President Donald Trump managed to turn what was supposed to be a feel-good holiday announcement into another viral head-scratcher after he stumbled over basic numbers during his Christmas address on Wednesday, December 17. While unveiling a year-end bonus for U.S. service members, the president appeared to lose his place mid-sentence, awkwardly pausing and recalculating as he tried to explain how many troops would receive the payment and how much they were getting. The moment dragged on just long enough for viewers to realize he wasn’t misspeaking for emphasis, but genuinely struggling to land the figure. Online trolls are having a field day making fun of President Donald Trump for seemingly struggling to count down from five to one at a Christmas event. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) “Tonight, I am proud to announce,” Trump began, before tripping over the numbers. “That one thousand four hundred and fifty thousand, think, think about this, one million four hundred and fifty thousand (1,450,000) military service members will receive a special, what we call, ‘Warrior Dividend’ before Christmas,” he said, visibly stumbling through the figure. Clips of the moment raced across social media within minutes, where critics wasted no time piling on. “He acts like it’s his money to give out,” one commenter scoffed. “It’s not.” Another summed it up more bluntly: “Two words come to mind: verbal diarrhea.” Others zeroed in on the phrasing itself, with one mocking, “One thousand, four hundred fifty thousand,” while another fumed that hearing numbers spoken that way was “my biggest pet peeve” and somehow made them dislike him even more. At least one viewer seemed too confused to even be angry, responding simply: “Huh.” But this isn’t the first time Trump stumbled through the numbers. During the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, Trump, 79, stepped to the podium at the livestreamed holiday event held on the Ellipse at the White House on Dec. 4. With Melania, 55, by his side, the commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces began counting down to turn on the lights adorning the 35-foot spruce. “So, is everybody ready to light the beautiful Christmas tree? Are you ready?” Trump asked the crowd in attendance for the yuletide celebration. “So the first lady is going to do the honors, and we’re going to do a countdown.” He continued, “We’ll go from five to zero, OK? Five, four, three, two, one.” Surprisingly, the billionaire businessman-turned-politician seemed to need the paper in front of him to count backward from five. The audience roared with excitement as the decorated Christmas tree beside him lit up. An instrumental version of the “Deck the Halls” carol was played as Trump and Melania briefly held hands while standing behind protective glass. Footage of Trump’s speech went viral on the X social media platform on Dec. 16. People on the app were aghast by the president seemingly relying on the written text on the podium to help him with the simple countdown. HOLY SH*T: A video is going viral showing Trump needing NOTES just to count down from FIVE.Donald Trump is not well. pic.twitter.com/OZSzCgukZc— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) December 17, 2025 “Trump needs notes for that,” read a tweet, mocking the way the University of Pennsylvania graduate counted down to the Christmas lights being switched on. A second critic joked, “Understandable when you consider Trump’s two most difficult years at school were in Third Grade.” Plus, one person asked, “He can’t count either?” Over the past several years, Trump has developed a reputation for frequently straying from his prepared remarks during speeches. One poster tweeted, “The notes are to try to reduce the rambling. Otherwise, he’d be talking about immigrants, snakes, earwax, gorillas, the ‘groceries’ hoax, and they’d never finish the countdown.” “Damn, Trump counting down and Melania reading a children’s book are comparable. Like this is kindergarten level here,” stated another viewer. Likewise, someone sarcastically wondered, “So he’s less educated than a first grader? No surprise there.” Additionally, the POTUS was chastised even further in the X replies when one account declared, “Trump’s faking his way through this term of his presidency. He has no clue of what is going on, proving his incompetence!” https://t.co/cjncBPVOE3 pic.twitter.com/CNbxAyU6D5— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) December 1, 2025 So far, it has been a rough holiday season for the Trumps. The Democratic Party maliciously trolled the first lady after she rolled out her “Home Is Where the Heart Is” themed Christmas presentation at the White House in early December. “This Christmas, let’s celebrate the love we hold within ourselves, and share it with the world around us. After all, wherever we are, we can create a home filled with grace, radiance, and endless possibilities,” Melania expressed in a statement. The Democrats’ official X account reminded the world that Melania had a different opinion about Christmas in 2018 during the first Trump administration. Leaked audio revealed the ex-model once told one of her senior advisers, “Who gives a f–k about Christmas stuff and decoration?” Trump: "You look like Ivanka. Has anyone ever told you that? I'm looking,… I'm saying,… Could you turn around? So you wouldn't,… I didn't,… You look like jussst like Ivanka,…. which is a great compliment!"Creepy AF. pic.twitter.com/wzvpzObC3S— Roshan Rinaldi (@Roshan_Rinaldi) December 14, 2025 Then on Dec. 14, Trump held a Christmas reception at the White House. His speech to the guests at the function became a trending topic because the president got strangely fixated on a woman he claimed resembled his 44-year-old daughter, Ivanka Trump. “Boy, do you look like Ivanka. Has anyone ever told you that?” Trump asked the unknown, blonde-haired lady standing in front of him before adding, “I’m looking. I’m saying, ‘Is that Ivanka?’ Could you just turn around for the camera?”  Those off-the-cuff remarks were one of the latest examples of Trump’s tendency to get distracted by his inner thoughts in the middle of speaking to the public. His so-called “weave” tactic of jumping between subjects has been routinely ridiculed as incoherent rambling. The National Christmas Tree Lighting countdown joins a long list of moments where Trump came off as incompetent and befuddled to many observers, inciting widespread speculation about his mental and physical health as he approaches his second year in office for this term. ‘He Can’t Count Either?’: Trump Yells After Stumbling Over Basic Numbers as Fans Fixate on the 5-Second Countdown He Needed Written Out ...read more read less