President Donald Trump plans to make an address from the White House, and an appeals court rules that Florida can enforce a recent law involving children at drag shows.
President Donald Trump intends to preview his agenda for next year and beyond in a live speech from the White House on Wednesday night. His remarks are coming at a crucial time as he tries to rebuild his steadily eroding popularity.
The White House offered few details about what the Republican president intends to emphasize in the 9 p.m. EST speech. Public polling shows most U.S. adults are frustrated with his handling of the economy as inflation picked up after his tariffs raised prices and hiring slowed.
Trump’s mass deportations of immigrants has also proved unpopular, even as he is viewed favorably for halting crossings along the U.S. border with Mexico. The public has generally been nonplussed by his income tax cuts, globe-trotting efforts to end conflicts, the destruction of suspected drug boats near Venezuela and the way he is working to attract investment dollars into the United States.
In 2026, Trump and his party face a referendum on their leadership as the nation heads into the midterm elections that will decide control of the House and the Senate.
Trump has said that he thinks more Americans would back him if they simply heard him describe his track record. Administration officials say investment commitments for new factories will reverse the recent decline in manufacturing jobs, and that consumer activity will improve dramatically as people receive increased tax refunds next year.
“It has been a great year for our Country, and THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” Trump said in a Tuesday social media post announcing the speech.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump would discuss his achievements this year and his plans for the remainder of his second term.
Trump has been omnipresent on social media and television this year with his impromptu news conferences and speeches. But addresses to the nation often can be relatively sober affairs, as was Trump’s June address describing the U.S. bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran.
The president has eschewed the messaging discipline that’s common among most politicians, an authenticity that appeals to some voters and repels others.
Court of Appeals rules Florida can enforce drag show law
A new ruling this week by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down a lower court order that blocked officials from enforcing 2023’s Senate Bill 1438, entitled “Protection of Children,” as a lawsuit challenging it is litigated in court.
This was the bill that specified that underage children could not attend sexually explicit live performances. Critics came out against the law, saying that the wording was too vague. Orlando restaurant Hamburger Mary’s filed a suit against the state and won an injunction against enforcement of the law, but on Dec. 1, the appeals court voted to re-hear the case.
This week’s ruling now allows the state to resume enforcement of the law across the state except against Hamburger Mary’s, based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against universal injunctions earlier this year.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier reacted to the move on social media, saying: “For two years, our law preventing children from attending sexually explicit drag shows was held up in court. Starting today, the law is in effect thanks to a win on appeal by our office.”