Donald Trump tells US troops 'we're really winning' during Thanksgiving celebrations

Donald Trump celebrated Thanksgiving at his private club in Florida by paying tribute to US troops, telling them: “We're really winning”.

The US president said that more progress has been made in recent months in Afghanistan and in fighting the so-called Islamic State than had been made in years of the previous administration.

"Everybody's talking about the progress you've made in the last few months since I opened it up," he told the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, whose members are conducting operations in Kandahar, Afghanistan. "We're being talked about again as an armed forces - we're really winning."

Speaking from a gilded room at his Mar-a-Lago club, Mr Trump said: "We're not fighting anymore to just walk around, we're fighting to win, and you people are really, you've turned it around over the last three to four months like nobody's seen, and they are talking about it, so thank you very much."

Throughout the day - at events and on Twitter – Mr Trump boasted about the economy's performance since he took office, pointing to recent stock market gains and the unemployment rate, along with his efforts to scale back regulations and boost military spending.

Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, also made a trip to a nearby Coast Guard station in Riviera Beach, Florida, where they delivered a lunch of turkey sandwiches, giant muffins, heaping baskets of fruit, crisps and cookies to men and women on duty for the holidays.

During his remarks, Mr Trump singled out the service for its hurricane relief efforts during Harvey and the other storms that battered the country earlier this year.

"There's no brand that went up more than the Coast Guard," he told them. "What a job you've done."

On the Trumps' own Thanksgiving menu for family and friends at Mar-a-Lago, they feasted on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, red snapper, Florida stone crab, baked goods, local produce and cheeses, and a selection of cakes and pies for dessert.