WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump tweeted right to the end of 2017 on Sunday, boasting of his accomplishments in his turbulent first year in office and throwing down the gauntlet for the US midterm elections.

He highlighted his tax cut and a surging stock market in a series of New Year’s Eve tweets that seemed to set the table for next year’s fight for control of the US Congress.

“Why would smart voters want to put Democrats in Congress in 2018 Election when their policies will totally kill the great wealth created during the months since the Election,” he said.

“People are much better off now not to mention ISIS, VA, Judges, Strong Border, 2nd A, Tax Cuts & more?” “2nd A” appears to refer to the constitutional right under the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms − though it was unclear what action, if any, Trump has taken in that regard.

- Low ratings — Trump is ringing in the New Year at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida before returning to Washington.

“As our Country rapidly grows stronger and smarter, I want to wish all of my friends, supporters, enemies, haters, and even the very dishonest Fake News Media, a Happy and Healthy New Year,” he tweeted, repeating his often-used term for well-established news outlets which have issued investigative reports that cast him in a negative light.

“2018 will be a great year for America!” Trump said.

He goes into 2018 with the lowest approval ratings of any modern first-year US president, after a year during which he shattered political expectations, strained long-standing alliances and courted controversy on race and immigration.

In a tweet late Thursday, Trump addressed criticism of his often incendiary use of social media.

“I use Social Media not because I like to, but because it is the only way to fight a VERY dishonest and unfair ‘press,’ now often referred to as Fake News Media.

“Phony and non-existent ‘sources’ are being used more often than ever. Many stories & reports a pure fiction!” Still continuing is a deepening federal probe into whether Trump campaign aides and associates colluded with a covert Russian effort to sway the 2016 US presidential election in the Republican’s favor.

Agencies