IANS
Washington
US President Donald Trump has said that “peace on earth” was his New Year’s resolution as he addressed guests at a gathering at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, striking a brief note of aspiration before turning to a wide-ranging reflection on the state of the country.
When asked about his New Year’s resolution at the New Year’s Eve gathering on Wednesday, the President replied: “Peace. Peace on earth. Peace on earth.” He did not respond to questions about the CIA’s role in an attack on Venezuela or whether he would put boots on the ground in Ukraine.
A large number of eminent people were invited by Trump and the First Lady for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. The scene was festive and theatrical, according to a White House pool report.
At the entrance to the party, a black carpet reading “Happy New Year Mar A Lago” in gold letters greeted guests. Musicians stood on pedestals surrounded by tall white candles, playing “God Bless America.”
and the “Star Spangled Banner”.
Inside the ballroom, a massive white floral arrangement marked the entrance, while a band played “I’ve had the time of my life”.
In his remarks, Trump said the country was “doing really well”, pointing to what he described as unprecedented investment flowing into the United States. He said factories were being built “all over the country” and cited growth figures that he said had exceeded predictions.
Trump also touted tariff revenue, saying the US had taken in “hundreds of millions of dollars”, and spoke about military funding, declaring the country was “back” and “strong”. He spoke about economic performance, investment, tariffs, and what he described as a rapid turnaround in national fortunes.
“I just want to tell you that the country is doing really well and doing really well,” Trump said, adding that the US had more investment “coming into our country than any country ever in the history of the world by a lot”.
He pointed to factories being built “all over the country” and said it was “really exciting to see”, expressing confidence about growth figures that he said had exceeded expectations. “You saw 4.3. They were predicting 1.9. 4.4,” Trump said, referring to the latest growth figures.
Trump also highlighted revenue from tariffs, saying the US had collected “hundreds of millions of dollars”, and mentioned funding for the military. “We gave the military the entire military $1,776. That’s not bad,” he said.
