Germany is the largest economy in the E.U. However, due to a confluence of horrible events, most of them self-created as an outcome of ridiculous energy production decisions, the German industrial economy has been contracting since 2022.

Into this downward spiral of negative economic events within Germany, now comes the problem of President Trump eager to eliminate the Marshal Plan of one-way tariffs and start dealing with the trade inequities.  The German industrial manufacturing companies who make up the majority of the economic output are concerned, very concerned.

Within the discussion suddenly something appears that all Western financial pundits have yet to accept. Leo Barincou, a senior economist at Oxford Economics in Paris says:

[…] limited tariffs on selected products, such as cars, chemicals and agricultural products, may not be too much of a problem, Barincou says. A rising dollar, and hence a falling value of the euro, would offset some of the harm caused by the tariffs. “At a macro level, the impact would be limited,” he says. (read more)

Yep, here we go again.

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Suspicious Cat smells some possible streamlining and downsizing afoot.

Not only has President Trump announced the nomination of Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary, but he has also announced that Lutnick will carry the role and “responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative” (USTR).

[LINK]

Perhaps in the second term President Trump and Howard Lutnick are going to fold the USTR into the Dept of Commerce?  Interesting.

Hopefully, Howard Lutnick, like Wilbur Ross, will keep the U.S. Chamber of Commerce blocked from influence over the upcoming trade discussions and potential trade agreements.  We note that former USTR Lighthizer was part of the transition discussion, and it seems odd his name has not surfaced…. yet.

Regardless, Howard Lutnick is an excellent choice for all the reasons previously outlined.

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In September we noted Howard Lutnick was the *ONLY* person, other than former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who accurately outlined: (1) Energy as the core source of sticky inflation; and (2) ending the Marshal Plan for EU tariffs as a key objective in term-2.

In combination with his eloquence in outlining MAGAnomics, which is remarkably impressive, this combination of skillsets would make Howard Lutnick the ideal candidate for Term-2 Commerce Secretary.  The guy simply ‘gets it.’ {SEE HERE}

Howard Lutnick was also in the running for Treasury Secretary; however, today several media outlets are reporting that Lutnick is likely to be nominated as Commerce Secretary, making him the first and leading WOLVERINE announced in the MAGAnomic team.

WASHINGTON DC – Donald Trump is expected to nominate veteran Wall Street financier Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department, according to people familiar with the matter, elevating one of the financial world’s most vocal supporters of the president-elect to a crucial position overseeing the incoming administration’s economic agenda.

Lutnick, chief executive of the financial-services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, in recent months has become a close Trump ally and had been a top contender to lead the Treasury Department. As the co-chair of the president-elect’s transition team, Lutnick has spent much of his time at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private Florida club, poring over shortlists of candidates for positions in the administration.

A spokeswoman for Lutnick declined to comment. A Trump transition team spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Punchbowl News earlier reported that Trump was expected to chose Lutnick for the role. (read more)

Howard Lutnick gets it. The essential core of MAGAnomics.  Drive down the cost of goods through expanded energy development, then leverage reciprocity in tariffs to end the exfiltration of wealth.  Then cut out regulation and unleash American enterprise. This is the way to reverse this insufferable economic trajectory that creates a “service driven economy.”   The entire interview is well worth watching:

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Appearing on Fox News, Venture Capital Chairman Kevin O’Leary outline the anticipated impact of RFK Jr. as HHS secretary on businesses, President Trump’s plan to reducing government costs via Elon Musk, and what to expect with Doug Burgum as interior secretary.  WATCH:

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Businessman Chris Wright is the CEO of oilfield services group Liberty Energy.  Wright helped launch the American Shale Revolution of the mid-2000s that significantly increased US production of oil and natural gas.

President Trump has announced the nomination of Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy.

[SOURCE]

“The Council of National Energy will consist of all Departments and Agencies involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, of ALL forms of American Energy. This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation,” Trump said Friday.

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President Trump has announced the nomination of North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to head the Department of the Interior and also Chairman of a newly formed cabinet-level National Energy Council (energy Czar).

[Source]

Very interesting move, not in the appointment of Burgum, but in the duality of a method to tear apart the Dept of Interior Silo.

As the American people are starting to become aware of a return to civics, the President of the United States has absolute power within the Executive branch and absolute immunity for everything he defines as an official act of his office.

By appointing Burgum as the Interior Secretary and simultaneously the appointed energy-sector representative of the president, carrying the full weight and authority therein, there is no way for the institutional bureaucracy of the climate change officials inside the agency to block any changes decreed by President Trump within the mandate of the Energy Czar.

Secretary Burgum will sit at the top of the Dept of Interior organization, AND Czar Burgum will sit inside every agency, office, and subsidiary department that has anything to do with “American Energy” production/regulation.

A very strong power move. I like it.

Burgum would lead a new National Energy Council comprising all agencies and departments involved in the production, regulation and transportation of “ALL forms of American Energy.” … “This Council will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation.”

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Responding to reporters’ questions, today President of the European Union commission Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Donald Trump then immediately began the framework to explain EU background discussions in economic terms. “We still get a lot of [liquified natural gas] from Russia, and why not replace it by American LNG, which is cheaper for us and brings down our energy prices,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU realizes the seismic shift that is upon them as a result of the U.S. election.  Everything from the Ukraine-Russia war; the economics of energy which President Trump will use in negotiations for peace; to the factual lowered prices within the EU created by Joe Biden energy policy to punish Americans; to funding for NATO in combination with the potential for the end of the Marshal Plan one-way tariffs are looming.  President von der Leyen is in a very precarious position.

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Ursula was speaking from ¹Budapest, Hungary.

While many are interpreting her remarks about purchasing LNG to be snuggling up to President Trump, factually it is a much bigger problem than western media will openly discuss.

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It’s not complicated, but several have asked, so here’s the elevator speech.  This is what WILL happen with a Trump victory.  It’s not a “might” issue, it’s a will happen.

MAGAnomics Simplified: Everyone who is a pragmatic critical thinker knows that China will (a) subsidize their targeted industries; then (b) devalue their currency to lower the impact of exports to the USA. Beijing controls the banks, and they did this before. As a result, the dollar value increases and imports cost less.

The Chinese imports then enter the USA at a lower price consistent with their cost estimate as a tariff offset. China takes in a lower price but retains access. That’s just how it works. The importers pay the tariff with a lowered price and a higher valued dollar. Essentially statis for the time being. Then…..

EU industrial products to Chinese manufacturing plants start to contract, due to China’s aggressive cost cutting initiatives.

The EU gets angry about the impact to their economy. The EU then follows the same path and devalues their central bank currency; further pressuring the dollar to an upward price. Exports to the EU are now more expensive; however, imports from the EU to the USA are now cheaper. Again, the EU goal is statis.

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President Donald Trump sits down with Bloomberg Editor-In-Chief John Micklethwait for an extended interview. The interview is in partnership with the Economic Club of Chicago and is structurally President Trump facing down the globalists who sell Wall Street policy.

The interview was at times very combative as the interviewer, John Micklethwait, pushes a Wall Street ideology in alignment with the World Economic Forum. However, President Trump has already proven that his economic policies work.

President Trump stared down every WEF talking point and totally destroyed it.  This interview is brilliant and a perfect juxtaposition for Economic Nationalism vs Multinational Globalism.  President Trump tore the talking points apart.  AWESOME! 

Notice in the conversation about Tariffs, not a single word made by the “economists” on the value of the dollar and how pertinent it is in the equation.

When China and the EU devalue their currency to offset the impact of tariffs, the dollar value increases. This means it costs less dollars to import goods that come to the USA at a lower price (due to subsidies). Essentially, the diminished tariff impact is doubled.

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This is a remarkable feat of engineering and mechanics.  SpaceX returned Starship’s huge first-stage booster, known as Super Heavy, directly to its launch mount, catching it with the “chopstick” arms of the launch tower in a bold and unprecedented maneuver.  WATCH (prompted):

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According to Elon Musk the Starship first-stage booster weighs 250 tons.  The launch apparatus just caught it when it returned.  Remarkable.

Congratulations, SpaceX and Elon Musk

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