President Trump gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal where he changed a prior position on declaring China a “currency manipulator”:

(Via ABC) According to the Wall Street Journal, the president said the decision came in consideration of talks with China over its role in countering North Korean weapons testing. Trump said that any move to attach the designation could hamper China-U.S. relations. He claimed that, in recent months, China’s currency manipulation has halted. (link)

Is this a change in position? Yes.

It is an arbitrary change, or even an unexpected shift? Hell no.

As we have pointed out since the February 2016 GOP debate, the Trump approach toward North Korean hostilities is to leverage China to get control over N-Korea. –Expanded Backstory–

President Trump is realigning U.S. geopolitical relationships based on America-First interests.   President Trump is using economic leverage to provide security and global stability. President Trump knows how to stroke the panda fur.

Last night President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held another consultation call.  (more…)

Earlier today President Trump lead a discussion forum at the State Department library with cabinet members and corporate CEO’s to discuss ongoing economic policy and hear about the challenges.

One of the main challenges communicated by the business group was… wait for it.., yep, ObamaCare.  This concern is directly connected to any tax reform plans, and cuts to the heart of President Trump’s earlier economic strategy.

ObamaCare is, at the core, a massive tax program; and it becomes more difficult to navigate tax reform, with the anchor of ObamaCare dragging down opportunity for economic growth and the revenue growth that accompanies expansion.

[Transcript] 10:55 A.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you all for being here.  Very much appreciate it.  I want to thank Steve Schwarzman for putting together this very incredible group of world-class business leaders.  That’s what you are.

Also, joining us are Secretary Betsy DeVos, Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary Elaine Chao, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, and my budget director, Mick Mulvaney.  That’s an easy job.  Where’s Mick?  (Laughter.)  Such an easy job.  It’s the easiest job of anybody in the government — right, Mick?

(more…)

During the February 2016 GOP primary debate candidate Trump told the world what he would do in response to continued North Korean missile aggression –SEE HERE–  In January of 2017 President Trump repeated the message –SEE HERE–

On April 6th and 7th, last week, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a two day summit discussing trade and North Korea.   The United States and China are the two largest economies in the world.  Now see this:

A fleet of North Korean cargo ships is heading home to the port of Nampo, the majority of it fully laden, after China ordered its trading companies to return coal from the isolated country, shipping data shows.

(more…)

As President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping wrapped up the summit in Mar-a-lago, overshadowed in media reports by U.S. missile strikes in Syria, President Xi joined with President Trump and focused on stressing the positive mood of the meetings between the world’s two biggest economies.

Team U.S.A insisted both President Trump and their delegation had made good on the pledge to raise concerns about China’s trade practices and said there was some headway. Team China and President Xi agreed to a 100-day plan for trade talks aimed at boosting U.S. exports and reducing China’s trade surplus with the United States.

Secretaries Tillerson (State), Mnuchin (Treasury) and Ross (Commerce) held a debriefing session with the media at the end of the summit.  What a stunning difference in the approach and level of direct and concise communication.  (Oh, and side note – Wilburne continues to crack me up, even in the reading of his responses.)  Here’s the transcript:

(more…)

Today President Trump and President Xi JinPing of China conducted bi-lateral meetings to discuss ongoing concerns surrounding trade, finance, military engagement, and the need for China to assist in leverage over North Korea’s hostilities.

[Transcript] 11:22 A.M. EDT – PRESIDENT TRUMP:  I just want to say that President Xi and all of his representatives have been really interesting to be with.  I think we have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China.  My representatives have been meeting one-on-one with their counterparts from China.  And I think, truly, progress has been made.  We’ll be making a lot of additional progress.

The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding.  We look forward to being together many times in the future.  And I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away.

(more…)

According to ADP payroll processing U.S. private employers are estimated to have added 263,000 jobs in March.  This is likely more than the number employers hired in February and well above economists’ expectations.  This is the largest anticipated job growth in the past two years.

The earlier forecast by ADP National Employment Report estimated growth of 187,000 jobs, with median-range economic estimates spanning 110,000 to 225,000.  The current report is jointly developed with Moody’s Analytics.

The U.S. Labor Department’s more comprehensive non-farm payrolls report comes out on Friday and will include both public and private-sector employment.  Economists polled by Reuters were looking for U.S. private payroll employment to have grown by 175,000 jobs in March, less than the 227,000 in February – so the 263,000 estimate has caught them off guard.  The ADP results are much stronger (100,000 more) than anticipated.

(more…)

Secretary Rex Tillerson delivered very important remarks today in Palm Beach Florida ahead of ongoing discussions with the Chinese delegation and President Xi Jinping meeting with President Donald Trump.

Following the segment by T-Rex outlining the parameters for the meetings today and tomorrow, Tillerson communicated a position of the Trump administration that Syrian leader Bashir Assad should step down from power.

“With the acts that he has taken, it would seem that there would be no rule for [Assad] to govern the Syrian people.

The process by which Assad would leave is something that I think requires and international community effort, both to first defeat ISIS within Syria, to stabilize the Syrian country to avoid further civil war, and then to work collectively with our partners around the world through a political process that would lead to Assad leaving.”

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Neither Secretary Tillserson or President Trump are proposing military action to remove Assad.  However, the remarks by Secretary Tillerson about Syria and Bashir Assad are a shift in approach, and were almost simultaneously communicated by President Trump (albeit with nuance) aboard Air-Force One en route to Palm Beach.   See below: (more…)

This morning President Trump and Vice-President Pence hosted a town hall on American Business.  The town hall consisted of CEOs and business leaders gathered to discuss infrastructure and the need to reduce regulations in order to help alleviate the restrictions that have plagued businesses.

[TRANSCRIPT] 10:41 A.M. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT:  It’s a great privilege to be able to welcome you to the White House.  Thank you so much.  I want to thank everyone involved in the Partnership for New York City — Michael Corbat, Stephen Schwarzman.

It’s an honor to have the leaders that are gathered in the room here with us today.  I know the President is on his way over, and it’s my great privilege this morning to share a few thoughts, in the midst of this important conversation on the topics that you’re covering before I introduce my friend and the 45th President of the United States.

(more…)

Oh man, THIS is epic. 

This is what happens when you take an intellectual gnat carrying nothing but ‘talking points’ (Tapper), and have them interview a Subject Matter Expert (Ross).

Secretary Wilburine hilariously flicks off the stuttering gnat with an immediate ‘Triple Farkas‘.

• Tapper: Muh “Chinese currency manipulation”?
• Wilburine: ‘I’m the Secretary of Commerce not Treasury’.

• Tapper: Muh “Well, Builder Trump used Chinese steel to build”?
• Wilburine: ‘Builders hire contractors, they purchase materials’.

• Tapper: Muh “But, but… Trump signed XO in different room”?
• Wilburine: ‘Where President Trump signs orders is not of particular concern’.

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Important note: Notice how not a single question of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was related in any way to commerce or trade.

(more…)

President Trump met earlier today with the National Association of Manufacturers to discuss a survey of 14,000 manufacturer members which reflects intense optimism and a stunning 93% positive outlook for growth.

The Manufacturing Association has been conducting the business review for twenty years and this is the highest ever recorded level of optimism for manufacturing jobs in two decades.  [Keep a close eye on wage rates, they are about to jump – Bigly.. /SD]

[TRANSCRIPT] 12:09 P.M. EDT –  THE PRESIDENT:  We have some really good news today that’s really fantastic — these numbers.  Today I’m delighted to welcome the National Association of Manufacturers to the White House.  It’s a great group of people.  I know many of them well.

And I want to thank your president and CEO, Jay Timmons, for being here with us today.  Great job.

MR. TIMMONS:  Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT:  Great job, Jay.

(more…)