Important Tuesday Afternoon News Updates - 12/9/25

Hi all,

It’s Tuesday, December 9, 2025. I hope you are enjoying your day so far. I just finished recording my mid-day afternoon news recap. Let me break it down for you. By the way, our latest episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast is out now with me and my brothers. I hope you have a chance to listen wherever you find audio podcasts, like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

I spent the morning reviewing Donald Trump’s latest interview with Politico, it was as disturbing and untethered from reality as you’d expect.

Trump began the interview by insisting that the U.S. economy, an economy in which families are struggling with soaring costs, shrinking paychecks, and deep recession-level pain, is worthy of a grade of “A+++++.” It’s the Golden Age! Don’t you all feel it?! (Sarcasm from me, obviously).

When the interviewer noted that holiday shoppers are feeling strained and are worried about having to choose between paying for their health insurance or holiday gifts, Trump dismissed the concern outright, telling the reporter, “Don’t be dramatic.” He insisted that people “don’t feel that,” a claim that would only make sense if one lived inside the gold-plated isolation of Mar-a-Lago, where the president routinely hosts Gatsby-themed galas while Americans try to figure out how to afford groceries.

Throughout the interview, Trump’s hostility grew. When asked about the devastating September 2 military operation, an attack already condemned by experts around the world as a likely war crime, Trump brushed aside concerns about the second strike that killed survivors.

MeidasTouch Full Podcast - 12/9/25 [AD-FREE]

The foreign-policy portion of the interview revealed something even more dangerous: a commander in chief openly musing about ground invasions and attacking democratic allies. When pressed on whether he could rule out an American ground invasion of Venezuela or other nations including Mexico and Colombia, he replied, “I don’t want to rule in or out. I don’t talk about it.” He then launched into a tirade against Politico, bizarrely claiming the publication received “$8 million from Obama.” (A lie, of course).

Trump’s disdain for NATO was even more explicit. According to him, “NATO calls me daddy.” His administration’s newly released national-security strategy, an official government document, states plainly that his goal is to “end the perception and the reality of NATO as a permanent organization.” That is not reform. That is dismantling the most successful military alliance in modern history, a move that would leave Europe vulnerable and embolden Russia.

His rhetoric about Ukraine was worse. Trump repeatedly belittled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling him “P.T. Barnum” and describing Ukraine as “losing.” He praised Russia’s position as “stronger,” ignoring the obvious: his own policies have tilted the scales in Moscow’s favor. Trump’s team has even been shuttling proposed “peace deals” between Russia and Ukraine, proposals that reflect Russian demands, not democratic values or Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Then came his escalating feud with Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom he labeled “low IQ,” “rotten,” and a “traitor.” He claimed she calls him “three times a day,” but that he is “too busy” to respond. Greene’s response on CNN was surprisingly measured. She expressed sorrow rather than outrage, saying it “has to be a hard place for someone that is constantly so hateful.” She emphasized that Trump’s labeling her a traitor has triggered credible threats against her family, including a pipe-bomb threat. It is a reminder that Trump’s words have real-world consequences, especially when directed at members of his own movement. Greene didn’t seem to have a problem when these threats were directed at her political opponents. Now, she is seeing firsthand the how Trump weaponizes his movement to terrorize those who dare disagree with him.

On economic policy, Trump made his most reckless admission yet: he will choose the next Federal Reserve chair based on a promise to immediately lower interest rates, regardless of economic conditions. This is the type of political interference economists warn can trigger severe downturns. At a time when most Americans already feel like they are living through a recession, Trump’s approach would all but guarantee even deeper instability.

His trade policies continue the same pattern of self-inflicted harm. After personally crippling U.S. farmers with a disastrous trade war that wiped out soybean exports to China, he is now claiming a “huge win” because China has agreed to buy a fraction of what it purchased under President Biden. His spokesperson celebrated the development, even as the actual numbers show a shortfall of more than 20 million metric tons.

In exchange for these meager purchases, Trump rewarded Beijing with something far more consequential: permission to buy Nvidia’s advanced H200 semiconductor chips, the same chips the Justice Department has treated as highly restricted national-security assets. On the very day the DOJ announced a major bust of smuggling operations involving those same chips, Trump told Xi Jinping he could have them legally. It is difficult to overstate how dangerous that concession is. These chips power the next generation of artificial intelligence capability. Handing them to a geopolitical rival in exchange for soybean purchases is a surrender, all in a panicked attempt to get China to try to undo the devastating effects of his own trade war.

Through all of this, the pattern is unmistakable. Trump rewards autocrats. He punishes allies. He lies about the economy. He tries to project strength while revealing profound weakness. And he attacks anyonr, from reporters to NATO to members of Congress, who dares challenge him.

Meanwhile, critical elections continue across the country, including the Miami mayoral race, where a Democrat is favored to flip the office for the first time in three decades. These local contests matter. Democracy is strongest when people participate at every level, not just in presidential politics.

This is why independent media matters so much right now. The Trump regime wants outlets like ours gone because we report facts, provide receipts, and refuse to accept the normalization of authoritarian behavior. Our work depends on people staying engaged, informed, and connected. That is how democracies protect themselves from those who would tear them down.

And right now, with a president openly praising dictators, attacking democratic institutions, and rewriting economic reality, that work has never been more urgent.

Thank you for being an essential part of this work. Thank you for liking these posts, re-stacking them, and sharing them with friends and family. Let’s continue to combat Trump’s lies and destruction with the most potent force we have — the truth.