Trump’s Thanksgiving morning centers around praises for the military and for his administration. Here is the full Thanksgiving report from the Winter White House, Mar-A-Lago.
President Trump began Thanksgiving day in Palm Beach, Florida by holding a video teleconference with troops stationed abroad. Around 9:00 am, the president addressed armed forces stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Bahrain, and on the USS Monterey. The president, dressed in his usual dark suit and a golden yellow tie, sat at a desk with a large computer screen and a phone.
During the call, the president repeatedly praised and thanked troops for their service. “It’s an honor to speak with you all, to give God thanks for the blessing of freedom, heroes, tremendous courage, very, very special people,” Trump stated. “It doesn’t get more special.”
Trump called the troops operating in Kandahar, Afghanistan “brave, incredible fighters” and commended the progress they have made in the last few months: “Everyone is talking about the progress you’ve made,” Trump directed to the servicemen. “You people are really, you’ve turned it around over the last three to four months like nobody’s seen, and they are talking about it, so thank you very much.”
The president then addressed the Direct Support Team Gulf of the Marine Corps Special Operations, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion based in Iraq: “Semper Fi,” Trump said knocking on the wooden desk he was sitting at.
The president praised the “incredible job” that the servicemen were doing abroad, “delivering defeat after defeat to ISIS,” and said that as a result of their work, the US was “being talked about again as armed forces.”
“We’re really winning,” Trump continued. “We know how to win. But we have to let you win.” The president then pointed to the previous administration as he stated, “They weren’t letting you win before. They were letting you play even. We’re letting you win.”
To the USS Monterey, responsible for ballistic missile defense, anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare, Trump said: “Thank you to everyone aboard the USS Monterey for your dedication. Thank you very much.”
The president then commended the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron based in Incirlik, Turkey for the “tremendous job” they’ve been doing. “The fight against ISIS, it’s coming our way, it’s coming our way,” Trump stated. “Big, big difference. A lot of things have happened.”
President Trump then went on to say attribute the progress against ISIS to the difference between his administration and the previous one. “They say we’ve made more progress against ISIS than they did in years of the previous administration,” Trump stated. “And that’s because I’m letting you do your job.”
Trump wished the Coast Guard aboard the USCG Wrangell near Kuwait a happy Thanksgiving and praised their “incredible work in the Arabian Gulf,” noting that their base is situated in a “very important area.”
Then, addressing the troops as a whole, Trump acknowledged how difficult it must be to be away from home during the holidays. “We’re doing well at home,” he assured them, however.
“The economy is doing really great,” Trump continued. “When you come back, you are going to see with the jobs and companies coming back into our country and the stock market just hit a record high. Unemployment is the lowest it’s been in 17 years. So you’re fighting for something real, you’re fighting for something good.”
President Trump has long attributed the surges in the stock market to his election and presidency, which he believes has boosted public confidence in the US economy.
Trump also touched on the tax overhaul his administration is trying to pass through the Senate. “Now we’re working on tax cuts — big, fat, beautiful tax cuts,” Trump said. “And hopefully we’ll get that and then you’re really going to see things happen.”
Trump visits Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet for Thanksgiving
Later that morning, around 9:45 am, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump left Mar-a-Lago and made their way to Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet, where they addressed around 50 to 60 Coast Guard members in the station mess hall. The table was packed with sandwiches, fruit, juice, cookies, muffins, and sodas. Some of the Coast Guard members said they will head out on patrol after this event.
There, the president thanked the Coast Guard for their efforts in the aftermath of the hurricanes in Texas, the Gulf Coast, and Puerto Rico and noted once again that the stock market is higher now that it has even been in their lives.
“You have a country and that’s really starting to turn,” the president said.
“We’re ordering tremendous amounts of new equipment — we’re at 700 billion dollars for the military,” Trump continued. “And, you know, they were cutting back for years. They just kept cutting, cutting, cutting the military. And you got lean, to put it nicely —it was depleted, was the word. And now it’s changing.”
President Trump noted that until he took office, the military had faced budget cuts, but with his presidency, the US armed forces will have only the very best support. Even in creating equipment to sell to American allies, Trump revealed that he insisted that the equipment made for the US military should still be 10 percent better.
“Even if they’re allies — you never know about an ally, an ally can turn,” Trump stated. “I always say, ‘Make ours a little bit better… Keep about 10 percent in the bag.”
The president and first lady then shook hands and handed out sandwiches to the Coast Guard members.
Later today, the first family will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family at the winter White House. The menu will include all the traditional fare – turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, a variety of baked goods, local produce and cheeses, red snapper and Florida stone crab. For dessert, the First Family will have various cakes and pies.
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