One of the unfortunate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic is the elimination of most ceremonial gatherings for the 2020 graduating class.   Despite the inability to celebrate with gatherings of families and friends, President Trump and First Lady Melania send their congratulations to the graduates:

WHITE HOUSE – Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! The First Lady and I are very proud of you.

Over the past weeks and months, you, your classmates, teachers and administrators, and our Nation have experienced times of uncertainty and adversity. Much like our country, you have risen to the challenge with remarkable poise and determination, demonstrating the character traits that define the American spirit—resiliency, responsibility, and a stalwart drive to succeed.

Though this season of celebration has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, our country and communities need you now more than ever. Your leadership will be essential in the days and weeks to come in helping your fellow Americans recover from this hardship. I remain confident that the future of our Nation will be brighter than ever before.

As you arrive at this important milestone in your life, your heart should be filled with tremendous pride. Your resolve during this unprecedented time will serve you well as you embark on your next chapter. We hope you will continue to use your unique, God-given abilities to strengthen our great Nation.

We wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors.

(link)

During the coronavirus task force briefing President Trump was asked about his tweet earlier in the day regarding Iranian gunboats harassing U.S. Navy Ships.  The President was unambiguous in his response: “We’ll shoot them out of the water”.

White House Manufacturing Trade Advisor Peter Navarro is also leading the execution of the Defense Production Act to rally American resources in combating the Wuhan Virus. In this interview Navarro discusses the scale of Beijing’s influence over the World Health Organization as a propaganda operation.

Interestingly Navarro notes the Chinese delegation visit in January 2020 and the issues of human-to-human virus spread. CTH has long suspected U.S. intelligence on the Wuhan virus was behind Trump’s proactive health measures in November 2019. It would make sense for POTUS to have a heart-health evaluation prior to beginning a prophylactic regimen [hint hydroxychloriquine] and that might explain a particular advocacy emphasis later on. Just sayin’.

Additionally, Navarro again outlines the importance of returning our critical U.S. manufacturing back to the United States. Honeywell now making masks and GM making ventilators.  Peter Navarro is a patriot; in the right place for this moment in history.

Though the U.S. and Canada are not part of the “OPEC Plus” group, President Trump has  been leading negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Russia to broker a deal and stop their price war.  Today President Trump announces an agreement between the major petroleum exporting countries to curb oil production by approximately 10 million barrels per day:

Additionally, there was a loggerhead within the negotiations as Mexico did not want to cut their production by the requested amount of 400,000 barrels daily.  Mexico relies on oil as a large part of their economy. AMLO stated his economy could not withstand such a significant drop in state revenue.  Economic security is, after all, national security.

President Trump broke the OPEC+ stalemate by agreeing to decrease U.S. production by 300k/barrels allowing Mexico to drop a more manageable 100k/barrels.  Trump and AMLO reached an undisclosed agreement where Mexico will reimburse the U.S. later on.

I suspect the “reimbursement” will be more, well, strategically geopolitical than financial.  [*nudge-nudge*, *wink-wink*, *say-no-more/say-no-more*]  President Trump has an uncanny knack of collecting leverage for later, more strategic, purposes.  Just sayin’.

(VIA CNBC) […] Sunday’s emergency meeting — the second in four days — came as oil-producing nations scrambled to reach an agreement in an effort to prop up falling prices as the coronavirus outbreak continues to hammer demand. The agreement also ends a price war that broke out between Saudi Arabia and Russia at the beginning of March, which further pressured oil prices as each sought to gain market share.

The group, known as OPEC+, initially proposed cutting production by 10 million barrels per day — amounting to some 10% of global oil supply — on Thursday, but Mexico opposed the amount it was being asked to cut, holding up the final deal.

Talks continued on Friday when energy ministers from the Group of 20 major economies met, and while all agreed that stabilization in the market is needed, the group stopped short of discussing specific production numbers.

Under OPEC+’s new agreement, Mexico will cut 100,000 barrels per day, instead of the 400,000 barrels per day it had initially been asked to cut.

The 9.7 million barrels per day cut will begin on May 1, and will extend through the end of June.  (read more)

With such a significant slow-down in global oil demand due to the coronavirus mitigation efforts, massive tanker ships have been loaded with oil and sit at sea awaiting the global economy to restart generating the need for their cargo.

Two Weeks Ago…. President Trump and Defense Secretary Esper announced a major deployment of U.S. military to interdict narcotics trafficking from Central America.

On the surface the effort to deploy naval assets to the Caribbean and southern pacific is justified based on intelligence drug cartels will exploit the coronavirus pandemic to ship more narcotics into the U.S.

However, in the bigger picture there’s also a likelihood the Chinese Communist Party would work with their geopolitical allies in Central American regimes to further weaken the U.S. during a time of increased vulnerability.

In times of war, or severe geopolitical confrontation, exploiting a vulnerability is a common strategy. Therefore it’s a smart and prudent geopolitical move for President Trump and U.S. military to take very aggressive action against the cartels and their communist sympathizers. There’s more going on here than appears on the surface.

Ergo, sometime in the future…

Barr: “The president is very thankful for your cooperation“…

AMLO: “So you’re saying this is an offer I cannot refuse?“..

Barr: “The President is very thankful for your cooperation“…

It appears new White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is making a few communications changes. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham will be returning to the East Wing as First Lady Melania Trump’s chief-of-staff.  Kayleigh McEnany will be replacing Grisham as Press Secretary.

[Politico] […] Alyssa Farah, a top Defense Department spokeswoman and former press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, will also come aboard as the White House’s director of strategic communications.

Ben Williamson, Meadows’ former chief of staff and communications director, who will be Trump’s senior communications adviser. Farah also has a Meadows connection, previously serving as the communications director for the conservative House Freedom Caucus when Meadows, a former North Carolina lawmaker, was the caucus’s chairman. (link)

Keep in mind that Hope Hicks returned in February as Senior advisor to President Trump on communications.  Ms. Hicks is the primary Trump-whisperer on media strategy.

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow discusses what economic options the U.S. government has to mitigate and assist businesses and individuals dealing with the financial impacts of coronavirus.

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Note to Mr. Kudlow: Do not trust Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Fauci is a purposeful panic seller. His goals are not the administrations goals.