What a Week... Trump’s Plan Is Working - Top 3 Takeaways January 9th, 2026
Takeaway #1: It’s working
What’s working? All of it. What’s all of it? Trump’s economic policy. Trump’s foreign policy. Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown. All of it. Let me start on the economic side. Here are two CNBC headlines from yesterday: Trade deficit in October hits smallest since 2009 after Trump’s tariff moves & Real estate agents say the housing market is starting to balance out. Here a little ditty from the first story... With exports rising and imports falling, the trade shortfall was just $29.4 billion for October, down 39% from the prior month. Exports increased 2.6% while imports slipped 3.2%. The total was the lowest since the second quarter of 2009 as the U.S. was just coming out of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. And here’s a quote in the story from chief economist Chris Rupkey: The U.S. appears to be winning the trade war with tariffs curbing the imports of foreign goods, but America’s trading partners are not holding any grudge as they continue to buy more American goods and services. So, look at that... The lowest trade deficit in 17 years. We’re winning the trade war. Which btw, and this isn’t in the story but was part of the analysis I brought to you earlier this week... Since President Trump implemented his Liberation Day tariff policy 59% of manufacturing companies that do business in the United States increased manufacturing activity which led to an increase in U.S. manufacturing employment of 244,000 jobs, with an additional 174,000 jobs have been protected... Plus the U.S. economy has grown at a 4.1% annualized rate in the first two full quarters since the implementation of the tariff policy. As well, the rate of inflation has declined and wage growth has grown faster than the rate NET of inflation by about 1% for the first time since Trump was previously president. As for the real estate story...without parsing through a bunch of details, in CNBC’s survey the housing market is now the most balanced it’s been since...you guessed it. Trump was last president of the United States. The combination of moderating prices and lower mortgage rates is bringing neutrality to the real-estate market that has the potential to lead to a healthy housing market this year for the first time since the pandemic imbalances and the impact of ‘Bidenflation. That’s independent of President Trump’s executive order this week seeking to end corporations from being able to scoop up single-family homes which has aided inventory shortfalls and driven up prices in many communities – especially throughout Florida. Trump’s economic policy is working...all of it including...
Takeaway #2: The impact on energy
The price of a barrel of oil last Friday averaged $57.50. The price of a barrel of oil today is $57.25. I mention that only because for some reason that never made sense to me one of the narratives of the Left to start the week was that oil prices would rise because the Trump administration arrested Venezuela’s illegitimate President Nicolas Maduro. Through my analysis earlier in the week I illustrated how Venezuela has 17% of the world’s oil reserves but most recently only accounts for about 1% of the daily production due to the nationalization and state-controlled energy complex that’s in a dilapidated state. In other words, ousting Maduro and even having uncertainty around the transition never had the potential to significantly impact the energy markets negatively, however there’s enormous upside to increase production and reduce energy prices with stability and U.S investment going forward. So here we are with oil prices lower today than a week ago when it was status quo in Venezuela and with gas prices already at five-year lows...prices that one again are the lowest since Trump was previously president of the United States. Plus, during this week, the U.S. has confiscated illegally trafficked oil out of Venezuela totaling $2.5 billion in market value that’s set to benefit Americans and Venezuelans alike. And that’s just within the first week. Trump’s plan on energy and foreign policy is working. As for what’s not working...
Takeaway #3: This will not work out the way the Left thinks it will
The average American remains a decent and good person who goes to work, tries to get ahead, raises a family and is simply trying to be the best they can day in and day out. This means they generally appreciate law enforcement doing what they do to keep their family and communities safe, and oh btw, they also voted for Donald Trump for president in large part for this very reason. The average American is glad the border is closed and that criminal illegal immigrants are being removed from their communities. This means that the average person appreciates the double-digit decrease in crime that we’ve experienced over the past year and would love for their community to become safer still. This means that the average person is generally supportive of law enforcement professionals – which, related, today is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. This means that the average person doesn’t believe it’s acceptable to threaten law enforcement officers or to attempt to prevent them from doing their jobs. Democrats across the country largely supported the BLM riots and defund the police movement until they realized that even the average Democrat isn’t an ANTIFA member too. This has led to elected Democrats pretending to be something that they’re often not – supportive of police and the rule of law. But what’s played out in Minneapolis this week has brought their true intentions to the forefront once again. From the highest elected Democrat officials in Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, to the new face of their party in Zohran Mamdani, to Timpon Walz in Minnesota – we've seen elected Democrat after Democrat reveal who they really are and what they really believe. They’re for open borders. They’re pro illegal immigrants. They’re anti-law enforcement. To be clear...to be anti-ICE, means you’re anti-law enforcement. And this is also something that the average person, living the typical life, taking care of their family also knows. There’s so much that’s sad about a mother of three being shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday. But what’s most overlooked is how sad it is that 37-year-old mother of three was so radicalized that she used her time to attempt to stop ICE from carrying out the law. This whole thing is defund police 2.0 and it won’t work out the way that the Left things it will. As I’ve said throughout the week. We’re set up as a country for unprecedented success. Trump’s plan is working.