Make China Great Again (MCGA)

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President Trump is hosting China's President Xi Jinping at the White House for a summit featuring three hours of meetings and elaborate ceremony, yet it may yield little progress on the issues dividing the two countries. 

On one side stands MAGA (Make America Great Again); on the other, what might be called MCGA (Make China Great Again), two rival national ambitions competing in the most cordial of manners.

There Is No Silver Bullet

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President Trump keeps looking for the magic formula that will deliver him victory in Iran.  There is no silver bullet here.

Many People Feel Betrayed By the Iran War

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Joe Rogan, the podcast host, has sometimes criticized President Trump since he returned to office, and has appeared increasingly skeptical of the administration in recent months.

He said on his show yesterday, 3/10/26, that the war in Iran was “crazy” and had left Americans feeling “betrayed” by President Trump, describing the conflict as a sharp reversal from the policies that the president had campaigned on.

His criticism arrives as the 12-day-old war threatens political peril for Mr. Trump’s party in this year’s midterm elections.

Read the entire article here.  Many people feel betrayed by the Iran war.

President Trump Has Imposed the Highest Tariffs Since the Great Depression

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The tariffs at the heart of this week's Supreme Court case are raising tens of billions of dollars for the federal government. They're also costing consumers, frustrating businesses and hurting the manufacturers they're supposed to help.

About half those import taxes are being challenged this week at the U.S. Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

Does the President have a Plan B?

No Two Men Are More Utterly Different in Values, Purpose, Style and Psychology: King Charles III and US President Trump

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US President Donald Trump is going to be greeted with a spectacular royal charm offensive during his state visit this week.  The aim will be to dazzle and flatter him with the ultimate red-carpet experience, with guards of honor, flypasts, historic carriages, a lavish banquet, pomp and pageantry.

In return, Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping this gilt-edged reception will help to deliver the UK's message on awkward issues such as Ukraine and trade tariffs.

And if anyone can get the US president's attention and influence him, surely King Charles III and the Royal Family can.

Or can they?

"I imagine it is an uncomfortable moment for the King," adds [Former Canadian high commissioner to the UK] Mr. [Jeremy] Kinsman. "I cannot imagine two men more utterly different in values, purpose, style, and psychology."

Is a Luxury Boeing 747 Jet Gifted From Qatar to President Trump Going Too Far?

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I don't know about all of you but I would prefer a big, beautiful new jet made in USA for Air Force One, no matter how long the wait.  After all, isn't there a BIG push for Made In America right now or am I missing something?  The latest is that Qatar wants to give a FREE Air Force One replacement valued at U.S. $400 million to President Trump.  No strings attached.  Got that?  

Yet, the Constitution prohibits federal officials from accepting things of value, or “emoluments,” from foreign governments without congressional approval.  

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii said, "Schatz said "it really should go without saying, but no president should be accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign country. It is gross, it is reckless, it is corrupt, and the outrage and condemnation especially on the Republican side should be universal.”

What's your feeling?

Today in Global Small Business: USA President Trump Has Covid-19

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• LIVE updates from The New York Times on President Trump's condition.
• How President Trump's diagnosis could affect markets.
• Quote of the week:  "On self-knowledge: "Unless a man is master of his soul, all other kinds of mastery amount to little." – Theodore Roosevelt
• Will President Trump's condition shape the race (requires subscription)?
• The US President is not well.
• Will President Trump be discharged from hospital on Monday, October 5, 2020?  Hard to believe.

World Commerce Is Slowing Down

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As Peter S. Goodman for The New York Times puts it:

As President Trump intensifies his trade war with China, and as factories slow in major industrial nations, world commerce is deteriorating rapidly, a perilous development that threatens the health of the global economy.

He goes on to say that most economists feel a global recession remains unlikely, even as growth slows.

What's your take?  See what others are saying.

Make No Mistake: The Future Belongs to Patriots and Globalists

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USA President Trump read his 37-minute address to the U.N. in a somber monotone, rarely punctuating words or pausing for emphasis, but his message for the 74th session of the annual gathering of world leaders was clear.

“The future does not belong to globalists,” Trump said. “The future belongs to patriots.”

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Make no mistake:  All our colleagues, clients, and other global small business owners who read this blog know that the future belongs to both patriots and globalists.  They don't have to be mutually exclusive.  In fact, they can be aligned provided one has the right mindset.

A Golden Age for Small Business

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Since President Trump took office, small-business owners have grown more confident in the economy.

The businesses in the survey [The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Index of Small Business Optimism] reported increased confidence on nearly every front, saying they expected higher sales and planned to hire more workers, increase inventories and expand their business.

Corporations are currently taxed at a lower top rate than pass-through businesses, which account for 75 percent of small businesses. They pay the same tax rates as any other worker.

President Trump:  “America is on the verge of a golden age for small business,” he said at a recent White House event with more than 100 small business owners.

Read more ...

Is the U.S. Still the Center of the Universe?

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According to American cyclist and small business owner Jonathan Vaughters for Business Insider, President Trump needs to clean up his act if small businesses are going to thrive -- at home and abroad.

So how are Americans perceived abroad?

Ideally, the answer to this question is given by all Americans individually, but the president of the United States, for better or worse, defines how Americans are perceived. The president is the leader looked to for direction by the West. Like it or not, how the president is perceived is how we are perceived, and that can make life easier or harder for Americans doing business abroad — most notably small businesses.

Learn more about what Jonathan has to say here.

What Is Dodd-Frank and How Does it Impact Small Businesses?

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President Trump has made a ton of executive orders and one of them has been to direct the Treasury to review Barack Obama’s 2010 Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law.  According to Small Business Trends, opinions appear to be split over the impact some of these policies will have on small business. But what exactly is Dodd-Frank all about and what are its implications?

Small Business Trends covers it all here.

Reigniting the Global Entrepreneurial Spirit

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President Trump is trying to get the American dream back for entrepreneurs.

President Trump signed an executive action Monday (1/30/17) that will result in a reduction of federal regulations on small businesses. He said the executive action would “knock out two regulations for every new regulation” adopted by federal agencies.

We are not inclined to hold our breath on what comes next concerning international trade.

Read more here.