President Trump praised the men and women of the American armed forces who are overseas during the Christmas season, expressing that “every American heart is thankful” for their service to the nation.
During a video conference call at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Trump addressed rooms full of deployed military personnel at five overseas bases in Qatar, Kuwait and Guantanamo Bay, wishing them a Merry Christmas and thanking them and their families for their service on behalf of the American people.
“I just want to wish everybody a very, very merry Christmas, we say Merry Christmas, again, very, very proudly,” Trump told the armed forces, according to White House pool reports. Very very merry Christmas. “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.
“Today and every day we’re incredibly thankful for you and for your families,” Trump continued. “Your families have been tremendous. Always underappreciated, military families, the greatest people on earth.”
Trump specifically thanked the men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard for their efforts in the wake of multiple hurricanes that hit the country in the last five months.
“Many Republicans are very happy, but I have to tell you the people of Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, lots of other states are even more happy,” Trump said. “What a job you’ve done. The Coast Guard saved thousands and thousands of lives, almost it’s unbelievable when I look at the charts, I saw the number of lives you saved. So I want to congratulate the coast guard for having done an incredible job.”
Trump told the overseas armed forces that “Every American heart is thankful and we’re asking God to watch over you and to watch over your 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.
While mentioning the military’s fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), he complimented the armed service members, saying “We’re winning.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.