Trump to Supplant Davos, Biden Finally Sees PEUligarchy

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the PEUist of them all?"

"Why it's you, Mr. Trump!"

"And what makes me so special amongst the legendary PEU founders?"

"You don't hide your incessant greed or ceaseless lust for power behind philanthropy or hollow elevating diatribes."  

"Yes, I'm special, so special..."

A bitter cold Washington, D.C. will be the backdrop for Trump II's coronation.  It will be warmer in Davos, Switzerland for the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting.  Three days after the coronation President Donald Trump will present at the WEF meeting, doing so remotely.  

Shark Tank's Mr. Wonderful wrote in The Daily Mail:

O'Leary is but one of the many industry scions planting their lips firmly on Trump II's posterior.  TechGods Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg ponied up the required $1 million for the looming coronation and may attend as a triumvirate.

Remaining in Trump II's good graces will require ongoing monetary injections and lavish amounts of praise, backed by a loyalty oath.

Following the Constitution is not enough under Trump II.  The Supreme Court granted Trump immunity for his Presidential acts.  Trump demands complete fealty, subservience.  

Trump even demanded subservience of the U.S. flag on his coronation day.  It must be at full attention, not moppy over the death of former President Jimmy Carter.  Oddly, it will be the coldest swearing in of a President since James Earl Carter when the high was 22 degrees.

The theme for this years WEF event is "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age" while Trump II's theme is "Evisceration (Enemies), Enrichment (Family/Friends) & Exaggeration (Everything)." 

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU (private equity underwriters) and increasingly, more are one.  It's the Red Team's turn to steer Uncle Sam's wallet to their friends.  

On his way out President Joe Biden issued a warning, albeit at least a decade and a half late.

Joe and his family spent numerous Thanksgivings at the Nantucket estate of Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein, one of those "oligarchs" responsible for keeping private equity's preferred "carried interest" taxation in place, despite widespread public opposition.  Biden's cabinet was chock full of PEUs.  

Carlyle's Rubenstein will serve on two panels at Davos:

The oligarchy has been fully bipartisan to date.  Trump's Davos talk will shed light on the PEUture.

Elon Messin' with Everything

My wise friend shared a CNBC video interview with Walter Isaacson, author of an Elon Musk biography.  Issaacson noted Musk's companies would benefit from reducing government regulations and likely grow their government book of business but called that "not the main goal."  This friend offered their take on the interview:

Listen to dastardly dog Walter Isaacson endorse and build the narrative for Baron Musk. Less regulation, less cost. Just like Elon's dumping sewer water into the Colorado River at Bastrop, who the **** CARES?  It's cheaper and I don't swim and I don't drink and I don't eat the fish downstream. This is totally sickening. They should all get struck by lightning. We need divine intervention.  They skin the people on the way up to build their fortunes, then they lock them in their ecosystems and skin them from the inside. Go ahead Isaacson,  create the next narrative for the PEU/VC community at the Aspen Institute of Prostitution.

Other comments offered regarding Musk include:

Musk is building Robocops to police the nation which calls for creating a narrative of massive crime so he could get a government contract. The best ones will be the dogs that carry AI military grade machine guns on their back. The guy read dystopic comic books as a kid and wants to bring them to reality for all of us through Trump.

Let the government fund the mission to Mars mandating Baron Musk be on the delivery capsule . One problem solved . Fellow libertarian & government teat contractor Peter Thiel can be on the next flight to the Red planet.

Without private market valuations Musk is just another subsidy enriched operator The money raise they just did for AI is astronomical given there's no business.  . 

Don't you find it peculiar that musk is interfering in German politics, Italy, England, and now Canada after Trudeau steps down? Almost like a plan. Something is so not right and so orchestrated that I cannot believe people aren't shouting louder. All for Crypto, all for private equity. And don't forget Silicon Valley.

TechGod Elon Musk, the South African immigrant, bears an impatience and impulsivity not seen by the PEU Legends who quietly steered government policy and the federal budget to their benefit over the last three decades.

Just thinking as I saw Ares Capital, Blackstone, Apollo, Carlyle, KKR... how they've basically been unscathed monetarily as the rest of the world and the rest of us get shaken from the tree, i.e. become economic fallout.  Almost as if someone planned, wink-wink, to have it this way.  It's good to be the king. Winning!

Elon Musk is a stark giant window enabling citizens to see:

"the collapse of the veneer that masked the corruption within the ruling class and their pretense of democracy" - Chris Hedges

Elon's X army could soon be joined by the Tik Tok hoards.

Uncle Sam's wallet needs to be repurposed the support the political Red Team and their billionaire insiders.  DOGE needs to cut enough money to fund the next round of TechGod projects.  Yes, those devout libertarians dine mightily at the federal trough.  Let the Trump II engorgement begin!

Update:  Semafor reported:

An open-air bazaar has replaced a black market of influence-peddling. It’s unsettling to reporters who are used to having to dig around for evidence of pay-to-play, but it’s fascinating to watch everyone say the quiet part out loud.

Update 1-15-24:  Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend Trump II's coronation and may even sit together.  

Conservative WaPo columnist Jennifer Rubin resigned in response to Jeff Bezos full throated MAGA suckup and Trump II's authoritarian predilections.

Schwarzman Wants Truckloads of Money

Not sure how I got through the holiday season without seeing the Blackstone 2024 Holiday Video, but thank God I did.  This morning I reviewed the annual shameless promotion, which made fun of the 2023 "Alternatives Era" edition.  I guess Swifties failed to influence their parents to invest their hard earned retirement money in gated BX products.

I took the liberty of adding Blackstone's goal to the four image elevation of Blackstone founder Stephen Schwarzman.  

The video promoted a number of new Blackstone affiliates.  I made the promotion clear by adding affiliate logos to the images:

The high minds at Blackstone turned to country music for this year's "song."  Shot on the Southern streets of New York City.  Was it near the Southern District of New York, US District Court?

Everybody can enjoy the rich PEU men's video as it is embedded below.  I suggest you wait for your food to fully digest before viewing:

Update 1-9-25:  Blackstone is launching BXINFRA, an infrastructure fund available to wealthy individuals.  Blackstone Holdings Finance Co. LLC provided a $300 million line of credit due January 2026.

approximately 20% of the Fund’s Infrastructure Investment portfolio is comprised of fund interests in Blackstone’s infrastructure funds and a diversified secondaries portfolio.

The PEU boys are happy to be on all sides of a deal.  The better to generate more fees.  The fund is gated, like its sister fund BREIT.  Blackstone will also offer a credit fund for wealthy individuals.

Another article highlighted PEU's desire for access to retiree 401(k)'s and the hope that Trump II will deliver for them.  Trump II, the digital Caligula, may do that for his buddy Stephen Schwarzman.

PEU Lord David Rubenstein's Great Month

Carlyle Group co-founder and Declaration Partners founding father David Rubenstein saturated the airwaves in late 2024, early 2025.  He was one of nineteen citizens to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Several of his fellow recipients are also current or former private equity underwriters (PEU).

• Bono - Elevation Partners, The Rise Fund
• Hillary Clinton - Yucaipa, Fondo Accesso
• Magic Johnson - JLC Infrastructure, Detroit Venture Partners

Nantucket's The Inquirer and Mirror reported on the White House event:

Oddly, the paper failed to mention that Rubenstein's Nantucket estate has been the Thanksgiving vacation home for President Joe Biden, going back to his Vice President days.

Late last year Rubenstein spoke with Face the Nation.  It was their final episode of 2024.  He said:

Trump is- got more power than I think many people would have thought by the virtue of his victory size. In other words, he didn't win the way that, let's say, Richard Nixon did in his second term or Ronald Reagan in his second term, but he's won by enough so that people feel he's got a mandate and certainly he feels he's got a mandate. And I do think he's going to act like he's got a mandate. And Washington is bracing for what's going to happen

Historically U.S. Presidents from both political teams have catered to the PEU boys, who preferred to work behind the scenes to access Uncle Sam's wallet and steer government policy to their advantage.  

Trump's coronation on January 20th is being funded by corporations and wealthy individuals.  To have a seat at the inaugural table, corporations and wealthy individuals have to pony up $1 million.  CNBC's Jim Cramer referred to the $1 million donation this morning.  He seemed worried that it was the price of entry before noting Facebook's moves to curry favor with the incoming President.  Meta added a Trump buddy to their board and decimated their content review team.

Hollywood and entertainment types also have reason to be worried about a Trump White House hell bent on revenge.  That leads us to another Rubenstein role, Chair of the Kennedy Center.

In late November 2024 Rubenstein reneged on his retirement from The Kennedy Center Chairman role.  A year long search could not find a suitable replacement.  Rubenstein will remain in that role until September 2026.

The Kennedy Center honored President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (also a PEU with Pine Island Capital).  Rubenstein did the honors, however the recipients returned the compliments.  Jewish News Syndicate reported"

Biden called Rubenstein “one of the most generous people” during his remarks at the White House reception for the honorees on Dec. 8. Biden said that when he prepared to live in the president’s residence in the White House, his brother said, “‘Look, you want to be able to see from your desk—you want to be able to see Rubenstein.’ 

I said, ‘I beg your pardon?’ He said, ‘The Washington Memorial.’ This guy rebuilt the sucker.”

“You’re the best, David,” Biden added. “You are.”

Biden referred to the Washington Monument as "Rubenstein."  I'd call it philanthropy in lieu of taxes.

Not to be outdone, Blinken offered:

“Your contributions to American philanthropy, to the arts, are simply unparalleled. Your tenure as the board chair of the Kennedy Center—genuinely historic.” 

The Secretary of State reflected on the location of the special tribute ceremony, which took place in the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room in the Harry S. Truman Federal Building. 

“I’m reminded of the story of when Thomas Jefferson was appointed to follow Franklin as the United States ambassador to France,” Blinken said. “When Jefferson presented his credentials, the French foreign minister said, ‘You replace Monsieur Franklin,’ to which Jefferson replied, ‘I succeed him. No man can replace him.’” 

Blinken addressed Rubenstein, saying, “David—I’m glad the Kennedy Center has persuaded you to stay while they work to find the Jefferson to your Franklin.”

Rubenstein's avoidance of taxes, ability to lobby government officials as a non-lobbyist and discretely manipulate the strings of power is simply unparalleled.   It's what PEU Lords do and have done for the last two and a half decades. 

Trump catered to the PEU Lords in his first term, but now has the impatient, brash, live forever Tech Gods in his corner.   I can picture a December 2028 White House award ceremony with Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman and Apollo's Marc Rowan. 

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.  It's the Red Team's turn to steer Uncle Sam's wallet and regulatory regime in favor of their donors.  Carlyle's DNA ensured they had the players to appeal to both political teams.  We'll see if that is still allowed after Trump's coronation.

Rubenstein stated his Face the Nation interview:

...in the case of President Trump, for example, clearly he has some resentments. But I think overall, I believe he's going to rise above that in his second term.

"Rise above" could mean a lot of things to a Tyrannical Rectum Usurping as Much as Possible.

Update1-8-25:  On January 6th Rubenstein shared his latest "From David's Desk" which illuminates the U.S. debt limit.  The PEU boys know a thing or two about corporate debt but hate paying taxes to fund the national debt

City Hides PEU Spec Building in Industrial Park

The City of San Angelo petitioned the Texas Attorney General's Office to withhold public information regarding private equity deals regarding spec buildings in the Industrial Park.  I made the request after finding Chamber of Commerce Vice President Michael Looney stated:

We are well into discussions with the development of speculative buildings within the Business Park. That goes along with several private equity investment companies we are working with.

To date the AG's Office has not replied.  I called several days ago but the phone message said staff would be severely limited between December 23rd and January 3rd.  It's been two months and the City of San Angelo has shared zero information regarding this request.    

West Texas is hot for investment, given its multiple sources of energy production, oil/gas, wind and solar.  The Industrial Park has access to power, water and sewer.  It is served by San Angelo Police and Fire Departments.

Brookfield noted:

Private investors who invest with discipline and understand how to navigate regulatory regimes have an opportunity to invest in high-quality critical infrastructure, where these tailwinds are generating opportunities to grow the regulated asset base with accretive returns and strong downside mitigation. Further, such private investors with boots on the ground in local markets are well-positioned to partner with utilities and other relevant stakeholders to execute custom solutions.

Another investment opportunity is in assisting energy-intensive companies such as data center operators in securing enough power to meet their future needs.  Private investors with the capability to execute power purchase agreements stand to benefit from this trend, and this also underlines the need and potential for investment in both onsite, “behind the meter” renewable power and transmission connection.

Four months ago San Angelo's City Council approved an 85% tax abatement on an energy storage facility (battery farm) near the Industrial Park.  The private equity backed Zeppelin Energy Storage is not far from the Industrial Park.  Zeppelin will provide less than one new full time job in return for a $2.65 million tax break over a three year period.  The $2.65 million figure was not shared with City Council nor the public in the September 2024 meeting.

Opaqueness has long been a core competency of private equity underwriters (PEU).  Local governments should not enable that, especially in situations where PEU projects are receiving substantial public benefit, either in direct economic payments/subsidies or via tax breaks.  The Texas Attorney General's Office should not condone or facilitate such enabling.

Imagine getting a significant public benefit with no transparency.  That almost sounds illegal, however it has been the PEU way for decades.  They've ridden into our town, intent on taking.  Local officials seem ready to give while protecting the purloiner's identity.  

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.  

Update 1-7-25:  A UAE billionaire will put at least $20 billion into U.S. data centers, with some in Texas, according to President elect Donald Trump.

It's Here!

Welcome to 2025!  As foretold:

It's the Year of the TechGod in the midst of the Century of the Private Equity Underwriter (PEU).  Magically, they have made conflicts of interest completely disappear.  It is to their benefit.

The little people wait patiently as they have for the last twenty four years for the tiniest bit of trickledown.  They have witnessed tremendous trickleup during that time.

Update 1-14-24:  WallStreetonParade posted a warning regarding future fraud as a result of Trump II's planned loosening of financial regulations.  BetterMarkets CEO wrote:

"....The financial industry uses its economic power to buy political power which it then uses to increase its economic power. That just happened again in the November 2024 elections, and the financial industry is about to reap the rewards. The Trump administration is going to unleash a very dangerous juggernaut of deregulation of the financial industry.”

"Hire Your Daughter, Rent Your Own Building"

Anthony Scaramucci posted his August 2022 interview with Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein 

The discussion turned to politics, an area where Rubenstein is an innovator.  Rubenstein and his co-founders located Carlyle in Washington, D.C. in 1987 for the purpose of being close to political power and mining Uncle Sam's wallet.  For decades this was the private equity underwriter's (PEU) secret sauce.

Rubenstein told the Mooch:

"I'm not against business people, business leaders getting involved in government, politics and lobbying in one way or another.....

....you have to admit the level of money in politics today is so staggering that if we were a banana republic these campaign contributions would be called bribery....

....money is the mother's milk of politics....

....you can keep the money (political donations)  the law now is that you can keep the money that's not expended.  You can't use it for personal purposes, but for example, let's suppose you want to hire your daughter to be your campaign manager, you can give her a salary.  If you want to rent one of your own buildings for your campaign headquarters, you can use that money....

You can do a lot of personal things with the money that's left over....it's not a great situation honestly."

"A one, two or three million dollar donation" in the Summer of 2022 bought the attention of members of Congress who spent 40% of their time raising funds.  

Elon Musk spent over $250 million towards a Trump White House redux.  Other TechGods kicked in huge amounts for the return of the Donarch.  The $1 million donation plate is circulating in corporate C-Suites for the upcoming Trump coronation.

The PEU boys spent decades currying political favor and getting their will enacted into law as policy making billionaires.  It was silent, secret and surreptitious.  TechGods play fast, loose and loud.  Neither the PEU boys or TechGods have encountered a conflict of interest they couldn't minimize, discredit or simply ignore.  Government has mostly been the enabler of shady behavior, like the campaign finance laws described above.  

What few rules exist to restrain "what would be called bribery" in a banana republic are on their way out.  It's a horrific situation, one crafted for the unethical, the dishonest and those obsessed with earthly gains.  

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.  It's the Red Team's turn to steer the power of the federal budget to their friends and family.  TechGods want in on the action.