President Trump

[AlexR]

The barbarians were at the gate.

They have now taken over, with Atilla in the White House.

God help America, a deeply troubled nation.

AR

[JimHow]

Yeah, it's looking like the clock is running out in Pennsylvania. About time to go to bed....

[JimHow]

Still a lot of votes out at midnight, just like four years ago.

[Ognik]

From the perspective of an european, deeply frustrated.
You fucked it up......again. Felt at the level of Türkiye and North Korea.
No further input for me here with you in the next 4 years.
over and out.

[JimHow]

Ha ha Ognik, hey don’t blame us, we didn’t vote for him. BWE will always be an oasis for people of good will away from the world of expanding autocracy.

Man, if we lose the House, it will literally be as bad as it could possibly get. We won’t even have the filibuster. We are living in a dictatorship. He literally can do anything he wants.

[JimHow]

Is Trump going to make America great again?

[Claudius2]

Jim,
Err, did he make it great last time?
Cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

No. He did not.

[JimHow]

That was a pretty low moment in the Oval Office today.
A couple of two bit thugs. That Vance is a little, little man.
We are living in the Lord of the Flies.

[Comte Flaneur]

That is how the western media is portraying it

I spent the last year doing a deep dive into global geopolitics - the truth is very different to what is portrayed in the media

To be sure Trump is an evil narcissistic man child but his election was the lesser of two evils

If you really want to understand what is going on listen to Jeff Sachs and before him Noam Chomsky, ironically both from the progressive left

Zelensky is a corrupt billionaire stooge of the deep state and Trump called him out

My prediction is that Trump will be assassinated in 2025 and it will be a false flag which will be blamed on the Iranians as a pretext for declaring war on Iran

[Claudius2]

Ian,
I am no fan of either Trump or Zelenskyy, but I'm a little shocked that you are predicting an assassination.
I suppose Iran is as good an excuse as any.
Do you really expect it?

I do however agree with your point about Zelenskyy - Ukraine was known to be corrupt since the break-up of the old USSR, with or without Zelenskyy, and there is a regular supply of news items about all the military aid being syphoned off and wasted by cronyism and ineptitude. Having said that, much of the planet gets low scores on Transparency International, with 123/180 getting a "fail" score of below 50/100.

cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

I don’t know much about Ukrainian corruption but it seems like Putin is the aggressor, he seems to be a dictator, he seems to have a disdain for human rights. The White House invited Zelensky, and they ambushed him with a phony macho display. I mean, Orange can’t even get along with Canadians, who could ask for better neighbors? I think most Americans, including Republicans, are more of the view of Maureen Dowd in her article this morning, but maybe I need to watch more Fox News.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/opin ... ticleShare

[greatbxfreak]

I totally agree with Jim.

Mark

Corruption in Ukraine - give me a break! Conspiration theories.

Ian - conspiration theories!

Orange is a bully and has always been like that. No class, no grace.

Try to listen to republican senator Becca Balint speech about him in Newsweek - the truth.

Taking Greenland from Denmark and making Canada the 51 state of USA?

[stefan]

>>
making Canada the 51 state of USA
>>

Better to have Canada become the 51st, 52nd, and 53rd states. That would likely give the USA 6 more sensible senators.

[Comte Flaneur]

I totally agree with Jim.

Mark

Corruption in Ukraine - give me a break! Conspiration theories.

Ian - conspiration theories!

Orange is a bully and has always been like that. No class, no grace.

Try to listen to republican senator Becca Balint speech about him in Newsweek - the truth.

Taking Greenland from Denmark and making Canada the 51 state of USA?

No conspiracy theory Isaac, even though I can understand how you Danes are riled by Trump’s incendiary rhetoric over Greenland

https://youtu.be/YMneSFuQ_7k?si=u_Se5VdQYMzV-eJ_

[Comte Flaneur]

Ian,
I am no fan of either Trump or Zelenskyy, but I'm a little shocked that you are predicting an assassination.
I suppose Iran is as good an excuse as any.
Do you really expect it?

I do however agree with your point about Zelenskyy - Ukraine was known to be corrupt since the break-up of the old USSR, with or without Zelenskyy, and there is a regular supply of news items about all the military aid being syphoned off and wasted by cronyism and ineptitude. Having said that, much of the planet gets low scores on Transparency International, with 123/180 getting a "fail" score of below 50/100.

cheers
Mark

They tried to assassinate him at least once last year. The deep state war machine benefits hugely from the Ukraine war as it is an efficient way of degrading the Russian military and means American ‘defence’ manufacturers can supply weapons to every NATO or aspiring NATO state - the more that join the better - and America can export energy to Europe. America is the only country that benefits economically from the Ukraine war just as the Iraq war was a boon for the US military and energy sector. America has its fingerprints all over every war since WW2. If Trump is trying to stop that and avert WW3 we should support him, even if his objective is to win the Nobel Peace prize. But the deep state will stop at nothing to try to thwart him.

[JimHow]

My cousins Bob and Peter were skiing in Vermont this morning and did some protesting while the Veep was nearby. Apparently they were part of the “angry mob!” I’m proud of them! They are two of the biggest tree huggers I know, I love them.

[Claudius2]

Folks
I'm not arguing for or against any politician, I don't even get to vote anywhere as I'm not a citizen here and am a non-resident in Australia.
So I am not on anyone's side nor have I ever been.
I DO however shake my head in disbelief at politics pretty well everywhere.
Luckily Singapore is one of the least corrupted places on the planet, and when it does arise, it is typically dealt with.

Whilst I'm not interested in conspiracy theories, many rational people have doubts about how clean the Ukraine is, I just do not mean Zelenskyy personally. All the old USSR states tend to fall into this to some degree, and it is also the case that there are billions rolling in from foreign sources. Zelenskyy himself has dismissed some military personnel already.

The Pandora Papers (ICIJ) clearly identified Zelenskyy and Ukrainian oligarchs as having for over a decade a large network of offshore companies that significant sums are channeled through. That is not a conspiracy but the work of financial detectives.

At the same time, I am rather shocked that Trump has been so negative to Zelenskyy. It seems like some personal issue, not anything based on diplomacy or intelligence.

Yet I also do not see any way forward for the Ukraine. Where will this go?
Russia is not being weakened to anything like the extent of the Ukraine and there is no realistic chance that the Ukraine will "win" whatever that even means. it does not have the ability to win in any way. if the rest of the world send in active troop support, that will be a very risky step that suggests that WW3 is imminent.

I am simply hoping that the world can calm down and make some effort to get on. We seem to have too many egos and too little cooperation.


cheers
Mark

[AlexR]

Hi,

Viewed from Europe, the press conference with Zelensky was totally shocking.

Trump was correctly compared to Don Corleone.
He is surely not worthy to be the president of what is, still, the world's most powerful country.
It is totally disheartening.

Trump accused Zelensky of lacking respect for him and for the United States.
That is total bullshit.
For a start, Trump did almost all of the talking, and it was he who lacked politeness, respect, and dimplomacy
And what the hell does Hunter Biden have to do with anything, or criticisms of Joe Biden?

Above and beyond Trump's mafia persona, the breakdown of the Atlantic Alliance is very sad and worrying.
For someone my age, this is unthinkable.

Americans like to think we have the moral high ground.
Who can claim such a thing today?

Alex R.

[JimHow]

That minerals deal shakedown is like the scene in Tom Sawyer where he convinces his buddies to pay him to whitewash the fence. Even the Wall Street Journal is against Orange on this one. We should be paying them, not the other way around. The narrative developing from Orange and his shills like Ross Douthat is that he just wants peace, this noble man just wants to stop the killing, it's not like it used to be, the US can't carry the load anymore... as though those who want to stand up to KGB man Putin don't want an end to the war. I'm sure there is corruption in Ukraine, although I thought the World Bank and the EU were more positive on that front. Ukraine is corrupt? We have a president who tried to turn us into a banana republic, still is. In any event, regardless, there is no excuse for what happened in the White House the other day. And the problem that is even bigger than Orange himself is these puppets like Vance and Graham and the rest of the MAGA base, that will let him do whatever he wants. I do subscribe to the argument that it is the stock market that will ultimately slow him down if he gets too crazy. I guess we shall see, we'll see what craziness this week brings. I don't think there is any bottom for these gangsters.

[Comte Flaneur]

Folks
I'm not arguing for or against any politician, I don't even get to vote anywhere as I'm not a citizen here and am a non-resident in Australia.
So I am not on anyone's side nor have I ever been.
I DO however shake my head in disbelief at politics pretty well everywhere.
Luckily Singapore is one of the least corrupted places on the planet, and when it does arise, it is typically dealt with.

Whilst I'm not interested in conspiracy theories, many rational people have doubts about how clean the Ukraine is, I just do not mean Zelenskyy personally. All the old USSR states tend to fall into this to some degree, and it is also the case that there are billions rolling in from foreign sources. Zelenskyy himself has dismissed some military personnel already.

The Pandora Papers (ICIJ) clearly identified Zelenskyy and Ukrainian oligarchs as having for over a decade a large network of offshore companies that significant sums are channeled through. That is not a conspiracy but the work of financial detectives.

At the same time, I am rather shocked that Trump has been so negative to Zelenskyy. It seems like some personal issue, not anything based on diplomacy or intelligence.

Yet I also do not see any way forward for the Ukraine. Where will this go?
Russia is not being weakened to anything like the extent of the Ukraine and there is no realistic chance that the Ukraine will "win" whatever that even means. it does not have the ability to win in any way. if the rest of the world send in active troop support, that will be a very risky step that suggests that WW3 is imminent.

I am simply hoping that the world can calm down and make some effort to get on. We seem to have too many egos and too little cooperation.


cheers
Mark

Absolutely spot on Mark. Zelensky is a stooge manufactured by the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky one of the very few Ukrainians who has benefitted financially from this war, and who is now a billionaire (like Trump and Putin of course). A lot of money has gone missing and this should be investigated. US taxpayers should demand it. Trump to be sure has a grudge against Zelensky for among other things refusing to hand over files which may have incriminated Hunter Biden in the latter part of his first term and even his father. There is also the issue of what happened to Gonzalo Lira the Chilean investigative journalist who the western media have tried to discredit, and who was exposing inconvenient truths for Zelensky and the Bidens. The official western account was that he died in a Ukrainian jail of pneumonia having been arrested for allegedly spreading Russian propaganda. The alternative narrative is that Zelensky had him murdered. There is a lot of very bad stuff which has been going on and it is not just the Russians doing the bad stuff. Never in my life time has the western media so deliberately set out to mislead us.

This is the context of the war - very different from what is portrayed in the western media

https://x.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/18 ... 7651251687

[JimHow]

That’s the guy Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk were defending. Atrocities and crimes occur in war zones during existential times. Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus. Franklin Roosevelt interred Japanese Americans. Bush tortured Iraquis. Freedom of speech gets suspended. It’s called war. I’m not sure I’m in a position to lecture the Ukrainians while sipping my 2020 Chateau Labegorce with French cheese. This thing in the White House struck a nerve the other day. The attached graffiti appeared overnight at our “Great Falls” site near the river in Lewiston.

I hear you, Ian, it’s complicated. Hopefully the UK and the rest of Europe can come up with a plan soon to end this war on tolerable terms. Come to Maine this summer for some white Burgundy and lobster!

[greatbxfreak]

Ian,

You must have some inside information....

I don't believe a single word you are writing.

For me, it is sad to see an Englishman influenced by Trump.

[Claudius2]

Izak,
Again, I’m not shilling for anyone, but would you seriously go into a business partnership with Zelenskyy?
A few decades ago, I seriously thought of accepting some consulting work in the Ukraine. Everything I researched hardly made me feel comfortable and I knocked it back despite it being attractive.

Putting the long story aside, I I felt it was too risky both personally and commercially and just took a holiday instead.

My main question is what now for Ukraine? Russia is not being badly affected commercially by this awful war. The Ukraine cannot keep sacrificing its people and lands forever, and I seriously doubt that there is any happy ending for them.

Cheers
Mark

[Comte Flaneur]

Ian,

You must have some inside information....

I don't believe a single word you are writing.

For me, it is sad to see an Englishman influenced by Trump.

It is not inside information Izak. Watch the Jeff Sachs video to the European Parliament. Everything he says is verifiable, and can be looked up on line. I worked in a financial firm and accepted the western line. It was only when I stopped working and investigated for myself that I discovered the truth.

To be perfectly clear I am not condoning Trump, and I have always found him to be an odious individual. But he - in my opinion - is right on Ukraine. Trump to his credit even brokered a cease fire between Netanyahu and Hamas, something that Biden-Blinken singularly failed to do, which has meant the Israeli hostages are being returned. An extraordinary achievement. Which happened before the inauguration.

There are terrifyingly plausible scenarios whereby a war without end in Ukraine and an attack on Iran would lead to world war three because China and Russia would side with Iran. Russia has more nukes than anyone else. It is dangerous to assume there is a zero per cent chance of Russia ever using them if the west continues to poke the bear. We have to stop this madness. That is why Trump winning in November was the least terrible outcome. Much as it really pains me to say that.

[johnz]

Ian is quite correct. The American public are the most propagandized people in the world. And they don't know it.

[AlexR]

Did you see Trudeau's speech today?
Easy enough to find on Google.
Good going Canada, agree with you 100%!

The deal between Hamas and Israel only came about because of the attacks of October 7th.
Biden can hardly be blamed for not finding any agreement while in office because there was no such destabilizing situation that forced people to talk.
Moreover, the agreement between the belligerents is extremely fragile.
The US is isolated diplomatically because of their unwavering support of whatever israel does.

Likewise, the US abstention on the UN voteof just a couple of weeks ago to condemn Russian agression in Ukraine is a low point in American history.
America sided with Russia and the likes of North Korea.
The press conference with Trump and Zelensky was awful and Trump came off as a vuglar criminal type.
Blackmailing Zelensky for mineral rights and ceding territory is at odds with things people used to respect America for.
Trump is a bully and, furthe more, I question the efficiency of his tactics even seen from the angle of Realpolitik.
Forgetting, of course, anything to do with morality.

In my opinion, US foreign policy is (expletive deleted) disastrous.

More generally, news out of the US keeps coming fast and furious here since the Trump inauguration.
And none of it is good.

Alex R.

[Claudius2]

Folks
I’m watching the stock markets across the world having spasms over Trump’s economic ignorance. I extensively studied trade policy and am amazed that we are returning to the dark ages again.

Several years ago when in Berlin, the guide at the Reichstag (actually that’s the old name) said that a German solution is where nobody is happy - that is, everyone compromises and nobody gets everything they want. The new paradigm is everybody loses entirely.

Having said that, can anyone actually predict an outcome for Ukraine?

[AlexR]

The outcome in Ukraine?

Trading land for peace.

What should have been done in Israel/Palesting a long time ago.

As an American who has lived abroad for over 40 yearsz, I confirm that the US's image is at an alltime low.
And voting with Russia and North Korea in the UN not to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine lost America a huge amount of respect.

AR

[Claudius2]

Alex
The local media over here is very careful about what they say regarding Trump.
They have started to show him in a more negative light in recent days, particularly with extra-judicial actions and Emperor like behaviour.
However, there is also a lot of fear about the social, economic and political effect of Trump, and they don't want to be seen as poking the bear.
They do the same with Xi Jinping and other figures seen as powerful.

Regarding Ukraine, the war has now dragged on for more than three years, and any solution seems to be a bad one for the country, and Russia wants to hold onto captured lands and overthrow the central govt and replace it with a Soviet style puppet leader.

During the period of the war, I have never heard anyone say how Ukraine can win (whatever that looks like).
Even ceding land may be the best outcome it can achieve without more death and destruction.

cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

Je n'ai jamais craint la politique de Donald Trump. Les élections sont importantes, et si les Démocrates n'apprécient pas, ils doivent se ressaisir. Ce que je redoute le plus, c'est son refus de respecter l'État de droit. Il va tout simplement envoyer les juges au diable. Et attendre le châtiment, et son refus d'accepter les résultats de l'élection de 2028.

[DavidG]

My concerns exactly Jim.

Though his policies DO scare me, his refusal to respect the rule of law is my greatest concern.

[JimHow]

Happy Liberation Day, everyone.

[rdaytonjr]

If this better I'd hate to see worse.

[Nicklasss]

Day of Liberation = World recession?

20% tariffs on French wines.

The surveys in the US showing people are ‘’just’’ starting to lose confidence on what their President is making politicaly. And the guy goes back every weekend play golf to Florida…

What’s next? Is it already too late?

[DavidG]

Day of Liberation = World recession?

20% tariffs on French wines.

The surveys in the US showing people are ‘’just’’ starting to lose confidence on what their President is making politicaly. And the guy gors back every weekend play golf to Florida…

What’s next? Is it already too late?

It was too late by the end of the day on November 5, 2024.

[JimHow]

Greetings from the Bamboo Bar at the Mandarin Oriental along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, can I just stay here? I leave the country for three weeks and everything falls apart. I literally don't want to go back to that nonsense.

[DavidG]

I hear you Jim. Between strong-arming the justice system, eviscerating HHS, and crashing the markets, I think the amount of wine in the cellar just went from a 15 year supply to a 5 year supply. Though by this time next week I may be switched over to the hard stuff.

We reduced our equity allocation significantly mid-February near peak. I'm not one to try to time the market but we were due to rebalance and with all the talk of tariffs it seemed prudent to reduce exposure.

A cynic might say that this is just a Trump ploy to take profits when the market is high, then declare tariffs to create a buying opportunity, let phase one kick in (midnight tonight) to show you mean it, then cancel phase two before it takes effect April 9, all in order to make a quick buck on the rebound. A flip of the old pump and dump: a dump and pump. Oh, and get everyone to praise him for being tough but seeing the light and listening to reason in the end. It sounds typically Trumpy to me.

I’m pretty cynical, but I’m not brave enough to put my money where my mouth is. We’ll see what transpires next week.

[Claudius2]

Jim
Well if you get bored over there, it's only a few hrs by plane to Singapore, and catch up.
cheers
Mark

[JimHow]

I’ve been spending more time in Asia, Claudius, I’ll plan a stop over in Singapore in the next year or two. Now I’m back in this depressing shit hole country.