On Friday, December 19, 2025, President Donald Trump made a high-profile stop at the Rocky Mount Events Center in North Carolina. Billed as a pivotal “affordability tour” address, the 90-minute speech served as a formal kickoff for the 2026 midterm election cycle in a key battleground state. While the official goal was to reassure voters on the economy, the evening took several characteristic turns into personal grievances and peculiar anecdotes.
The Economic Pitch: Cooling Inflation vs. Squeezed Wallets
Against a backdrop of signs reading “LOWER PRICES, BIGGER PAYCHECKS,” Trump attempted to reclaim the narrative on the cost of living
Inflation Cooling: He trumpeted recent reports showing that inflation has begun to unexpectedly cool—a shift his administration is framing as the “Great Turnaround.”
The “Warrior Dividend”: Trump promoted a newly announced $1,776 “warrior dividend” check, promised to arrive for nearly 1.5 million military members. He claims these payments will be funded by his controversial tariff revenues
- Drug Pricing: He detailed a new pharmaceutical negotiation scheme, even slipping into a French accent to mimic President Emmanuel Macron during their trade discussions.
The “Panties” Tangent: A Focus on Mar-a-Lago
The speech took a viral turn when Trump revisited the 2022 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. In a moment that left many commentators stunned, he spent several minutes detailing his wife Melania’s organizational habits to underscore his sense of “violation.”
- The Lingerie Drawer: He described the frustration felt when agents supposedly rummaged through her undergarments—”sometimes referred to as panties.”
- “I think she steams them”: Trump speculated on her care for the “pristine” garments to emphasize the alleged disrespect shown by federal authorities.
Political Attacks and Greatest Hits
The President didn’t shy away from his usual list of grievances, targeting both old rivals and new defectors.
The Midterm Stakes: A Battle for the “North Country”
The choice of Rocky Mount was no accident. The city sits at the heart of North Carolina’s newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, a seat Republicans are desperate to flip in 2026. While supporters cheered his riffs on furniture value and “gold thread vs. mustard color,” many allies reportedly worry that these tangents are distracting from the “bread-and-butter” economic message needed to win over swing voters