Migrants, tariffs, Middle East - Key points from Trump's address to nation

Donald Trump spoke about why he believes his administration is outperforming that of Joe Biden.

He also addressed issues related to migration and drug trafficking.

"Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I am fixing it," he said.

The US president also reiterated his role in ending the war in the Middle East, claiming that peace had arrived in the region for the first time in 3,000 years.

"We’ve restored American strength, settled eight wars in ten months, destroyed the Iranian nuclear threat, and ended the war in Gaza, bringing peace to the Middle East for the first time in 3,000 years and securing the release of the hostages, both living and dead."

Trump praised his decision to raise tariffs, arguing that the move had boosted investment in the US economy to a record $18 trillion.

He said most of that success had been achieved through tariffs, which he described as his "favorite word," adding that while other countries had used them against the United States for decades, that was no longer the case.

Other remarks by Trump

A day earlier, Trump said he had ordered a full blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers heading to or leaving Venezuela. According to him, the measure would remain in place until Venezuela returned to the United States "all the oil, land, and other assets they previously stole from us."

He also announced that the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been designated a "foreign terrorist organization," accusing the "illegitimate" regime of using oil from "stolen fields" to finance itself, narcoterrorism, human trafficking, murders, and kidnappings.

Earlier, Trump said he was frustrated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had not yet read the US peace proposal. He also repeated that he had expected resolving the war in Ukraine to be somewhat easier than it turned out to be, calling it a very difficult and brutal war.