crime, tight border controls, and progress on global conflicts.

"You probably noticed the Cabinet Room is getting more and more beautiful," Trump said as he opened the meeting. "It's never, never looked this good, and hopefully we're going to do work that's never been as good."

Trump said the US economy had posted record numbers despite political headwinds. "We really have unprecedented numbers we've had on the economy and growth," he said, adding that growth would have been even higher without the shutdown."

Citing federal data, Trump said violent crime had fallen sharply. "It was just announced that the murder rate in our country is the biggest drop ever recorded," he said, calling it "the lowest level in at least 125 years."

He attributed the decline in part to immigration enforcement. "We had zero illegal aliens being admitted into our country for the last eight months," Trump said. "That's hard for even me to believe."

On Venezuela, Trump said relations had improved following US engagement with the country's leadership. "We're getting along really well with them," he said, adding that American oil companies were scouting opportunities and that commercial airspace over Venezuela would be reopened. "American citizens will be very shortly able to go to Venezuela, and they'll be safe there," he said.

Trump also pointed to strong economic indicators, citing the Atlanta Federal Reserve's growth estimate. "The Atlanta Fed is predicting an astounding 5.4 per cent GDP growth in the fourth quarter," he said, crediting tariffs and tax cuts for what he described as explosive growth.

He said stock markets had hit historic highs. "The S&P hit 7,000 for the first time ever," Trump said, adding that markets had added "$9 trillion in value" since the election.

Trump said tariffs had driven domestic investment and manufacturing. "They're coming back from Mexico, they're coming back from Canada, they're coming back from Japan," he said. "They're building here because they want to avoid the tariffs."

Cabinet members echoed the President's assessment. Treasury Secretary Scott Bassent said the administration was seeing gains from what Trump repeatedly called the "one big, beautiful bill," citing investment inflows and declining inflation metrics.

On healthcare, Trump highlighted agreements with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices. "Drug prices for prescription drugs will be down 80, 90 per cent," he said, calling the move "one of the best achievements we've had in this country in a long time."

He also cited progress in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Trump said the US had helped secure the return of hostages and described diplomatic momentum on Ukraine. "We think we made a lot of progress," he said, referring to recent talks with Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.

Trump said he personally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt strikes during extreme cold weather. "I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week," he said. "And he agreed to do that."

Energy policy featured prominently, with Trump and senior officials emphasising expanded oil, gas and coal production. "United States oil production today is greater than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.

Trump also addressed housing and disaster recovery, sharply criticising state and local officials in California over rebuilding delays after wildfires. "They want to rebuild, and they still can't get permits," he said, announcing that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin would oversee federal permitting efforts.

Concluding the meeting, Trump praised his Cabinet and said the administration would continue pressing its agenda. "My cabinet has been amazing," he said. "We're doing great."

- IANS