President Donald Trump came out swinging against his predecessor during his fiery address to the nation, boldly touting the remarkable progress made under his leadership over the past year.“Eleven months ago, I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it,” Trump declared emphatically on Wednesday night. “…We had the worst trade deals ever made, and our country was laughed at from all over the world, but they’re not laughing anymore.”

The president doubled down on his assertion, adding, “But they’re not laughing anymore. Over the past 11 months, we have brought more positive change to Washington than any administration in American history.”

In a dramatic move, President Trump’s team whipped out a chart to showcase the impressive price decreases and wage increases achieved under his watch.

President pins blame on Democrats for skyrocketing health insurance costs

“Democrat politicians also set the cost of groceries. Sorry, but we are solving that too,” Trump proclaimed, taking direct aim at his political opponents.

During the highly anticipated national address, Trump zeroed in on the crucial issue of affordability, squarely pinning the blame on Democrats for the staggering rise in health insurance costs.

“The current Unaffordable Care Act was created to make insurance companies rich,” Trump chided, pulling no punches. “You see that now in the steep increase in premiums being demanded by the Democrats and they are demanding those increases and it’s their fault.”

Trump’s “greatest hits” aimed as shoring up base

The president minced no words as he drove his point home, stating unequivocally, “It is not the Republicans’ fault, it’s the Democrats’ fault, it’s the Unaffordable Care Act.”

In a bold proposal, Trump contended that health care subsidies should be funneled directly to the American people rather than padding the pockets of insurance companies.

However, Trump’s recent speech left Sky News US correspondent Mark Stone “fascinated,” not for its groundbreaking revelations, but for the palpable sense of “anger and frustration” that her felt permeated the address.

Despite speculation that the US president might make a significant announcement regarding Venezuela, Stone notes that the speech instead rehashed “a greatest hits” of familiar themes.

This angry performance comes amidst troubling polling numbers for Trump, which Stone describes as “really very bad,” indicating that the president appears to be “losing the base somewhat around the country.”