Posted on 01/22/2025 12:25:32 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
…It’s a transformational moment. The United States, I think, is now, as President Trump pointed out last night and I believe deeply, we are headed into a new era that I think will make the world a safer place. We have a President who yesterday – President Trump made clear in his inaugural speech that one of the primary goals of American foreign policies is the promotion of peace – of course peace through strength, peace and always without abandoning our values. But I think it’s extraordinary that it’s something that needs to be said and hasn’t been said enough in recent memory, and we look forward to being a key part of helping the President achieve his agenda that he has a clear mandate to keep.
…And I want to end by thanking Almighty God and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is truly the singular purpose of our lives. It’s the most important priority. It’s the only thing that will matter when we take our last breath on this Earth. But this is an extraordinary opportunity that would not have been possible without God’s blessings. I’m honored and I’m privileged, cognizant of the responsibility, and I want to thank President Trump for his confidence. We will work hard every second of the day to help him achieve the agenda the American people have given him to achieve. Thank you. Thanks for being a part of this today. God bless all of you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Vice President. (Applause.)
(Excerpt) Read more at state.gov ...
90 days is irrelevant, btw. The question is whether Trump will use the THREAT of weapons deliveries and sanctions as a negotiating lever. If he wishes to do so more emphatically, all it takes is a revised EO, or a new one.
“The message from the new administration is pretty clear to me: Ukraine is not a vital interest for the United States.”
* * * *
A wise observation. And I think Putin and Z are getting the message. Putin probably got an ear full of advice from President Xi or China who Trump with only a couple days ago.
Note also that the way the EO is worded, all President Trump needs to do is ask (presumably soon-to-be Sec. Hegseth) to “report” to him (Trump) that the Ukies need another shot of weapons, or his (Trump’s) negotiating position will be compromised. There is nothing that says a particular piece of feedback has to take 90 days.
Now, mind you, I have doubts that alone will budge Pooty. The next step would be for Trump to repeat his threat to flood Ukraine with weapons if Russia won’t negotiate in good faith. If that doesn’t work, he could go to Congress for a bill giving him discretionary authority to spend, say, 4x on weapons, IF needed as a negotiating tool, in his determination. A lend-lease deal with the Euros is another possibility. (I actually prefer that route.)
By your interpretation, aid to Israel will also halt for 90 days. Do you really think that will happen?
This is about leverage, and PDJT can’t afford to start off his Administration with what would be a perceived by most as a “loss” in Ukraine. He has to at least break even.
Regular 87 oct. is a little under $3 here & I’m not sure about diesel. Don’t think it’s much over $3.
LoL I loved the Spanish part too!
Aside for honoring all the Hispanic people in America, his Spanish fluency allows him to have deep conversations with leaders in the Americas: Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Argentina, Cuba, and more.
Spanish is also the 4th most spoken language in the world (below English, Mandarin Chinese, and Hindi), but ahead of Arabic, French, Bengali, Portuguese, and Russian.
It’s worth watching starting at the 5 minute mark, Rubio starts speaking in Spanish and then cracks a joke with JD Vance at the end. So funny! :)
I’m so happy you’re Presidebt. Can’t believe we’ve gotten this far without your genius.
Yes, I saw that! The joke was terrific.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.