By Ron Paul
Over the weekend, as a US carrier strike group made its way toward Iran, President Trump told Politico, “It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran.” This pro “regime change” statement came just days after the US and Israel-led covert operation to overthrow the Iranian government was finally defeated by Iranian authorities. The US President is making it clear he is not giving up on “regime change” for Iran. Late last week the world held its breath expecting a US missile strike on Iran after Trump promised “help is on the way” to the US-backed insurrectionists. President Trump claimed that he called off the strikes at the last minute when he was told that Iran would hold off on executing the ringleaders of the revolt. Ironically, Trump himself has ordered the execution of more than 100 individuals on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean without charges, trials, or convictions. The renewed military threats on Iran come after the unprecedented fifth visit to DC this year by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was said to be arriving with a renewed demand for US military action against Iran. Add to this the recent US military operation to kidnap the President and first lady of Venezuela and take the country’s oil, as well as President Trump’s increasing demands for control over Greenland, and the aggressive militarism of this Administration is about the polar opposite of what was promised by Candidate Trump. And the American people are taking notice. Three recently released polls could spell disaster for Trump’s second term – and for Republicans in this year’s midterm elections. According to a Quinnipiac University Poll released last week, seven in ten Americans oppose the US use of force against Iran, including a solid majority of Republican voters. Eighty percent of the very important independent voters oppose any US attack on Iran. On President Trump’s renewed demand for control of Greenland – control he claimed he would get “the easy way or the hard way” – that same Quinnipiac poll shows that 86 percent of Americans surveyed oppose taking the territory by force. A majority of 55 percent of Americans polled do not even want President Trump to purchase the massive island. An AP/NORC poll also released last week showed President Trump’s approval rating on foreign policy has shrunk to a new low in his presidency. According to the poll, “Forty-five percent of adults want the US to take a less active role in global affairs, up from 33 percent in September 2025.” Americans are clearly more interested in getting our problems solved at home than acting as policeman for the world. Perhaps even worse for President Trump and the Republicans, according to a newly-released Real Clear Politics poll, President Trump’s approval rating hits new second-term low of 42.1 percent. Whatever praise President Trump may be receiving from his inner circle – which is increasingly neocon – and a small group of MAGA supporters, such aggressive operations overseas are rapidly losing him the support of the rest of the American people. And that includes Republicans. Trump ran on “no new wars” and “no more regime change overseas.” These are very popular positions. Abandoning these positions has cost Trump dearly. We can hope that in the remaining three years President Trump will rediscover Candidate Trump’s positions and show his neocon advisors the door.
President Trump has threatened several European countries - NATO allies - with tariffs of as much as 25 percent by June if Greenland is not handed over to the United States. What will Europe do? Also - a new study shows that tariffs do not work as claimed by the Trump Administration. You'll never guess who pays...
Basic economic logic and thousands of years of recorded history have verified that price controls take a bad economic circumstance and make it even worse. But alas, President Trump, who seems to be looking for a quick fix to pacify public anger for the results of his policies, is pushing for price controls. Whether it be interest rates, credit card rates, electricity rates ... the more the government subsidizes and interferes with what's left of market prices, the bigger and more numerous the problems become.
The world waited anxiously last night as all signs pointed to a US strike on Iran. The attack did not come and many wonder whether this is more trickery or if the president has wisely decided to resist neocon demands. Polls suggest Americans overwhelmingly oppose US strikes on Iran.
What at first seemed like a whimsical or even humorous claim has now taken a more sinister turn. President Trump has demanded that Greenland come under control of the US government or the Russians or Chinese will take if over. Will the US invade? Purchase? Lease?
President Trump is turning up the "regime change" dial to 11, with social media posts urging Iran's waning riots to ramp back up and overthrow the government. Trump promises the rioters that "help is on the way." It seems the "no regime change" President has become fully enthralled with regime change. Meanwhile, US military assets are heading toward the Middle East.  Time is running out for your year-end donation to the Ron Paul Institute to be DOUBLED by a generous donor. Please support the Liberty Report and the other Institute projects before it's too late: https://ronpaulinstitute.org/donate/
By Ron Paul
It did not take long for President Trump to change the reason for sending the US military to “arrest” Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The allegation that President Maduro ran a drug cartel was front and center in the months leading up to President Maduro’s “arrest.” Afterwards, President Trump said the invasion was about Venezuela’s oil and announced plans for the US government to send American oil companies into Venezuela. About a week after the invasion, President Trump had a meeting with executives from American oil companies to discuss plans for Venezuela. Some of the companies’ executives at the meeting were less than enthusiastic about developing Venezuelan oil. One reason for this is that, since the Venezuelan government nationalized oil activities twenty years ago, fracking has made the US the world’s leading producer of oil and natural gas. Rebuilding the oil industry in Venezuela could cost as much as a billion dollars for an uncertain payoff. Among the complications, Venezuelan oil does not easily flow though pipelines unless it is cut with solvents, making it more expensive to transport. In his first press conference after the Venezuelan first couple was seized, President Trump said: “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.” He later stated that Maduro’s successor Vice President Delcy Rodriguez would “pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” if she does not adequately fulfill the US government’s demands. Following the invasion of Venezuela, there have been suggestions that President Trump will direct the US military to invade other countries as well. For example, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio said, “if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned.” To no one’ s surprise, Senator Lindsey Graham was delighted by the possibility that Venezuela was just the first of many regime change wars President Trump will wage. Senator Graham even got President Trump to autograph a Make Iran Great Again hat. Many Iranian victims of the Shah of Iran’s secret police might disagree with Senator Graham on whether having the CIA install another puppet government in Iran will make that country great. President Trump’s newfound love of regime change wars may be one reason why he is seeking to increase the military budget to 1.5 trillion dollars. President Trump claims that tariff revenue can fund the increase, but that is simply not possible. The majority of the increase in spending would come from other taxes, including the Federal Reserve’s regressive and hidden inflation tax. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that there is much less support for an “activist” US foreign policy among Americans under 50 than among older Americans. This is the case among both Democrats and Republicans. In fact, the differing view on foreign policy among younger people was a major factor behind President Trump’s support from younger people in 2024. Continued betrayal by President Trump of his no more regime change wars pledge will cause the president and the Republicans to lose support among younger voters.
President Trump has pledged to use force against the Iranian government if he decides that too many protesters in that country have been killed. Is it a realistic threat? Will he launch yet another regime change operation in just the first month of the year? Also today, US oil executives pledge to invest in Venezuela - with American government guarantees.
Trump/Vance was presented as "the peace ticket," and was voted in with the expectation of focusing on America instead of the rest of the world. But alas, the addiction to Empire has proven to be too strong once again. The Trump Administration has been laser-focused on foreign nations, while our own nation continues to struggle quite substantially. Yesterday, the president even proposed a $1.5 TRILLION military budget. Are we reaching the mania phase, or what market traders call the "blowoff top" of Empire?
The US Coast Guard has boarded and seized a Russian-flagged tanker in the north Atlantic, claiming the right to interdict any shipping contrary to US sanctions. Will Russia respond?
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