What! Trump Warns BRICS w/100% Tariffs if the US Dollar is Replaced!!

All right, hello everybody and welcome again to Geopolitical Trends Where Truth Matters. Excited to be with you once again, and I know we had the, the earlier live stream at 0800 hours, so I was up at 6:30 this morning and, uh, just went for my own walk outside and it was cold, and, uh, but just to psych myself for, for the day, but Today I'm, I'm, I'm also excited to do my second live stream with you guys. So anyway, I got an interesting topic. We're going to be talking about, uh, the threat that President-elect Trump just issued regarding, uh, BRICS countries. And yes, I used the term bullying in the title. Now remember, that doesn't mean just Trump himself, because Biden himself was bullying BRICS or the rest of the, the world for that matter. So, so the, the term bullying is not specifically just for Trump, it's for, uh, just I used it there to sort of make a point, if I may use the term. And I will explain the tactics behind all this one in this live stream here. So, but first, let me first, uh, mention two things. Well, actually let's go first since now I'm by myself here. I can, uh, uh, uh, just take our time with this. Let me say hi to the community first. John Robertson, good to see you. Uh, you wrote bullying was Biden's way. Yes, I agree. Yeah, I agree with you. So Willie Holman, good to see you. Steve, uh, uh, Oto Atsi, good to see you. And I like your comment, I'm gonna share it here. Uh, the US needs to think to rethink its ways of dealing with the rest of the world. No one is scared by its bullying except European leaders. Hegemony is not for tomorrow's world. The world wants win-win deals. I couldn't agree more, Steve. You are spot on, man. Appreciate you sharing that. Muslim Revert, good to see you. Muhammad Mazhar Uddin, as always. Alwan Umer, good to see you. Taiwan Steel, as always. Truth Seeker, good to see you. Hong Wong, hey, you are good to see you. Harry Lokel, good to see you, man. I hope all is well in your neck of the woods there. Army with Harmony, good to see you, and thank you for your support. Army with Harmony buying me coffee, so much appreciate that. Yes, there are some still buying me coffee, and I'm very, very grateful to all of that. So thank you very much, Army with Harmony. And Ping Yu, and hello to you as well. So, all right, let me start first of all with some housekeeping stuff just to keep you informed what's going on. Like I mentioned earlier, I, uh, for the, uh, the conversation I just had with Anna, uh, Mindog about Sara Duterte and the President Marcos Jr., so I hope you guys found it very interesting, you learned something from it. And, and I already read the comments that many of you said yes to the question of me interviewing the vice president of Philippines— of the Philippines, rather, uh, Sara Duterte. And it would be an honor and privilege. And of course, I'm opening the door also for the other side of the government. If any in Marcos' government wants to come in here and explain to the, uh, to my viewers, the community first, but also to the Filipino people about the failure of the policies, whatever, the platform is open for them as well. So, but for Sara Duterte, the vice president, she's welcome if she decides to come on the show here, and I will be happy to have that interview with her. So a second thing is be on a lookout on Saturday for the surprise. You all remember when I went to China and I told you there is something I was working on Well, finally it's, uh, completed and I am going to release it on Saturday, so be on the lookout for that. Uh, I'm trying to plug in here cancellation of the noise. Uh, I will be releasing that on Saturday, uh, I think around 0800 in the morning. So just take a look at it and check it out and give me your feedback on that. So this is pertaining to my trip, a recent trip to China. Speaking of China, uh, I am thinking and most likely will start planning on heading back to China in a few months. So I will, guys, keep you informed and posted about that one. So, all right, let's get into our topic. Former, uh, uh, the president-elect and former President Trump issued some sort of a strong warning, and to me it was like the equivalency of bullying, you know, Who are you to dictate to countries which currencies they use? But again, I'm just thinking out loud for, for now, but we're gonna have to really delve deeper into understanding what this is all about. So, so the strong warning was to the BRICS countries, and this one was in form of the imposition of 100% tariffs on their goods if they ever— meaning BRICS countries, the 9 countries that is— attempt to create a currency that could rival the US dollar. Well, first of all, let us ask the key questions here, then we'll move, uh, then we'll move from there. So first question: is Trump being a bully? Once again, I use the term, but remember, Biden did the same. As a matter of fact, presidents before Biden, you know, all American presidents, one way or another, they have bullied some other countries around the world. So it just— I want you to, to understand, this is not specifically aimed at Trump himself, but it's just the, the setting of it. So is Trump being a bully? Second question, will this strategy work? Third question, how is Trump being perceived following these announcements around the world? And the first— the fourth question is, are there, or what will be the geopolitical implication of this particular decision or strategy or thinking or policy, whatever term you want to use? So, so, and this is where we're going to get in into, uh, this analysis here. Well, like I mentioned, uh, the president-elect Uh, and I have some pictures, guys. I need to share them with you as I speak. There we go. So President-elect Trump just made this, uh, shocking announcement. Now what you need to understand about Trump— Trump is a showman, okay? His— most of his dealings has been in the business. So even the approach to governance is from that mindset, mindset of business dealing, but not in the form of a win-win. It's in form of coercion in this case. This is why this bullying comes in. So, uh, so the idea that, uh, this shocking announcements to the world as far as, uh, him imposing tariffs on the BRICS countries' goods— and the BRICS that includes, of course, the major Those are major, some major economic power, some of the emerging powers. That includes, uh, what China, Russia, not emerging economies, but they are. But you think about China, Russia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and United Arab Emirates. So of course Argentina and Saudi Arabia are out because they're never in, they, they chickened out. So, or we've been, they've been pressured to do so. So now, what is this shocking announcement that is all about? It is all about that if the dollar, US dollar, is replaced in the transactions, either bilateral or multilaterally, as a global reserve currency, that is where his threat is coming from. So however, we have to ask even ourselves the key question: what are the— what does it mean for the global economy? What this announcement means for the global economy? What does it mean for the market in general terms? So, and is this a viral threat or it just a desperate attempt to sort of, uh, what do I use the term, cling to power for the dominance of the US dollar? So, and this is why in this live stream I want to break down, uh, the implications of Trump's bold statement, if I may use the term here, and explore the potential consequences for international trade and global politics. Yes, there is a dimension to both. So, so here is the thing that I need you to understand: why Trump issued this particular threat. Okay, one thing about Trump that you need to under— let me put the picture again. Another one here for you. One thing about Trump that you need to understand, he is, as I say, the showman. He is in business and so forth, but he's also perceiving the world to be, oh, that's just like a big humongous business entity. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way, but that's how he approached it. You have to shock the system because that's what that announcement was all about. But in reality, it is not about that. It is about creating the conditions for negotiations, the upcoming negotiations. And yes, it will be negotiations because the way you look at this, how do you look at it? You know, as you look at it in terms of what is the market's reaction the moment this announcement was made, which may— which, by the way, the announcement was made on either November 30th, the last day of the month, or the 1st, somewhere around that. The 2 days after that, the market re— actually, the next day, the market react. And how did the market react? Of course, it's because the dollar moved up by about 60 basis points. Now, I am not a financial analyst, I don't claim to know, and, and, but basic understanding that I know about this is that ask any financial analyst. And I will tell you, this is a big move for the dollar to go up by about 60 basis points. So, and why is this? It's because the market got the assumption that, oh, Trump is only setting the stage for negotiations. We've seen this before during his first term. That is exactly why. And the way I confirm this with you is because, uh, when the dollar went up, just that day, 2 days after that, it went back down a little bit. And how do you know it went back down? Because the Bitcoin— yeah, this might surprise you— anytime the dollar goes down, Bitcoin goes up. The Bitcoin crossed over. I just watched it last night because I have some investments into that. I watched it last night, crossed over $103,000. So, I mean, that tells you— why am I sharing this with you guys? I'm sharing this with you to highlight to you that what Trump said was nothing but a tactic. I gotta shock the system, I gotta scare the hell of the other countries, and so I can force them into negotiations. However, what Mr. Trump is not counting on is that the world of today is not the same world that was back in 2016. It has moved on, and there is no other way for the world to re— go backwards. So when Trump's saying this, of course the market has to react. The dollar went up, but also back down later. And if you think about also who Trump is considering to nominate for the Treasury Secretary, was none other than a hedge fund, uh, manager guy. I forgot his name, I'm sorry, uh, it just crossed my mind so quick. So now what we need to understand, we have to go also back few months or even years to when Biden Because it was under Biden that BRICS emerged. Why the sanctions? So what made it even worse is when Biden, the, the, the, the, the marvelous President Biden— I'm being facetious here— uh, when he decided to go ahead and give the green light to freeze the assets of Russia. And of course, by doing that, sending signals to other countries. What it wasn't about freezing the asset, it was about— let's, let's call it what it is, as I said, you call spade a spade— by stealing the money. Which is, to me, was like, since when this has become the norm? So what happened is that when countries saw that, they start to think ahead. And they are thinking ahead, and they already thought about it. That's why they're moving into that direction. So there are those who say, which I disagree with, but I'm still gonna, uh, express their opinions. Some analysts argue that, well, wait a minute, under Trump, BRICS would have not emerged. What do you guys think? Let me ask you that question. Do you think under Trump will BRICS still emerge, yes or no? If you will be kind and just type in the answer in the chat box. As I said, some analysts are, are saying, uh, oh, if it was under Trump, BRICS would have not emerged. Is that a correct assessment or not based on those analysts? For me, I disagree with this assessment. What do you guys think? Let me just see in the chat box what your answers are. Uh, Picasso Ron, you say oui, which means yes. Uh, who else is saying? Uh, uh, Szenko, you say yes, delayed but yes. Francis Tango, guys, don't forget that Western countries got rich by plundering other countries. That is true. Alwan, Omar, you say no. Okay, I got an idea here. So, so which— yeah, it goes both ways. For me personally, and I speak for myself, I would say it doesn't matter under Trump or not. It's because what Trump's going to be thinking in terms of— it's because Trump will want to enforce the role of the dollar on the global market. Well, that, that role is not in helping other countries. That role is in weaponizing the currency so you can, you can impose sanctions on other countries. The other countries are saying, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, we're gonna have to move on. And of course, what Biden did by freezing the, uh, or stealing the Russian assets, that just gave a conviction for other countries to say, we're done, we're done, we're gonna have to move forward. Now, there are two things that Trump also tried to do, and this is what I'm trying to just highlight to you in this brief analysis as to how you, uh, sort of place this announcements within its proper context. You know, you're gonna have to think about the long-term and short-term aspects of it. So for Trump, long-term approach is to ensure the confidence in the US dollar. That's all it was about, because his business is tied to how well the dollar does. Simple. So, so there are those who say, well, if it is the case, then in that case Donald Trump doesn't think of it as using the dollar as a weapon. Well, wait a minute, if you are threatening countries with 100% tariffs, what would you call that? His argument, Donald Trump's argument, is that, oh, the only reason I am imposing tariffs so I can bring jobs back to the US. You and I know it's a lie. Those jobs will never coming back. I tell you, I have something here, uh, uh, something I just ordered, whatever. I looked at the back to see when it was manufactured, and right there it says it was manufactured in district of— in the Longgang District in Xinjiang, China. So this is where you have to think in terms of, well, maybe he's thinking about the long term for the confidence of itself. And this is why for Trump as a showman, it will start with this crazy, crazy, crazy ideas that will make you just shake your head. But the thinking is not about that, is that about to shock and awe in sort of making countries think about, well, will make more sense to negotiate, and if we negotiate, we'll end up meeting halfway. That's the thinking. So I don't know who's advising Trump. Uh, to me, the moment I heard about the tariffs, and I said Trump has no idea about the daily life of an average American. This is almost same argument, uh, we were talking with Anna earlier about how Marcos Jr. doesn't understand the average life of a Filipino person. The average— same thing I would say about Donald Trump when he mentioned about tariffs. And somebody, if they were another good advisor out there, will tell him, sir, imposing those tariffs, that means it's going to translate in prices for the average citizen. Why? Because companies will pass on that cost to the consumers. So, and this is where that idea of, uh, uh, uh, Trump thinking, no, no, no, no, no, that kind of approach won't work. Second thing, which is the most possibility of it, which is already underway, is that those kind of announcements or threats, whatever you want to call them, would actually accelerate the move away from the dollar. No, because like I always say, for BRICS, it's not about dominating the world financially or creating this global reserve currency that will dominate every other currency. No, the objective is to create an alternative. Those countries still can use the dollar if they want to, but also they have another option if they choose not to. That is what's at the heart of it. So, and this is why this idea of coercing— because that's what it amounts to, you coerce other countries into bowing to you. Who the heck are you to be forcing countries? And if we are to do this, because here is where the double standard— if we are to think about doing this to BRICS, why not do it to the Europeans that use the euro? What makes them different than BRICS? See what I mean with the double standard? And that double standard in itself does not bode well for how the policy is perceived around the world, let alone when it comes down to the financial aspect. So for BRICS countries, they're gonna say, hell with you, you know, you threaten us for what? We're still gonna move forward. You know, they're not gonna, uh, this is by the way, uh, a meeting back in 2005 or 2015. Oh, I'm sorry, yeah, 2015 or '16, somewhere around that time, of BRICS members. And just to highlight to you the idea that that's where the thinking is. So, so the idea that Trump will use the tariffs as a way to protect American jobs and boost US economy It's just bravado. This is meant for domestic consumption, no more, no less. I'm here to tell you guys, no jobs are coming back to the US because the labor cost, simple as that. So, and that's why he's thinking about, well, if I am to impose tariffs, now the US can sort of encourage businesses to keep production in America. I, I mean, is he serious? If you are to produce whatever, whatever item, you know, that's gonna cost you $100 to produce here in the US versus if you produce it overseas, you produce it for about a fraction of the cost, let's say $10. You add the cost of the freight, the insurance, it will cost you a total of $25. And I'll give you a quick example about Nike. You know why Nike doesn't produce its shoes right here? Produce them overseas because it cost about $15, $10, uh, uh, have people working for 12-hour day for about $2 or $3 a day. I don't buy Nike. I have nothing against Nike, but I don't buy Nike because I, uh, I always argue that to those who are purchasing a shoe for about $230. I said, do you have an idea how much this shoe costs overseas? Oh, I don't know. They have no clue. So if it costs the Nike, as I said, $25 to produce the shoe, then pay the, uh, the freight, the insurance, whatever, by the time you bring it to the States, it costs about $50, $60, even go to $70, you know. Then you have to do the endorsements for whomever name or whatever on the shoe, which he— like, like, uh, uh, those athletes which they get about $50 to $80 million a year just from endorsement of Nike. I know it's a business transaction, I'm not denying this, but at the same time we have to think on the realities vis-à-vis what Donald Trump said. So now if Nike will come back here and produce the shoe here Nobody will be able to afford it because the shoes will cost about $450. So, and this is why when, when you hear, especially for my American audience here, when you hear about, oh, this tariff is all about bringing jobs back home, there will be no jobs coming back home. Let me just say this straightforward. So, so, so Trump of course will have to sell the pitch to the domestic audience. I'm not saying He's not willing to help or do whatever, but Trump is for Trump. And I have nothing against Trump or anyone else for that matter, because, uh, to me there are no leaders in America. We have a deficiency in leadership. You all know this. So, so, and this is why, uh, that, uh, when Trump says the economy— the tariff is going to help the economy— many economists Even here in the US, there's disagreeing with this notion because it doesn't work. So, so then you think about the ideological thinking of Trump. What Trump's approach, usually it's, uh, sort of, what's the word, rooted in his thinking about America first. Well, sure, if you want to be America first, then you will be by yourself because the world is moving in a different direction. It's a win-win, simple as that. That's why I always said, you know, uh, I, I just recorded the video for you guys. Soon you'll, you'll see it. And I ended the video with one conclusion, is that it's up to the US now how it wants to play its role on the global stage, not as a hegemon, but rather as an equal partner. You want to have seat at the table? Sure. But not as a hegemon. You sit like everybody else, a win-win for everybody. Now, whether the US will agree to that or not, I do not know. So, and this is why, uh, when, when I challenge these notions, when, when Trump, uh, says, well, America first and the tariffs will work, uh, will do no harm to American people, I, I say no, it's a lie. Let's say straightforward, American consumers will end up paying the price. I will end up paying the price. So why should I support something for, for into that direction? That just doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't make sense to me. You know, the reason why we end up doing this by imposing tariffs is because we have not invested in our own infrastructure, economically speaking. That is what's at the heart of it. When we are taking that massive amount of money and just sending it to corrupted countries, what do you expect? You start to see the degradation— this— this— I kind of lost my word here— disintegration, rather, of the system economically speaking. That's exactly what happened. So this notion of America First or the tariff is going to bring the jobs back— no, it's nonsense. It is nonsense. And of course, the announcement, uh, uh, uh, when it was made It was made about the idea that— here is what it says, the quote that Donald Trump himself put it, and I say it, I, I'm going to read it to you word for word. It's a— he, he wrote, and I quote, somebody wrote it for him, you know, we require— listen carefully— we require a commitment from these countries, meaning BRICS, that they will neither create a new BRICS currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar, or they will face 100% tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful US economy, end of quote. Yeah, to me it becomes, you know, settle— it's a settled bullying, that is. Uh, because you don't threaten other countries like that, because these countries are independent, they are sovereign, and they can decide for themselves which currency they want to use. If they want to use the dollar, they use it. If they don't, they have other options. So, and this, by the way, come in addition to the recent, uh, also announcement or threat that Donald Trump made by imposing 25%. Listen carefully, on all products from Canada and Mexico entering the United States, so with an additional 10% tax on goods from China. So because when I, when I looked at this, uh, this 100% tariffs and I just did some calculations hypothetically when I was in China I was like, because literally I was thinking about it, not buying the car because I don't— I, I have a car, I don't need to— I don't need the one car is enough. Uh, was just the idea of what would happen if I buy a BYD here. What the BYD, the cost, uh, it's, it's very, very affordable. And, uh, uh, there are those cars that cost about $26,000, between $26,000 and $30,000. Yes, US dollars. But those are BYD luxury style, to the point that those cars you can, uh, uh, sort of, uh, uh, uh, not, uh, what's the word, not schedule. I, I, I kind of, I was blocked on this, not the word for— you can set, you can set the car to drive itself after certain mileage. This is part of the luxury of those cars. Those are between $26,000 and $30,000. I can't get the exact figure, I don't remember. But there are other cars that run between $12,000 and $16,000. An SUV that I saw at the BYD dealership that I was in, when I asked the, the manager, he told me, yeah, this one is about $16,000. So, but hypothetically, we go with the car at $20,000. So if I am to buy that in, in China, $20,000, ship it to the US, of course I have to pay the freight. Then now I have to pay the 100% tariffs, which means what? The value of the car. That means I have to pay another $20,000 for tariffs for me to drive that car here, in addition to other costs for making the requirements for this car to be operable in the US. So that's what it means. So when it comes to the bottom of it, it's not about— it's about the fear that if the American people have access to the Chinese cars, that's going to shut down the automakers here. Well, of course, if Americans wanted to have those cars affordable, isn't that the consumer's choice? Isn't that what free market is all about? So, so, and this is why, uh, the idea of when Trump's saying, in addition to the 25% tariffs and so forth, but again, when we think about all this, we think in terms of why will Trump even think in those terms, shocking, you know, he has no intention of pushing because it will backfire anyway, but that's also a way to put countries on alert. When that time comes for negotiations, they can, uh, they can negotiate. So, so here's a question for you. Once again, I'd like you guys to answer yes or no if you could. In your opinion, would BRICS currency threaten the dollar? Once again, in your opinion, do you believe that BRICS currency would threaten the US dollar? Yes or no in the chat box, please. Oh, Francis Tango, thank you so much, man. Dr. O, new law, Corruption Sunday after church. I agree, I couldn't agree more, and I'm really in support of— that's my opinion. I, I respect what other, other people— I agree with you. That's how you're going to end it. But again, for us, it's too corrupted. The system is too corrupted. Thank you very much, Francis. So let me see your answer, guys, on my question. In your opinion, do you believe that the BRICS currency would be a threat to the— or would threaten the US dollar? Yes or no? Uh, Coach Kane, you said it weakens the dollar because other countries will have, uh, will have other alternatives. Uh, and why did you say yes, it would threaten the US because it's unstable, it will unstable the market? Uh, uh, sorry, I live in reality. You say, of course it will, the dollar is done. Hey, Shirazi, good to see you, by the way. You say, no, it won't. And you— and, and I happen to agree. I happen to agree with Homun. Yeah, that doesn't mean— because here is the thing, guys, the reality of it, you know, BRICS currency, a unified currency, is not coming anytime soon. Yes, it's in the works because you have to have the infrastructure, financial infrastructure for that. And there are too many competing agendas within. As the BRICS now expands, you know, you're gonna have to have so many, uh, there are many countries that they're going to be thinking differently. And this is why BRICS currency will never ever be for the objective of becoming this global reserve currency that the rest of the world trade with. It won't be, because first of all, it's going to take years before we get to that. What the BRICS countries are aiming at doing at the moment is to pave the way for an alternative system. And this is why I asked earlier the question: if Trump is saying, well, I'm gonna threaten BRICS, how come you didn't threaten the euro? Because euro is also like a common currency, if I may use the term. So, so, and, uh, it becomes just— you think about it, the way you see this kind of announcements, whatever, it's nothing but a strategy. That's how Trump thinks, thinks in terms of, I, I gotta be forceful, I gotta be bullying, I gotta be this, that, but at the end I'm gonna sit down and negotiate. And, and all that's, that's, uh, it becomes like using the tariffs as nothing but a tool. To pressure other countries. But when you pressure other countries, it's just not going to work. The reason it won't work, because other countries have, have moved on. I'm, I'm going to share something. Let me, let me get on to one link. I have something here I would like— I got— I saw it from my dear friend Richard Turin. I follow him on on X and also on LinkedIn, and he posts a lot there. So I kind of read some of his, uh, his, uh, and he's into fintech, so he understands, uh, this aspect. So, so here is the picture. I'm gonna share it with you. Uh, where is it? Where is it? Where is it? Yeah, right there. And why am I saying this? Because you think about bringing the jobs back to America, it ain't gonna work. Because when you look at the chart like this— and this, by the way, by Statista, and it was posted by, uh, Richard Turin, so I give credit to Richard for this, you know. And, and just, he made the point regarding this is that the countries with the highest share of global manufacturing output as of 2022— well, moving forward Look where China is. Look where the US is. Uh, Japan, Germany, India, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Italy, and France. So none is even close to where China is. So when we think about in terms of what we're going to be imposing tariffs on the Chinese, what do you think China is going to do? Chinese going to push back. They already pushing back. And as a matter of fact, now we added another 140 entity Chinese companies that deal with the microchips. You know, what, what you going to do? Chinese already moved on. They creating their own. So, so, and that is why, uh, to think logically and realistically, this idea of the BRICS currency You know, it has been discussed for quite a while, you know, uh, but you think about it in terms like countries like China and Russia, uh, and, and others, you know, they have suggested the creation of this, uh, currency, not about replacing the dollar, no, it's about reducing their dependence on the US dollar. Those are big two different things. So you have, of course, the main stream media, uh, think tanks and all that, pushing a different narrative that it's no, it's otherwise they're gonna want to dominate the world and replace the dollar. No, they have no interest for that because it comes with some, uh, responsibilities also. So because all it is, if BRICS goes that direction— it's not if, but when BRICS goes that direction— it gives them now control over their own economies. So, so the US, basically, if it threatens them with sanctions, it will be useless. Why? Because they trade in a different, different currency to begin with. That is what the— what's at the heart of this. And that is also what Mr. Trump is not disclosing. So you can't be cherry-picking the information to mislead the, the listeners or viewers or people or consumers, whatever the way you want to, by highlighting also only the inflammatory statements but refusing to disclose the other side of the argument. So make no mistake, guys, the dollar still the world's strongest currency that is used as of today. It's still— I'm not denying this one. And, and you saw just the reaction of it when the reaction went up as soon as Donald Trump made that announcement. Only a few days later went down, only to see the Bitcoin crossed over $103,000. So that is where the difference is. So, and, uh, and even BRICS countries now, majority of them are supporting, except for India. India was not in favor of this. Uh, maybe India will come around. For now, suffice it to say that this internal disagreement within BRICS, mainly coming from India, because India had to think also about its own strategic interest, and rightly so. We're not gonna— you can't deny a country all that, except that in the case of India, it's very bad to begin with when India is not even focusing on its own infrastructure. So how does it expect that its currency will be well sought after or in, in, on the world market in comparison to the, uh, the, the yuan, for example, the Chinese currency yuan, that is. So, and this is why despite this disagreement from within BRICS, believe it or not, the United States kept an open eye. Yeah, kept a sort of, uh, watching, watching exactly the dynamics of the situation regarding this disagreement from within BRICS. And that is why I'm also concerned about the other countries that now applying to join BRICS. And, and, and one of them was about the conversation regarding whether Philippines is qualified to even join BRICS or not. And, and, and Anna Malindog was right when she said Philippines is not ready for that because Philippines infrastructure is not where it needs to be. Heck, I would even go as far as saying even India's infrastructure is not. But too late, because India was among the countries that started BRICS. So it will be hard to, uh, you, you can't just kick a country out, uh, and I don't know what their mechanism is. I was really trying to look into that and I couldn't find it. So, so my fear, my fear with, with the, with BRICS is that some elements will be used to undermine the policies of BRICS from within to do basically the bidding for the West. And you all know what I mean by the West. So, so now this is from the economic aspect. If you look at it from the geopolitical aspect, you know, this of course will set a course for more tensions, you know. And, uh, because here is the thing, when you have to think about the international system just with the two conflicts that's going on right now, Ukraine and Gaza, just these two. So what does it mean? That the foundation of the international system is about to collapse. And is it already collap— sort of, uh, you're seeing the cracks that they are widening, you know, because when you look at now, tell me which international institution based on Western standards that is really upholding the law. So, so, so, uh, because the system has been built on the American military power. Well, guess what? That military power of yesterday, it's not going to bode well for today. Why? Because you have other emerging major powers, the likes of China, the likes of the alliance between, uh, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. You know, that will dwarf over the US despite whatever we have. So, you know, and but it's also, it's about why BRICS will make more sense because its relationship, it's rooted in the sort of win-win approach. That's why I always argue the United States will have to decide, are they going to be playing, if it wants to have a seat at the table, it's not going to be as a hegemon, but rather as an equal partner. Now, if they accept that, they will, uh, uh, uh, it will benefit from that development, a global one, that is. If they don't, it will be just more tensions using, using countries the likes of South Korea, the likes of Japan, Philippines, and even I'll go to the India sometime. The India, it can go both ways. So I'm not, uh, using— of course, the likes of Canada. And it will be interesting now to see what tensions is going to emerge between Canada and the United States. Mind you that the upcoming elections in Canada, more and more Canadians now, by the way, they are descending into poverty in Canada. I got the word that now buying a house is out of reach for an average Canadian. So it's no different than what we have here, you know. I usually don't like to talk much, but yesterday or the day before, I was walking in the street and I saw somebody laying down on the ground, laying down. I thought the guy was dead, literally. So I went, I said, hey man, are you all right? I said, yeah, I'm just hungry, I didn't eat. I say, okay. So I say, I'll be back. So I want to, because I walked to get my dry, my jacket, I had to fix it. And so walking back, it wasn't done anyway. So I was walking back and so I handed some money to the guy and I say, hey, why don't you go eat something? And because he looked very, it was like that idea of You know, a human being doesn't matter. And it was an African American. It doesn't matter. A human being laying on the street, just sleeping. It wasn't just— so I walked with the guy. So because I was walking, I didn't want to drive, I just wanted to walk. So we start talking, and all of a sudden you see the guy's eyes widen, you know, because the shock and surprise that someone in a society will pay attention to something like this. Well, I said sometimes you might get lucky if somebody understands all this. And my point in all this, you know, you will ask me 30 years ago, you know, would you see somebody sleeping in the street like that in the middle of the day? Yeah, you might see it at night, but not the same thing. I go to the areas where I used to see homeless people under the bridge. They kick them out of that and they want to reset, resettled in under another bridge. So it's sad to say that's where the, where things are headed. And this is where that idea of, uh, when Mr. Trump thinks about, well, we're going to impose tariffs or threaten this or bullying that, it's not going to cut it. It's not going to cut it because the world have had enough of our dominance. So, and they are now going to move in a different direction altogether. So that's all I have to share with you guys today because I did two, livestreams. So once again, uh, Francis Tango, thank you very much for your support. Uh, if you guys want to support the channel, you know where to go. Here's the link for here, for, for that. Uh, you, you all know the nature of the information I provide you here, so your support means a lot to me, and I want you to know that, and I'm very grateful. For it. For those who wants to buy my books, here's the link, so that will help you. And also, here is the link to my new speaking website. By the way, you know who helped me with that? It was Elizabeth. I give her credit. So she helped me with that. So, all right guys, I am going to sign off here. And, uh, I, uh, look forward to— I don't know about tomorrow whether I do livestream or not, that depends how things go. But one thing for sure, make sure to log in to check in the video on Saturday I'm going to release. So, so please, before I forget, if this is your first time here, please, uh, uh, make sure to subscribe and, and just hit the like button. I would greatly appreciate it. As always, guys, remember, geopolitics impacts your daily life in more ways than one. Till next time, guys. Bye-bye.