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Today’s Highlights: Moscow hit by Ukraine’s largest attack; Trump withdraws from the World Health Organization, blaming the CCP virus; Trump reveals his top eight powerhouse cabinet members, Pompeo sidelined for deep reasons; Trump sends “First Warrior” to the United Nations, “Border Tsar” issues a stern warning.
After the U.S. election, as many Chinese are concerned about Trump’s foreign policy, Trump is actually busy arranging his cabinet members. Remember, Trump used many people in his first term that he later regretted, so this time around, he is especially cautious and meticulous in choosing who will implement his policies.
Do you know how many officials a new U.S. president appoints? At least thousands, as the saying goes, “A new emperor, a new cabinet.” Judging from Trump’s key priorities this time around, the most important and core cabinet members should be at least eight: the White House chief of staff overseeing everything; the Secretary of State in charge of foreign affairs; the National Security Advisor; the Secretary of Defense; the Attorney General; the Secretary of the Treasury; the Secretary of Commerce; the Secretary of Homeland Security; and the newly established “Department of Government Efficiency”.
These eight individuals are known as Trump’s eight “diamonds.” And just five days after Trump was elected, one diamond took their place, one diamond is a sure thing, while a highly regarded diamond candidate by the Chinese community has already been excluded.
On the second day following his victory, Trump appointed his White House chief of staff from his core cabinet members, who is possibly the most low-profile person in politics – Susie Wells, also the first female White House chief of staff in U.S. history. Besides Trump, she is the one making decisions in the West Wing of the White House, specifically in charge of the president’s daily schedule and supervising the implementation of various administrative agencies’ actions. The 67-year-old Wells doesn’t look like a politician, more like a neighbor next door who enjoys gardening and walking the dog every day. But if you underestimate her, you’ll be mistaken, as she has helped Trump win three major election campaigns and was the campaign manager for Trump’s election team this time around.
What stands out about her is her humility. On November 6th, when Trump gave his victory speech, he called her to the stage and she tactfully refused. In Trump’s words, “She likes to be behind the scenes. Let me introduce you to her, the ‘ice maiden,’ as we call her. She likes to stay in the background, but she is definitely not a prop.” I have a feeling that the further she steps back, the more formidable a role she appears to be.
For Trump and the Republican Party, managing the large influx of illegal immigrants into the U.S. is a top priority, and the person directly responsible for handling this major issue has been finalized. On November 10th, Trump announced another one of his key players: Tom Homan, Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Interesting how the White House chief of staff was referred to as the ice maiden by Trump, while Homan, the actual head of ICE, is a tough and outspoken figure. Just how tough? Let’s take a closer look at the stern warning Homan issued at a previous Trump campaign rally.
On November 11th, Trump announced another of his confirmed cabinet members: 40-year-old Stefaniak, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She is currently a Republican member of the New York State Assembly and chair of the House Republican Conference. Last year, Stefaniak gained fame for her performance in a congressional hearing, where she interrogated the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on issues such as anti-Semitism and support for extremist elements in the Middle East, causing the three university presidents to resign. Let’s see the demeanor of Stefaniak during the congressional hearing.
In his statement, Trump praised Stefaniak as, “She is a very strong, tough, and intelligent first warrior for America.” Undoubtedly, starting next year, we will likely see this first warrior for America frequently engaging in verbal battles against dictatorial countries like the CCP at the United Nations. Trump announced that the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during his first term, Haley, has been excluded from the new cabinet member list.
Also announced by Trump to not be appointed is Pompeo, who was highly regarded by many Chinese. Many Chinese find it hard to understand and feel regretful about this decision because Pompeo is indeed one of the American political figures with the deepest and most daring insights into the CCP. To understand Trump’s reasoning, one must view it from his perspective. Looking at things from the point of view of the people involved may reveal many answers. Firstly, both Haley and Pompeo made statements during Trump’s downfall period that Trump viewed as “hitting a man who had fallen into a well,” and Trump is no longer a political novice as he was during his first presidential election, with a better understanding of government high-level candidates at his disposal. Although these two individuals are talented and capable, Trump now has plenty of talents of the same level to choose from, and from his perspective, with so much talent available, he can afford to be selective.
In my view, there may be another deep-seated reason why Trump did not choose Pompeo and Haley: Trump has seen the policies he worked hard to implement over the previous four years to “Make America Great Again” completely overturned once he leaves office, with a more left-leaning government in power. Therefore, he must ensure that even after he leaves office in four years, there are individuals who truly acknowledge and continue the policies to make America great again.
To be honest, when I first heard about Trump selecting Pence as his vice president, I was somewhat surprised. I now understand that he wasn’t choosing a vice president for the next four years or even for this election, but rather selecting a young, resolute, ambitious, articulate future star who can firmly cement Trump’s vision for America and ensure its continuity after four years.
Trump doesn’t want to give anyone the opportunity to gain political experience and resources for future presidential competitions, essentially ensuring a clear path for his long-term strategic goals to be safeguarded.
Keep in mind, I am not here to discuss right or wrong, but rather to provide an analysis of Trump’s potential thought process and perspective in selecting his team.
In the U.S. government, a new department may be established for the first time: the “Department of Government Efficiency” or possibly called the “Government Efficiency Commission,” a concept closely related to the world’s richest person, Musk.
Back in September, Trump had already stated that if he won the election, he would adopt Musk’s proposal to formally establish a “Government Efficiency Commission” with the task of conducting a comprehensive financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and proposing major reform recommendations. This concept touches upon the differing views of the two major U.S. parties on government. Democrats advocate expanding government powers for better “serving the people,” while Republicans believe the government is merely a steward hired by the people for a “small government” approach – focusing only on what is necessary. The bloated and inefficient nature of the current U.S. government is a widely known issue. Thus, Musk expressed that he does not need compensation, title, or recognition, just the opportunity to participate, claiming he has the ability to cut $20 trillion from Trump’s government budget.
What does $20 trillion mean? According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as of the end of the 2024 fiscal year on September 30, the entire fiscal deficit of the U.S. federal government stood at a record high of $18 trillion, the third-highest in U.S. history. This means that if Musk can indeed deliver on his promise, he would solve America’s most pressing and unsolvable issue – the fiscal deficit.
Is Musk just making empty promises? I don’t really know, all I know is that several big claims made by Musk in the past were miraculously fulfilled. So, what kind of synergies and effects can we expect when Trump and Musk team up? Will they create miracles? At this point, no one can stop them, and many people are surely eager to witness the moment of “miracles.”
I’ve realized that what was once only known as an “October surprise” in the U.S. election, following Trump’s victory, has become a potential “November surprise.” Trump has just announced that the U.S. will once again withdraw from the corrupt World Health Organization, directly accusing the organization of shamelessly assisting in covering up the CCP’s every move.
While people’s attention is focused on the U.S. election, Ukraine has launched the largest attack in its history against the Russian capital, Moscow.
On the night of November 10th, the Moscow region was subjected to a large-scale drone attack by hundreds of Ukrainian drones. This resulted in all three major Moscow airports being closed that night. Due to Russian media control, only a few videos have surfaced. However, the Ukrainian drones’ long-range attack on Moscow was clearly visible.
From Russian reports, it is evident that the Ukrainian military’s large-scale drone attack was not only on Moscow but also spread across the regions of Bryansk, Oryol, and Kaluga. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Ukrainian military targeted numerous Russian ammunition depots near Bryansk, sparking at least eight major explosions. In Rostov, Russia, the attack drones directly hit a Russian army training camp, causing heavy casualties among the camp’s personnel.
Ukrainian Commander Selyasky recently inspected and commended the Ukrainian unmanned systems unit. He announced that in October, the Ukrainian unmanned systems unit had completed over 7,000 missions on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield.
The attack drones destroyed or damaged over 52,000 Russian military targets, including 129 artillery pieces, 221 sets of enemy radio equipment, and over 4,000 Russian troops. Selyasky particularly commended the drone units of the 414th and 412th regiments. At the same time, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced that Ukraine has produced the first batch of 100 ballistic missiles developed and manufactured domestically, which have successfully undergone testing. It appears that soon, the major cities such as Moscow in Russia will not only face drone attacks but also imminent ballistic missile threats from Ukraine. The Russia-Ukraine war will no longer be a situation where only one side can attack the other’s major cities, escalating the shadow of war and enveloping the lives of ordinary citizens in both countries.
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