Vice President JD Vance, the first vice president from the Marine Corps, delivers a 250th anniversary celebratory speech at the Marin Corps Ball.
Vice President Vance recognizes some remarkable members of the audience and shares insight from his time with them and from his time serving in the Marine Corps. This is a speech filled with massive patriotism and enthusiasm for the spirit of the U.S. military and the Marine forces within it. WATCH (prompted):
Senate Republicans are not going to sit on their hands and watch President Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth think they control the United States military.
Recent troop movements away from Senate approved military bases in Romania, combined with the Trump administration not pushing advanced weapons into the battlefield of Ukraine, have Senate Republicans planning to take immediate action to control military operations.
Somewhere in the evolution of Presidential authority, the Senate now affirms they alone have the authority to control the organization, priorities, spending intentions and troop deployments from their chambers in Washington DC.
War must be had according to the upper branch of the legislature. The Senate is not going to accept any effort to work around their foreign policy objectives, regardless of these insufferable ‘peace’ initiatives of the White House.
WASHINGTON DC – […] Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he’s seen an “unsettling trend” of Pentagon moves that he argues undermine Trump’s stated commitments to NATO and other international efforts — and he singled out Colby’s office in particular. It’s a distinction the Mississippi Republican often makes when criticizing administration policies — President Donald Trump has the right idea, but officials lower down in the administration or Pentagon are going about it the wrong way.
For example, he cited a decision last week to remove a rotational Army brigade from Romania, which Wicker criticized at the time.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard addressed the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue, in Manama, Bahrain. The transcript of her prepared remarks is below – The Q&A Session is not transcribed.
It should be remembered that Bahrain was the second nation to erupt following the 2009 Cairo, Egypt speech of then President Barack Obama. Tunisia was the first, Egypt was the third. The government of Bahrain barely survived the Islamist Spring and later formed a coalition with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE against the extremists within the Muslim Brotherhood then supported by Qatar.
DNI Gabbard speaks to the changed geopolitical environment in the era of U.S. President Donald Trump; the elimination of seemingly endless conflict driven by old guard establishment entities and influence agents around the world. The Director highlights her personal journey toward supporting President Trump and the America First agenda that seeks genuine friendship and national partnerships based on mutually beneficial transactions.
[TRANSCRIPT] – “Thank you, distinguished guests, excellencies, friends, and fellow peacemakers. It’s a privilege to join all of you here this evening. Your Highness, thank you very much for your kind hospitality and welcoming us in hosting this important event. To IISS and your team, thank you for yet again putting on a phenomenal dialogue. It’s an honor to be able to address you here in the Kingdom of Bahrain at this pivotal time in global history.
As we gather here, we’re reminded that true security, true stability, and peace cannot be forged in isolation, but in the common collection of peacemakers working towards that common purpose. Today, I want to speak plainly for myself as a veteran and a soldier who has seen firsthand the high cost of war. As someone who serves under President Trump’s leadership, I have experienced the promise of peace. His vision is about delivering real wins, not just for America, but for our collective cause of peace and prosperity, and doing so through a very principled realism, rooted in shared goals, interests, and values.
The old Washington way of thinking is something we hope is in the rear-view mirror and something that has held us back for too long. For decades, our foreign policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation-building. It was a one-size-fits-all approach of toppling regimes, trying to impose our system of governance on others, intervening in conflicts that were barely understood, and walking away with more enemies than allies. The result: trillions spent, countless lives lost, and in many cases, a creation of greater security threats, the rise of Islamist terrorist groups like ISIS.”
President Trump visited U.S. troops stationed in Japan and gave a speech aboard the USS George Washington. President Trump was accompanied by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and during a segment of the speech Trump invited Takaichi to deliver remarks. This is certainly very cool. WATCH:
.
The full video of President Trump’s remarks to the troops is below:
As the U.S. military continues targeting drug vessels from Venezuelan Transnational Criminal Organizations, the Dept of War is sending an entire U.S. Carrier Strike Group into the region. The Gerald Ford carrier strike group is pictured below:
In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).
The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere. These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs. (link)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel just as Vice-President JD Vance departed. After touring the Civilian Military Coordination Center (CMCC) and talking to the U.S. team that is operating the center, Secretary Rubio delivered remarks to the media and answered questions. WATCH:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to Israel prior to reconnecting with President Trump for the trip to Asia. Vice-President JD Vance is departing Israel at the same time.
President Trump has instructed the top level of his administration to be highly engaged and in place in Israel as the tenuous peace agreement between Israel and Hamas still holds. The U.S. led the effort, and the U.S. is remaining focused on the first steps in the peace agreement at the request of the regional partners who are participating.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, joined by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, addressed the media in Kiryat Gat, Israel, from the Civilian Military Coordination Center (CMCC) where U.S. troops oversee Gaza ceasefire operations. The U.S. team praised Israeli cooperation, highlighted progress on hostages and humanitarian aid, and reaffirmed America’s role in stabilizing the region. WATCH:
Simultaneous to this visit, President Trump released the following statement:
“Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and “straighten our Hamas” if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, “NOT YET!” There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL! I would like to thank all of those countries that called to help. Also, I would like to thank the great and powerful country of Indonesia, and its wonderful leader, for all of the help they have shown and given to the Middle East, and to the U.S.A. TO EVERYONE, thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP“
At a certain point facilitating an extension to conflict becomes an enabling of killing. It appears that President Trump has reached the end of his support for delivering mechanisms of war.
According to media reports, President Trump has decided not to sell Tomahawk missiles to NATO for transfer to Ukraine. Nothing good can come from putting more offensive weapons into the conflict other than more bloodshed.
The expressed position of the White House is to freeze the Ukraine war at current “property lines” of control, and enter negotiations to stop fighting. Toward that end, it appears President Trump is no longer willing to facilitate expanded conflict.
This position comes after an extended two-hour conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and also a meeting on Friday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The government of Israel is smartly leveraging all of their political will and praise to build influence with President Trump as he becomes the fulcrum, the Solomon of sorts, for the future of Gaza and all that follows.
On the other side of this precarious balance, comes the expectations of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and the entire Mideast region.
Only President Donald Trump is big enough for this moment of consequence. The geopolitical pressure from both sides of this generational inflection point cannot be overestimated.
Only U.S. President Donald Trump is significant enough to bear the responsibility and pressure of this moment. It is a remarkable testimony to a lifetime of steps that has brought him to this moment.
We are watching history….. And for that reason, the trumpets.