The Art of the Deal
Yesterday Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr were both confirmed. As the US Senate confirms Trump's nominees (there are about 6 left) and democrats run to Obama judges to file lawsuits against Trump initiatives, the President is meeting with important world leaders.
Reciprocal Trade: Today the President met with Prime Minister Modi of India. India’s largest trading partner is the US, accounting for almost $120 billion in trade. There are large trade imbalances that have favored India, such as a huge tariff on US cars coming into India making it almost impossible for US companies to do business there. The United States imported $45.7 billion more from India than it exported there in 2024.
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However, there are also reasons for India and the US to work together. The two leaders have agreed to expand cooperation and security in the Indo-Pacific and the importance of India buying more US-made security equipment. India gets crude oil and related products, gems and stones, nuclear reactors and electrical and medical equipment from the US. The United States and India both want to enhance their economic influence in the Indo-Pacific region and blunt China’s economic dominance. President Trump simplified the trade equation: Whatever India charges the US in tariffs; the US will reciprocate in charging India the same. Trump plans to use the same formula on other countries.
In the spirit of the moment the Indian Prime Minister said he wanted to make India great again using the slogan "MIGA." It caused a few laughs, but as I recall the last time India was great may have been as part of the British Empire.
Peace Broker:
Trump said he had started negotiations with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine hopes to regain the territory Russia has seized since 2014, including Crimea. At a NATO meeting, U.S. defense secretary Pete Hegseth, called that hope unrealistic.
The cold hard facts are that the peace deal will be based on security and rebuilding for Ukraine and captured territory for Russia. It is basically all but written on the wall. Both sides have suffered tremendously. Russia has lost massive casualties and political capitol. Ukraine has lost more soldiers than it can afford to lose plus an untold number of civilian casualties and many of its cities are in ruin. What goes unspoken is that both sides want out. It is only in the early stages, but Trump is going to satisfy both sides somehow. Trump snubbed Europe in Russia-Ukraine peace talks. For something that has been a European security problem, Europe hasn't done as much as the US.
Not long-ago Trump tossed out some new ideas for the middle east. It was all about changing the Gaza strip. He pointed out how predictable the problem in Gaza had become. Maybe Palestinians and Israelis are better off not living next to one another. He believes a big peace deal, with the Saudis at the center, is doable even though he may have infuriated them by suggesting a Palestinian state should exist somewhere else.
In other news:
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Justice Department is suing the state of New York and its top officials for prioritizing "illegal aliens over American citizens." It seems migrants are being tipped off by officials for the state under a directive by Gov Hochul. Non-cooperation is one thing, obstructing federal authority is another.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is threatening to file articles of impeachment against a federal judge who blocked President Trump's federal funding freeze. "I’m drafting articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr.," Clyde wrote on X. "He’s a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system to stop President Trump’s funding freeze on woke and wasteful government spending. We must end this abusive overreach.
Another federal judge ordered the Trump administration to lift its three weeks freeze on US foreign aid.
The new administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lee Zeldin canceled a Biden-era $50 million environmental justice grant to an organization that believes "climate justice travels through a Free Palestine."
The U.S. attorney in Manhattan and several officials in Washington resigned over the Justice Department’s order to drop the corruption case against NYC mayor Eric Adams. It is good that she is gone. Emil Bove, the Justice Department official who ordered the case to be dropped has been a pleasant surprise.
A bipartisan coalition in the House passed a bill to toughen penalties for those who try to evade law enforcement at the border. The bill is named for Raul Gonzalez, a U.S. border agent who died in a chase in 2022. The border has been extremely quiet since Trump took office. Apprehensions last week were down 91 percent compared to a year before.
JD Vance told the Wall Street Journal that Russia could face more sanctions and U.S. military action if it doesn’t agree to peace. “We do care about Ukraine having sovereign independence,” he said.
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Good morning.
NATO members may have to pay more than the customary 2% to sustain European defense. After WWII the United States spent exorbitant sums to defeat Nazism, rebuild Europe and defend the continent against the Soviet Union. The nations of Europe became dependent of such protection. They turned to Socialism and today their budgets are full of entitlement spending. It may be time to wean the baby.
If Europe wants to evict Russia from Ukraine, nothing is stopping them from stepping up and doing so. They have to decide what their priorities are.
That time has arrived.
Kash Patel, nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the FBI, has cleared a significant Senate hurdle after the Judiciary Committee voted in his favor. This vote sets the stage for a full Senate confirmation, expected to take place the following week.
Senate democrats have used every trick to delay a confirmation vote.
Can you imagine what happens when he goes through FBI files & memos.
On top of the waste and abuse that is positive to their campaigns, this is another item of triggering that the left is deathly afraid of.
They absolutely fear their dirty secrets being uncovered.
I guess Biden had the right idea: pardon everyone and leave quickly on Inauguration Day.
Now we are finding out why
He pardoned his whole family on the way out the door.
What a class act / s.
Sure can. Any file or memo that mentions Trump or his cronies will "disappear".
You mean like the Jan 6th Committee did with exculpatory evidence?
If they do it would be a case of making things even, wouldn't it?
You're going to trigger certain people.
I can imagine the amount of spittle on leftists desk tops or how many laptops are thrown across the long term care facility they live in.
Did anybody catch the press conference the other day?
President Trump skewered CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, eliciting laughs from other journalists after she pressed him during a media availability in the Oval Office Thursday, video shows.
Trump knocked the cable news network’s credibility and claimed Collins was buddy-buddy with former President Joe Biden after the reporter yelled out a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump was answering another question on whether Putin truly wants peace with Ukraine when Collins cut in.
“I believe he wants peace. I believe that President Putin — when I spoke to him yesterday, I mean, I know him very well — yeah, I think he wants peace. I think he would tell me if he didn’t, I think he’d like to see peace,” Trump said from the Resolute Desk.
“Do you trust President Putin?” Collins then interjected without being called on.
“I know [Biden is] a friend of yours,” the president shot back.
“He’s a friend of CNN. That’s why nobody watches CNN anymore. Because they have no credibility,” he said in his signature intonation.
Several people in the room broke out in a light chuckle at the insult.
Trump roasts CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during press conference, gets laughs from other reporters: ‘No credibility’
Another column full of lies, wishful thinking, and nonsense.
Except you can't seem to show us a lie.
Another stupid comment that adds no value.
Another useless comment devoid of any relevance or intelligence.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans released a budget plan Wednesday that sets the stage for advancing many of President Donald Trump's top domestic priorities, providing for up to $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $4 trillion increase in the debt limit so the U.S. can continue financing its bills.
House Republicans unveil blueprint to extend $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and lift the debt ceiling
This is the time for EVERY REPUBLICAN to stand together.
You know, when you think about it; when you look at all the fraudulent funding being cut across the board it almost seems there is no need to raise the debt limit.
If the Government shuts down, then DOGE will have free reign to go through everything, there will be nobody there to stop them.
Good Point.
As Trump works around the clock ...
others crash
It is great that we, once again, have a President who can stay awake past 4PM and knows what's going on around him.
He's retired. According to you he's too brain dead to do anything else. Your comment has no value
Obstruction is a crime. (18 USC 1510)
Would be pretty funny to see Hochul's mugshot.
Or a perp walk!
Would be fun to watch. At least it would be for actual charges instead of Misdemeanors with expired SOLs.
The irony of being a follower of Trump and posting that statement is probably lost on certain members of this forum, especially seeing as how they seemingly want to fritter away their constitution. Trump is a present and persistent danger to remaining a society of laws.
Pretty stupid assumption.
I really wish I could wait for you to back that nonsense up, but I'm getting up there in age...
See? Told ya.
The deal with Putin and his other BFF Communist dictator Xi of China? The 2 men he admires the most in the world and he has repeatedly said so at so many of his taxpayer funded "rallies".
Look at how Trump, Musk, and Vance are going hard at our allies around the world once again reducing American standing with worldwide democratic nations.
The only " deals" on the table are the 4 TRILLION dollar tax cuts in a Bush repeat, with Republicans set to raise the debt ceiling to do it.
There are VA employees being fired reducing veterans care, today the firing of employees who oversee our nuclear programs only to see chaos ensue with a "retraction" but who knows? Maybe Musk?
The revelation that DOGE leaked classified information online and how the DOGE info is supposed to reroute to X formerly Twitter. What a deal! Which foreign government wanted that to happen?
Once Republicans stood with Reagan against Russia, once Bush claimed we were spreading democracy and Republicans rubber stamped the entire Bush agenda, once Republicans stood for law and order but now corruption abounds in the "deal" offered to a corrupt Democrat mayor so Republicans can use him to further bad policies.
No deals are on the table to help Americans.