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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Project Freedom Paused

Per Trump, Project Freedom has been paused. Is this because:
  • It was a failure that sparked hostile fire in the Straight?
  • For reasons unknown, Trump truly wants the Straight to remain closed?
  • Unlike before, when similar announcements were made, it's really true this time that (1) Iran is begging Trump for a deal, (2) a great deal is oh-so-close, and (3) for those reasons, Trump deems it wise to leave Iran in control of the Straight?
  • With his preference for chaos, and the personal gratification he gets from seeing the world react to his power, and from seeing people suffer, madman Trump likes seeing the global economic destruction that increases in scope and speed the longer the Straight remains closed?
  • Trump believes that keeping US gas prices high and pushing them even higher is a really good way to help Republicans win the midterm elections?
 
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muttly

muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
ATeam said:
Project Freedom Paused

Per Trump, Project Freedom has been paused. Is this because:
  • It was a failure that sparked hostile fire in the Straight?
  • For reasons unknown, Trump truly wants the Straight to remain closed?
  • Unlike before, when similar announcements were made, it's really true this time that (1) Iran is begging Trump for a deal, (2) a great deal is oh-so-close, and (3) for those reasons, Trump deems it wise to leave Iran in control of the Straight?
  • With his preference for chaos, and the personal gratification he gets from seeing the world react to his power, and from seeing people suffer, madman Trump likes seeing the global economic destruction that increases in scope and speed the longer the Straight remains closed?
  • Trump believes that keeping US gas prices high and pushing them even higher is a really good way to help Republican win the midterm elections?
Click to expand...
Buy an electric vehicle.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Quiet Quitting MAGA

I learned of this organization months ago and concluded it was tiny and having zero impact. It is still tiny but now many times larger than its was before. Its messaging and tactics have changed and they have grown to the point where they have a physical presence noticeable in the world.

Most significantly, these billboards, which they are now able to fund, are attracting millions of dollars worth of free publicity as local and national TV cameras have something to film and reporters have this "billboards are appearing" story to cover.

One of the reasons the MAGA base is so durable is it is a social network of like-minded people. LeavingMAGA.org says some who are thinking about quitting don't quit because they don't want to be alone. LeavingMAGA.org has come to understand this. The founder -- a former MAGA cultist himself -- and the organization are now helping their MAGA friends find a new home and feel at home there. They don't care much for the Democrats. And they don't care much for Trump any more. Where do they go? Increasingly, they're finding fellowship at LeavingMAGA.org.

LeavingMAGA.org was originally an informal storytelling site where people shared their leaving-MAGA testimonials. The organization has become formal now with 501(c) status, fundraising machinery, a staff, a board of directors, a refined mission and other such trappings. Like I said, it is tiny when compared to a common PAC. But it is also on the move.

No MAGA member I know is going to quit Trump and quit MAGA because of anything I say or do. But many may do so because of what LeavingMAGA.org is doing. I can't change many MAGA minds but I can help fund an additional billboard, and I have just made an online donation to support this work. I also shared my suggestion that they put a red hat in a corner of the billboard to better draw MAGA eyes.

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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Trump's Liberation Day One Year Later

I missed the April 2, One-year-anniversary of Trump's 2025 "Liberation Day," where he announced his tariff regime. With 13 months of history and economic data now available, we no longer have to speculate about the effects of Trump's policies and actions. We can see them on the ground.

On Liberation Day, Trump said,
  • "Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country."
  • The policy would "supercharge our domestic industrial base."
  • The tariffs would "use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt."
  • These benefits "will all happen very quickly."
Items Observed One Year Later
  • Manufacturing employment declined by 89,000 jobs. (Moody's)
  • The equivalent of 2,800 manufacturing establishments have closed. (Center for American Progress Analysis)
  • Manufacturing construction (the leading indicator for future factory openings) plummeted 14% from Dec 2024 to Dec 2025. (New Center for American Progress)
  • Inflation has accelerated 2.5% to 3% (tariffs are a tax on US entities that increase prices) (Federal Reserve, Harvard)
  • Consumer spending has slowed, the saving rate has declined, and PCE headline inflation has increased. Consumers paid an additional $1,700 for goods due to tariffs (Bank of America)
  • Policy volatility destroyed American business planning. US tariff policy changed more than 50 times between April 2, 2025 and Feb 2026. (Economist Kathy Jones)
  • Foreign Direct Investment did not increase or decrease. It was essentially stable through the available data reporting periods. (Global Business Alliance)
  • The US Supreme Court ruled Trump's Liberation Day tariffs unconstitutional.
  • Imports did not fall. They rose. (Peterson Institute)
  • The US trade deficit has decreased moderately. The Monthly Trade Update shows April 2026's deficit was 7% lower than April 2025's number.
  • Nearly $3 trillion was added to the US national debt. April 1, 2025: $36.2 trillion. April 1, 2026: $38.98 trillion (JEC Monthly Debt Update).
Related:
  • Trump started a budget-busting, economy destroying war with Iran after he visited the above economic harm on the American people.
  • US debt held by the public (US Treasury debt) exceeds US GDP for the first time since WW II. (Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.)
 
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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Straight of Hormuz Fire Exchanged

Reports came today of a "skirmish" in the Straight of Hormuz. US Central Command confirmed it intercepted Iranian missiles that were aimed at three US destroyers in the Straight. The US responded with "self defense strikes."

Trump has been posting threats on Truth Social for weeks about how hard Iran will be hit if they did such a thing. It seems (1) Iranians do not subscribe to Truth Social, or (2) The Iranians do not fear Trump or his threats.

This keeps the Straight closed for yet another day, allowing the negative economic impacts to continue to expand and accelerate worldwide.

With US ships now in the Straight of Hormuz, Iran gets to fight this war on the cheap. All they have to do is launch a missile or two every now and then. They don't even have to hit anything. Nothing more than an occasional Iranian pot-shot is needed to not only keep the straight closed, but to also demonstrate -- for the whole world to see -- the limits of American military power. US destroyers are on duty IN THE STRAIGHT, and the straight remains closed.

By keeping the Straight closed, Iran wins. For the cost of a few missiles, Iran can bring the US and global economy to its knees and leave Trump with no good options.

Trump is a helpless buffoon writhing in a mess of his own making. How do I know that? I know that because the straight is closed. And I know this because the man who once boasted of low gas prices now says, "Americans should brace for higher fuel costs... gas prices would rise for a little while as the United States maintains its military campaign." (Said to reporters on 4/23/26)

Trump threatens Iran with grave consequences if they attack US ships, and if they do not open the straight. Yet Iran ignores the threats, reducing Trump to a demented old man who spends his nights fantasizing and raging on Truth Social.
 
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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Pilgrim said:
The Supreme Court decision today won't change anything. The Trump administration saw this coming and had back up procedure already in place for their tariff policy.

www.breitbart.com

Breitbart Business Digest: The Trump Administration's Hidden Ace to Rebalance Trade Even if Tariffs Are Struck Down

The Trump administration still has a path forward in rebalancing global trade even if the Supreme Court strikes down the president's tariffs. | Economy
www.breitbart.com www.breitbart.com
Click to expand...
Two and a half months have passed since the US Supreme Court ruled Trump's tariffs unconstitutional. If the I-ACES back up procedure discussed in the Breitbart article was already in place, and if the Trump administration saw the court ruling coming, why was I-ACES not quickly implemented? Why has Trump not yet played the tariff ace the article says he holds?

My answer is (1) the I-ACES idea is nothing close to the rosy solution it is claimed to be, (2) I-ACES is legally viable but Trump lacks the balls to play that card, or (3) Trump has a secret and brilliant master plan and he actually wants his tariff powers to be greatly restricted by the courts because that serves a greater good that ordinary people cannot yet be permitted to know.

Without that ace being played, it's not true that the SCOTUS decision "won't change anything." Two and a half months later, the now-clear truth is the SCOTUS decision changes everything.

Additionally, the backup plan Trump did try to use (Section 122 of Trade Act 1974) has also been blocked; this time by the US Court of International Trade.

With the benefit of hindsight we now know that Trump's wrongheaded tariff notions were doomed from the start, and the utter chaos they unleashed did far more harm to American interests than good.

Trade court strikes down Trump global tariffs imposed after Supreme Court loss
 
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muttly

muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
ATeam said:
I'm sorry, but I don't get your meaning. What is the point you are trying to make?
Click to expand...
Every time I brought up higher gas prices during Biden’s four long years, ( four years of sustained high gas prices btw) I was told by the Left that buying an electric car will solve the problem, or I heard glowing stories that truckers will get higher surcharges so it was a blessing in disguise. If that’s the case, why all the posts complaining about higher gas prices? It’s what the Left has been asking for, right? What’s with the whining about gas prices?
 
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ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
muttly said:
Every time I brought up higher gas prices during Biden’s four long years, ( four years of sustained high gas prices btw) I was told by the Left that buying an electric car will solve the problem, or I heard glowing stories that truckers will get higher surcharges so it was a blessing in disguise. If that’s the case, why all the posts complaining about higher gas prices? It’s what the Left has been asking for, right? What’s with the whining about gas prices?
Click to expand...
I can't speak to your "every time" or speak for those on the Left you spoke with. In my entire life, I have never told anyone to buy an electric car. I don't own one myself and I'm not inclined to buy one. So if you want to know why the people you talked to said an electric car would "solve the problem," its best to ask them.

Regarding truckers and fuel surcharges being blessings in disguise, that absolutely was the the case for my wife and me in our rig. It was optimized for fuel economy and we drove with a light foot. But I have never said higher fuel prices were a blessing for all truckers. It was a blessing in our particular case, because the surcharge money received exceeded our actual fuel cost.

Regarding your "if that's the case" question, neither is the case for me. I have never told anyone to buy an electric car. And I have never suggested that fuel surcharges are blessings in disguise for other truckers.
 
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muttly

muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
ATeam said:
I can't speak to your "every time" or speak for those on the Left you spoke with. In my entire life, I have never told anyone to buy an electric car. I don't own one myself and I'm not inclined to buy one. So if you want to know why the people you talked to said an electric car would "solve the problem," its best to ask them.

Regarding truckers and fuel surcharges being blessings in disguise, that absolutely was the the case for my wife and me in our rig. It was optimized for fuel economy and we drove with a light foot. But I have never said higher fuel prices were a blessing for all truckers. It was a blessing in our particular case, because the surcharge money received exceeded our actual fuel cost.

Regarding your "if that's the case" question, neither is the case for me. I have never told anyone to buy an electric car. And I have never suggested that fuel surcharges are blessings in disguise for other truckers.
Click to expand...
Oh, ok.
 
ATeam

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
muttly said:
I concur with Jonathon:
Click to expand...
While the court overturned the vote because of legislative improprieties, it seems worth mentioning how the people actually voted. This was not a poll, it was an election. These same people will vote again in November. They're not going to change from blue to red because the court ruling.
 
muttly

muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
ATeam said:
Trump Media ad Technology Group (TMTG) CEO Nunes is Out. Losses Continue. Stock Tanks.

Trump's Truth Social social media platform is operated by TMTG. The CEO was recently replaced. The company's revenue has risen only 1.8% over the past year, while it has lost more than $1 billion since going public.

Things did not turn out as mutly predicted in April 2024. The current stock price is $9.15, slightly above the $8.47 all-time low it hit in March, 2026.

My post made around the same time proved to be more accurate:
Click to expand...
I also said it was a long term investment. Long term isn’t normally 1 or 2 years.
 
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