President Joe Biden “struggled” with the basic task of using a straw to puncture the plastic film lid of a “boba” or bubble tea drink during a campaign stop in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Monday. According to White House pool reporter Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times, the 81-year-old Biden required assistance from the shop’s cashier after he was unable to push the straw through his cup’s plastic cover.
From the POLITICO newsletter.
The videos posted by the media following Biden all clip from the moment he orders to the moment he walks out with the drink in hand, apparently editing out the “struggle” and ensuring assistance.
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The bubble tea incident came just a day after Biden confused current French President Emmanuel Macron with François Mitterrand, who served as president from 1981 to 1995. Speaking to supporters in Las Vegas on Sunday, Biden claimed he had spoken with Mitterrand at the recent G7 summit, stating: “I sat down and I said, ‘America is back,’ and Mitterand from Germany, I mean France, looked at me, and said, said, ‘You know, why, how long you back for?’” Mitterrand, a staunch French socialist, died in 1996.
Concerns about Biden’s age and mental competency likely contributed to his plummeting approval numbers over the last year. While speaking during the annual White House turkey pardoning past November, which coincided with his 81st birthday, Biden confused musical entertainers Taylor Swift and Britney Spears. A month earlier, in a now infamous moment, while returning from a trip to Israel, Biden struggled to form a complete thought while speaking with reporters on Air Force One. At one point, he simply stared at the reporters for an extended period without saying anything.
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❓What Happened: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett sided with her liberal colleague, Justice Elena Kagan, and pressed Solicitor General John Sauer over the Trump White House’s position on whether there are instances when lower federal courts can issue nationwide actions blocking executive branch actions.
👥 Who’s Involved: Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Elena Kagan, Solicitor General John Sauer, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
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📍 Where & When: U.S. Supreme Court, on Thursday, May 15, 2025, during oral arguments in a landmark birthright citizenship case.
💬 Key Quote: Justice Barrett asked Sauer, “Are you really going to answer Justice Kagan by saying there’s no way to do this expeditiously?”
⚠️ Impact: The case involves challenges to injunctions against President Donald J. Trump’s executive order on ending birthright citizenship, potentially affecting nationwide legal precedents.
IN FULL:
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett pressed Solicitor General John Sauer during oral arguments on Thursday as the Court reviewed a series of cases challenging injunctions against President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. The cases—Trump v. CASA, Trump v. Washington, and Trump v. New Jersey—center on whether nationwide injunctions issued by lower courts were appropriate in blocking the executive order.
The justices debated the procedural and legal frameworks surrounding the matter, with liberal Justice Elena Kagan questioning Sauer on how the Court could rule on the issue without allowing nationwide injunctions. Kagan, during the session, asked Sauer to assume the executive order was “dead wrong” and explain how the judiciary could address the matter efficiently: “And, you know, look, there are all kinds of abuses of nationwide injunctions, but I think that the question that this case presents is… it’s quite clear that the EO is illegal; how does one get to that result, in what time frame on your set of rules without the possibility of a nationwide injunction?”
“On this case and on many similar cases, the appropriate way to do it is for there to be multiple lower courts considering it, the appropriate percolation that goes to the lower courts, and then ultimately this court decides the merits in a nationwide binding precedent,” Sauer replied, arguing: “You have a complete inversion of that through the nationwide injunctions with a district court.”
At this point, Justice Barrett intervened and, in an exasperated tone, pressed Sauer: “Are you really going to answer Justice Kagan by saying there’s no way to do this expeditiously?” Barrett went on to push Sauer on whether forming a class of individual plaintiffs could resolve the matter more quickly. President Trump’s Solicitor General said that class certification could expedite the process, though he noted it had not been briefed in the lower courts.
Justice Barrett’s line of questioning marks the latest instance of the Trump-appointed jurist siding with the high court’s leftist faction over her more conservative colleagues. Notably, Barrett is among the bloc of justices that have upheld several injunctions against President Trump’s actions to remove illegal immigrants from the United States.
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❓What Happened: Native-born American workers continue to be replaced by cheap foreign labor, with the number of H-1B visas approved for 2026 topping 120,000. The number of approvals comes despite continued layoffs in the American technology industry, suggesting the visa program continues to be abused to source cheap workers rather than meet industry labor demands.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, Elon Musk, David Sacks, American technology companies, American workers, and cheap foreign labor.
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📍 Where & When: The H-1B approvals for 2026 were highlighted by U.S. Tech Workers, an American worker advocacy group, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, May 15, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “Despite mass tech layoffs and voter backlash—especially after the Christmas H-1B uproar—the Trump team stays hands-off: 120,141 NEW H-1Bs selected for FY2026. Demand remains high despite layoffs—a clear sign U.S. workers are being replaced,” U.S. Tech Workers wrote.
⚠️ Impact: The H-1B approvals suggest that technology industry leaders Elon Musk and David Sacks, who also serve as Trump White House advisors, may be continuing to exert influence over U.S. immigration and labor policy.
IN FULL:
The replacement of native-born American workers with cheap foreign labor remains unabated despite strong public opinion against the policy. While the total approvals for 2026 are lower than the peak years under the former Biden government, data shows 120,141 H-1B visas have been accepted for the next year. This is about equivalent to the total number of H-1Bs approved for 2021, cleared during the final year of President Donald J. Trump’s first term in office.
U.S. Tech Workers, a group that advocates for American-born technology workers against foreign labor predation, notes that the approvals come despite industry layoffs and public backlash against the rate at which foreign workers are replacing native-born workers. “Despite mass tech layoffs and voter backlash—especially after the Christmas H-1B uproar—the Trump team stays hands-off: 120,141 NEW H-1Bs selected for FY2026,” the group wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), late Wednesday. They added: “Demand remains high despite layoffs—a clear sign U.S. workers are being replaced.”
Notably, there was a sharp drop in eligible H-1B registrations for 2026, totalling 343,981, marking a 26.9 percent decline from 2025’s total of 470,342. However, this drop was primarily driven by reforms enacted under former President Joe Biden, aimed at cracking down on multiple visa filings and fraud. Additionally, the Biden-era reforms and subsequent drop in eligible registrations suggest that demand from tech companies for cheap foreign labor has not actually fallen.
The National Pulse reported in January that survey data shows 60 percent of Americans feel the nation already possesses enough skilled workers for white-collar roles. Meanwhile, only 26 percent of respondents said they wanted to see the United States increase its number of foreign workers.
During Christmas last year, the debate over H-1B visa policy boiled over onto social media. Trump White House advisors Elon Musk, who fronts the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and David Sacks, who chairs the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, pushed back against calls from Trump’s MAGA base for a reduction or even elimination of the foreign worker visa program.
Musk, who also serves as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, argued at the time that the government would need to double the number of approved H-1Bs to meet engineering demands in the semiconductor industry.
❓ What Happened: Gregory Maniatis, director at George Soros’s Open Society Foundations, admitted that progressive politicians’ failure to manage migration and progressive foundations’ lawfare to protect illegal aliens has sown chaos.
👥 Who’s Involved: Gregory Maniatis, Open Society Foundations, progressive non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the Trump administration.
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📍 Where & When: United States, with Maniatis’s remarks made at a Carnegie Council event in April.
💬 Key Quote: “Chaos is the defining story of failure amongst progressives,” Maniatis confessed.
⚠️ Impact: Maniatis’s admission exposes how progressive elites’ legal tactics and refusal to enforce order paved the way for America First.
IN FULL:
Gregory Maniatis, a director at George Soros’s far-left Open Society Foundations, has admitted that progressive immigration policies plunged America’s border into chaos. Speaking candidly at a Carnegie Council event in April, Maniatis admitted that 12 years of Democrat control over the past 16 years failed to deliver a functional immigration system, instead fostering anarchic conditions that President Donald J. Trump has capitalized on to restore order.
“Chaos is the defining story of failure amongst progressives,” Maniatis said, pinpointing the refusal of Democratic leaders to address a “chaotic” border system, particularly over the last decade. He criticized the “conspiracy of silence” that allowed employers to exploit illegal alien workers while progressive politicians used a broken illegal immigration system to let illegal aliens “disappear” into communities rather than persuade the public to accept mass migration or manage it effectively. “Not everyone has the right to stay,” he conceded, acknowledging that this leniency fueled public frustration.
Maniatis said progressive elites have been ignoring the “public desire for order,” noting that only when Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) began busingmigrants to Democrat cities were urban liberals forced to confront the consequences of their policies.
Maniatis also criticized the role of foundations like his own, accusing them of over-relying on lawfare to expand migrants’ opportunities to establish themselves in the U.S. without winning public support. “I think foundations have played a negative role in a lot of this. We have relied way too much on litigation… when in fact this is a project of political persuasion,” he said, recalling that “we have quietly gone into courts to try to expand rights without actually winning in the court of public opinion.”
However, he suggested he still wants asylum seekers to be brought to the U.S. in historically high numbers through sponsorship programs, and—despite conceding to an overreliance on lawfare—he said some his key work at the moment “is litigating a series of cases that include the refugee program and the sponsorship programs.”
WATCH:
Gregory Maniatis from the Soros Open Society Foundation says they are funding the NGOs that are using the courts to stop the Trump administration from deporting illegal immigrants after the NGOs, the Biden regime, and the UN worked together to flood our country with millions of… pic.twitter.com/5RNMDK1IwF
❓What Happened: Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest inside the U.S. Capitol.
👥 Who’s Involved: Ben Cohen, six other protesters, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and law enforcement officials.
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📍 Where & When: U.S. Capitol, during a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.
💬 Key Quote: “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,” Cohen shouted at Kennedy.
⚠️ Impact: Cohen and six others were detained for disrupting the hearing, with charges including resisting police and assault on an officer.
IN FULL:
Ben Cohen, co-founder of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, was among seven people arrested during a protest at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The demonstration took place during a Senate committee hearing where Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was testifying about his plans to downsize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The proceedings were disrupted by protesters who shouted accusations against Kennedy, including “RFK kills people with AIDS!” and “anti-vax, anti-science, anti-America,” referencing Kennedy’s views on vaccines.
Amid the interruptions, Cohen, 74, stood and criticized what he described as U.S. government policies contributing to the deaths of children in Gaza. “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here,” Cohen shouted at Kennedy, whose father, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was assassinated by a Palestinian in 1968.
Capitol Police detained Cohen and six other demonstrators, with some facing charges of resisting arrest and assaulting officers, according to reports. Following the incident, Cohen shared a video of the protest on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating: “I told Congress they’re killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they’re paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities’ response.”
WATCH:
I told Congress they’re killing poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs, and they’re paying for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid in the US. This was the authorities’ response. pic.twitter.com/uOf7xrzzWM
❓What Happened:Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, in Vatican City.
👥 Who’s Involved: Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, Second Lady Usha Vance, and Pope Leo XIV.
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📍 Where & When: Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Sunday.
💬 Key Quote: “I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church,” wrote Vice President Vance.
⚠️ Impact: The installation of the first U.S.-born pope marks a historic moment for American Catholics and has sparked commentary on his political and theological stance.
IN FULL:
Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, in Vatican City on May 18. The Holy Mass, which will take place in Saint Peter’s Square, marks the formal installation of Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago.
Vance, Rubio, and Second Lady Usha Vance will be part of the U.S. delegation for the event. Vance, a Catholic convert since 2019, briefly met with the late Pope Francis during Easter before his passing.
Pope Leo XIV was elected by a conclave last week, becoming the first U.S.-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church. Prior to his elevation, Leo, then Cardinal Prevost, had been known to occasionally share social media posts critical of Vice President Vance, President Donald J. Trump, and their worldview. In one instance, he shared an article with a headline including the words, “J.D. Vance is wrong.”
Despite these past remarks, Vance extended congratulations to Pope Leo XIV upon his election. “I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church,” Vance wrote on X, adding: “May God bless him!”
In an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Vance addressed questions about potential political differences with the new pope. “It’s very hard to fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America,” Vance stated. “I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with, but I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all.”
President Donald J. Trump also commented on the American pontiff’s historic election, calling it “a Great Honor for our Country” in a Truth Social post.
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By Popular Demand.
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❓What Happened: Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan has been indicted for allegedly helping a dangerous illegal immigrant evade federal immigration enforcement.
👥 Who’s Involved: Judge Hannah Dugan, Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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📍 Where & When: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; indictment issued this week, incident occurred last month.
💬 Key Quote: “The problems with this prosecution are legion, but most immediately, the government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts,” Dugan’s attorneys argued in a legal filing.
⚠️ Impact: The case raises questions about judicial immunity, federalism, and the balance of state and federal authority in immigration enforcement.
IN FULL:
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan is facing federal charges after allegedly assisting a Mexican national in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. A federal grand jury indicted Judge Dugan this week on counts of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction.
The incident occurred last month when ICE agents were stationed outside Dugan’s courtroom to apprehend Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national with an administrative warrant for his arrest. According to the complaint, Judge Dugan confronted the agents, attempted to send them elsewhere, and then directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney to exit the courtroom through a restricted “jury door” leading to a nonpublic area, bypassing the public exit where law enforcement was positioned.
Dugan’s legal team has argued that the charges violate long-standing principles of judicial immunity and federalism. “The government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts,” her attorneys stated in a legal filing submitted Wednesday. They further claimed that the indictment infringes upon the U.S. Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, which reserves certain powers to the states.
The filing also referenced historical legal precedent, asserting that judges have been granted absolute immunity for their official actions since at least the early 17th century in England, a tradition carried over into U.S. common law. Dugan’s attorneys have called for the immediate dismissal of the indictment, labeling the prosecution as “barred” under these principles.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), which brought the charges, has maintained that the case underscores the principle of equality under the law. Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized Dugan’s actions, stating, “Shame on her. It was a domestic violence case, of all cases, and she was protecting a criminal defendant over victims of crime.”
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By Popular Demand.
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❓What Happened: U.S. wholesale prices unexpectedly dropped in April, marking the first decline in over a year. Additionally, retail sales data released by the Department of Commerce show sales slowing in April. The numbers are further evidence that America is experiencing deflation, not inflation.
👥 Who’s Involved: U.S. Labor Department, U.S. Department of Commerce, President Donald J. Trump, and American consumers.
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📍 Where & When: United States, with the data released on May 15, 2025, reflecting economic transactions from April 2025.
⚠️ Impact: The producer price index saw its largest drop in five years, and retail sales slowed, suggesting that the U.S. could be entering a deflationary cycle. The data could finally push the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.
IN FULL:
New data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce suggests that the American economy is experiencing deflation, despite President Donald J. Trump’s detractors insisting his tariffs would cause a spike in inflation. Consumer retail spending dropped in April, partly because consumers frontloaded purchases ahead of President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs taking effect. However, the slowdown in retail purchases also suggests that there is ongoing downward pressure on demand, giving strong support to the idea that inflation has subsided but has been replaced by deflation.
Retail sales in April rose by only 0.1 percent after a surge in purchases in March, where sales rose by 1.7 percent. The minor positive growth was almost entirely buoyed by restaurant and bar purchases, with retail, hobby, and miscellaneous stores all reporting negative growth of over one percent. Gasoline sales at stations fell by half a percent.
The deflation signals in the retail sales numbers are further backed by a surprising Producer Price Index (PPI) number from April. The PPI, which measures price changes before reaching consumers, dropped 0.5 percent compared to March, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Labor Department. This represents the largest monthly decrease since 2018.
Critics of President Trump’s tariffs predicted that the PPI would rise, fueled by higher tariff costs. This, they contended, would be a form of inflation. Notably, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has taken a similar line, suggesting that the Federal Reserve has been hesitant to cut interest rates as they believe the Trump tariffs to be inflationary in impact—which has so far proven to be incorrect.
By not cutting interest rates at the last two Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings, the Federal Reserve likely made a grave error and may need to resort to emergency measures to head off a deflationary spiral, which could portend an economic recession.
Since the start of 2025, President Trump has repeatedlycalled on Powell and his colleagues at the Federal Reserve to reduce rates.
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump visited Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, highlighting a $42 billion arms deal with the country, hailing improved U.S.-Qatar relations, and addressing American troops stationed there.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, and U.S. troops stationed in Qatar.
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📍 Where & When: Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, May 15, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “You’re a very special group of people,” Trump told the troops. “Pay raises to each and every one of you, substantial pay raises.”
⚠️ Impact: Strengthened U.S.-Qatar relations, increased military hardware sales, and promises of pay raises for U.S. troops.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump visited Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday, addressing U.S. troops stationed there. The President addressed troops directly at the base, praising their service and announcing a proposed budget that includes pay raises for service members. “You’re a very special group of people,” he told the soldiers, drawing cheers from the crowd. “Pay raises to each and every one of you, substantial pay raises.”
The America First leader also highlighted a $42 billion deal for Qatar to purchase advanced American-made military hardware, including Pegasus refueling aircraft, amphibious combat vehicles, and MQ-9B drones. “Yesterday we signed an agreement for Qatar to purchase $42 billion worth of the finest American military hardware,” Trump stated, adding that the U.S.-Qatar relationship “has never been stronger.”
Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later, Trump criticized the former Joe Biden government’s approach to the Middle East, saying Arab nations felt “abandoned” and risked falling under Chinese influence.
Trump also acknowledged soldiers separated from their families during deployments and gave a special mention to a service member from Butler, Pennsylvania, who assisted the authorities during the assassination attempt against him there last year.
The visit concluded with Trump reaffirming American military dominance, highlighting advancements in submarines and fighter jets, and expressing gratitude to the troops. “We have a proud country, a country that’s respected all over the world. Nobody’s laughing at our country anymore,” he said.
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By Popular Demand.
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❓What Happened: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly planning a so-called “youth mobility” scheme with the European Union (EU), partially undoing the post-Brexit termination of Free Movement immigration.
👥 Who’s Involved: Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds, and senior government sources.
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📍 Where & When: Announcement expected at a summit on Monday; negotiations ongoing between Britain and the EU.
💬 Key Quote: “The Brexiteers will cry betrayal and the Remainers will demand rejoin but it’ll be superb,” a senior government source claimed.
⚠️ Impact: The deal aims to “reset” UK-EU relations, but easing immigration from the European Union will reinforce domestic fears that Starmer, who campaigned against Brexit, intends to reverse it piece by piece, and undermines his recent moves to present himself as an immigration hawk compared to the formerly governing Conservatives.
IN FULL:
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly preparing to announce a so-called “youth mobility” scheme with the European Union (EU) as part of broader efforts to “reset” relations with the bloc post-Brexit. The scheme would allow individuals aged 18 to 30 to live and work across participating countries for two years, potentially reactivating much of the pre-Brexit inflow of cheap European migrant labor.
“The Brexiteers will cry betrayal and the Remainers will demand rejoin, but it’ll be superb,” a senior official said of the mobility scheme.
The scheme comes as Starmer is claiming he is moving to reduce legal mass migration, which exploded under Conservative former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, to prevent Britain from becoming an “island of strangers.” In reality, Starmer is likely only posing as a migration hawk to blunt the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party, which owes much of its growing popularity to its strong stance against mass migration and is now pulling ahead of Starmer’s Labour Party as well as the Conservatives.
“Only Reform UK will freeze immigration, deport illegal migrants and regain control of our borders,” Farage commented on social media on Wednesday, referencing the increase in illegal immigration under Labour.
Only Reform UK will freeze immigration, deport illegal migrants and regain control of our borders.
❓What Happened: German Chancellor (Prime Minister) Friedrich Merz vowed to build “the strongest conventional army in Europe,” responding to President Donald J. Trump’s demands for America’s NATO allies to boost defense spending.
👥 Who’s Involved: Chancellor Merz, President Trump, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and former Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
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📍Where & When: Bundestag, Berlin, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “Strengthening the Bundeswehr is our top priority,” Merz declared. “The German government will provide all the financial resources the Bundeswehr needs to become Europe’s strongest conventional army.”
⚠️Impact: Trump’s pressure is reshaping NATO, pushing Germany to step up militarily. However, this may raise alarm bells in Russia and other countries that have historically fallen victim to German aggression.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump’s relentless push for European NATO allies to pull their weight is yielding results, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged on May 14, 2025, to transform the Bundeswehr (Federal Defense Forces) into “the strongest conventional army in Europe.” Speaking to the Bundestag (federal legislature) in his first major address since taking office, Merz credited Trump’s blunt demands for shaking Germany out of its post-Cold War complacency.
“This is appropriate for Europe’s most populous and economically powerful country,” Merz told lawmakers, vowing to provide “all financial means necessary” to overhaul the long-underfunded Bundeswehr. “Our friends and partners also expect this from us. Indeed, they practically demand it.” This nod to Trump, who has questioned Washington’s NATO commitment unless allies such as Germany spend more, highlights the America First leader’s influence in forcing Europe to confront its security shortcomings.
Germany’s military, mocked for faulty equipment like grounded helicopters and inaccurate rifles, has lagged since the Cold War, relying heavily on U.S. protection—while enriching adversary states like Russia through substantial energy deals. Merz’s pledge builds on former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s 2022 allocation of €100 billion ($112 billion) to meet NATO’s two percent of GDP defense spending target, but parliamentary commissioner Eva Hoegl recently warned the Bundeswehr still has “too little of everything.”
Merz’s “bazooka” funding plan, worth hundreds of billions, aims to reverse this, with orders for German-built submarines already in motion—though delivery will take years.
Merz claims that Russia’s ambitions extend beyond Ukraine, stating, “Anyone who seriously believes that Russia would be satisfied with a victory over Ukraine… is mistaken.”
“Strength deters aggressors, while weakness invites aggression,” he said, reaffirming support for Ukraine but clarifying Germany’s non-combatant stance: “[W]e are not a party to war, and we don’t want to become one.”
To rebuild troop strength, Merz announced a “new, attractive voluntary military service,” though Defense Minister Boris Pistorius hinted conscription could return if volunteer numbers fall short. “We will initially rely on voluntary participation,” Pistorius said, stressing “initially” as a deliberate caveat.
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