PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
AIRFORCE 1 and MARINE 1
WASHINGTON DC
Friday, February 7, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Trump Gaza
TRUMP - GAZA
ANY THOUGHTS ???
TRUMP GAZA
Art by David Horsey
On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump disparaged past Republican administrations that got the United States into nation-building, democracy-promoting foreign wars. No more of that, he promised his supporters. And who could doubt him, given how little he cares about democracy or dark-skinned poor people in far-off lands?
That is why it was a shock to hear him declare his intention to get deeply involved in what may be the world’s thorniest problem: Gaza. At a White House news conference on Tuesday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his side, Trump outlined his scheme for an American takeover of Gaza that would involve expelling the Palestinians living there and turning the contentious place into “the Riviera” of the Middle East.
In other words, he wants to do a real estate deal (although there was no mention of buying the land, only of unilateral acquisition enforced by U.S. troops — something akin to what was done to Native Americans).
This announcement was not some random, Trumpian riff; the president had a prepared script in hand. He also claimed to have talked to many people who think American ownership of Gaza is a great idea. Apparently, that did not include the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Egypt, who quickly denounced the plan.
What is most alarming about the Gaza grab is how ridiculously stupid it is. Rather than bringing peace, it would further inflame the region, promote terrorism directed at Americans and get the U.S. into another deep geopolitical hole. That Trump and his advisers went public with such an incendiary idea without considering the dangerous ramifications is yet more proof that American foreign policy is now in the hands of an ignorant fool and a supporting team of toadies who have no grasp of the complexities of international relations.
TRUMP'S GAZA PLAN
Trump Prince William Notre Dame Paris
PRINCE WILLIAM Meeting DONALD TRUMP
PARIS, FRANCE
DONALD TRUMP Gives PRINCE WILLIAM His PROPS
DONALD TRUMP Meets with PRINCE WILLIAM
PARIS, FRANCE
DONALD TRUMP & PRINCE WILLIAM
At NOTRE-DAME - PARIS, FRANCE
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Rubio to Panama Canal Trump
MARCO RUBIO Goes to PANAMA
TRUMP - “They’ve already offered to do many things,” Trump said of Panama, “but we think it’s appropriate that we take it back.”
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has held talks in Panama with its president, José Raúl Mulino, as protesters marched in opposition to Donald Trump’s demand for ownership of the Panama canal to be returned to the US.
The US’s top diplomat told Mulino in the talks that the US president has determined China’s influence threatens the Panama canal and that immediate changes were needed or the US would act.
Since Trump began talking about “taking back” the Panama canal over a month ago, Panamanian officials have looked to Rubio to understand the nature of the president’s threats and the possible concessions they can make to firm up the relationship with the US.
In a summary of the meeting released by the US state department, Rubio told Mulino that Trump believed the current situation at the canal was “unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights” under a US treaty with Panama.
Meanwhile, Mulino stressed that sovereignty over the canal is not up for debate, but he offered help repatriating some migrants traveling towards the US through the country from South America if the US paid for it. Mulino suggested a possible expansion of an existing agreement with the US from last July that could pave the way for direct deportations of non-Panamanian migrants who cross the Darien Gap jungle on Panama’s southern border with Colombia.
Mulino noted an expanded deal could potentially allow for the deportation of migrants from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. “We spoke extensively about the problem of migration, with the understanding that Panama is a transit point,” said Mulino, after his meeting.
Rubio is touring Central America and the Caribbean on his first foray in the post as he seeks to refocus US diplomacy on the western hemisphere – in part to recruit help in stemming migration toward the US southern border.
Even before Trump’s election, Mulino had signed agreements with the US aimed at controlling irregular migration via the Darién Gap through increased surveillance and the introduction of deportation flights. In the first three weeks of January, migration through the gap fell 94% compared with the same period in 2023.
A day after Trump announced he was imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, prompting retaliation from those countries, Rubio was perhaps taking a less confrontational and more diplomatic approach. He was pictured cordially greeting Panama’s foreign minister, though neither he nor Mulino spoke publicly at their meeting. Rubio is also scheduled to tour an energy facility and the canal during his visit.
About 200 people marched in Panama City, carrying Panamanian flags and shouting “Marco Rubio out of Panama”, “Long live national sovereignty” and “One territory, one flag” while the meeting was taking place. Some burned a banner with images of Trump and Rubio after being stopped short of the presidential palace by riot police.
“To the imperial messenger,” union leader Saul Mendez said of Rubio, “we reiterate that there is absolutely nothing here for Trump. Panama is a free and sovereign nation.”
Upon returning to office Trump threatened to take control of the Panama canal, built by the US in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama under a 1977 treaty, claiming the canal is being operated by China. The comments were followed by a public backlash, and Panama rebuked Trump’s threats.
China has said it plays no part in operating the canal and that it respects Panama’s sovereignty and independence over the waterway. The canal is operated by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous agency overseen by the Panamanian government.
Following Trump’s threats, Mulino ordered Panama’s comptroller general to audit the key ports at either end of the canal. Rubio, a longtime China hawk during his Senate career, said last week that China could use ports to shut down the canal, a vital route for US shipping, in the event of a conflict between Beijing and Washington.
Last week a Senate commerce committee audience accused Panama of mismanagement of the canal. In recent years drought has reduced the number of transits and auctions for limited spots have fetched figures of up to $4m. A solid Panamanian commitment to resolve this problem – the most likely solution is a dam of the Rio Indio, an environmentally and socially complex project – could appease Rubio’s concerns.
However, US administration of the canal or a significant reduction of its fees – which form an important part of the national budget – would be unacceptable to the Panamanian government and its people. Mulino has said the ownership of the canal was not on the table in the talks with Rubio.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said the audit concession was not enough and that Panama had “totally violated” the understanding when the US handed back the canal.
“They’ve already offered to do many things,” Trump said of Panama, “but we think it’s appropriate that we take it back.”
AMERICA'S FAVORITE DISHES
And SECRET RECIPES
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Saturday, January 25, 2025
Trump Visits Vegas
NEVEDA is TRUMP COUNTRY
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — As part of the first presidential trip of his second term in office, President Donald Trump is visiting Las Vegas, Neva., today to thank the state for their support in his reelection and speak on his plans in office.
Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris, winning 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226, to become the 47th president of the United States. During his seven battleground state sweep in the presidential election, Trump won Nevada, a Democrat-leaning battleground state, by a similar percentage margin to his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. Although Trump lost the Democrat-favored Clark County in 2024, he gained noticeable ground compared to his 2016 and 2020 presidential runs — shrinking the percentage deficit by nearly four-fold.
This shift mirrored national trends from the 2024 presidential election when Trump made significant inroads into Democrat-controlled counties. In Democrat stronghold Bronx County, New York, Trump received 27% of the vote in 2024, shrinking his margin of defeat compared to the 9% he received in 2016 and the 15% he won in 2020.
The last time a Republican presidential candidate won in Clark County was in 1988 when then-presidential candidates George H.W. Bush (R) defeated Michael Dukakis (D) by a margin of 15.51%. Since the 1988 election, Bush’s victory in Nevada remains the greatest margin over an opponent with a nearly 21% delta. Within that same time frame, former President Barack Obama had the largest margin in Clark County, with a nearly 19% advantage over his opponent in 2008.
The president stopped by North Carolina and California to assess damages caused by Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfiresbefore his visit to the Silver State. During his stop in North Carolina, Trump voiced the idea of reducing or eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“FEMA has really let us down, let the country down,” Trump told reporters in separate remarks upon landing in Asheville. “Probably less FEMA, because FEMA just hasn’t done the job. And we’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA.”
In California, the president said the scene looked as if it “got hit by a bomb” and pledged to offer support, with contingencies, blaming the response on California leadership.
In a Day One memorandum, the Trump administration declared that California leaders were putting fish over people, attributing insufficient water for firefighting efforts to protections for the Delta smelt, a fish found only in the San Francisco Estuary, and other fish species that prevented “enormous amounts of water” from Northern California from being used in the Central Valley and Southern California.
“Mis- and disinformation I don’t think advantages or aids any of us," said California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) earlier this month in response to Trump’s concerns of the Delta smelt. "Somehow connecting the Delta smelt to this fire is inexcusable because it’s inaccurate. Also, incomprehensible to anyone that understands water policy in the state.”
Since taking office on Monday, Trump has signed dozens of executive orders, largely targeting immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border, announced the formation of the Stargate AI infrastructure project, and granted about 1,500 pardons for those involved in violent and nonviolent crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
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