Trump Slump?

 

Friends, lefties are talking (gleefully) about a "Trump slump" these days, and magnifying recent market volatility into total economic "carnage", but the truth, at least with respect to the economy, is that it's very early days, and it's by no means clear that a recession will happen, let alone a bad one.  Be this as it may, there is real, albeit modest, softening in Trump's job approval numbers, which all pollsters are picking up, even the ones we like.  The market contraction probably explains most of this, but it's more than possible that consistent, vitriolic media narratives about "authoritarianism" and "chaos" may be having an effect.  I'm personally disappointed that the legacy media is still standing, and is in some respects experiencing a revival.  To me, the Trump haters don't seem cowed -- they seem invigorated and more deranged than ever.  What's more, for all the political headwinds the Democrats face, there's no evidence that their essential viability has changed much.  Sure, we can hope they go into an AOC-powered death spiral, but the likelihood is that they will remain a potent threat, and they will weaponize every mistake that Trump makes...and there've been a few!  All this is sobering, but at the same time we're only 90 days in, and we have all the resources of the executive branch, and some of the resources of the other two branches, at our disposal.  Let's see if we can't advance the ball a bit further.

 

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/approval/donald-trump/approval-rating 

 

In other news, "natalists", i.e. people who support the concept of having babies, are meeting in Texas, and leftists are aghast (as usual)!  Advocating for higher birthrates is pure "Nazism", as far as they're concerned, but the truth, unsurprisingly, is a lot more complicated...

 

https://www.thefp.com/p/how-did-having-babies-become-right 

Is the Trump-Musk Alliance Going Up in Smoke?

 

Friends, the attacks against Teslas, Tesla dealerships, and sometimes Tesla owners are, of course, symbolic of the vitriol that leftists have poured out against DJT from day one.  Elon Musk is the target du jour, but, as we all know, he's just a proxy for Trump himself, and for the populist movement that Trump represents.  No doubt the fondest wish of the anti-Trumpers is that they could, via their incessant, blistering assaults, drive a wedge between Trump and Musk -- a dynamic duo if there ever was one.  There are, alas, some signs that such a divergence is, in fact, appearing.  Musk has criticized Trump's trade policy (or policies, since they seem to change so rapidly).  More importantly, Musk has announced that he's stepping back from his leadership of DOGE, to a point, to refocus on his struggling business enterprises, especially Tesla.  Tesla sales and profits have slumped in the first part of 2025, almost certainly in response to Musk's alignment with Trump.  I question, frankly, whether Tesla will ever recover its footing, because the virtue-signaling progressives who used to be its customer base, domestically and internationally, now see the brand as toxic.  Musk can mitigate that stigma somewhat, but it's difficult to imagine that driving a Tesla will be "cool" again anytime soon in places like Los Angeles and New York City, let alone London and Berlin.  I would prefer to see Musk move in the opposite direction, therefore.  I would prefer to see him take a sabbatical from his businesses to concentrate on bringing efficiency and accountability back to the U.S. government.  In any case, that isn't happening, and one has to wonder whether the worldwide campaign of intimidation against Trump and Musk is bearing fruit, in more ways than one...

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0x50yr46lo

In other news, the U.S. is threatening to "walk away" from the Russia-Ukraine peace talks, which is an ambiguous threat, indeed!  Does this mean that we would give up on a negotiated settlement, or that we would give up on the conflict altogether and leave Ukraine to fend for itself?  The Devil is in the details, as usual.  Perhaps the ambiguity is strategic.  Perhaps, in the days ahead, both sides will see reason and find a way to stop the bloodshed.  I hope so.  Three more years of this insanity would be tragic beyond words.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78jx68d922o

Happy Easter, Right-Wing Nutjobs!

 

Fellow nutjobs, as this Easter holiday draws to a close, I hope you found joy, love, and peace in celebrating it, and in enjoying quality time with your families.  If the Easter bunny is more your speed, I hope he sprinkled your front lawn with "chocolate" morsels to your heart's content...

 

This Easter, there's some evidence that (gasp!) Christianity may have some life left in it, as Gen Z may be showing more interest than expected.  The problem, however, is that boys and men are more Christ-curious than girls and women.  As we know, young women are increasingly secular and leftist in their orientation, which presumably explains why (historically) none of these godless harridans will date me... 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2025/04/20/easter-church-christian-gen-z-men/83138618007/

 

In other news, President Trump shared a pious, loving message conveying his Easter greetings and good wishes to all Americans, even "radical left lunatics"!  I bet they were touched by it, too.

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/04/20/trump-trolls-radical-left-lunatics-in-happy-easter-message-to-all/ 

Finally, enjoy these images from Easter celebrations throughout the world!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c045vvwlwr4o 

Life Finds a Way

 

Friends, scientists are increasingly confident that life exists on other planets.  The latest indication of a universe teeming with organic life comes from K2-18b (that gem!), which is a mere 700 trillion miles away.  Assuming your spaceship gets good gas mileage, that's a very manageable road trip.  I, for one, hope I live to see the day when the nature of alien life becomes clearer, because that would be fascinating to behold.  Bear in mind, though, that your ATM card and your T-Mobile phone won't work on K2-18b, so plan accordingly if you intend to pay it a visit.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39jj9vkr34o 

 

In other news, Deputy Emperor -- ahem, I mean Vice-President -- Vance is going to India soon to try to bolster our relations with what could become a superpower in the not-too-distant future.  A U.S.-India alliance could go a long way to breaking the back of Chicom hegemony in Asia (and someday the world?).

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz95j2z3lpeo 

President Trump met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni today, who is about as Trumpy as any European head of government gets.  I hope they're right that a trade deal with the EU is in reach.  That would be in everyone's best interest.

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/17/us-news/trump-vows-there-will-be-a-trade-deal-100-with-europe-as-italy-pm-georgia-meloni-visits-white-house/ 

 

Finally, we saw a big win for school choice today in the great state of Texas.  GOP-dominated Texas has been surprisingly reluctant to embrace school choice, but Governor Abbott put his foot down, and I'm glad he did.  Eliminating the Department of Education is all well and good, but real change in our education system means disempowering teachers' unions and empowering parents.  More and more states are doing it.  With any luck, even blue states will get on the bandwagon someday.

 

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/17/texas-house-school-vouchers-public-education-funding/ 

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold...And It's Very Cold in New York!

 

Friends, I've speculated that things could get very interesting with Pam Bondi as our new Attorney General, because, for once, the prosecutorial powers of the federal government could be turned against our erstwhile overlords, i.e. Democratic and establishment politicians.  Well, voila!  Today we learned that Letitia James, the New York State Attorney General and a prominent tormentor of DJT, may be prosecuted for mortgage fraud.  Ha!  I say again: ha!  Is this pure political parback?  Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but I'm pretty sure it's just the tip of a very large iceberg.  Oh my!  The next four years could be great fun...

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/15/us-news/trump-administration-refers-ny-ag-tish-james-for-prosecution/ 

 

In other news, Sleepy Joe came out of hiding long enough to chastise the Trump Administration incoherently.  His most interesting remark was a cryptic reference to how Trump supporters are just "30%" of the population, and of course we/they "have no heart".  Well, moral judgements aside, it's a good sign that the Dems think they have us on the ropes, and America has turned against us, because what it shows is that they, the Democrats, are complacent and learned nothing from their defeat in November.  Of course, that isn't exactly news.  Self-satisfaction is a leftist specialty, as is contempt for other ways of thinking.  These foibles have led "progressives" down many a blind alley, and, I'm happy to report, they're still as blind as ever!

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-trump-social-security-first-post-presidency-speech-rcna201309 

The Crimson Tide Is Receding, At Long Last

 

Friends, as we all know, Harvard University has a glorious past, and an abysmal, woke present.  The future?  Well, that's to be decided, but the Trump Administration is trying to insist that Harvard pay its own way, come what may.  In other words, Trump's Department of Education is trying to starve Harvard of federal funds.  I think we can safely assume that some (Harvard-educated) federal judge will put an injunction on this funding freeze so fast that it will make our heads spin, but ultimately the Supreme Court will resolve the issue of whether the executive branch has this kind of leeway.  Higher ed better hope that it doesn't, because if it does I predict dark days ahead for academic leftists!

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz01y9gkdm3o 

 

Meanwhile, as satisfying as it may be to have begun the process of uncoupling the U.S. from Red China, the fact is that the Chicoms can retaliate in some pretty effective ways.  We've become alarmingly dependent on China for a whole host of imports, not the least of which is rare earths.  Those Ukrainians better start ponying up their own rare earths (or maybe the Russians?), because the Chinese are apparently in a stingy mood...

 

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/04/14/china-stops-exports-crucial-rare-earth-minerals-impacting-key-industries/ 

Waddy Does It Again!

 

Friends, forget "excellence in broadcasting".  At the Newsmakers show, we're taking it to the next level: PERFECTION in broadcasting.  I don't want to set the bar too high, but listening to this week's show is pretty much like sipping sweet ambrosia from Zeus's golden chalice while Aphrodite massages your feet.  With that said, this week Brian and I discuss the confusing strategic picture in the Russia-Ukraine War, the political perceptions of how Trump's trade war is unfolding, the significance of the "Hands Off" protests, and more!

 

https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-4-12-25/ 

 

In other news, Trump has decided to exempt smartphones and computers from his massive tariffs on China.  It's an interesting move that will spare U.S. consumers some angst, but will also confirm in the minds of Trump haters the erratic nature of our trade policy.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20xn626y81o 

The Kennedy Conundrum

 

Friends, RFK, Jr. has taken the helm at HHS, and he has this update on the status of his overlordship:

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/10/opinion/rfk-jr-how-im-slashing-unhealthy-fat-at-hhs/ 

 

Streamlining the bureaucracy may be the easy part -- not that it's all that easy -- but changing the trajectory of America's deteriorating physical health will be darn challenging.  And what of RFK's claim that "America has the highest rates of chronic disease in the world"?  By what metric, exactly?  It's hard to imagine that we're less healthy than, say, Afghan peasants, but I'll try to keep an open mind...

 

In other news, there's talk of prosecuting New Jersey's woke Governor for blocking state and local law enforcement from communicating with, or assisting, ICE.  I say: it's about time!  The only thing that would put the fear of God into these public officials undermining our nation's immigration laws would be legal consequences.  Deport Phil Murphy!!!  Okay, it might be a bit tricky to deport a citizen, but at the very least hold his feet to the fire.

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/11/us-news/nj-da-alina-habba-to-open-investigation-into-gov-murphy-over-states-ice-resistance-policy/ 

A Shot Across Globalism's Bow

 

Friends, you could be forgiven for feeling a sense of whiplash as you survey the progress of Trumpian America's "trade war" with...the rest of the world.  Those giant reciprocal tariffs we were promised have been withdrawn almost as soon as they were created.  Theoretically, they've been paused for 90 days so that all those countries that came hat in hand and "kissed" Trump's "ass" can complete the process of ass-kissing and agree to better trade terms than they've ever given us before.  If they don't cooperate, then those reciprocal tariffs might reappear down the line.  In the meantime, China, which showed particular cheek in retaliating against our tariffs, has been named persona non grata and hit with a stupefying 125% tariff!  Will it last mere minutes or hours, or will we go the distance and freeze China out of the U.S. market on a permanent basis?  No one knows the answers, or even Trump's true intentions.  The market, in any case, has responded very favorably to the "pause" on most reciprocal tariffs.  Think about that, though.  Trump has created a scenario in which all countries must pay a 10% tariff, and trade with China is about to grind to a halt, and the world is actually relieved!!!  In fact, the capitalist elite is positively giddy about it.  Only Trump could pull this off.  We should add, of course, that we're not out of the woods yet, and there remain innumerable uncertainties about the trading picture going forward.  Not least among these uncertainties is our relationship with China, which is as dicey as its been in ages.  But if Trump's goal was to get the world's attention, and make the markets march to his tune, then it's fair to say: mission accomplished!  What's next???  I'm waiting with bated breath to find out...

 

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y66qe404po 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrggqydxv5o

Mad As Hell/Mad As A Hatter

 

Friends, the lefties were out in force today, demanding that Trump and Musk keep their "hands off"...pretty much everything.  The demonstrations had no thematic focus, except for TDS, but that's hardly a problem.  TDS has become the central organizing principle of so many people's lives these days.  I reckon most of them are Democratic Party activists and/or geriatric white liberals who watch CNN or MSNBC all day.  Assuming they remain the "face" of the Dems and the resistance to Trump, we have little to worry about.  On the off chance that the economy tanks, however, you better believe that these wackos will be joined by plenty of centrists and swing voters, at least in the short term.  We would be foolish to dismiss the political relevance of these protests altogether, therefore.  The Left can and will become a bonafide threat to the GOP/conservative/Trump agenda, if we aren't careful.  We had a chance to strangle the legacy media by denying it access to the president, and by starving it of advertising dollars based on our irresistible political/cultural momentum.  We didn't do either.  Thus, the Left has been able to suck in more than enough political oxygen to keep its hopes alive.  In the near term, of course, they have precious little ability to accomplish anything in D.C., except by judicial obstructionism.  What they may be able to do, however, by battering away at Trump and Musk's popularity, is scare enough GOP Senators and Congressmen into defecting from Trumpism that further progress on DJT's agenda becomes impossible.  The best way we can prevent this from happening is to 1) deliver the goods on the policy front and keep the economy strong, and 2) discredit the "resistance" as a bunch of violent cranks.  It remains to be seen whether we succeed on either point.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz79ewg193ro 

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/04/05/thousands-of-protesters-gather-for-hands-off-rallies-across-u-s/