Last night I raised the question of whether Trump’s abilities have slipped due to advancing years, to the point that he’s not functioning as he needs to do in dealing with other serious world leaders.
I had Boeing as a customer. It was a good, no make that great, company at one time. When the financial guys took over and the technical guys took a back seat did this company begin to slip.
Re defining MAGA - I was under the impression that a central tenet was US national sovereignty, to be regained by empowering the middle class and ditching the old dependence on foreign manufacturing etc. In essence ditching the anglo-zionist one world govt/great reset movement. No?
Is that the process you see going on currently? Ditching Anglo-Zionist one world government? If that were the core idea why would we be sending a military we're having difficulty affording (and is no longer as hegemonic as it was 2 or 3 decades ago) thousands of miles away from our island continent? I think much of what's going on is being dictated by our debt service problems, and that the tariffs are--first and foremost--intended to address that problem for the immediate future. The short term. Any reshoring, by its very nature, can only happen as a longer term change.
As I see it, MAGA is the result of policies such as foreign military bases - foreign entanglements - that further OWG objectives, not US interests, and that impoverish Middle America. These policies preceded and gave rise to MAGA and an ‘anti-war’ president (who gets an 80% grade from me!)
Your analysis makes perfect sense to me, and I'll be considering your perspective on Trump while trying to understand news in the geopolitical arena as it comes in, day in day out. Some information to which I am giving consideration is that
1) Paul Craig Roberts (talking with Nima Alkhorshid) believes that Putin has, thus far, intentionally not attained military victory for Russia's SMO because doing so would jeopardize victorious attainment of security guarantees for the Russian Federation, negotiated directly with the United States and internationally recognized and accepted by all nations. This might contribute to the nurturing of a good working relationship between Trump and Putin; and it could explain why Trump continues to act as a "concerned mentor" of Zelensky, so that Zelensky will negotiate peace for Ukraine directly with the Russians.
2) Martin Armstrong believes that the US dollar dominance in trade will carry on, because for 60 or more years most nations and cenral banks have established a smooth functioning network system for exchange transactions. He doesn't see a BRICS system conquering the default dollar system.
3) John Helmer (talking with Nima and Ray McGovern) thinks that Israel is not king over US policy;
rather it is US policy to expand its hegemonic empier that makes use of Israel's capabilities. He names the two humongous US embassies, in Beirut and Baghdad, as being central bastions for controlling the trade routes through the Middle East---to keep China subservient as much as Russia.
4) Professor Doctorow's insights into Trump's positioning of favorable process outcomes are interesting; but I wonder if his perspective, as an academic career mind, may be too generous a Trump assessment because it's "logical and readable" as from a history book.
Joanne, Thanks for sharing these and your perspectives on these issues. We all have opinions and many of us, who are not in the know with a direct line to sources, or not our day job, but our passion, can get caught up in speculations. We come here for the forum and like minded individuals, like you, who are trying to figure out the current and future prospects of peace and prosperity and the reduction in chaos in our daily lives.
Thanks, Joanne. It's important for readers to understand that I'm not suggesting that Trump has dementia--just that he's going through the normal aging process. And he is now president during extremely challenging times. Older people tend to stay within certain comfort zones.
1) I'm skeptical of Roberts' theory. My belief is that Putin doing his utmost to keep Russian casualties as low as possible. Russia is still suffering the demographic after effects of WW2 and Putin doesn't want anything remotely like that. He wants healthy Russian demographics for the new world order.
2) All things being equal, Armstrong could be correct. However, the world economy is changing in major ways--the rise of China and the rest of Asia being just one. While that smooth functioning has been going on US debt has been accumulating at unsustainable rates. Military defeat and social/political/economic chaos in the West are other factors.
3) Helmer is partially correct, in that there is a synergy going on that has been in place since around the time of the Napoleonic wars. For my own part, I have never suggested that Israel is "king over US policy". I have always distinguished between Israel and the Jewish Nationalist Lobby. This is why I use the term "Anglo-Zionist", to indicate a confluence of interests that feed off each other.
4) There are additional difficulties with Helmer's view that I should have mentioned. One that I hinted at--re the problems with his appointments--is that D. assumes that Trump can run the USG all by himself, moving the pieces as if on a chess board--or maybe like in checkers, while Putin plays chess. No one man can do that alone, and that is a real problem for Trump. Not enough hours in a day.
with the 20 year bond auction today weak 20Y Bond Auction which sent US Treasury Yields up The yield came in at 5.047%, above expectations of 5.035%.S&P 500 fell nearly -80 points in 30 minutes
basically Trumps Options
Curtail Tariffs further - but may limit free money to give Israel and thwart some of the tax plans
Buy Bonds Print Money buy US bonds when no one else is stepping in
Beg Powell to reduce interest rates now
Hand Tight hope for recession and interest rates reduced soon
Trump desperately wants these Tariffs - but is in quite a pickle
Yes. This is why Trump needs imperial wins fast--to shore up the dollar. But nobody is cooperating. I'm sure the smart money has already figured out the ME deals were mostly scams.
If Trump had talked Saud or Qatar into buying the bonds eg: Japan and China may no longer be that interested in - instead of a fabulous aero plane - that sort of investing in the US maybe would have helped out for a couple years
It's tough stuff - but I don't claim to think any of it makes sense eg: this new tax bill
nothing seems to get to the root of the problem ( as Puting would say )
No tax in tips No tax on overtime rife for abuse and still undefined in terms of occupation what will the IRS 100 million audits
And I still believe tariffs will never bring back manufacturing to US without Union limitations - I was listening to an Indian Pharmaceutical CEO who basically stated they were trying to establish more manufacturing in US bring Jobs to US Michigan was the State I believe
The India Pharmaceutical CEO said -- but the bottom line is The Cost to Manufacture in US is 5 - 6 x the Cost to Manufacture in India
Well, historically, the answer has always been to print more money. Why should things change now? Kick the can has always been the favorite game of Congress. Everyone ought to check into inflation hedges right quick.
Congress........Oy! These folks are so useless as is the senate. Remember the old adage, "the chief business of the USA is business." I think it needs to be tweaked, not twerked. Perhaps the business of the USA is money laundering for the Oligarchs and political class.
"Perhaps the business of the USA is money laundering for the Oligarchs and political class." Seems like a "Bingo!" to me. It certainly is what they do best. That also explains why so many of them love Ukraine and the Z-Man.
I’ll have some of that hopium/copium that Doctorow seems to be taking...reality is a big drag right now.
No, this is not infinity-dimensional chess being played. Yes, it’s entirely possible that some combination of Trump’s losing his fastball and the halting/meandering/stumbling path necessary for any Executive to negotiate the minefield that is permanent Washington is responsible for many of these disappointments.
That said, I think it is, more than anything else, the very nature of the chaos agent many of us chose in the face of Clinton/Obama Ds vs. McCain/Romney Rs--the “break-shit” President. There will be bombast, Crazy Ivans and flagrant fouls...kind of a political Mike Tyson, a force of nature, who ended up being much of his own undoing by focusing on being, and talking about, Mike Tyson. Much like Tyson’s quote about plans and punches to the face, Trump gets himself wrapped up in the immediate flurry, often losing sight of the bigger fight.
Sure, it’s frustrating, particularly because of the outstanding groundwork the America First and other legal/policy teams had done to be three steps ahead of the Resistance blob going in. I’m still going to cheer any and all of his successes on the agenda that put him in office. He bats .350 or better and it’s a great success. Above all else, just need the guy to rein in all the unnecessary killing going on everywhere in the world in our name.
We all wanted someone (the only person who had a chance) to blow things up and dismantle the war regime and put the U.S. first in 2016. And he did a GREAT JOB. All credit to him to endure all that he did and isn't it something that he is perhaps the only one who could have withstood it all financially and legally and emotionally! But now we need him to follow up on that and truly dismantle the "forever war" forces. It is still an open question as to whether or not he has succumbed to those forces or not.
I wholly agree that he was the ONLY guy who could have withstood the forces arrayed against him. His fight is nothing short of incredible. Just have to take him for who he is and pray for his successes. I’m just grumbling a bit because he had a mandate and a legal/policy team to blow his agenda wide open.
I agree re his incredible political wins. The problem is that to keep people happy at home to implement that part of his agenda, he needs overseas wins that keep the dollar in place as King Dollar. If King Dollar goes into a tailspin his domestic agenda is in trouble.
Absolutely. Your postings during (and even before) the 46>47 transition about what Trump was being “allowed” to do domestically if he were to toe the line internationally and vice-versa really got me thinking about the interplay.
Trump is desperate to get money for Netanyahu and Israel - Isreal is desperate for funds, they are well overextended Syria Lebanon Gaza you name it, they did not plan for it , no money in the budget
To maintain Israel current lifestyle - due to loss in tourism, foreign investment, start ups, reservists in the military not working, the bombings and scattering to shelters , just everything has harmed the Israeli economy Israeli needs are "estimate for 2025 is $65.9–78.4 billion in additional funding needed, with $50–60 billion for 2026—totaling $115.9–138.4 billion over the two years."
NETANYAHU people are saying Netanyahu was disappointed leaving US because Trump would not bomb Iran -- that misses the point --->>>> Netanyahu was crying because Trump would not yet give Netanyahu the money
ZELENSKY NETANYAHU Netanyahu did not want to be another begger like Zelensky is now viewed Trump said Netanyahu had to wait - Trump did not have the monies available to freely provide he needs to wait for Tariff monies
TARIFFS Trump will claim the US is getting 25 Billion a month from Tariffs - and Trump will then say we have plenty to give Netanyahu
---->>>> Trumps panicked over raising this money and Netanyahu's head is exploding as the Israeli economy declines
$ 50 Billion will be the first outlay - Netanyahu needs it quick.
Isn't it time Israel stands on it's own two feet instead of our shoulders? Sure, I know this about hegemony and scarce resources, but the claim the tide lifts all boats doesn't work while the government is propping up a people who technically hate us, but love our money.
Israel has no money - they planned for say 6 months in Gaza it has taken much longer, they had no plan for Lebanon and no plan for Syria
Reservists are in the military and not working - people are running to shelters from time to time due to bombing - the airport gets shut down now and then
Israel's Port of Eilat is currently closed Israel airport has shutdowns Houthis have made sea delivery of goods much more expensive Foreign investment has been leaving there is a fair amount of emigration citizens are leaving tourism was a main component of their economy doubtful when it would come back then you have weapons etc.... I could go on and on
Israel is not capable of standing on their own - Not Now - and Not in the Near Future a year or 2 from now - GDP has declined significantly as expenses have only gone up - claimed Israel's real GDP grew by 2.42% in 2023, representing a significant decrease from the 6.47% growth in 2022.
Israel is desperate for a US Trump bailout - that is why Trump needs the Tariffs so badly --- $ 50 billion needed immediately - that is just starter money it will continue
And it will get worse if they try Iran - again already overextended in Syria Lebanon Gaza Houthis
. --->>>> That is why Netanyahu was upset when he left - he hoped to be leaving with a big check <<<----
Yes, I saw your earlier post on the economic challenges posed to Israel as a result of their actions and potential miscalculations. This is why I said what I did. Too bad for Netanyahoo, he's upset, but still breathing and eating well, I suspect. Meanwhile, thousands have lost their lives and many are starving with no safe place to lie their head and this includes the Israeli's themselves. This problem is of their own making and they want us to pay to be complicit in evil? That really bothers me.
I don't see how this ends Maga. Ending this mess, as long as Trump escapes blame for losing Ukraine, would help the US and Maga. Increasing trade with Russia would be a positive for the US. The big loser would be Europe. Ukraine has huge influence, unfortunately, in the US and Trump is basically disarming an explosive trap that has been set to blame / tar Trump for Ukraine's failure.
" If Trump drops sanctions on Russia, then the war will have ended—and so will the Anglo-Zionist empire and MAGA."
And the connection between the Israel and the Ukraine/ Russia Snafu is weak. Israel seems to have a history as a money laundering haven and relations with some organized crime organizations, and my guess there is a lot of dark cash that has flowed through Ukraine. Israel (Netanyahu's coalition) appears to be trying to be neutral with Russia and Ukraine.
The neocons that have been pushing the Grand Russian Adventure have been Jewish. There are other forces, that are not Jewish, that have been pushing for the carving up of Russia.
And as I posted in another threat, Martin Armstrong was jailed with contempt by Comey, Armstrong alleged he was being blackmailed to help destroy Russia.
Thank you for saying this, and for naming Martin Armstrong's refusal to join the Hermitage Fund Investors in raping Russia. I watched the podcast yesterday (Tuesday), a serious history lesson was given.
My apologies, Ray; I referenced the Armstrong story yesterday without knowing that you had already posted this. People are of course at liberty to make their own evaluations of someone's veracity and judgements based on historical and legal documentation. None of that precludes the objective evaluation of the facts that such people present.
No problem on the duplicate, the only person that reads all the comments is Mark.
On legal stuff I’ve gotten a lot more cynical. After all our President is a convicted felon, and basically a convicted rapist. Talk about lawfare. I’m surprised Trump did as well as he did with all the lawfare directed at him.
A guru I heard speak was targeted by Obama’s doj as a scapegoat for the financial crisis. He woke up with a $100 million hard money company, and went to bed with a few hundred dollars because the government seized everything. Wayne L Palmer. He fought the government for 7 years and finally agreed to a plea deal.
"The Court found that **Palmer promised more than 600 investors a guaranteed 12% annual return and assured them their money was completely secured and being used to make hard money loans, purchase notes, and acquire real estate. In reality, Palmer deposited investor funds in one bank account titled "investor trust account," wired the funds to a second bank account titled "investor interest account," and then used the funds to pay returns to other investors."**
Palmer seems to have landed on his feet, after all, finding a second career in government. Cynics might call that another sort of Ponzi scheme.
His knowledge on hard money commercial loans is amazing. His version is a bit different from the tidbits he mentioned. He had all his money frozen so he had to defend himself. He said the judge even apologized to him, but had no choice.
***"He said*** the judge even apologized to him, but had no choice."
Did the judge put that in writing? Apologize to a guy who was found to be running a classic Ponzi scheme--of the type that I worked on? I'll bet not. Let me repeat what the Court DID PUT IN WRITING:
"The Court found that **Palmer promised more than 600 investors a guaranteed 12% annual return and assured them their money was completely secured and being used to make hard money loans, purchase notes, and acquire real estate. In reality, Palmer deposited investor funds in one bank account titled "investor trust account," wired the funds to a second bank account titled "investor interest account," and then used the funds to pay returns to other investors."**
"He had all his money frozen ..."
Right. So it could be returned to his dupes--at least in part. That would have been done only after a probable cause hearing before a judge.
MAGA depends upon continued King Dollar hegemony. That's why Trump has said he'd go to war with any country that threatened that hegemony. Ending sanctions turbocharges BRICS and that ends King Dollar. Not the US, but Anglo-Zionist hegemony.
Well over a million dead is a Snafu? Hmmm. I've done numerous posts about the Jewish Nationalist connection: Money Matters, Empire of Hate, Very Brief Follow Up On Jack The Protector, Doug Macgregor's Big Picture; Plus, ...
Martin Armstrong? A prosecutor can't jail anyone. Only a judge can do that.
In 1985 Armstrong was found to have violated Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations by failing to register as a commodity trading advisor, failing to deliver required disclosure documents to clients, and failing to maintain proper records.[3] In 1987 one of Armstrong's trading entities, Economic Consultants of Princeton Inc., was charged with failing to disclose a commission sharing agreement, and another of his entities, Princeton Economic Consultants Inc, was charged with misrepresenting hypothetical performance results and omitting a required disclaimer in advertisements.[3] The penalties levied banned Armstrong and his companies from trading for twelve months, revoked their registrations, imposed cease-and-desist orders, and levied civil penalties totalling fifty thousand dollars.[3]
Criminal conviction
In 1999, Japanese fraud investigators accused Armstrong of collecting money from Japanese investors, improperly commingling these funds with funds from other investors, and using the fresh money to cover losses he had incurred while trading.[13] United States prosecutors called it a three-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.[14] Allegedly assisting Armstrong in his scheme was the Republic New York Corporation, which produced false account statements to reassure Armstrong's investors. In 2001, the bank agreed to pay US$606 million as restitution for its part in the scandal.[14]
Armstrong was indicted in 1999 and ordered by Judge Richard Owen to turn over fifteen million dollars in gold bars and antiquities bought with the fund's money; the list included bronze helmets and a bust of Julius Caesar.[15][16] Armstrong produced some of the items but claimed the others were not in his possession; this led to several contempt of court charges brought by the SEC and the CFTC, for which he served seven years in jail until he reached a plea bargain with federal prosecutors.[17][18][19] Under the terms of the agreement, Armstrong admitted to deceiving corporate investors and improperly commingling client funds—actions that according to prosecutors resulted in commodities losses of more than seven hundred million dollars—and was sentenced to five years in prison.[20][15]
He was released from federal custody on 2 September 2011 after serving a total of eleven years behind bars.[21][22]
The case against Armstrong was finally closed in 2017, with the distribution of about $80 million to claim holders by the receiver, according to court filings.[23] Armstrong appealed the refusal of the receiver to transport his remaining possessions from storage lockers in New York and Pennsylvania to him in Florida, but the appeal failed in 2019. Concerning his felony conviction, Armstrong is "unrepentant", according to Bloomberg.[1]
Hidden rare coins cache
In 2014, a day laborer sold a box of 58 rare coins, which he said he had found while clearing out the basement of a house in New Jersey—to a Philadelphia thrift shop for $6,000. Three years later, in 2017, when the thrift shop announced they were to auction the coins—valued at $2.5 million, Armstrong came forward to declare himself to be the rightful owner. He claimed that he had hidden the coins in his mother's old house to take them "off the books" in anticipation of the public offering of his firm. The thrift shop sued Armstrong, asking the court to declare the thrift shop as rightful owners while Armstrong counter-sued, also seeking ownership. In 2019 the US government found out about the coins and claimed them as part of the treasure hoard Armstrong had refused to hand over in 1999, and for which he had served seven years in jail for contempt. (In addition to rare coins, the treasure hoard, valued at $12.9 million, included 102 gold bars, 699 gold coins, and an ancient bust of Julius Caesar.)[24][25]
Armstrong was deposed and, according to Receiver Alan M. Cohen, Armstrong admitted hiding the coins. However, Armstrong's attorneys said in a court filing that Armstrong did not make this admission. The auction house now possesses the coins and the US government has filed suit to take possession.[24][25]
It seems to me the crux of the matter is "what is MAGA?" Many who voted for Trump did so primarily based on his domestic policies but also because of the idea of getting out of "foreign entanglements." Among Conservatives there remains a strong "old right," "isolationist" influence, as threaded through the Pat Buchanan Paleo-Conservatives. Aside from that there are many Republicans and "Trump Democrats" who want to invest Dollars at home for the immediate benefit of the U.S. rather than overseas for the down the road benefit of U.S. hegemony and/or for "spreading Democracy."
So is Trump spending money and political capital to the benefit of overseas adventurism on behalf of other financial interests and states? Or is he ultimately spending it to the benefit of the U.S. working population and its economic interests? That is the question and the rock on which his political success will ultimately achieve success or be crushed and fail.
Perhaps so, depending on how the "good life" is defined. Perhaps Trump now believes our level of debt has to be financed by others one way or another and that there is no other way to avoid default.
As for the Petro Dollar, during Trump's first term he spoke often about attaining U.S. energy independence ("drill baby drill") and asserted that he had accomplished this when he was campaigning in 2020. That seems to imply that he had a desire to become independent of OPEC and SA and the oil market pricing; and by extension all the political and military entanglements in the ME. I have not heard him say anything about that this term. Just another of the myriad ways things have changed with him. (I do understand the issue of the Petro Dollar is larger than just that, though.)
I get the petro dollar aspect, but it comes ata cost. So, wasn't there just a little deception here? King dollar represents the financialization aspect and we the people get to buy cheap goods made by China from Walmart while earning Walmart wages. Meanwhile the banksters sit atop a pile of money. That's why their wealth accumulation has sky rocketed and ours is depressed.. To me that's not an upside nor the good life. Some of us may have done alright, but our future is slipping away.
Thanks for the legal information, it’s a weak area of mine.
King dollar’s degree of decline I don’t see changing, no matter Trump’s rhetoric or if Ukraine surrenders tomorrow. The West has shown it can’t be trusted with 100% control of the financial systems.
I agree. But for now with the USDX it is all relative. From what I read and gather the Dollar will decline vs. Gold and BTC and other hard assets short term but will still be a better place to be than the Euro or the Yen or the Remninbi over the next few years.
Per Tom Luongo Trump wants a weaker dollar. And he wants Powell to lower interest rates. But, he can’t for right now. Powell is working hand in hand with Bessent, Secretary of treasury. Europe is sticking with yield control because of the toxic negative bonds the Europe pension funds were required to buy.
Tether is having huge growth in the third world, and it’s in US dollars. The stable coin bill is huge. You will basically have a U.S. based dollar stable coin infrastructure U.S. banks can use, and an offshore U.S. dollar stable coin. And this seems to huge backing in the U.S. now. Before the U.S. government was doing its best to kill crypto, by destroying any bank associated with it.
The killer app for crypto currency is moving money between countries. Seagate took 6days to move money from Thailand to the U.S.
An Investor in mobile home flips, 25 in process, last night seeking capital at a presentation brought up issues getting foreign investors moving money into the U.S., and how crypto was a solution they were looking into and coming soon.
Very interesting about Tether and crypto. Funny how when there is a need people find a way to fill it and how that often that involves working around or despite governments. This is what some of those third world governments get for trying to control the liquidity and value of their currencies. Thanks very much for the info and link.
Thanks. Tether is Something to watch. I’m very skeptical on crypto and I feel a bit lost on the subject, seeing lots of scams in the space, but Tether seems more significant. Tom Luongo’s podcast was first I heard of it.
Bitcoin was the only crypto that I felt safe due to its openness / audit ability.
The two areas nobody mentions is the fees associated with crypto, and there is no privacy. All transactions leave a trail in a block chain including ownership. Some stolen crypto was repossessed due to this feature.
Tether is at $144 billion and owns more U.S. treasuries than Germany, and working with Cantor Fitzgerald, where sec of treasury came from.
Trump got a lot of support from crypto for his last election.
> RUS/UKR outcome is KNOWN. The narrative is talk of peace. The actual is that UKRAINE will continue to absorb UK/EU/NATO+US assets(UKR men & foreign advisors, weapons, $$$$) until no mas.
> Middle East players KNOWN. Civil war: Israel or Syria first?
> Administration players KNOWN.
INFORMATION:
> We are observers from an unknown distance.
> I appreciate your exceptional reporting, insight, player-by-play, and color commentary.
I think you’re reaching here, Trump just did 2 presser, a meeting with the GOP caucus and then 2 more pressers at the Capitol. Plus whatever side meetings took place. Yes he older, but he’s not even in the realm of FJB territory. I know and worked with quite a few 80+ year olds who were still sharp as a tack.
I never claimed that Trump was in FJB territory--only that he may be past his prime. Re his pressers, I find his rambling to be somewhat alarming. As also his untruthful statements.
Mark, I do not recall reading in any of your posts that you thought Trump was showing signs of dementia, or that because he will turn 79 next month his age is a detriment to his cognitive abilities.
It is true that human beings can 'perform' better physically when they are younger. Performance mentally can decline with aging, though not necessarily so.
Humans can gain wisdom as they age, and are sometimes better learners than when they were youths.
We have all seen some folks 'lose their touch' when they reach their golden years. Thought processes may have dulled, they may not concentrate as well, or be as quick-witted.
I have known and listened to people who are past their prime. I knew or saw them when they were agile mentally, but now things are perhaps not up to their previous level of performance.
PDJT is not acting or talking as rationally as he did 10 years ago. He is doing a lot of REacting now, instead of acting after synthesizing input over a period of time.
I hope his change has not made him vulnerable to manipulation...
Wisdom can increase with age. The problem with the effects you rightly describe arise when an older person tries to conduct complex practical operations all by himself--like "running the world and having a great time doing it" while appointing helpers with radically different ideas. The mere fact that Trump says stuff like that out loud should give pause.
But stuff like that is nothing new for Trump. The accusation of ill advised, impulsive remarks has followed him for years, although they are often found to be clever and functional in a way that is not immediately obvious.
It looks to me like he is gifted spatially, in seeing the big picture, the forest for the trees, and his political instincts remain superb, but his verbal skills have always been modest, made cosmetically worse by the fact that he talks like a New Yorker. As a retired professional who spent years diagnosing and assessing this kind of thing, I have seen no evidence of tangible decline. I'm not merely saying no evidence of dementia but no evidence of tangible cognitive slowing or mitigation. It's possible, of course, but I don't think we have any real evidence of it. Meanwhile, as many have noted, he continues to engage in more Q and A than any president in history, to have taken on a much bigger and more demanding agenda than in his first term and to be handling it rather well, and the incident in Butler was very telling. He had the presence of mind to instantly process a terrifying assault and to turn it into an iconic moment. People who are getting confused or easily overwhelmed just don't do that. They crumble or at least pull inward.
If I'm not mistaken, there are many examples of things that Trump fell into or got pulled into during his first term that essentially were waffles or even violations of his initial intentions or instincts. I think we need to keep in mind the milieu within which he's working, not to mention that the headwinds he's faced and continues to face are extraordinary. I confess to being a Trump apologist, so bias may be an issue here, but I think not.
Forgive me for going on so long, but here is an interesting excerpt from Alex Krainer's essay yesterday. It's from early in his first term but probably still relevant:
"An insider’s glimpse of reality
In a recent interview with former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, former senior advisor to the acting Defense Secretary during the first Trump administration, Col. Douglas Macgregor gave us an important glimpse into the realities of how things actually work within the executive branch of the U.S. government. He recounts his own experience in the first seven minutes of this interview:
> "In truth, I was there because Donald Trump at the time wanted to extricate us from Afghanistan, as well as from Syria and Iraq. And he knew that despite of his efforts to push us in those directions, the people under him were disloyal to him and had not done anything to facilitate those outcomes. So, then the point was, see what you can do to reduce or eliminate our presence in Europe, which is interesting, we're talking about something less than 90 days [of Macgregor's tenure with the administration] and I said 'well, I think you could do one of those things but not any more.'"
>
Shortly thereafter, Macgregor went to see Trump:
> "I sat at his office and waited in the West Wing and ... he [the acting Defence Secretary] came back and said, 'Alright, this is what you're going to do,' and the focus was really to extricate us from Afghanistan. So then I sat with everybody and it was working for him and I said, if you want to get out it's a very straightforward matter: the President has to write an executive order that directs the withdrawal from Afghanistan. ... So I drafted an executive order ... and he took it, and I guess he loved it ... ultimately they did it, he did sign it ... then all hell breaks loose. The Senate Armed Services Committee, the key members of the Senate, as well as the acting Secretary of Defense... he went crazy and his acting chief of staff was Kash Patel ... and they all were called over to the White House by the end of the day, and finally, Mitch McConnell and I don't know who else was there from the Senate, plus the House, along with the acting SecDef and his Chief of Staff, all said, we can't do this. We just can't - the allies. What will we do about the allies? My answer was, if we leave, the allies will leave. You know, fly them out. Don't ask for permission, you're the Commander in Chief, you're the President of the United States, and you're the leader of NATO. Well, you know - bottom line is, they talked him out of it."
Judge Napolitano @Judgenap
What if...
Trump hosts Netanyahu at the WH to show him videos of the IDF slaughtering Palestinians, like he did the President of South Africa?
Great idea, never going to happen.
Mr. Wauck, I agree with your analysis much more than that of Doctorow, though I'll concede he offers unique perspectives. Thank you for your analysis.
You're welcome. It's helpful to listen to different perspectives to stimulate one's own thinking.
You're welcome. It's helpful to listen to different perspectives to stimulate one's own thinking.
Is this really a good comeback? Remember, stuff like this resonates around the world.
South Africa's President Ramaphosa jokes with Trump about the Boeing he recived from Qatar:
"I'm sorry I don't have a plane to give you."
Trump: I wish you did. I would take it.
All things considered, can't the world hegemon afford a plane for its president?
Can it even build one?
Is Boeing working on a plane, a proposed Air Force One that somehow can't be completed? I saw that on several short television reports.
Yep:
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/boeing-bungled-3-9-billion-air-force-one-project-blew-past-deadline-opened-door-qatari-jet-offer
I had Boeing as a customer. It was a good, no make that great, company at one time. When the financial guys took over and the technical guys took a back seat did this company begin to slip.
Re defining MAGA - I was under the impression that a central tenet was US national sovereignty, to be regained by empowering the middle class and ditching the old dependence on foreign manufacturing etc. In essence ditching the anglo-zionist one world govt/great reset movement. No?
Is that the process you see going on currently? Ditching Anglo-Zionist one world government? If that were the core idea why would we be sending a military we're having difficulty affording (and is no longer as hegemonic as it was 2 or 3 decades ago) thousands of miles away from our island continent? I think much of what's going on is being dictated by our debt service problems, and that the tariffs are--first and foremost--intended to address that problem for the immediate future. The short term. Any reshoring, by its very nature, can only happen as a longer term change.
As I see it, MAGA is the result of policies such as foreign military bases - foreign entanglements - that further OWG objectives, not US interests, and that impoverish Middle America. These policies preceded and gave rise to MAGA and an ‘anti-war’ president (who gets an 80% grade from me!)
I just received a Breaking News pop up from NBC News:
Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead outside D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum
Your analysis makes perfect sense to me, and I'll be considering your perspective on Trump while trying to understand news in the geopolitical arena as it comes in, day in day out. Some information to which I am giving consideration is that
1) Paul Craig Roberts (talking with Nima Alkhorshid) believes that Putin has, thus far, intentionally not attained military victory for Russia's SMO because doing so would jeopardize victorious attainment of security guarantees for the Russian Federation, negotiated directly with the United States and internationally recognized and accepted by all nations. This might contribute to the nurturing of a good working relationship between Trump and Putin; and it could explain why Trump continues to act as a "concerned mentor" of Zelensky, so that Zelensky will negotiate peace for Ukraine directly with the Russians.
2) Martin Armstrong believes that the US dollar dominance in trade will carry on, because for 60 or more years most nations and cenral banks have established a smooth functioning network system for exchange transactions. He doesn't see a BRICS system conquering the default dollar system.
3) John Helmer (talking with Nima and Ray McGovern) thinks that Israel is not king over US policy;
rather it is US policy to expand its hegemonic empier that makes use of Israel's capabilities. He names the two humongous US embassies, in Beirut and Baghdad, as being central bastions for controlling the trade routes through the Middle East---to keep China subservient as much as Russia.
4) Professor Doctorow's insights into Trump's positioning of favorable process outcomes are interesting; but I wonder if his perspective, as an academic career mind, may be too generous a Trump assessment because it's "logical and readable" as from a history book.
Joanne, Thanks for sharing these and your perspectives on these issues. We all have opinions and many of us, who are not in the know with a direct line to sources, or not our day job, but our passion, can get caught up in speculations. We come here for the forum and like minded individuals, like you, who are trying to figure out the current and future prospects of peace and prosperity and the reduction in chaos in our daily lives.
Thanks, Joanne. It's important for readers to understand that I'm not suggesting that Trump has dementia--just that he's going through the normal aging process. And he is now president during extremely challenging times. Older people tend to stay within certain comfort zones.
1) I'm skeptical of Roberts' theory. My belief is that Putin doing his utmost to keep Russian casualties as low as possible. Russia is still suffering the demographic after effects of WW2 and Putin doesn't want anything remotely like that. He wants healthy Russian demographics for the new world order.
2) All things being equal, Armstrong could be correct. However, the world economy is changing in major ways--the rise of China and the rest of Asia being just one. While that smooth functioning has been going on US debt has been accumulating at unsustainable rates. Military defeat and social/political/economic chaos in the West are other factors.
3) Helmer is partially correct, in that there is a synergy going on that has been in place since around the time of the Napoleonic wars. For my own part, I have never suggested that Israel is "king over US policy". I have always distinguished between Israel and the Jewish Nationalist Lobby. This is why I use the term "Anglo-Zionist", to indicate a confluence of interests that feed off each other.
4) There are additional difficulties with Helmer's view that I should have mentioned. One that I hinted at--re the problems with his appointments--is that D. assumes that Trump can run the USG all by himself, moving the pieces as if on a chess board--or maybe like in checkers, while Putin plays chess. No one man can do that alone, and that is a real problem for Trump. Not enough hours in a day.
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Trumps Options - The Great Trump Israel Dilemma
with the 20 year bond auction today weak 20Y Bond Auction which sent US Treasury Yields up The yield came in at 5.047%, above expectations of 5.035%.S&P 500 fell nearly -80 points in 30 minutes
basically Trumps Options
Curtail Tariffs further - but may limit free money to give Israel and thwart some of the tax plans
Buy Bonds Print Money buy US bonds when no one else is stepping in
Beg Powell to reduce interest rates now
Hand Tight hope for recession and interest rates reduced soon
Trump desperately wants these Tariffs - but is in quite a pickle
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Yes. This is why Trump needs imperial wins fast--to shore up the dollar. But nobody is cooperating. I'm sure the smart money has already figured out the ME deals were mostly scams.
Good Point
If Trump had talked Saud or Qatar into buying the bonds eg: Japan and China may no longer be that interested in - instead of a fabulous aero plane - that sort of investing in the US maybe would have helped out for a couple years
It's tough stuff - but I don't claim to think any of it makes sense eg: this new tax bill
nothing seems to get to the root of the problem ( as Puting would say )
No tax in tips No tax on overtime rife for abuse and still undefined in terms of occupation what will the IRS 100 million audits
And I still believe tariffs will never bring back manufacturing to US without Union limitations - I was listening to an Indian Pharmaceutical CEO who basically stated they were trying to establish more manufacturing in US bring Jobs to US Michigan was the State I believe
The India Pharmaceutical CEO said -- but the bottom line is The Cost to Manufacture in US is 5 - 6 x the Cost to Manufacture in India
you can bet no one is paying 5 - 6 x the price
Well, historically, the answer has always been to print more money. Why should things change now? Kick the can has always been the favorite game of Congress. Everyone ought to check into inflation hedges right quick.
Congress........Oy! These folks are so useless as is the senate. Remember the old adage, "the chief business of the USA is business." I think it needs to be tweaked, not twerked. Perhaps the business of the USA is money laundering for the Oligarchs and political class.
"Perhaps the business of the USA is money laundering for the Oligarchs and political class." Seems like a "Bingo!" to me. It certainly is what they do best. That also explains why so many of them love Ukraine and the Z-Man.
I’ll have some of that hopium/copium that Doctorow seems to be taking...reality is a big drag right now.
No, this is not infinity-dimensional chess being played. Yes, it’s entirely possible that some combination of Trump’s losing his fastball and the halting/meandering/stumbling path necessary for any Executive to negotiate the minefield that is permanent Washington is responsible for many of these disappointments.
That said, I think it is, more than anything else, the very nature of the chaos agent many of us chose in the face of Clinton/Obama Ds vs. McCain/Romney Rs--the “break-shit” President. There will be bombast, Crazy Ivans and flagrant fouls...kind of a political Mike Tyson, a force of nature, who ended up being much of his own undoing by focusing on being, and talking about, Mike Tyson. Much like Tyson’s quote about plans and punches to the face, Trump gets himself wrapped up in the immediate flurry, often losing sight of the bigger fight.
Sure, it’s frustrating, particularly because of the outstanding groundwork the America First and other legal/policy teams had done to be three steps ahead of the Resistance blob going in. I’m still going to cheer any and all of his successes on the agenda that put him in office. He bats .350 or better and it’s a great success. Above all else, just need the guy to rein in all the unnecessary killing going on everywhere in the world in our name.
and the money laundering.........
We all wanted someone (the only person who had a chance) to blow things up and dismantle the war regime and put the U.S. first in 2016. And he did a GREAT JOB. All credit to him to endure all that he did and isn't it something that he is perhaps the only one who could have withstood it all financially and legally and emotionally! But now we need him to follow up on that and truly dismantle the "forever war" forces. It is still an open question as to whether or not he has succumbed to those forces or not.
I wholly agree that he was the ONLY guy who could have withstood the forces arrayed against him. His fight is nothing short of incredible. Just have to take him for who he is and pray for his successes. I’m just grumbling a bit because he had a mandate and a legal/policy team to blow his agenda wide open.
I agree re his incredible political wins. The problem is that to keep people happy at home to implement that part of his agenda, he needs overseas wins that keep the dollar in place as King Dollar. If King Dollar goes into a tailspin his domestic agenda is in trouble.
Absolutely. Your postings during (and even before) the 46>47 transition about what Trump was being “allowed” to do domestically if he were to toe the line internationally and vice-versa really got me thinking about the interplay.
.
.
.Trumps Main Goal
The Trump Isreal Issue
Trump is desperate to get money for Netanyahu and Israel - Isreal is desperate for funds, they are well overextended Syria Lebanon Gaza you name it, they did not plan for it , no money in the budget
To maintain Israel current lifestyle - due to loss in tourism, foreign investment, start ups, reservists in the military not working, the bombings and scattering to shelters , just everything has harmed the Israeli economy Israeli needs are "estimate for 2025 is $65.9–78.4 billion in additional funding needed, with $50–60 billion for 2026—totaling $115.9–138.4 billion over the two years."
NETANYAHU people are saying Netanyahu was disappointed leaving US because Trump would not bomb Iran -- that misses the point --->>>> Netanyahu was crying because Trump would not yet give Netanyahu the money
ZELENSKY NETANYAHU Netanyahu did not want to be another begger like Zelensky is now viewed Trump said Netanyahu had to wait - Trump did not have the monies available to freely provide he needs to wait for Tariff monies
TARIFFS Trump will claim the US is getting 25 Billion a month from Tariffs - and Trump will then say we have plenty to give Netanyahu
---->>>> Trumps panicked over raising this money and Netanyahu's head is exploding as the Israeli economy declines
$ 50 Billion will be the first outlay - Netanyahu needs it quick.
.
Isn't it time Israel stands on it's own two feet instead of our shoulders? Sure, I know this about hegemony and scarce resources, but the claim the tide lifts all boats doesn't work while the government is propping up a people who technically hate us, but love our money.
.
Israel has no money - they planned for say 6 months in Gaza it has taken much longer, they had no plan for Lebanon and no plan for Syria
Reservists are in the military and not working - people are running to shelters from time to time due to bombing - the airport gets shut down now and then
Israel's Port of Eilat is currently closed Israel airport has shutdowns Houthis have made sea delivery of goods much more expensive Foreign investment has been leaving there is a fair amount of emigration citizens are leaving tourism was a main component of their economy doubtful when it would come back then you have weapons etc.... I could go on and on
Israel is not capable of standing on their own - Not Now - and Not in the Near Future a year or 2 from now - GDP has declined significantly as expenses have only gone up - claimed Israel's real GDP grew by 2.42% in 2023, representing a significant decrease from the 6.47% growth in 2022.
Israel is desperate for a US Trump bailout - that is why Trump needs the Tariffs so badly --- $ 50 billion needed immediately - that is just starter money it will continue
And it will get worse if they try Iran - again already overextended in Syria Lebanon Gaza Houthis
. --->>>> That is why Netanyahu was upset when he left - he hoped to be leaving with a big check <<<----
.
Hey Joe,
Yes, I saw your earlier post on the economic challenges posed to Israel as a result of their actions and potential miscalculations. This is why I said what I did. Too bad for Netanyahoo, he's upset, but still breathing and eating well, I suspect. Meanwhile, thousands have lost their lives and many are starving with no safe place to lie their head and this includes the Israeli's themselves. This problem is of their own making and they want us to pay to be complicit in evil? That really bothers me.
ASK GROK WHAT ISRAEL NEEDS
If A Ceasefire and If Iran enters the picture
------->>>>>>>>>>>>This is why Trump Is So Desperate
"""""To maintain its current lifestyle in 2025,
2025: $66.8–$88.8 billion total, or up to $86.8–$113.8 billion to fully maintain living standards.
2026: $40–$55 billion (ceasefire) or $90–$160 billion (Iran conflict).
Total (2025–2026): $106.8–$143.8 billion (ceasefire) or $156.8–$273.8 billion (Iran conflict).""""
------
playing a multi-dimensional form of geostrategic chess...
WSJ had a notable and quotable from Ledeen, https://www.wsj.com/opinion/notable-quotable-michael-ledeen-on-bridge-and-war-2861a814?st=QAp9sC&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
Thanks for sharing the link, this was very interesting and made so much sense.
I don't see how this ends Maga. Ending this mess, as long as Trump escapes blame for losing Ukraine, would help the US and Maga. Increasing trade with Russia would be a positive for the US. The big loser would be Europe. Ukraine has huge influence, unfortunately, in the US and Trump is basically disarming an explosive trap that has been set to blame / tar Trump for Ukraine's failure.
" If Trump drops sanctions on Russia, then the war will have ended—and so will the Anglo-Zionist empire and MAGA."
And the connection between the Israel and the Ukraine/ Russia Snafu is weak. Israel seems to have a history as a money laundering haven and relations with some organized crime organizations, and my guess there is a lot of dark cash that has flowed through Ukraine. Israel (Netanyahu's coalition) appears to be trying to be neutral with Russia and Ukraine.
The neocons that have been pushing the Grand Russian Adventure have been Jewish. There are other forces, that are not Jewish, that have been pushing for the carving up of Russia.
And as I posted in another threat, Martin Armstrong was jailed with contempt by Comey, Armstrong alleged he was being blackmailed to help destroy Russia.
https://open.substack.com/pub/meaninginhistory/p/putins-reaction-to-the-trump-phone?r=kso5w&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=118675181
Thank you for saying this, and for naming Martin Armstrong's refusal to join the Hermitage Fund Investors in raping Russia. I watched the podcast yesterday (Tuesday), a serious history lesson was given.
My apologies, Ray; I referenced the Armstrong story yesterday without knowing that you had already posted this. People are of course at liberty to make their own evaluations of someone's veracity and judgements based on historical and legal documentation. None of that precludes the objective evaluation of the facts that such people present.
No problem on the duplicate, the only person that reads all the comments is Mark.
On legal stuff I’ve gotten a lot more cynical. After all our President is a convicted felon, and basically a convicted rapist. Talk about lawfare. I’m surprised Trump did as well as he did with all the lawfare directed at him.
A guru I heard speak was targeted by Obama’s doj as a scapegoat for the financial crisis. He woke up with a $100 million hard money company, and went to bed with a few hundred dollars because the government seized everything. Wayne L Palmer. He fought the government for 7 years and finally agreed to a plea deal.
https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-23419
"The Court found that **Palmer promised more than 600 investors a guaranteed 12% annual return and assured them their money was completely secured and being used to make hard money loans, purchase notes, and acquire real estate. In reality, Palmer deposited investor funds in one bank account titled "investor trust account," wired the funds to a second bank account titled "investor interest account," and then used the funds to pay returns to other investors."**
Palmer seems to have landed on his feet, after all, finding a second career in government. Cynics might call that another sort of Ponzi scheme.
His knowledge on hard money commercial loans is amazing. His version is a bit different from the tidbits he mentioned. He had all his money frozen so he had to defend himself. He said the judge even apologized to him, but had no choice.
***"He said*** the judge even apologized to him, but had no choice."
Did the judge put that in writing? Apologize to a guy who was found to be running a classic Ponzi scheme--of the type that I worked on? I'll bet not. Let me repeat what the Court DID PUT IN WRITING:
"The Court found that **Palmer promised more than 600 investors a guaranteed 12% annual return and assured them their money was completely secured and being used to make hard money loans, purchase notes, and acquire real estate. In reality, Palmer deposited investor funds in one bank account titled "investor trust account," wired the funds to a second bank account titled "investor interest account," and then used the funds to pay returns to other investors."**
"He had all his money frozen ..."
Right. So it could be returned to his dupes--at least in part. That would have been done only after a probable cause hearing before a judge.
Why are you posting this stuff here?
MAGA depends upon continued King Dollar hegemony. That's why Trump has said he'd go to war with any country that threatened that hegemony. Ending sanctions turbocharges BRICS and that ends King Dollar. Not the US, but Anglo-Zionist hegemony.
Well over a million dead is a Snafu? Hmmm. I've done numerous posts about the Jewish Nationalist connection: Money Matters, Empire of Hate, Very Brief Follow Up On Jack The Protector, Doug Macgregor's Big Picture; Plus, ...
Martin Armstrong? A prosecutor can't jail anyone. Only a judge can do that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_A._Armstrong#Criminal_conviction
CFTC violations
In 1985 Armstrong was found to have violated Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulations by failing to register as a commodity trading advisor, failing to deliver required disclosure documents to clients, and failing to maintain proper records.[3] In 1987 one of Armstrong's trading entities, Economic Consultants of Princeton Inc., was charged with failing to disclose a commission sharing agreement, and another of his entities, Princeton Economic Consultants Inc, was charged with misrepresenting hypothetical performance results and omitting a required disclaimer in advertisements.[3] The penalties levied banned Armstrong and his companies from trading for twelve months, revoked their registrations, imposed cease-and-desist orders, and levied civil penalties totalling fifty thousand dollars.[3]
Criminal conviction
In 1999, Japanese fraud investigators accused Armstrong of collecting money from Japanese investors, improperly commingling these funds with funds from other investors, and using the fresh money to cover losses he had incurred while trading.[13] United States prosecutors called it a three-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.[14] Allegedly assisting Armstrong in his scheme was the Republic New York Corporation, which produced false account statements to reassure Armstrong's investors. In 2001, the bank agreed to pay US$606 million as restitution for its part in the scandal.[14]
Armstrong was indicted in 1999 and ordered by Judge Richard Owen to turn over fifteen million dollars in gold bars and antiquities bought with the fund's money; the list included bronze helmets and a bust of Julius Caesar.[15][16] Armstrong produced some of the items but claimed the others were not in his possession; this led to several contempt of court charges brought by the SEC and the CFTC, for which he served seven years in jail until he reached a plea bargain with federal prosecutors.[17][18][19] Under the terms of the agreement, Armstrong admitted to deceiving corporate investors and improperly commingling client funds—actions that according to prosecutors resulted in commodities losses of more than seven hundred million dollars—and was sentenced to five years in prison.[20][15]
He was released from federal custody on 2 September 2011 after serving a total of eleven years behind bars.[21][22]
The case against Armstrong was finally closed in 2017, with the distribution of about $80 million to claim holders by the receiver, according to court filings.[23] Armstrong appealed the refusal of the receiver to transport his remaining possessions from storage lockers in New York and Pennsylvania to him in Florida, but the appeal failed in 2019. Concerning his felony conviction, Armstrong is "unrepentant", according to Bloomberg.[1]
Hidden rare coins cache
In 2014, a day laborer sold a box of 58 rare coins, which he said he had found while clearing out the basement of a house in New Jersey—to a Philadelphia thrift shop for $6,000. Three years later, in 2017, when the thrift shop announced they were to auction the coins—valued at $2.5 million, Armstrong came forward to declare himself to be the rightful owner. He claimed that he had hidden the coins in his mother's old house to take them "off the books" in anticipation of the public offering of his firm. The thrift shop sued Armstrong, asking the court to declare the thrift shop as rightful owners while Armstrong counter-sued, also seeking ownership. In 2019 the US government found out about the coins and claimed them as part of the treasure hoard Armstrong had refused to hand over in 1999, and for which he had served seven years in jail for contempt. (In addition to rare coins, the treasure hoard, valued at $12.9 million, included 102 gold bars, 699 gold coins, and an ancient bust of Julius Caesar.)[24][25]
Armstrong was deposed and, according to Receiver Alan M. Cohen, Armstrong admitted hiding the coins. However, Armstrong's attorneys said in a court filing that Armstrong did not make this admission. The auction house now possesses the coins and the US government has filed suit to take possession.[24][25]
It seems to me the crux of the matter is "what is MAGA?" Many who voted for Trump did so primarily based on his domestic policies but also because of the idea of getting out of "foreign entanglements." Among Conservatives there remains a strong "old right," "isolationist" influence, as threaded through the Pat Buchanan Paleo-Conservatives. Aside from that there are many Republicans and "Trump Democrats" who want to invest Dollars at home for the immediate benefit of the U.S. rather than overseas for the down the road benefit of U.S. hegemony and/or for "spreading Democracy."
So is Trump spending money and political capital to the benefit of overseas adventurism on behalf of other financial interests and states? Or is he ultimately spending it to the benefit of the U.S. working population and its economic interests? That is the question and the rock on which his political success will ultimately achieve success or be crushed and fail.
What Trump does understand, and what many conservatives don't, is that the good life of Americans depends on its overseas empire. The Petro Dollar.
Perhaps so, depending on how the "good life" is defined. Perhaps Trump now believes our level of debt has to be financed by others one way or another and that there is no other way to avoid default.
As for the Petro Dollar, during Trump's first term he spoke often about attaining U.S. energy independence ("drill baby drill") and asserted that he had accomplished this when he was campaigning in 2020. That seems to imply that he had a desire to become independent of OPEC and SA and the oil market pricing; and by extension all the political and military entanglements in the ME. I have not heard him say anything about that this term. Just another of the myriad ways things have changed with him. (I do understand the issue of the Petro Dollar is larger than just that, though.)
I get the petro dollar aspect, but it comes ata cost. So, wasn't there just a little deception here? King dollar represents the financialization aspect and we the people get to buy cheap goods made by China from Walmart while earning Walmart wages. Meanwhile the banksters sit atop a pile of money. That's why their wealth accumulation has sky rocketed and ours is depressed.. To me that's not an upside nor the good life. Some of us may have done alright, but our future is slipping away.
Thanks for the legal information, it’s a weak area of mine.
King dollar’s degree of decline I don’t see changing, no matter Trump’s rhetoric or if Ukraine surrenders tomorrow. The West has shown it can’t be trusted with 100% control of the financial systems.
I agree. But for now with the USDX it is all relative. From what I read and gather the Dollar will decline vs. Gold and BTC and other hard assets short term but will still be a better place to be than the Euro or the Yen or the Remninbi over the next few years.
Per Tom Luongo Trump wants a weaker dollar. And he wants Powell to lower interest rates. But, he can’t for right now. Powell is working hand in hand with Bessent, Secretary of treasury. Europe is sticking with yield control because of the toxic negative bonds the Europe pension funds were required to buy.
Tether is having huge growth in the third world, and it’s in US dollars. The stable coin bill is huge. You will basically have a U.S. based dollar stable coin infrastructure U.S. banks can use, and an offshore U.S. dollar stable coin. And this seems to huge backing in the U.S. now. Before the U.S. government was doing its best to kill crypto, by destroying any bank associated with it.
The killer app for crypto currency is moving money between countries. Seagate took 6days to move money from Thailand to the U.S.
https://tomluongo.me/2025/04/19/podcast-episode-213-caitlin-long-and-the-financial-crisis-that-wasnt/
An Investor in mobile home flips, 25 in process, last night seeking capital at a presentation brought up issues getting foreign investors moving money into the U.S., and how crypto was a solution they were looking into and coming soon.
Very interesting about Tether and crypto. Funny how when there is a need people find a way to fill it and how that often that involves working around or despite governments. This is what some of those third world governments get for trying to control the liquidity and value of their currencies. Thanks very much for the info and link.
Thanks. Tether is Something to watch. I’m very skeptical on crypto and I feel a bit lost on the subject, seeing lots of scams in the space, but Tether seems more significant. Tom Luongo’s podcast was first I heard of it.
Bitcoin was the only crypto that I felt safe due to its openness / audit ability.
The two areas nobody mentions is the fees associated with crypto, and there is no privacy. All transactions leave a trail in a block chain including ownership. Some stolen crypto was repossessed due to this feature.
Tether is at $144 billion and owns more U.S. treasuries than Germany, and working with Cantor Fitzgerald, where sec of treasury came from.
Trump got a lot of support from crypto for his last election.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/04/09/144-billion-tethers-next-act-a-us-stablecoin-and-a-peer-to-peer-chatgpt/
OK, I'll bite. What "outright lie" did I quote. Please document the lie.
OK, you refuse to provide documentation of my "outright lies" but instead smear me for asking for an honest answer.
IMO Trump has control.
> RUS/UKR outcome is KNOWN. The narrative is talk of peace. The actual is that UKRAINE will continue to absorb UK/EU/NATO+US assets(UKR men & foreign advisors, weapons, $$$$) until no mas.
> Middle East players KNOWN. Civil war: Israel or Syria first?
> Administration players KNOWN.
INFORMATION:
> We are observers from an unknown distance.
> I appreciate your exceptional reporting, insight, player-by-play, and color commentary.
I think you’re reaching here, Trump just did 2 presser, a meeting with the GOP caucus and then 2 more pressers at the Capitol. Plus whatever side meetings took place. Yes he older, but he’s not even in the realm of FJB territory. I know and worked with quite a few 80+ year olds who were still sharp as a tack.
I never claimed that Trump was in FJB territory--only that he may be past his prime. Re his pressers, I find his rambling to be somewhat alarming. As also his untruthful statements.
At the very least he looks and sounds tired — understandable, but also a sharp contrast with his first term and recent campaign.
Mark, I do not recall reading in any of your posts that you thought Trump was showing signs of dementia, or that because he will turn 79 next month his age is a detriment to his cognitive abilities.
It is true that human beings can 'perform' better physically when they are younger. Performance mentally can decline with aging, though not necessarily so.
Humans can gain wisdom as they age, and are sometimes better learners than when they were youths.
We have all seen some folks 'lose their touch' when they reach their golden years. Thought processes may have dulled, they may not concentrate as well, or be as quick-witted.
I have known and listened to people who are past their prime. I knew or saw them when they were agile mentally, but now things are perhaps not up to their previous level of performance.
PDJT is not acting or talking as rationally as he did 10 years ago. He is doing a lot of REacting now, instead of acting after synthesizing input over a period of time.
I hope his change has not made him vulnerable to manipulation...
Wisdom can increase with age. The problem with the effects you rightly describe arise when an older person tries to conduct complex practical operations all by himself--like "running the world and having a great time doing it" while appointing helpers with radically different ideas. The mere fact that Trump says stuff like that out loud should give pause.
But stuff like that is nothing new for Trump. The accusation of ill advised, impulsive remarks has followed him for years, although they are often found to be clever and functional in a way that is not immediately obvious.
It looks to me like he is gifted spatially, in seeing the big picture, the forest for the trees, and his political instincts remain superb, but his verbal skills have always been modest, made cosmetically worse by the fact that he talks like a New Yorker. As a retired professional who spent years diagnosing and assessing this kind of thing, I have seen no evidence of tangible decline. I'm not merely saying no evidence of dementia but no evidence of tangible cognitive slowing or mitigation. It's possible, of course, but I don't think we have any real evidence of it. Meanwhile, as many have noted, he continues to engage in more Q and A than any president in history, to have taken on a much bigger and more demanding agenda than in his first term and to be handling it rather well, and the incident in Butler was very telling. He had the presence of mind to instantly process a terrifying assault and to turn it into an iconic moment. People who are getting confused or easily overwhelmed just don't do that. They crumble or at least pull inward.
If I'm not mistaken, there are many examples of things that Trump fell into or got pulled into during his first term that essentially were waffles or even violations of his initial intentions or instincts. I think we need to keep in mind the milieu within which he's working, not to mention that the headwinds he's faced and continues to face are extraordinary. I confess to being a Trump apologist, so bias may be an issue here, but I think not.
Forgive me for going on so long, but here is an interesting excerpt from Alex Krainer's essay yesterday. It's from early in his first term but probably still relevant:
"An insider’s glimpse of reality
In a recent interview with former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, former senior advisor to the acting Defense Secretary during the first Trump administration, Col. Douglas Macgregor gave us an important glimpse into the realities of how things actually work within the executive branch of the U.S. government. He recounts his own experience in the first seven minutes of this interview:
> "In truth, I was there because Donald Trump at the time wanted to extricate us from Afghanistan, as well as from Syria and Iraq. And he knew that despite of his efforts to push us in those directions, the people under him were disloyal to him and had not done anything to facilitate those outcomes. So, then the point was, see what you can do to reduce or eliminate our presence in Europe, which is interesting, we're talking about something less than 90 days [of Macgregor's tenure with the administration] and I said 'well, I think you could do one of those things but not any more.'"
>
Shortly thereafter, Macgregor went to see Trump:
> "I sat at his office and waited in the West Wing and ... he [the acting Defence Secretary] came back and said, 'Alright, this is what you're going to do,' and the focus was really to extricate us from Afghanistan. So then I sat with everybody and it was working for him and I said, if you want to get out it's a very straightforward matter: the President has to write an executive order that directs the withdrawal from Afghanistan. ... So I drafted an executive order ... and he took it, and I guess he loved it ... ultimately they did it, he did sign it ... then all hell breaks loose. The Senate Armed Services Committee, the key members of the Senate, as well as the acting Secretary of Defense... he went crazy and his acting chief of staff was Kash Patel ... and they all were called over to the White House by the end of the day, and finally, Mitch McConnell and I don't know who else was there from the Senate, plus the House, along with the acting SecDef and his Chief of Staff, all said, we can't do this. We just can't - the allies. What will we do about the allies? My answer was, if we leave, the allies will leave. You know, fly them out. Don't ask for permission, you're the Commander in Chief, you're the President of the United States, and you're the leader of NATO. Well, you know - bottom line is, they talked him out of it."
>
Right. I can agree with that--we''re simply seeing more of the real Trump, less constrained now than the first time around.
Two additional observations arise from that:
1. Appointments really do matter.
2. Macgregor is the one who maintains that Trump tends to agree with the last person he speaks to.