PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump had a Christmas Eve message for U.S. troops stationed around the globe: "We're winning."
From his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where Trump is spending the holidays, he spoke by video hook-up to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard, stationed in Qatar, Kuwait and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Trump lavished the troops with praise on “how well we’re doing” in the fight against terrorism and declared, “We’re winning.”
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He called the troops "underappreciated" and described their military families as “the greatest people on earth.”
"I just want to wish everybody a very, very merry Christmas, we say Merry Christmas, again, very, very proudly. Very very merry Christmas," Trump said. "We’re going to have a great year, an incredible year. I’m thrilled to bring seasons greetings on behalf of the first lady and our entire family and most importantly, on behalf of the American people."
He singled out the Coast Guard for the service's work during a series of deadly U.S. hurricanes that caused billions of dollars in damage and that parts of the country are still recovering from.
"Many Republicans are very happy, but I have to tell you, the people of Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and lots of other states are even more happy," Trump told the Coast Guard members. "What a job you've done. The Coast Guard saved thousands and thousands of lives. Almost — it's unbelievable when I looked at the charts and I saw the number of lives you've saved. So I want to congratulate the Coast Guard for having done an incredible job.
Trump told the troops that Americans are thankful for them and their families.
“As we celebrate this most precious holiday, we’re grateful for each of you who spend this Christmas away from our families and defend all of our families, our freedom and our flag," Trump said. "Every American heart is thankful and we’re asking God to watch over you and to watch over your families.”