TRUMP ROLLS OUT A FLURRY OF PERKS

PRESIDENT CONTENDS WITH FALLING POPULARITY AHEAD OF MID-TERM POLLS

- STORY: LAURA DAVISON / BLOOMBERG

President Donald Trump hosts members of the 1980 US Olympic men's ice hockey team at the White House in Washington on Dec 12.

Bonus cheques. New holidays. A return to the moon.

In the span of less than 24 hours, President Donald Trump unveiled a series of initiatives with widespread appeal — with promises of more to come — as he also contends with falling popularity and economic uncertainty.

The president approved sending $1,776 (55,700 baht) cheques to active-duty soldiers and designated the days before and after Christmas as federal holidays for 2025, surprise moves that came just as many Americans wrap up their work and school duties for the year to spend time with family.

Mr Trump on Thursday also handed out wins to his allies in the cannabis and space industries through long-sought executive orders that also carry broad appeal: relaxing rules for marijuana use and sending astronauts back to the moon.

The president even got a present of his own. The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board — stacked with Mr Trump's handpicked allies — voted Thursday to rename the Washington venue after the president, dubbing it the Trump-Kennedy Center.