While browsing my podcast library yesterday, I noticed a list of recommendations. One caught my eye: “Irreversibly stupid.” When you see a podcast with that title you don’t need to investigate who, because – like 99% of the people on the planet – you instinctively know the irreversibly stupid person is President Donald Trump.
He’s had another week of showcasing his undeniable folly. Here are some highlights:
West Point Word Salad – Served With Tips
The Commander in Chief gave a commencement address at West Point, his first military graduation speech of his second term. The speech blended praise for the graduating cadets with political posturing, touting his administration’s military policies while slamming diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. He boasted of “rebuilding” the military and halting “nation-building crusades,” while veering into contentious issues like banning transgender individuals from service. Delivered in a campaign-rally style (he was, after all, wearing his signature red MAGA cap), the speech was peppered with personal anecdotes and off-topic tangents. It was a quintessential word salad from a president who seemed utterly clueless about his audience. I’m sure the cadets shared my sentiment, but unlike me, they couldn’t just hit pause.
A standout detour was his riff on “trophy wives,” recounting a tale about the long-deceased real estate developer William Levitt. He suggested Levitt’s pursuit of a “trophy wife” and lavish living led to misery – a vital lesson for cadets, apparently. Trump spun this into advice to “love what you do,” but the wildest takeaway was captured in this meme:
Trump’s Crypto Tycoon Feast: The Ultimate Pay-for-Play Ploy
Naturally, Trump didn’t just back crypto – he turned it into a cash grab. This week, he hosted an exclusive dinner for big-spending crypto investors, including shadowy foreign figures whose identities remain under wraps. The guest list? Shrouded in secrecy. The optics? A sitting president (and convicted felon) cozying up to rich speculators while his MAGA coin flops.
This isn’t merely unethical – it’s a masterclass in self-dealing dressed up as policy. Trump, who once branded crypto a “disaster,” now woos its heaviest hitters because they’re the new donor elite. With foreign cash in play, the event stinks of influence peddling. Remember his vow to “drain the swamp”? Looks like he just invited the crocodiles to dine.
If irony were currency, Trump would be a crypto king. Oh wait…
The real outrage? If Biden pulled this, Fox News would howl about corruption for weeks. For Trump, it’s just another Wednesday.
Strong-Arming Apple Into “Made in the USA”
This week, Trump set his sights on Apple, one of America’s tech giants. Through a flurry of posts on X and public remarks, he pressed the company to move iPhone production from China to the U.S., pitching it as a triumph for American workers. Yet behind the patriotic bluster lies a tangled web of global supply chains, economic realities, and Trump’s trademark mix of coercion and public shaming.
The push followed Apple’s announcement of expanded U.S. manufacturing, including a new Mac Pro plant in Texas. But iPhones – Apple’s flagship product – are still largely made overseas, mainly in China. Trump cast this as a betrayal of American values, reportedly posting on X:
“Apple won’t get tariff waivers or breaks for Mac Pro parts made in China. Build them in the USA, no tariffs!”
The message was unmistakable: fall in line or pay a price.
Bottom line: Trump’s strong-arm tactics may grab attention, but reshaping global manufacturing takes more than tweets.
Trump Proposes Canada as 51st State for $61 Billion
In a brash (and perhaps bacon-fueled) move, Donald Trump dangled a bold offer to Canada: become the 51st U.S. state for a mere $61 billion.
In a Truth Social post, Trump declared that Canada, eager to join his “fabulous Golden Dome” missile defense system, would need to pay $61 billion to participate as a “separate, but unequal, Nation.” But as the 51st state, access would be free.
Sources claim the deal comes with unlimited poutine, NHL team transfers to swing states, and required “America First” apologies for Celine Dion. I’m not too familiar with Canada’s current Prime Minister, but I can imagine former PM Justin Trudeau’s response: “Thanks, but we’ll stick with our healthcare – and our pride.”
I’ll be back next week with another episode of gobsmacking stupidity featuring the Stage 9 guy.
See also: Trump’s week that was: the week that revealed the man behind the menace
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If you are wondering about Trump’s sudden increase in tariffs on steel imports from 25% to 50% look no further that his insistence that Canada become the 51st state of the US – in his typical approach, if he can’t get his way he will use punitive measures to damage his opponent :
‘Canada is the top source of U.S. steel imports, followed by Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Vietnam.
The United States imported nearly 6 million metric tons of steel from Canada in 2024, roughly 23% of its total steel imports that year. Brazil accounted for 4 million metric tons, or about 16% of all imports. Mexico exported just over 3 million metric tons of steel to the U.S., about 12% of U.S. steel imports.
Steel imports from Canada have hovered between 5 million and 6 million metric tons for over a decade, while imports from Mexico have stayed between around 2.5 million and 4.5 million metric tons.
Steel imports from China peaked in 2014 at 2.9 million metric tons and have rapidly declined since then due to U.S. tariffs and trade remedies targeting Chinese dumping and subsidies. Steel from China accounted for 1.8% of all U.S. steel imports in 2024, down from 8% in 2014.’
By contrast, Australia only exported 223,000 metric tons of steel to the United States in 2024.