Appearing on Fox News to provide color over the issue, Peter Doocy reveals what he has learned about the latest developments in the Trump -v- Musk conflict.  WATCH:

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Senior White House official Taylor Budowich, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, and James Braid discuss the details of President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill.

The legislation is described by Stephen Miller as the culmination of all President Trump’s campaign promises.

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Phone calls from the Tesla Board, Peter Thiel and especially Larry Ellison, tend to change things.

Remember, Bill Ackman is the billionaire who constructed the SPARC (special purpose acquisition rights company) to save Elon Musk and Twitter financially, before Larry Ellison (Oracle) stepped in.

[Source]

Elon Musk also walked back from his threat to decommission the Dragon spacecraft {link}.

Sea Island hit the MAGA anvil, but it didn’t split.

They’ll be back.

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A point to emphasize.

Current Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, was chair of the senate select committee on intelligence (SSCI) and a Gang of Eight member since day one of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Due to his role in the Gang of Eight Senator Rubio was briefed on all the covert activities being carried out in Ukraine by the CIA and Pentagon.

That is why when Secretary of State Marco Rubio told media months ago that “Ukraine was a proxy war for the United States against Russia,” it was a jaw-dropping statement. If anyone would know the receipts, it’s the former Chair of the SSCI, who became the Secretary of State.  However, to say the truth so openly and publicly was something entirely unexpected, especially from Rubio.

As Secretary of State Rubio represented President Trump’s America-First foreign policy and national security interests very effectively, many people were shocked at the seemingly 180° degree turn Rubio took to represent the MAGA perspectives.  Rubio adroitly navigated the media with exceptional support for President Trump’s positions, and diplomatic action to back it up.

While most of us continue watching Rubio closely, obviously President Trump saw the unique perspectives held by the former Senator on intelligence matters.  President Trump then appointed Rubio to a dual role as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State.

While the Secretary of State represents the public face of President Trump’s diplomatic policy toward the world, the Nat Sec Advisory represents President Trump’s outward view to the global intelligence network. Marco Rubio now carries both extremely important titles and responsibilities.

Keeping in mind the prior statements by Rubio about Ukraine being a proxy state for U.S. operations against Russia, both Marco Rubio and President Trump have been mostly silent and very measured in their comments about Russia after the Ukraine attack on the Russian nuclear-capable bombers.

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Earlier today President Trump held a press availability in the oval office with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.  The topics of conversation surrounded trade, NATO funding, Ukraine, Russia, President Trump’s conversation with Chairman Xi Jinping, the tax cut and budget bill and Elon Musk’s criticism.

At 04:42 of the video President Trump discusses his conversation with Chairman Xi Jinping of China.  President Trump and Chairman Xi agreed to organize their teams for another discussion and President Trump noted he would be sending Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick and Jamieson Greer to another round of talks to hammer out the details.  Additionally, President Trump invited Chairman Xi to the USA, and Chairman Xi invited President Trump to visit China.

At the 10:00 mark, President Trump discusses the autopen controversy around the former Biden administration.  At 13:40 President Trump was asked about Elon Musk and his opposition to the Big Beautiful Bill.  President Trump and Scott Bessent walk through the benefits inside the bill and President Trump notes the EV subsidy was removed from the bill which seemed to be problematic for Musk.  WATCH:

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…”He hasn’t said anything bad about me personally, but I’m sure that will be next.  But I’m very disappointed in Elon”…

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It was always going to be thus. However, some who do not carry the mental fortitude to withstand the TRUTH, will proclaim they are witnessing some pre-scripted game of chess or something, where the Trump -v- Musk battle is coordinated. It is not.

President Trump delivers some further consideration about Elon Musk from his perspective.

Musk responds by accusing President Trump of being in the “Epstein files” and later calls for his impeachment and replacement with JD Vance.

If you are a long(ish) time reader of CTH, what we are witnessing is exactly what we said we would see unfold. And it is really good to see it happening now. I was not looking forward to this battle as the 2026 midterms came around, and I am thankful to our loving God for delivering it now.

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To understand the dynamic, it is necessary to remain elevated and unemotional as the confrontation takes place.

The U.S. Senate currently has two issues of great importance to President Trump within their upper chamber.  The first is the Big Beautiful Bill (a reconciliation spending and budget plan).  The second is Senate positioning on sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.  Both are of great importance when you consider the domestic and geopolitical ramifications.

President Trump wants the BBB structurally passed and doesn’t care about the nibbling on the edges or customary Christmas Tree decorations (special interest add-ons).  Trump wants the Term-1 tax cuts extended and the border security money, these are must haves.

On the Ukraine/Russia stuff, Trump basically wants the Senate to back away from doing anything that influences his leverage positions for a resolution he will construct.  However, President Trump knows the Senate fully supports the proxy war aspect to the conflict (he doesn’t).

Trump has remained relatively quiet on Ukraine-Russia because he doesn’t want to antagonize the Senate who will use their affirmative votes for BBB as leverage to maintain the proxy war and support Ukraine.  That’s the background on the BBB, Russia, Ukraine and Trump’s position.

Into this foray comes the always self-interested and short-sighted Elon Musk who -despite being an influence asset at times- has the most annoying habit of never considering the downstream consequences for his selfishness.

As Musk rails against the BBB, which took 14 months of work from the House to get across the line he runs the risk of collapsing the BBB in the senate.

The longer the BBB sits in the Senate and/or gets changed so much it will take forever to get through the House again; the longer Trump has to bite his tongue on solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Musk in his infinite selfishness, cannot see how he is doing real damage to Trump’s objective around Russia by stirring up opposition to the BBB.  Things were getting ugly yesterday and became more so today.

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If you have walked the deep political weeds with us, you will likely remember the warnings.  Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, Rand Paul and other fellow republican travelers will join with Elon Musk and the alligator emoji network to oppose President Trump as soon as they can get back into the minority.

There is an intention behind this alignment of interests, which includes the Tech Bros (and Sea Island), that ends with a Vance-DeSantis promoted effort in 2028.  The only thing standing in their way is MAGA.  As a result, MAGA must be fractured.

The money center behind the strategy is working on a learning curve.  Having failed with prior launches of similar approaches (ref. DeSantis ’23/’24), they are now doing much more proactive seeding.

Yeah, I know, I know; some will say I’m crazy.  I’m not. I’ve watched this exact group’s constructs for over 14 years now.  All the data indicates this approach; the only unknown variables are the names of the political representatives who will participate.  Today, Thomas Massie is asking Elon Musk to fund primary challengers against the House republicans who support Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON DC – Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said Elon Musk should fund primary challenges against almost every Republican who voted for President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill” last week.  “I don’t primary my colleagues, but I feel pretty good about him doing it,” Massie told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

“There’s a few others that should be spared,” when asked to clarify if he meant all 215 House Republicans who supported the legislation. “But people want term limits, right? Elon can bring term limits.”

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President Trump and the trade team have made specific requests of Vietnam in order to negotiate a trade agreement.  Unfortunately, just like Canada, Vietnam’s problem is not an unwillingness to comply, it’s their inability.

CTH was in the manufacturing base of Vietnam in January; their factories are loaded with component parts from China used to produce finished goods sent to the USA (and globally).  President Trump is telling Vietnam they need to reduce their reliance on Chinese imported component goods, but China has spent billions in advanced positioning and contracts, influencing Vietnam.

Vietnam is a very poor country, and their population cannot afford to purchase the products they manufacture.  They do not have a domestic consumption base. They are reliant on exports to more wealthy nations to keep their manufacturing base afloat.  Practically, it is easy to have sympathy for Vietnam due to their economic dependence on both China (for imported raw materials) and the USA (for exported finished goods).

VIETNAM – The US has sent a “long” list of “tough” requests to Vietnam in its tariff negotiations, including demands that could force the country to cut its reliance on Chinese industrial goods imports, two people briefed about the matter told Reuters.

Washington wants Vietnam-based factories to reduce their use of materials and components from China and is asking the country to control more carefully its production and supply chains, one of the people briefed on the talks said, without elaborating on whether quantitative targets were included.

The list is part of an “annex” to a framework text prepared by US negotiators, according to four people familiar with the matter.

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It is at moments like this when I wish General Michael Flynn had not comprehensively compromised his ability to provide advice and counsel to President Donald Trump. This is great advice shared via Twitter:

“1. While most of America remains blissfully uninformed by our establishment press, the world’s two greatest superpowers are being manipulated by Dark Forces inside and outside our government, into a major military confrontation that no country wants, and no sane person would ever want.

2. I have no role in the Trump Administration, but over a long career in the active uniformed military, specifically military intelligence, I have made it a point to cultivate many sources of information around the world. From what I can piece together, I want to share my deep concerns about who is behind this march to war, and my recommendations for how our nation and the West can avoid a major military confrontation with Russia.”

“3. I believe that the American Deep State is staffed by those with a deep, visceral, and irrational hatred for Russia, and these persons have conspired to box in President Trump’s decision making through the Russiagate Hoax. During the time the Soviet Union was expanding and infiltrating our government, I was an outspoken anti-communist, but, despite the lies told by our Deep State, Russia is not the Soviet Union and Putin is not Stalin. Even today, years after the Russiagate Hoax has been exposed, President Trump’s efforts to bring peace are met with resistance. The Establishment Press, deeply influenced and even sometimes controlled by our Deep State, labeled President Trump and those who work for him “Putin’s Puppets” to goad him into taking unwarranted and aggressive steps against Russia. These voices from the establishment press reflect the views of the Deep State, not the American People, and not the MAGA movement, and should be completely disregarded, if not mocked.”

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