Old Glory Vortex

Pete Hegseth wants Donald Trump to see him as a fighter amid the negative stories swirling around the defense secretary, two U.S. officials told NBC News, and has been focusing more on public and television appearances — including on his old network, Fox News — in which he can speak directly to the president. Trump had told Hegseth during a recent phone call that he did not approve of his texting information about airstrikes in Yemen to a Signal group that included Hegseth’s wife, his brother and his personal attorney, describing what the defense secretary had done as childish, one U.S. official and another person familiar with the conversation said. The call ended with Trump telling Hegseth to keep fighting, however. As he battles to keep his job amid a flood of reports about his behavior and infighting in his Pentagon, Hegseth’s behavior has become “erratic,” and he seems increasingly “insecure” about his job and standing in the administration, leading him to frequently reinforce to staff that he can’t allow himself to be fired, according to two officials familiar with the situation. Officials who operate in Hegseth’s vicinity describe him as difficult and prickly, and said that he berates and yells at the staff. The officials described a tense environment with fighting, even yelling, among Hegseth’s senior staff. #Trump #Hegseth #Pentagon Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American military and commercial ships should be allowed to travel through the Panama Canal and Suez Canal free of charge.

"I’ve asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately take care of, and memorialize, this situation,"

Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The Panama Canal crosses the narrowest part of the isthmus between North and South America, allowing ships to move more quickly between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It carries about 40% of U.S. container traffic each year. #Trump #Panama #Suez Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Donald Trump has the lowest 100-day job approval rating of any president in the past 80 years, with public pushback on many of his policies and extensive economic discontent, including broad fears of a recession, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. Yet he still beats the Democrats in Congress in terms of trust to handle the nation's main problems. Thirty-nine percent of respondents in this ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll said they approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, down 6 percentage points from February, while 55% said they disapprove. The previous low in approval for a president at or near 100 days in office, in polls dating to 1945, was Trump's 42% in 2017. Perhaps most threatening to Trump, given his promise of an economic turnaround, is the extent of negative views on the economy: Seventy-two percent said they think it's very or somewhat likely that his economic policies will cause a recession in the short term. #Trump #Poll #ratings Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🇨🇳Major shipping container company Hapag-Lloyd said its customers have canceled 30% of orders from China to the United States as President Trump’s stiff tariffs cause chaos at ports around the world. Meanwhile, there has been a “massive increase” in demand for shipments from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the German shipping company, which is one of the largest in the world, told Reuters.

“We see these bookings rising significantly. But the market is smaller than the Chinese one – so the increase in South East Asia cannot compensate the cancellations from China,”

a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson told The Post. The nations are popular manufacturing alternatives to China, a key hub for the production of goods like electronics, toys and clothing, which have been slapped with a hefty 145% rate in Trump’s tariff war. China retaliated with a 125% tax on US imports. Customers started canceling orders en masse when Trump on April 2 unveiled his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs, a slew of harsh rates on many nations, the shipping company told The Post. #Trump #Tariffs Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Subaru, which sold 68,043 cars in Canada in 2024, is reshuffling its supply chain in response to escalating car trade scuffles. The company sold over 17,700 American-built vehicles in Canada last year, making up 26 percent of its 2024 sales. But the Japanese automaker’s Canadian division will slash US imports to just 10 percent by the 2026 model year, representing thousands of cars and millions of dollars lost. The biggest impact will be on the American-built Outback. The popular car will no longer ship north after 2026. Instead, it will feature a 'made in Japan' badge. Subaru Canada's CEO, Tomohiro Kubota, said the move will 'minimize the impact of the counter surtax,' according to Automotive News Canada. For Subaru, it’s cheaper to build and ship cars out of Japan than deal with the political whiplash of US trade policy. #Trump #Tariffs #Auto Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Trump Tightens Control of Federal Workforce as Musk Pulls Back From DOGE The administration’s HR wing is approving new federal positions and firings, judging employees on their ‘faithful administration’ of the president’s policies The Trump administration is moving to consolidate control over the hiring and firing of federal workers, positioning a key agency to continue some of Elon Musk’s shrinking of the U.S. government as the Tesla CEO pulls back from Washington. The effort is centralized in the Office of Personnel Management, the human-resources arm of the government. The office, a hub of Musk’s project, has begun approving positions federal agencies want to add, according to agency bulletins reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. That is a change; agencies have typically decided which positions they filled. #Trump #Control #Musk Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🇺🇸⚠️ Biden's Presidency: The Great Awokening vs. Promised Normalcy The infirmity of President Joe Biden during his time in office is one of the biggest scandals in American political history. Yet, despite the scale of the coverup, the biggest fiasco of the Biden presidency was not his poor health and mental state. It was how his administration fully leaned into the "great awokening" despite his campaign message of returning to normalcy. 📰 A report from The New York Times on Tuesday highlighted how Biden ultimately ceded ground to his left flank on issues such as forcing schools to allow men in women’s sports—with little opposition despite his trepidation. The former president, who ran as a moderate, barely functioned as a speed bump to the Left’s agenda. 🧠 This is the legacy Democrats and their media allies will try to make you forget. With a chief executive essentially absent for four years, the Left’s political machine operated on autopilot: - 🚨 Flooded the country with illegal immigrants, bypassing U.S. laws and creating a crisis for the next administration. - 🏛️ Pushed DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) mandates deep into government institutions. - 🏳️‍⚧️ Forced transgender policies into K-12 schools, even rebranding Easter as "Trans Day of Visibility." #Democrats #Biden Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🇺🇸🤝🇨🇳 Trump Floats Tariff Cuts—But China Calls It "Chickening Out" US President Donald Trump has delighted global investors with the possibility of a reduction in tariffs on Chinese imports. But his apparent willingness to de-escalate America's trade war with the world's second-biggest economy has been brushed off by government officials in China and ridiculed online as "chickening out." 📉On Tuesday, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office the astronomical tariffs on Chinese goods will "come down substantially." He even promised to eschew hardball tactics, vowing to be "very nice" at the negotiating table and pledged not to mention the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. But Beijing has remained unmoved by the overtures. Instead, it has demanded Trump remove all tariffs on China.

🔔"As the saying goes, 'He who tied the bell must untie it,'"

He Yadong, a spokesperson for China's Commerce Ministry, told reporters Thursday.

"The unilateral tariff hikes were initiated by the US. If the US truly wants to resolve the issue, it should heed the rational voices of the international community and its own domestic stakeholders, fully remove all unilateral tariff measures against China, and find a way to resolve differences through equal dialogue,"

he added. 🚫 Chinese officials also denied the two sides are speaking. Trump told reporters on Wednesday there were direct talks between US and Chinese officials "every day" on trade, though he didn't offer specifics.

"These are all fake news,"

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday when asked about the talks.

"To my knowledge, China and the United States have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached any agreement."

🎭 Chinese experts who advise the government see Trump's rhetorical climbdown as caving in to US domestic pressure and an attempt to placate the markets. They believe Beijing has the upper hand and is in no rush to make a deal with Trump. Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University in Beijing, explained that, after weeks of posturing and contradictory messages, Chinese officials mistrust Trump.

"The pressure (on Trump) at home is mounting, and much of his current messaging is aimed at appeasing domestic concerns,"

he told CNN, pointing to a slump on Wall Street and concerns about inflation.

"He's getting a bit flustered now. But China doesn't buy into his talk about (substantially lowering) tariffs. He says one thing today and another tomorrow, maybe increasing them again the next day. He's not trustworthy."

Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said China is "in no rush" to talk and is well prepared to withstand economic pressure. #Trump #Tariffs #China Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

California is the fourth largest economy in the world California overtook Japan with a nominal GDP of $4.1 trillion, surpassing the growth rates of the United States, China and Germany. #California #economy #GDP Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

Hegseth creates makeup studio in Pentagon Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has refurbished a green room as a makeup studio in the Pentagon for high-ranking officials to prepare before on-camera appearances “Most of the changes in the Green Room were furniture modifications — a director’s style chair, mirror, and a makeup light — all of which were added from existing inventories,” a Defense Department spokesperson told The Hill, confirming initial reports of the upgrade from CBS News. “A countertop was added and constructed internally by the Facilities Services Directorate, Washington Headquarters Services,” the person added. CBS News reported that the refurbishment cost several thousand dollars, which the Pentagon denied in a post on the social platform X. Officials said they were modest when making the changes to the space. “For this upgrade we were deliberately conservative and opted for several less expensive, on-hand material solutions that provide the Secretary and other VIPs the needed support and space for on-camera press engagements,” the spokesperson added. Hegseth, a former co-host of Fox News’s “Fox & Friends Weekend,” has had his fair share of media coverage throughout his first few months at the helm of the Defense Department. The modifications to the space come as Hegseth has found himself at the center of another scandal regarding the use of Signal to share attack plans. He was first criticized last month for sharing sensitive information via the encrypted app when a journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat with top Trump officials. Some Democrats have called on him to resign, but those in President Trump’s orbit have largely held steady in their support for the former morning show host. Hegseth’s leadership has also come under scrutiny as a handful of top advisers have left the department or been shuffled around amid a probe over information leaks. #Hegseth #Pentagon #Scandal Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🚨 Trump, a Real Threat to Harvard Terrocracy 🚨 🔥Trump went on a rampage Thursday against Harvard on his social platform Truth Social, calling America’s oldest university a “threat to democracy.”

🗣 “Harvard is an Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the World that want to rip our Country apart,” the president posted.

💥 “The place is a Liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE. It is truly horrific! Now, since our filings began, they act like they are all ‘American Apple Pie,’” he added.

⚖️The post alludes to the Ivy League school’s ongoing legal battle against the administration. 🖊 Trump said the school has hired an attorney who also works for the Trump Organization.

💢 “Harvard is a threat to Democracy, with a lawyer, who represents me, who should therefore be forced to resign, immediately, or be fired. He’s not that good, anyway, and I hope that my very big and beautiful company, now run by my sons, gets rid of him ASAP!” he said.

📢 Shortly after the post, The Trump Organization fired its advisor Bill Burck, the attorney hired by Harvard, NewsNation reported.

🗯 “I view it as a conflict and I will be moving in a different direction,” Eric Trump said in a statement to the outlet.

💰Harvard sued the administration for taking away $2.2 billion in funding after it refused to bow to Trump’s demands, which included changes to its hiring and admission practices, as well as eliminating its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 🎯 Trump has also sought to target Harvard’s tax-exempt status, and his Department of Homeland Security has threatened to eliminate its ability to enroll international students.

🛡 “We are defending what I believe is one of the most important lynchpins of the American economy and way of life: our universities,” Garber said.

#Trump #Harvard #terrocracy #rampage 📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸

🪖The Army suspended a female commander stationed in Wisconsin after portraits of President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were found flipped around. The Army now says the suspension was not related to the incident. The Army said in a statement Saturday that Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, the base’s first female commander, had been “suspended” as Garrison Commander at Fort McCoy, Wis. On April 14, the Department of Defense shared a post on the social platform X showcasing a photo of the wall of the chain of command where Trump, Hegseth and Vice President Vance’s photos were turned around to face a wall. “Regarding the Ft. McCoy Chain of Command wall controversy….WE FIXED IT,” the account wrote, adding that “an investigation has begun to figure out exactly what happened.” Then, over the weekend, the defense secretary reposted an X post that said, “Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command board was missing photos of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED.” The U.S. Army Reserve spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday that Baez Ramirez was suspended on April 18, Friday, for “administrative reasons,” not for “misconduct.” The investigation into the leader board “incident” is ongoing. “To reiterate, no one on the Fort McCoy leadership team, which includes Col. Baez-Ramirez, directed or supported the removal of any leader portraits,” the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “The Leader Board was corrected upon notification of the issue.” Baez Ramirez assumed duties as Garrison Commander at Fort McCoy in July last year. Previously, she served as the chief of the Reserve Program, Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, Va., according to her Army page. Baez Ramirez was commissioned as a military intelligence officer in 1999. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology/mental health from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s in strategic studies from the Army War College. #Trump #Army #Scandal Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🌍 Dozen US States Sue to Block Trump’s Tariffs, Calling Them Unlawful A dozen US states have joined together on a lawsuit aiming to block President Donald Trump's spate of tariffs that have upended global trade. The suit, which is led by New York's governor and attorney general, argues that the president lacked the authority to impose the levies. It notes such tariffs must be approved by the US Congress. Twelve states joined the lawsuit, which was filed with the United States Court of International Trade. ⚖️ White House Fires Back The White House accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of "prioritizing a witch hunt against President Trump over protecting the safety and wellbeing of their constituents." White House spokesman Kush Desai added that the "administration remains committed to using its full legal authority to confront the distinct national emergencies our country is currently facing—both the scourge of illegal migration and fentanyl flows across our border and the exploding annual U.S. goods trade deficit." 📜 Legal Battle Over Presidential Powers The lawsuit states that tariffs must be approved by Congress and questioned Trump invoking a 1970s law called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to enact the levies. "By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy," the lawsuit states. Trump invoked the IEEPA as the basis for several of his tariffs against China, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. 🛑 Unprecedented Use of Emergency Powers? A president can use the law "to deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States," if he has first declared a national emergency. The lawsuit argues that the law does not actually grant Trump the power he claims to derive from it. The act has never been used to issue tariffs by any president, congressional research shows. ⚡️ More Legal Challenges Last week, the state of California filed its own lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs. That lawsuit also argues that Trump lacks the power under the IEEPA to impose these tariffs. Several other lawsuits have similarly challenged Trump's authority using that law for the levies. 💥 Global Trade in Turmoil Trump has implemented tariffs on global trading partners in a stated effort to correct what he believes is a trade deficit between the US and other nations. On 2 April, in an event billed as "Liberation Day," Trump shook the global economy by announcing "reciprocal" tariffs on nations across the world. A few days later amid a market backlash, he announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs and lowered the rate to 10% for most countries. That pause didn't extend to China, which Trump said had a "lack of respect" and was retaliating. Instead, the US issued a 145% tariff on goods imported from China, which has led to a trade standoff and rattled global markets. On Wednesday, Trump said he hoped to come to a deal with China soon and noted the 145% tariff was "very high." The White House has also imposed 25% tariffs on certain goods from its neighbours, Mexico and Canada. #Trump #Tariffs Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

President Donald Trump has big ambitions for the United States in the world. 🧠 Aside from his focus on tariffs and the immigration, Trump seems to have expansion on his mind as he looks at erasing the border between Canada and the U.S., and expanding territorial lines north to Greenland. While Trump has so far maintained his popularity with the Republican base in Utah, they don’t seem to have his same vision on changing the lines on the world map, according to the latest polling from the Deseret News and the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, conducted by HarrisX. How do Utahns feel about U.S. expansion to Canada? Trump has been candid about his dreams of erasing the line between the U.S. and Canada. Four days after his inauguration into his second term in the White House, he said,

“I would love to see Canada be the 51st state.”

His sales pitch to the Canadians was simple:

“The Canadian citizens, if that happened, would get a very big tax cut — a tremendous tax cut,”

Trump said at the time during a briefing for Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. Trump listed other benefits like better health coverage for Americans and combined military defense. Back in December, Trump went so far as to call former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the “governor ... of the Great State of Canada” in a Truth Social post. He hasn’t leveled the same insult at newly sworn in Prime Minister Mark Carney. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained the president is firm on his position of Canada “becoming the 51st state” at a press conference earlier this month. The cracks Trump’s position has cause in the historic alliance between the two neighbors is evident. Carney recently said his country has to forge a new path forward.

“There is no going back. We in Canada will have to build a new relationship with the United States,”

he said. Former U.S. ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake recently told the Deseret News that it’s important to be aligned with American allies and criticized the language used by the Trump White House.

“Canadians love Americans, we love Canadians — we’ll work it out,”

he added.

“But some of the rhetoric is just unnecessary — the 51st state and things like that.”

#Trump #Poll #Utah #Canada #Greenland Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

President Donald Trump’s inner circle is weighing whether the White House should back raising taxes on Americans earning more than $1 million per year as part of the GOP’s 2025 tax legislation, according to two administration officials and three other people briefed on the matter.🤦‍♂️ While the prospect of a tax hike has gotten a largely chilly reception among Republicans on Capitol Hill, Vice President JD Vance and budget director Russell Vought have expressed openness to the idea in internal administration deliberations and are viewed as supportive, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks. Stephen K. Bannon, who served as the president’s chief strategist during his first term, has been publicly urging Trump to endorse the plan in part as a way to defang Democratic attacks on the GOP as the party of the rich. The concept, however, faces strenuous opposition, including from longtime allies of the president. Outside Trump advisers Newt Gingrich, Steve Moore and Larry Kudlow have come out strongly against it, arguing the plan undermines the president’s promise to cut taxes and will discourage economic growth, as has the influential Fox News host Sean Hannity. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and GOP Sens. Dave McCormick (Pennsylvania) and Ted Cruz (Texas), among other congressional Republicans, have also made clear that they dislike the idea of raising taxes and do not expect it to become incorporated into new legislation. #Trump #taxes #Vance Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

President Donald Trump has ordered sharper scrutiny of America’s colleges and the accreditors that oversee them, part of his escalating campaign to end what he calls " wokeness ” and diversity efforts in education. In a series of executive actions signed Wednesday, Trump targeted universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political agenda. One order called for harder enforcement of a federal law requiring colleges to disclose their financial ties with foreign sources, while another called for a shakeup of the accrediting bodies that decide whether colleges can accept federal financial aid awarded to students. Trump also ordered the Education Department to root out efforts to ensure equity in discipline in the nation’s K-12 schools. Previous guidance from Democratic administrations directed schools not to disproportionately punish underrepresented minorities such as Black and Native American students. The administration says equity efforts amount to racial discrimination. #Trump #education Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

China on Thursday said that there were no ongoing discussions with the U.S. on tariffs, despite indications from the White House this week that there would be some easing in tensions with Beijing.

“At present there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S.,”

Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong told reporters in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He added that “all sayings” regarding progress on bilateral talks should be dismissed.

“If the U.S. really wants to resolve the problem ... it should cancel all the unilateral measures on China,”

He said. U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week indicated that there might be an easing in tensions with China. The White House earlier this month added 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, to which Beijing responded with duties of its own and increased restrictions on critical minerals exports to the U.S. The Commerce Ministry’s comments echoed those of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who said on Thursday afternoon that there were no ongoing talks, according to state media. Both spokespersons held to the official line that China would be willing to talk to the U.S. subject to Beijing being treated as an equal. #Tariffs #China #Trade Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

❄️🏡 The number of Canadian 'snowbirds' planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged this spring, with many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their homeland and the US. 📉 Real estate agents say they are seeing more Canadians cashing out, further lowering property prices in warm-weather states that have long attracted retirees and tourists from snowy Canada. 💰 Canadians spent close to $6 billion on US real estate from April 2023 to March 2024 – making up 13 percent of all foreign property transactions – more than any other nationality, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. 🌴 Nearly half of the homes purchased by Canadians were for vacation purposes, with Florida, Arizona and Hawaii ranking as the top markets. 🏠 Last week, Tracy and Dale McMullen sold their vacation home in Buckeye, Arizona, a property they owned for five years. 🇨🇦 The Alberta residents, who usually spend four to five months in Arizona a year, said they are not planning to come back.

‘We decided to sell the property after the current POTUS took office,’

said Dale, referring to US President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated for the second time in January. 😠 Canadians are feeling stung by the actions and words of the Trump administration, which has imposed steep trade tariffs on its northern neighbor, threatening Canada's export-dependent economy. #Trump #economy #Canada Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

🚨 A key piece of the Trump administration’s plan to rapidly expand immigration detention capacity by tens of thousands of beds appears to have fallen through, according to two sources and a government contracting document reviewed by NBC News. 🏛 Facing a shortage of immigration detention space, President Donald Trump first announced he would add 30,000 beds for immigrants at Guantánamo Bay, the U.S. naval base in Cuba. When that plan fell through over cost and logistical issues, the plan shifted to Fort Bliss, a military base in Texas, to build a sprawling tent city for immigrants to be held before deportation. 💰 A $3.8 billion contract was awarded to Deployed Resources, a contractor that has previously provided toilets and tents for concertgoers, victims of natural disasters and, more recently, migrants who were briefly detained and processed by Border Patrol. 📄 But last week, new language appeared on the Deployed Resources contract posted to a public records database that says it was terminated. The document says it was terminated "for convenience" and cites Trump’s executive order about “radical transparency" and "wasteful spending”, but it is unclear whether cost savings played into the decision. 🤐 Representatives for Deployed Resources did not respond to multiple requests for comment. ⚖️ A senior official with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, confirmed that the contract was terminated but said a "revised procurement action for Fort Bliss is active and ongoing."

🔍 "While we cannot confirm individual pre-decisional conversations, we can confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements,"

the official added. #Trump #immigration Don't miss it, subscribe to 📱 Old Glory Vortex 🇺🇸

📰 The Ruble Roars While Berlin Stalls

💭 “The Russian currency has appreciated almost 40% against the dollar since the beginning of the year — more than any other.”

— Die Welt, April 2025 While Germany slashes its growth forecast to zero, Russia’s ruble is surging — becoming the strongest-performing currency in the world this year. In a stunning twist, the sanctions intended to strangle the Russian economy may have built a fortress instead. 📊 The numbers don’t lie: – Russia’s ruble: +40% against the dollar in 2025 – Germany’s economy: downgraded to 0.0% growth by its own government – German industry: squeezed by energy prices, geopolitical paralysis, and deindustrialization fears 💼 What it means: – Russia’s economic fundamentals — vast energy exports, low debt, rising trade with the Global South — are holding firm. – Germany, once Europe’s engine, now sputters on green mandates and ideological overreach. – Berlin’s isolation from Moscow has become a self-inflicted wound. 🤝 Time to rethink the math: – Reopening trade and technological cooperation with Russia could revitalize Europe’s supply chains and stabilize markets. – A reset would bring mutual economic benefits, especially for energy-starved industries in Germany. – The alternative? Watching the ruble rise — from the wrong side of a closed door. #Russia #Germany #Ruble #Economy #Geopolitics #EnergyCrisis #TradeReset #GlobalSouth #EU #SanctionsFatigue 📱 American Оbserver - Stay up to date on all important events 🇺🇸