President Donald Trump will be holding a celebration of his 100 days in office during a stop in Michigan.  It makes sense to pick Michigan as the auto industry is representative of the Trump global trade reset and tariff program.

So far, eleven new or expanded U.S. automotive factories have been announced as major automakers seek to establish production lines in the USA to avoid 25% auto tariffs.  The latest announcement was from Toyota, for expanded facilities in West Virginia.

“Toyota Motor Corporation’s North American manufacturing subsidiary, Toyota North America Inc, announced this week that it plans to invest a further US$88 million in its West Virginia plant in the US to assemble its next generation of hybrid transaxles.” {source}

Additionally, South Korea is on the losing end of negotiation leverage due in large part to their position within the auto sector.  Japan has already had preliminary discussions with the Trump administration on a new free trade agreement. Now we see South Korea coming to the table for the agreement outline today.

(Reuters) – A South Korean delegation will meet U.S. counterparts on Thursday for an opening round of trade talks, with cooperation on shipbuilding and energy expected to be on the agenda, and possibly shared defence costs, as Seoul seeks lower tariffs.

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Wednesday, President Trump held an executive order signing ceremony in the oval office and took questions from the media on current topics.  Video Prompted:

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President Trump notes the economic team have been in contact with 90 countries from around the world who have called to renegotiate trade agreements.  Additionally, Trump notes that 11 new automotive assembly plants have been announced by car companies in order to avoid U.S. tariffs.  That’s a lot of American jobs.

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Vice-President JD Vance travels to India as part of a diplomatic tour that includes geopolitical relationships and trade deals.  With the Trump administration emphasizing an Indo-Pacific strategy to help thwart aggressive Chinese expansion, India plays a key role.  Indeed, the Trump plan in term #1 always included close economic ties with India; in term #2 that strategy remains.

Enhancing term #2 and the geopolitical strategy around the Indo-Pacific approach, JD Vance represents a close personal relationship with India that fits inside a natural synergy he has with Silicon Valley and the Indian tech community. The Tech Bros love India, and with JD and Usha Vance representing close ties to the nation, JD Vance fits the pro-India trade position like a glove. Usha Vance’s parents are Telugu-speaking teachers from Andhra Pradesh. They had moved to the US in the early 1970s.

For President Trump the relationship with India is ‘business strategic’, a hedge against Beijing.  For Vice President JD Vance the relationship with India is personal.

Vice President JD Vance praised India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Our kids just like him. And because children have such a good sense of character, I like Prime Minister Modi too. It’s a great foundation for the future of our relationship.” Vance highlights personal warmth alongside diplomatic ties because for him and the Tech Bros, this relationship with India is personal. WATCH:

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There are a ton of geopolitical influences happening in the background and foreground of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Trump voice and envoy Steve Witkoff, and Keith Kellogg meeting in Paris with delegations from France, U.K, Ukraine and EU stakeholders.  The intent is to get the EU/UK on board with a Trump/Putin ceasefire plan.

NYP Story HERE ~ AP Story HERE

French President Emmanuel Macron (seeking a distraction from his own internal political turmoil) has appointed himself as representative for EU interests in the peace negotiations.  No one in the EU wants to hear Macron keep whining, so they just roll with it.  Macron even bought new lifts for the occasion.

The UK comes into the picture in Paris because France and the UK have decided to lead the coerced EU “coalition of the willing” (not many are willing) to create the boots on the ground peacekeepers if there is going to be a ceasefire.  REMINDER: Macron and Starmer demand the U.S. backstop their proposed Ukraine peacekeeping with USA military power.

Those of you who bet on Macron using the opportunity to leverage a better tariff position; actually, the entire reason he appointed himself leader; can take a victory lap. “At Thursday’s talks in Paris, Macron also discussed the impact of Trump’s tariff policies and the conflicts in the Mideast.” (source) We all knew the little French rat would. We were right.

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Ahead of the upcoming election, Tucker Carlson interviews Canadian government official, Maxime Bernier.

In the background of the conversation the leading candidates for Prime Minister, Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre both hold similar trade and tariff views, both support a new alignment with the EU, and both support cultural Marxism.  Canada has their own version of the UniParty.  WATCH:

Chapters:

0:00 Who Was Justin Trudeau Really Working For?
7:53 the Invasion of Canada
9:19 Pierre Poilievre Is a Fraud
13:25 The Attempts to Destroy Christian Countries
15:51 The Trade War Between Canada and the US
20:03 The Canadian Government’s Ridiculous Climate Change Agenda
21:59 China’s Control Over Canada

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President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to St Petersburg (interesting venue), and spent approximately 5 hours in discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top two advisors.  This was Witkoff’s third direct face-to-face meeting with President Putin.

First, President Putin would never give this much time to a non-principal in any geopolitical conversation, unless Putin felt he was directly talking to the principal through the voice in front of him.  In essence, Trump has told Putin that Witkoff is his mouth and ears, Putin responds accordingly.  When Putin speaks to Witkoff he is speaking to Trump, and when Putin hears from Witkoff he is hearing from Trump.

Following the five-hour meeting with President Putin, Witkoff appears on Fox News so that Sean Hannity can tell Witkoff what his meeting with Putin really means.  Hannity is not only insufferable, at this point in time he is best considered a confidential human source, ¹acting on behalf of the CIA who influence him.  WATCH:

Within the brief moments provided by Hannity for Witkoff to speak, the envoy of President Trump noted both Putin and Trump understand the core issues and are aligned to solve the problem despite the CIA and SSCI efforts to keep wedging them apart.  Additionally, Trump and Putin see a future where geopolitical and economic alignment can be very beneficial for both Russia and the United States; they just need to find a way to navigate the complex politics on the U.S/NATO side of the mess.

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El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has been a key strategic ally for the Trump administration in support of the deportation and repatriation of hundreds of criminal aliens and gang members from the region.

Beginning in 2012, supported by President Obama, thousands of criminal gang members from south and central America flooded into the USA.  In 2017, President Trump began to secure the border; however, in 2021 Joe Biden made the entry of alien gang members even easier.  In 2025, President Trump is utilizing President Bukele and his maximum detention centers in El Salvador to reverse the flow and remove the gangs.

President Bukele has initiated major criminal justice reform in the nation of El Salvador, liberating millions of people who were terrorized by the criminal element. Today President Trump thanked Bukele for his partnership in the White House and held an open press assembly.  WATCH:

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White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett appears on Fox Business to discuss President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, semiconductor imports, the administration working on new trade deals and the impact of the global trade reset on China.

Happy warrior Kevin Hassett notes numerous countries are ready to sign new deals with the USA and there will likely be some group announcements very soon.  WATCH:

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Hassett also answered questions outside the White House to the media pool.

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Three months ago, I was in Vietnam reviewing just how expansive the positioning of Chinese investment was in the concurrent communist nation.  The short version is Beijing’s footprint in Vietnam was already huge.

As an outcome of the 2018 tariffs against China, which coincided with a President Trump visit to southeast Asia, multiple companies shifted manufacturing operations from China to Vietnam.

Beijing saw the move and slowly increased their own strategic footprint.

In the subsequent years as COVID-19 took attention from all other matters, and with Trump removed from the equation in 2020, China increased the scale of their investment and the outcomes in 2025 are very visible.

China even built this massive Disney type village in Phu Quõc (it’s nearly empty).

The people who live in Vietnam do not have money, they are a very poor nation.  The baseline poverty level, in combination with their communist regime politics, essentially eliminates their consumer power to purchase western goods and makes trade agreements between the U.S and Vietnam somewhat moot.  However, as a proxy manufacturing nation Vietnam is a valuable resource for China.

Essentially what can be seen in Vietnam is how Beijing spends money there for influence.  The U.S footprint is negligible in comparison to the visible influence of China.

Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping is in Vietnam right now making trade deals with the allied communist government.  At this point with so much Beijing influence money already in place, China can request very strategic terms.

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In addition to Howard Lutnick, Peter Navarro and Kevin Hassett explaining the nuances of Section 232 tariff exemptions, White House Senior Policy Advisor, Stephen Miller, appears on Fox News to deliver the same message.

Steel, Aluminum, Automobiles, Pharmaceuticals and components for semiconductor manufacturing all fall under the Section 232 “National Security” tariff umbrella. Meaning, the products within each of those sectors of manufacturing are handled ¹differently from all other tariffs as executed.  WATCH:

[¹NOTE: This approach could present a problem in future lawsuits, because the administration is now beginning to define what is classified as a ‘national security’ product. Lawfare operatives will likely say in court that all other tariff sectors (not 232) are controlled by congress, not the President; at least that will be their predictable argument. The administration will counter by arguing all other sector tariffs are directed in response to the Fentanyl crisis, which is again described as a “national security” threat.]

President Trump released the following statement on Truth Social:

NOBODY is getting “off the hook” for the unfair Trade Balances, and Non-Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other Countries have used against us, especially not China which, by far, treats us the worst! There was no Tariff “exception” announced on Friday.

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