The implication of the remark, as President Trump says, “a better security” venue, is that something of much greater significance than traditional White House operations is in need of attention. To such a degree, that prior strategic discussion arrangements are not considered “secure enough.”

President Trump does not like Camp David.

Before taking office, President Trump once told a German journalist in an interview, “Camp David is very rustic, it’s nice, you’d like it. You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes.”

So, the big picture questions become:

What issue would be of such importance, that changing the venue would be needed in order to address it?

What issue(s) has DC interests so aligned, that Rubio and Trump are two of a very small group on the other side of it?

I suspect this is about Iran.

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President Trump and Secretary of State/National Security Advisor Marco Rubio depart New Jersey en route to Camp David for a principals group meeting, discussion and strategy session.  As President Trump notes, there will be “generals, and ¹others” in attendance at Camp David, using the additional term “better security.”

On the subject of whether he would trigger the Insurrection Act to quell violence in Los Angeles, President Trump replied, “that depends on if there’s an insurrection.”  lol  President Trump said he and his team are watching the events closely, but they will not permit law enforcement to be harmed in any way.  Violence will not be tolerated.

President Trump then asked the assembled pool if they had any questions for Marco Rubio, they did not – so the duo left.  WATCH:

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The crowd erupts into cheers as President Donald Trump arrives to enter the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J, to attend UFC 316.  WATCH:

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No Elon. No JD.  But Marco Rubio is beside him.

Subtle, like a brick through a window.

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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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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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Last week Ukraine presented President Donald Trump with their “term sheets,” what they require in order to accept a ceasefire.  Today in Istanbul, Turkey, the Russian Federation presented the Ukraine delegation, and likely a transmission to the White House, with the Russian “term sheets.”

This further clarifies the content of the significant meetings this afternoon in the White House, where President Trump assembled his “military leadership” and likely foreign policy team.

Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Istanbul, said Russia is offering Kyiv a temporary ceasefire. Medinsky said that Russia has prepared a two-part “memorandum” proposing a ceasefire and ending the war it started. The second part of the “memorandum” provides for “variability” and “several paths”, he said.

Here are the two primary parts of the Russian terms:  Section 1 “Settlement of Crisis”, and Section 2 “Terms for Ceasefire”.

[Source]

It should also be noted, the lack of a severe response by Russian President Vladimir Putin to yesterday’s attack on Russian air force bases likely indicates President Putin has what he wants.  These terms and condition sheets were created prior to the Ukraine attack on Sunday.  These are Putin’s conditions to stop further military conflict.

In Section II containing the “Ceasefire Conditions” (below) Russian President Putin demands Ukraine conduct democratic elections (#7, #8).  Putin seemingly knows western installed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will lose and as a consequence weaken the western influence operations.  Both President Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio have previously advocated for the same.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced (via X) the U.S. State Department will begin revoking the student visas of Chinese nationals, “including those” connected to the Chinese Communist Party:

[SOURCE BACKGROUND]

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We have discussed the possibility of President Trump linking liberty and freedom initiatives to trade agreement policy; indeed, there are indications this approach is underway.  Now we see the same approach being applied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio as it pertains to visa entry and censorship.

Rubio announces that entities who participate in the censorship of Americans will not be granted entry visas to enter the United States.

The most important aspect to this shift and affirmation is that it’s not our enemies censoring American speech, it’s our allies.  Individuals, entities, organizations and government officials in Great Britain, Europe and even Canada have put restrictions on American speech and threatened legal action therein.

Here’s the official State Dept announcement:

“Free speech is among the most cherished rights we enjoy as Americans. This right, legally enshrined in our constitution, has set us apart as a beacon of freedom around the world.  Even as we take action to reject censorship at home, we see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials picking up the slack.  In some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.

Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States.  It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil.  It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.  We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.

This visa restriction policy is pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the Secretary of State to render inadmissible any alien whose entry into the Unites States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”  Certain family members may also be covered by these restrictions.” [SOURCE LINK]

Go Rubio!

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I have been requested to update and revisit my outline from summer 2024 when I discussed the potential for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), a position now occupied by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.  As a new White House strategy begins to surface, perhaps revisiting what is possible will provide a perspective not often discussed.

Confronting a weaponized Intelligence Community is of great interest, because it is a component battle against the main tools of the Fourth Branch of Government.  The IC influence is in every policy related to Trump’s domestic and foreign agenda. Taking control and neutering the capabilities of the IC and CIA specifically, is an important undertaking.

Again, as I originally noted in 2024, “This is going to be a little odd, because factually almost no one knows what the position of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is about.”  Sometimes you have to wait until people reach a point of frustration, when they turn around and say, “Hey, about that thing”…

The ODNI was created as an outcome of the 9-11 Commission recommendations.  In the era shortly after 9/11, the DC national security apparatus was constructed to preserve continuity of government and simultaneously view all Americans as potential threats.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) were created specifically for this purpose.

Washington DC created the modern national security apparatus immediately and hurriedly after 9/11/01.  DHS came along in 2002, and within the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 the ODNI was formed. 

When Barack Obama and Eric Holder arrived a few years later, those newly formed institutions were viewed as opportunities to create a very specific national security apparatus that would focus almost exclusively against their political opposition.

Here is the weird part.  The ODNI was formed in 2004, with the intent for the office to be the pivot point of a national security radar.   The DNI was intended to provide information to domestic agencies about foreign terror networks that would prevent something like 9-11 from happening again.  However, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has never, not for one day, operated on this intent.   This is why they are such a critical position from my perspective.

The office was new, not established yet as a functioning silo, when Barack Obama and Eric Holder arrived in 2009.  They quickly dispatched an idiot, James Clapper, into the operation so they could weaponize around the office’s fulcrum point.

Prior to the DNI office existing, the CIA radar would sweep externally and then report to the Office of the President. The DNI was intended to take external radar sweep (CIA) and make it a full 360° circle, adding a sweep inside the USA that would be handled by the Dept of Homeland Security.

The DHS sweep and the CIA sweep would then be combined into a central collection hub called the ODNI.  Everyone with responsibility for “national security” could access the ODNI material. Essentially, and presumably, post 9-11 nothing like jihadists practicing flying airplanes would be missed again – at least that was the intent.

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The National Security Council is a ¹cushy job inside the White House filled with bureaucratic analysts and people who are in place in an attempt to steer policy.  Many of those detailed to the NSC represent the interests of the Silo agency from which they originate.

The National Security Council contains approximately 350 full-time employees.  The National Security Advisor, now Marco Rubio, is in charge of the NSC.  Secretary Marco Rubio just fired more than 100 of them.  A few quotes from Axios are beautiful, and telling:

[…] “The NSC is the ultimate Deep State. It’s Marco vs. the Deep State. We’re gutting the Deep State,” the official said of the move, which will cut the NSC staff to about half of its current 350 members. “The right-sizing of the NSC is in line with its original purpose and the president’s vision,” Rubio told Axios in a statement. “The NSC will now be better positioned to collaborate with agencies.” [link]

WASHINGTON DC – The Trump administration has put more than 100 officials at the National Security Council at the White House on administrative leave on Friday as part of a restructuring under interim national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to two US officials and another source familiar with the matter.

[…] An email from NSC chief of staff Brian McCormack went out around 4:20 p.m. informing those being dismissed they’d have 30 minutes to clean out their desks, according to an administration official. If they weren’t on campus, the email read, they could email an address and arrange a time to retrieve their stuff later and turn in devices.

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