Hi everyone. We made to another Friday. It was another week of chaos, but through it all, you held strong. I want to thank you for reading my recaps, Ron’s daily bulletins, and I hope subscribers have enjoyed our exclusive content, like our “Ask the Editor” series I do with Ron. Staying informed is half the battle.
Also, our new episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast featuring me and my brothers is available now on audio platforms. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Now to today’s news.
Friday morning offered a stark snapshot of how badly Donald Trump is failing the country. While leaders in Beijing were finalizing a historic trade agreement, Trump was at the White House holding a rambling, incoherent press event, per usual.
As China and Canada concluded what is being described as a $1 trillion strategic trade partnership, Trump was threatening massive tariffs on countries that refuse to support a U.S. invasion of Greenland. At a supposed roundtable on rural health care, the president pivoted almost immediately to attacking longtime European allies and warning of punitive tariffs if they do not “go along with Greenland.” It’s as deranged as it is dangerous.
Polling released Friday shows Trump’s numbers sinking even further. Aggregated data from multiple surveys paints a brutal picture. Trump is underwater by double digits on every major issue. Immigration, the issue he has long claimed as his strength, is now a net negative. So are the economy, trade, and foreign policy. On the Epstein issue, Trump’s numbers crater as his regime and the Republican Party engage in a cover-up of a child sex trafficking operation. Overall, a majority of Americans now say Trump’s first year has been a failure, including two-thirds of independent voters.
This collapse in public confidence is mirrored abroad. Financial Times summed up the moment with a blunt headline noting that Trump is making the world fall back in love with China. In Europe, the consequences are even more severe. According to reporting out of Brussels, serious discussions are underway about whether the United States should continue to have access to European military bases, intelligence sharing, and allied support at all, given Trump’s threats against sovereign NATO countries like Denmark. The issue is considered so sensitive that diplomats are trying to keep it out of public summits, even as it becomes impossible to ignore.
European leaders are no longer speaking softly. French President Emmanuel Macron has made clear that Europe must be strong and feared, and France is continuing to deploy troops to Greenland to protect it from U.S. aggression. Recent polling shows the damage Trump has done. Only 16 percent of EU citizens now consider the United States an ally. Even in the United Kingdom, that number has dropped to just 25 percent.
While Trump alienates allies, Canada is making decisive moves. In Beijing, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a sweeping new partnership with China that will slash Canada’s 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles down to a most-favored-nation rate of roughly 6 percent. In exchange, China will significantly reduce tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports, including canola. Canada will initially cap Chinese EV imports at about 49,000 vehicles, but the agreement sets the stage for far broader access in the years ahead.
Carney was explicit about the strategy. China’s strength in electric vehicles is “formidable” and “undeniable,” and Canada intends to learn from it, partner with it, and build integrated supply chains to lower costs for Canadians. That is what serious leadership looks like in a changing global economy. This is a devastating blow to the U.S. Checkmate, Donald.
Carney also addressed what he called the emerging “new world order” in global trade, explaining that traditional multilateral systems are being eroded and replaced by coalitions, bilateral agreements, and sector-specific partnerships. Whether one agrees with that vision or not, it reflects a clear-eyed engagement with reality.
Side note: I’m often asked where I go to do research for my reporting. One of the main research tools I use is called Ground News. Ground News shows me how stories are being covered from different political perspectives, and it highlights “blindspots” where only left-wing or right-wing media is covering a story.
Ground News has been a great sponsor of our YouTube channel and podcast, and they’re now sponsoring this post as well. I worked out a deal with them: if you go to ground.news/meidas, you can get 40% off Ground News’ top-tier Vantage plan, which gives you unlimited access to all the research tools I use.
Ground News is subscriber-funded, so they don’t rely on ads that could introduce bias. By subscribing, you support both our channel and their independent team working to keep the media transparent.
Now back to my report.
Back in Washington, Trump offered nothing of the sort. Asked about health care at his rural health roundtable, he proposed renaming a nonexistent policy the “Great Health Care Plan,” insisting that giving it a “glamorous name” would somehow make health care cheaper and better. His administration’s economic response was no more serious. Trump’s own economic adviser suggested that instead of legislating a cap on credit card interest rates, Americans would simply stop using credit cards altogether and switch to something called “Trump cards.”
It’s all so unserious, yet deadly serious at the same time. As Trump brags about his nonexistent “Great Health Care Plan,” he’s refusing to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. This will bankrupt and kill Americans. And Trump doesn’t care.
The data, the polling, the headlines, and the international response all point in the same direction. Under Trump, the United States is losing credibility, allies, and economic ground, while other countries move forward without us. So I think it’s helpful to look at Trump’s actions lately in that context. These are not moves of strength, but of panic.
Watch my latest video above for my full report. And thank you so much for being a subscriber and staying in this fight.
