TechGods of Autonomous War & Spying Cheer Trump II

Trump II, the digital Caligula, announced he plans to increase his Pentagon budget proposal to Congress from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, a 50% increase in one year, in order to create a "Dream Military."  

"This will allow us to build the 'Dream Military' that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe."

TechGods of Autonomous Killing include Palmer Luckey of Anduril (unmanned vehicles/aircraft) and Elon Musk of Tesla (robots).

"It’s just, if we build this robot army do I have at least a strong influence over that robot army? Not current control but a strong influence. That's what it comes down to in a nutshell. I don't feel comfortable wielding that robot army if I don't have at least a strong influence."

And what might Elon do with that robot army?  

Elon Musk shared and endorsed a post on X that declared that white men cannot become a “minority” and “white solidarity is the only way to survive.”

TechGods of Spying are just as excited as their Autonomous Killing counterparts.  Alex Karp of Palantir can now be more bizarrely arrogant and violent in his language about his enemies, domestic and abroad.  Alex Karp and fellow TechGod/Palantir investor Peter Thiel cut their teeth protecting Bilderberg Group meetings.  Both Thiel and Karp served on Bilderberg's Steering Committee.  

Will any of that new Pentagon money be used to fund TechGod of Immortality Bryan Johnson's live forever fantasy?  I imagine Trump II would be very interested in that.

Trump II's deal with TechGods involves vast sums of federal money from Uncle Sam's wallet in return for complete loyalty and total fealty.  It appears both Trump and the TechGods are holding up their end of this dark bargain.

Their dream is our nightmare.

In Don We Strut

America's 250th anniversary celebrates everyone, including Trump II's creeps and financial criminals.  A new Trump $1 coin could be issued in support of that event.  I took the liberty of editing the mockup and adding a few of his ardent followers.

Trump's Proud Boys creeps returned to the Ellipse yesterday for the five year anniversary of Jan. 6th.  His various creep supporters who enacted violence that day are regrouping and aiming for retribution.  These are dark people with racist, violent agendas.  

Trump's pardoned financial criminals include fraudsters, tax evaders, witness tamperers and those who made or took illegal campaign donations.  Michael Milken is a private equity underwriter (PEU) founding father.  

"Milken is the junk-bond king who personified the 1980s buy-and-destroy era"

Milken's leveraged buyout organizations (LBO) became private equity (PE) in an effort to soften its image, but their "buy and destroy" tactics continued.  

George Santos promoted himself as a digital PEU in his run for Congress.  He ended up as fake as the coin pictured above.  

Americans voted for a businessman as President to fix their personal financial problems.  Trump II isn't interested in that.  He chose to adapt PEU's "buy and destroy" into "usurp, appendage and drain."  Trump wants to run everything and that comes with a management fee, direct or indirect.

"Corporate America has realized that President Trump likes to make major decisions that can effect Corporate America."--Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein on Bloomberg 1-7-26

For a Trump target it goes like this:  

Trump II decides your industry is making too much money and he wants a cut.  He picks a company within the industry and bores in.  A Trump goon tells the CEO "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."  A whole of government attack plan is revealed to the target.  CEOs may initially resist but they are the pretty lady in the dressing room.  Trump will have his way.  

The key is how much Trump II can extort from his victims while setting up obscene ongoing profit streams for his family and friends.

Trump's goal is to have a $200 billion net worth by the end of his second Presidency.  That comes on someone else's back be it in the U.S. or elsewhere.  Trump II, the digital Caligula, has empire on his mind and so far Congress and the Supremes have been lickspittle in holding up the pillars of democracy.

Trump II's entourage includes rich financial parasites, professional politicians, and his "all image, all the time" team.  Those closest to him are generally a group of sick, spineless, and acquiescers, all hoping for their share of drippings from their boss' obscene table.  A few are as twisted and mendacious as Trump II.

I don't know how the media covers it with the incessant lying, the rude insulting, his inability to admit error (which is learning), his creepiness towards women and his unceasing need for attention and adulation.

America's 250th birthday will be celebrated by Americans.  It's getting harder to believe Trump II is one worth celebrating given his widespread and significant destruction of U.S. Executive Branch norms, practices and legal obligations.

Update 1-9-26:  Trump II does not want or need international law.

The rules are his to make.  In reality they are all savage whims.  It's what he wants in that present moment.

Update 1-10-26:  The White House is "reviewing protocols" after Trump released unemployment data a day early.  Trump's release was described by economists as “unprecedented” and potentially in violation of long-standing federal policy." 

Office of Management and Budget policy bars executive branch officials from commenting on or releasing market-moving economic statistics prior to their official publication, and also prohibits public statements until at least 30 minutes after release. 

“No serious country does this.”

Trump showed the world long ago that he makes the rules and does not have to follow them.

The Guardian ran a story on Trump's international lurching based on personal whim and advised by close friends and family.  It quoted John Bolton:

“Trump has no philosophy, no national security grand strategy,” he said. “He doesn’t even do policy the way normal people understand that word. It’s all transactional, it’s all about Donald Trump, and that’s the prism through which he sees everything, including domestic policy, not just foreign policy. He listens to all these other people, but at the end of the day, it’s what’s in it for Donald Trump.”

And for that our democracy, our republic suffers.

Update 1-12-26:  Trump hit back on Exxon and threatened to keep the company out of Venezuela.   Eric Trump is marketing $10 billion in Saudi Arabian Trump branded real estate.

Polymarket Wager on Maduro: Insider Trading Encouraged

Futurism reported: 

....an unidentified user bet tens of thousands of dollars on various predictions that Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro would be imminently “out” or that the US forces would show up “in Venezuela by” a specified date during the runup to the incursion. 

The account “existed for only one week and quickly became the biggest ‘yes’ holder in the Maduro out market,” Brody tweeted. The evidence of insider trading is compelling, to say the least, given the highly suspicious timing. 

The account invested over $30,000 less than two days before the United States launched its invasion to kidnap Maduro and his wife and “profited $400,000 in less than 24 hours,” as sports entrepreneur Joe Pompliano calculated in a post on Bluesky. 

“Seems pretty suspicious!” he added. “[Secretary of defense] Pete Hegseth making some beer money on the side?” Brody joked. 

“Insider trading is not only allowed on prediction markets; it’s encouraged,” Pompliano argued.

Polymarket may not care but federal employees have ethics standards they are required to meet.  I imagine that $370,000 profit is taxable under federal law.  Self reporting is required.   

So who was the insider?  Was it an insider's insider?

Polymarket, the world's largest predictions market, has received an investment from Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital fund, 1789 Capital.  Don Jr. also joined Polymarket's Advisory Board.

Was the tip passed in the Executive Club, an exclusive high dollar club promoting access to Trump administration officials?  Don Jr. and his 1789 Capital peers are owners of the Executive Club.  

If it was a U.S. user Polymarket should know their identity:

The U.S. Requirement: Full Identity Verification 

If you are a “Polymarket Bro” based in the United States using the new regulated app, the rules are different.  To comply with federal law and CFTC regulations: 

Mandatory KYC: You must complete full identity verification before you can deposit a single dollar. 

What You’ll Need: Be prepared to provide your full name, date of birth, residential address, and your Social Security Number (SSN). 

Document Upload: You will likely need to provide a photo of a government-issued ID (Driver’s License or Passport).

I look forward to learning who the new account holder was.  It would be rich if the insider knowledge profiteer was a Trump son, given the harangues delivered over Hunter Biden.  Yes, that was part of Trump's whipping up the crowd five years ago on Jan. 6, 2021.  

The political Red Team does double standard better than anyone.  It's danged near perfection.

Plethora of Trump Related Products Confusing

It's hard keeping the various Trump branded money making initiatives straight.  Trump Media made two year end announcements that further muddied the picture.  

The first involved Truth Social Funds and its five new ETFs.

These are different than the three Truth.Fi ETFs announced last year in conjunction with crypto.com.  Those are yet to come to market.  Truth Social Funds are a collaboration with Yorkville America and Commonwealth Fund Services.

Truth Social Funds showed a Richmond, Virginia address.  That address houses a number of funds.  It probably has a long way to go to equal the Ugland House (Caymans) but at the rate Trump named products are hitting the market I believe they can get there.

Trump Billionaires Club game was released at the end of December.  It pushes the $TRUMP meme-coin, not to be confused with $WLFI token, USD1 or the yet to be released DJT (Trump Media) digital token for shareholders (the other announcement).  All four are Trump related crypto products.

That's not all.  Don't forget:

Trump Media Group CRO Strategy, will focus on acquiring CRO tokens from the Cronos blockchain ecosystem. The end result will be a $6.42bn digital asset treasury company.

2025 ended with a merger announcement between Trump Media and TAE Technologies.  Trump's digital scattershot enterprise will combine with nuclear fusion, clean power/storage and small molecule cancer treatment.  

It has the same feel and consistency of U.S foreign policy.  Cobble a bunch of whims together and sell the hell out of it.  We'll see who buys outside the MAGA faithful and billionaires wanting to indirectly funnel money to Trump II and his family.  This too shall pass.

Update 1-6-25:  A Trump U.S. dollar coin (real currency) may be on the way for our 250th Anniversary.

I took the liberty of changing "In God We Trust" to "In Don We Strut."  We now have the "Donroe Doctrine" for Trump II's land, resource and power grabbing whims in our neighborhood.  Trump II already charges tariffs (protection money).   As he said in his speech today, world leaders are happy to pay.

Update 1-11-26:  Trump already has a gold tennis shoe for sale but added one with 2028.  They sell for $799.  

Insufferable, Conflicted Sacks is Window into Trump II

Trump II's Crypto/AI czar David Sacks holds stakes in hundreds of AI related companies through Craft Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, direct investments, the Production Board, Beldore Capital, Sequoia and AL Ventures.  

His financial disclosure shows 30 investments with AI in the company name under Craft Venture Funds.

David Sacks is co-founder and partner at Craft.

Sacks recently cited widespread fraud in government programs.

This occurred during an "All In Podcast."  

The country is being "eaten alive" by little people gaming the system.

Wow, I thought VC's new how to analyze financial numbers.  The deficit has been caused by the government spending far more money than it takes in and has done so for decades under both Red and Blue political teams.  

"Stolen money maybe leading to stolen elections."  Really, David?

Silicon Valley poured more than $394.1m into the US presidential election

The latter half of the podcast focused on California's billionaire tax, an upcoming ballot measure.  The measure imposes a 5% tax on assets.  CBS News reported:

Craft Ventures, a venture capital firm co-founded in 2017 by billionaire tech investor David Sacks said on December 31 that it had opened a new office in Austin, Texas. The firm added that Sacks, who also serves as a White House adviser on AI and cryptocurrency, had relocated to Austin earlier that month, although it didn't mention the proposed wealth tax. He had previously resided in San Francisco.

Sacks isn't the only one scoping out new locations:

Peter Thiel announced on Dec. 31 that his private investment firm, Thiel Capital, has opened a Miami office.

Fraud is fraud and should be investigated, with charges brought based on evidence.  Crypto is historically fraught with fraud.  One might expect Sacks to be laser focused in that area, especially has his favored Solana has been a source of frequent "pump and dumps" and "rug pulls."

Trump II has gutted many federal financial investigative bodies.  He has blown through historical ethical norms around public servants declaring and disposing of conflicting assets.  

Trump II's giant money grab for his family and friends is concerning for this independent voter.  That money grab comes with a price, fealty and constant complimenting of the boss.  It also requires giving way to offensive comments, rude actions, manipulative behavior and sexual creepiness by that same boss.  I'm sure the "All In" Crowd thinks it is worth it.

The time will come for them to atone for their earthly behavior.  I'd love to be alive to see that final "All In" Episode.  "How did we do with our time on this plane?"  

Title it:  "TechGods meet the real God."  I doubt the term "winning" comes up.  

And the last shall be first......

Update 1-6-26:  Addition to the theme that billionaires and giant corporations hate paying taxes but love tapping Uncle Sam's wallet.

“...the deal waters down a landmark 2021 agreement that set a minimum global corporate tax of 15%.

This deal risks nearly a decade of global progress on corporate taxation only to allow the largest, most profitable American companies to keep parking profits in tax havens.”

Trump II and the Red Team are far more concerned about boosting corporate profits than helping with the high cost of goods and housing.

Update 1-9-26:  Fortune reported:

Google cofounder Larry Page has quietly—or loudly—joined the billionaire exodus from California, shifting businesses east and dropping about $173 million on two ultra-luxury waterfront mansions in Miami’s Coconut Grove.  

​​Some Silicon Valley executives, notably Anduril’s Palmer Luckey, warned such an outcome was possible, saying in late December founders would have to sell off parts of their companies to pay for “fraud, waste, and political favors for the organizations pushing this ballot initiative.”

The Un-Revisable Donald Trump

The toxic sludge of 2025 is oozing into 2026.  The ending of a year is supposed to be a time to take stock of what went well, what is not working or going poorly, and how to make changes going forward.  

Trump II, the digital Caligula, is undeterred in his efforts to turn the U.S. government into a money funnel for his family and friends.   That means holding Congress for the Red Team in the 2026 midterms.  

Blackstone Group co-founder Stephen Schwarzman has long been a Red Team political supporter.  Private equity underwriters (PEU) have sponsored politicians of both stripes for decades, preferring to do so quietly, behind the scenes.  Trump II added a new big money group to his side, TechGods.

TechGods are far brasher than PEUs (aka the greed and leverage boys).  Never mind that their products harm children or have criminal early adopters.  Meta had a policy that forgave child sex predators fifteen times.  TechGods know that their federal immunity from criminal liability would be long gone based solely on public will. 

PEUs have a similar benefit, highly unpopular with the American electorate.  It's their preferred "carried interest" taxation which enables billionaires to pay lower tax rates on income than their secretary or gardener.  Both political teams have run campaigns on eliminating this benefit, but can never get together to actually implement those promises.

In 2025 Trump II granted PEUs their wish to enter worker 401(k) retirement accounts.  Retirees can now chose to invest in private equity, private credit and other alternative investments.  One can now have a Bitcoin IRA.  

Why should anyone put supposedly safe retirement money into a speculative cryptocurrency?  It only makes sense if the U.S. economy is morphing into a giant casino.  That leads us to a recent TechGod offering, prediction markets.  They market user opinion as knowledge in order to avoid the stain of wagering.  Nearly 80% of the public has no interest in using prediction markets.  

Trump II is a salesman and is selling on behalf of TechGods (in addition to subsidizing them).  

Only 38% think AI will improve health, whilst 36% think AI will improve the national economy, 31% see a positive impact on the job market, and 37% believe it will enhance their own jobs.

The Trump boys are profiting far more directly from their father's executive orders and budgetary priorities than Hunter Biden ever did selling a few paintings and sitting on the Burisma board.  Don Jr., Eric and Jared's take is in the billions in Year 1 of Trump II.

The New Year pump is on for $TRUMP now that Trump Billionaire Club game has launched.  $TRUMP rose from $4.70 to over $5.00.  

Trump family companies make money three ways, by owning the vast majority of Trump meme-coins, earning licensing fees and a cut of trading revenues.  

$TRUMP's trend line has mostly gone down, but several events caused a bounce.  His "dinner with the President" competition for top $TRUMP holders spiked the meme-coin from $12 to over $16.  The Saudi Crown Prince's visit ran it from $6 to $9.  Time will tell what Trump Billionaires Club game does for his meme-coin.  

A Bloomberg columnist derided Trump II's impact on norms.  I decry his impact on knowledge, which requires theory.

"One failure of a theory requires its modification" - Dr. W. Edwards Deming

Trump's irreality has him doubling down on false facts and nonsense narratives.  He is incapable of revising his beliefs that have no basis in reality.  As a wise physician once told me, "That person is refractory to learning." 

Why should anyone care that our President is incapable of ingesting new information and revising his theories about the world as his mind is overloaded with hubris, greed and self aggrandizing?  Because like attracts like.  Because the President is a role model for youth

Trump is un-revisable.  For most of us that requires endurance, awareness and naming that which is going on.  Thus, having closed out a 2025 PEU Year, we enter 2026, the Year of the society harming TechGod.  

Independent voters may have ditched Trump II, but the PEU boys and their TechGod brethren remain firm supporters.  They have the money and technology to manipulate people and intend to do just that.  Please revise your world view to incorporate this.

Update 5-19-26:  The Guardian reported on harm being done to people via prediction markets:

Most gamblers lose money, and prediction markets are no different. Seven in 10 traders record losses on Polymarket, according to the Wall Street Journal, and a tiny percentage of accounts make 67% of profits. (Polymarket declined to comment on the journal’s numbers.) Kalshi told the journal that there were 2.9 unprofitable users for every profitable one in April. 

Kalshi and Polymarket have powerful allies: Donald Trump Jr serves as an adviser to both, and Truth Social is developing its own prediction market called Truth Predict.

Closing Out 2025 PEU Year with Sprinkles

It was the best of times for private equity underwriters (PEU) and their TechGod brethren in 2025, as long as they aligned themselves with Trump II, the digital Caligula.  Trump II, freshly installed, brought disruption and dislocation to the federal government, dumping workers in exchange for expensive technology.  

The Department of Ungodly Greedy Executives Biased Against Government (DOUGEBAG) fell far short of its goal of saving $2 trillion.  Federal employee headcount decreased by 271,000 workers but overall federal spending rose by $435 billion.  Trump II may be loathe to spend money on people but he knows how to turn a monetary firehose at his priority projects.

It was the worst of times for employees of Sprinkles Cupcakes, a private equity affiliate of KarpReilly.  The chain of cupcake shops closed for good on New Year's Eve (12-31-25).  At best, employees got a day's notice of the closure.  Little warning of job loss during the holidays sounds like a PEU move.

Trump II, in addition to bringing the PEU model to government, dismantled regulations and enforcement mechanisms for what remains.  All in all, 2025 was a very PEU year.

Update 1-11-26:  WaPo did a story on Sprinkles failure and the shabby ending inflicted by PEU owners.