From his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the Republican spent the day before Christmas spreading some yuletide cheer. He participated in Norad Santa tracker calls and sent Christmas greetings to American troops worldwide.

Trump did not share that same bonhomie with rival Democrats.

“Merry Christmas to all, including the Radical Left Scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our Country, but are failing badly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

“We no longer have Open Borders, Men in Women’s Sports, Transgender for Everyone, or Weak Law Enforcement. What we do have is a Record Stock Market and 401K’s, Lowest Crime numbers in decades, No Inflation, and yesterday, a 4.3 GDP, two points better than expected,” he added.

Trump lashed out at the opposition, which has criticised his administration over its handling of the cost of living, a day after commerce department data showed the economy had grown by 4.3% in the third quarter – the highest GDP in two years.

But the report also showed the price index for domestic purchases rose 3.4% – a much higher inflation reading compared with 2.0% in the second quarter.

In the week before Christmas, Democrats had criticised the justice department over its slow release and heavy redaction of thousands of records from the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, once a friend of Trump.

Trump also sent greetings to troops worldwide, including those who are part of a major US naval buildup in Caribbean waters, where Washington has mounted a campaign to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to leave office.