President Trump on Friday signed the sweeping Republican tax bill into law, enacting his first major legislative accomplishment since winning the White House.

Trump spoke at length during the signing, thanking Republicans in Congress for getting the legislation to his desk and predicting it would help the economy.

"It's going to be a tremendous thing for the American people. It's going to be fantastic for the economy," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's going to keep companies from leaving our shores and opening up in other countries."

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Trump said the decision to sign the bill on Friday was made late and because of criticism in the press that it was being delayed.

As a result, Trump was not surrounded by the congressional leaders who shepherded the bill to him. He even offered pens to reporters which are usually given to those members of Congress.

Trump said he was originally going to wait to sign the bill in a formal ceremony in January, but the media was asking if he would sign it before Christmas as he had pledged.

"I am keeping my promise," he said. "I am signing it before Christmas."

Trump noted that a number of companies have announced bonuses and new investment because of the legislation.

"Corporations are literally going wild over this," he said.

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Trump touted various aspects of the plan, including the larger standard deduction, the increase in the amount exempt from the estate tax and the repatriation of earnings that companies currently have held overseas.

The bill’s signing ends the president’s first year in office on a high note.

The president has had some other successes as well, in areas such as rolling back regulations and getting a new Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, confirmed. But Republicans were unable to repeal and replace ObamaCare, and the headlines over the past year have also at times been dominated by the Russia election meddling investigations and palace intrigue stories about disagreements among Trump's staff.