by Malek Dudakov
[REGNUM] The Donald Trump administration is ending 2025 in a very turbulent situation. The White House has placed the United States on the brink of a new conflict—an operation against Venezuela could begin any day now. The situation in the Caribbean is quickly spiraling out of control.
Is it? Are you sure?During this difficult period, divisions within America are deepening, and the upcoming congressional elections, in which Republicans risk losing the initiative, are inexorably approaching.
In Washington, the endless Groundhog Day continues.
For the second week in a row, information has been leaking about an allegedly imminent declaration of war on Caracas. And each time, it doesn't happen—Trump's speeches shift from focusing on the economy and inflation to promising a massive rearmament of the Pentagon.
| Playing with adrenaline fight-or-flight surges. Not kind, but effective. |
| Something to worry about a few years from now, I suspect. |
| …and standards. He’s very keen on gold standards. |
If these projects are truly "golden" in any way, it's their cost. The "golden dome," which is designed to provide satellite tracking of all objects flying toward the United States, could cost between $800 billion and $4 trillion, according to various estimates.
| The economy is doing better than anticipated by some, and spending continues to fall. DOD logistics is working in streamlining everything, which will save more money. So we might be able to pay for the thing without having to find additional funds. Interesting times, for sure. |
The situation is similar with the promised “golden fleet”.
Trump's team is proposing new ships to replace the troubled Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and their successors, the Zumwalt-class destroyers. The new ships would have a tonnage twice that of the Zumwalt-class destroyers. They are proposed to be equipped with hypersonic weapons, drone-killing lasers, and nuclear cruise missiles.
The Zumwalt destroyer program, launched in the early 2000s, turned out to be one of the most disastrous in the modern history of the Pentagon.
Around $22 billion was spent on it, and only three of the promised 32 ships were built over the years. Everything broke down, even the main missile launchers, so it's easier to list the technical components that these destroyers had no issues with. Now the ships have to be constantly in repair. And their cost has increased by 50% during their development.
Now the Trump administration wants to launch its own project for new ships—even more technologically sophisticated. It's clear they'll face similar problems.
| He and his people are product-focussed, not process-focussed, except inasmuch as the process can be streamlined to get to the final product quicker. |
| That’s the past error,not nailing the thing down upfront, then letting the manufacturer get on with it. |
China's sanctions against the American military-industrial complex are also having an impact, dealing a severe blow to the US military giants: in 2025, they faced a rare earth metal shortage.
| Except that other sources than China for the stuff have long been known, and mines are already gearing up, mines that have better, more efficient equipment than the Chinese can afford. |
US military corporations use approximately 80,000 components made from Chinese raw materials and minerals.
| They did… |
Not to mention the fact that the advanced weapons that they want to equip the new “golden” ships with are still only in the development stage.
The Pentagon has already reported the deployment of the first American hypersonic Dark Eagle missiles, designed to be launched from Zumwalt-class destroyers. However, this is merely an attempt to mitigate criticism from Congress. After all, the Dark Eagle missiles were originally scheduled to enter service with the Navy in 2023.
But the deadlines, once again, are inexorably slipping—even now, only testing of these missiles is ongoing, and even then with varying success. And actual combat use of the Dark Eagles is unlikely to be seen before the late 2020s. The situation is similar with the promised lasers.
The Tomahawk nuclear cruise missiles were decommissioned during Barack Obama's reset of relations with Russia in the early 2010s. Their return will require a great deal of time and effort.
With his statements, Trump is predictably trying to convey to the electorate the arrival of America's "golden age," as envisioned in his inaugural address. However, as is often the case, so far all that's been achieved is limited to pretty renderings and PR.
In reality, Russia is currently the undisputed leader in strategic weapons. China, meanwhile, has already surpassed the United States in naval size. Moreover, the Chinese are rapidly building dozens of new destroyers, while the Pentagon is decommissioning more ships than it is acquiring.
But amid escalating domestic crises, the White House is left to sell voters a vision of a bright future. They say, "Don't worry about rising supermarket prices or unaffordable housing. Instead, rejoice in the fact that America will soon have its own "golden fleet." And by 2028, we might even be able to return astronauts to the moon."
However, many problems are emerging here as well. And NASA fears they could be overtaken by the Chinese, who are busily preparing to land taikonauts on the Moon.
However, American voters are rather cool to all these abstract projects, which is reflected in public opinion polls.
Trump's approval ratings continue to decline—they often don't even exceed 40%.
| The writer is behind the times — back in November his approval dropped to 44%. But as of two days ago, according to the NY Post, President Trump polled approval at 50% among likely voters, while only 41% disapprove. |
The recent Turning Point USA conference in Arizona once again exposed the current divisions on the American right.
Hawks clashed with isolationists, with J.D. Vance calling for Ukraine to be forgotten, Tucker Carlson criticizing the war with Venezuela, and interventionists like Ben Shapiro calling for support for Israel and generally advancing American interests abroad.
| Conservatives, like Jews, like to argue. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis, facts vs fiction, counterfactuals. We’re good with all of it, or at least amused, and it results in better questions and better answers than forcing consensus at the beginning. Rob Schneider spoke about Ms Owens at TPUSA, a perfect example . |
The Democrats are also experiencing their own internal turmoil. But at least they are united by the common goal of fighting Trump.
| Losing to The Donald, anyway. And never quite able to figure out why, poor dears. |
In that case, Trump's team faces the opening of its main front in the war—with Congress. And once there, in the context of a civil war with the Democrats, it will certainly have no time for Venezuela or Ukraine.
| The 2026 election is going to be fascinating. But it certainly won’t keep President Trump and his team from multitasking. Facebook Reel: Rob Schneider at TPUSA addresses the issue that is Candace Owens. |