TJ Walker examines Canada's push for EU membership as a reaction to U.S. trade tensions, then connects it to deeper concerns: the $40 trillion national debt, unpredictable sanctions, and countries moving gold reserves out of New York. He argues these moves signal global nervousness about relying on the dollar.
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Ultimize. Canada is looking for a closer relationship with Europe. We share a border and they're choosing a long-distance relationship. We are officially the problem. The European Commission's president has proposed making Canada the EU's first associate member. It's not full membership and the details aren't settled, but after Trump's tariffs and talk of making Canada the 51st state, Canada wants options. Apparently, I would like to absorb you is not a successful friendship technique. This is like your best friend moving across town to live with 27 roommates. They disagree about everything, half the appliances require a committee vote, and your friend says, honestly, much less drama. We promised to bring countries together. We have without us. And this connects to a bigger story. Nervousness about keeping money tied to America. Reporting identifies concerns about our roughly $40 trillion debt, sanctions, and whether the rules remain dependable under Trump. That's not everybody declaring America finished. It's people checking where the exits are while we're still giving the welcome speech. Here's why. Debt raises questions about future interest costs and inflation. America is not a household. But $40 trillion is still a number that makes you stop saying, just put it on my card. Sanctions can restrict access to money and financial networks. Sometimes that pressure is justified, but other governments notice the leverage and want alternatives. Even if you approve of someone locking another person's account, you remember who has the keys. An unpredictable trade policy makes planning harder. A company building a factory needs to estimate costs for years. Not guess which country the president will be mad at after breakfast. That's my reading of the nervousness. America used to sell predictability. Now we're offering a financial escape room. The rules change, the door might lock, and the man running it insists you're having the greatest time anybody's ever had. Then there's the gold. Central banks hold gold as a part of their financial reserves, an asset they can sell or borrow against in a crisis. Its price fluctuates, but the metal itself isn't another government's promise to pay. It can't issue a reassuring statement. That is increasingly one of its selling points. The New York Fed stores other countries' gold for them. It doesn't own it. Think incredibly secure storage unit, except nobody's keeping an exercise bike they swear they'll use again. The Dutch Central Bank shifted 86 metric tons of gold holdings from New York and Ottawa to London. Citing easier trading and crisis access. This isn't proof they think America will steal it. Much of the shift involves selling gold in one place and buying it elsewhere. Not a Dutch guy boarding a flight with a suspiciously heavy neck pillow. The dollar still matters enormously. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent points to strong recent Treasury auctions. This is diversification, not evaluation. But as a personal development guy, I recognize the warning sign. When your friend starts diversifying their relationships, you don't need a better affirmation. You need to stop threatening to annex their kitchen. Okay, moving on. Congress has now voted 3 times to end unauthorized hostilities with Iran. 3 times. Apparently canceling a war works like canceling a gym membership. The latest House vote was 220 to 204. With 7 Republicans joining every voting Democrat. The measure would require ending unauthorized hostilities unless Congress approves them. It doesn't stop the fighting by itself. Congress keeps pressing unsubscribe and the war keeps offering 30 more days free, except not free. The Congressional Budget Office estimates $38 billion through August 1st. With continuing costs around $3 billion a month. The administration says the military action protects American interests. Then make the case. Explain the goal. Explain what finishing looks like. Ask Congress to authorize it. I had to approve cookies before reading a recipe. Surely a sustained war deserves at least the same level of consent as banana bread. I teach goal setting. A goal needs an outcome, a deadline, and a way to measure success. Keep going, we'll recognize victory when we see it isn't a strategy, it's how I shop at Costco. Would you like to be the sort of successful person who is dominating news, at least in your industry? Well, if so, it's time to up your skills. At ultimize.com, I've created online courses to help you do that. Now, here's the thing. No obligation. You can get a free course on communication skills, a free course on how to build better habits. All you have to do is go to ultimize.com. That's ultimize.com. No obligation. Go there now. FBI Director Kash Patel in the news. He's faced a heated Senate hearing. Senator Cory Booker offered what I would describe professionally as a growth opportunity delivered through a leaf blower. According to the AP, Booker said, he's an embarrassment to the agency and wouldn't qualify even to be an FBI agent. That's a devastating performance review. You're running the organization and the feedback is perhaps apply somewhere else. Senator Booker also compared Patel's behavior to a teenager desperate to join a fraternity. Patel fired insults back and defended his leadership and crime-fighting record. The hearing included scrutiny of subpoenas served at reporters' homes in leak investigations. Investigating an actual crime and retaliating against embarrassing reports are different things. Oversight should establish which happened, not award a trophy for the loudest interruption. My suggested affirmation for any FBI director: criticism is not an emergency. Second affirmation: I can process difficult feelings without opening a case file. Okay. We've been warned for years about an ideological menace that wants the government to pay people not to work. Apparently, the menace filled out its paperwork under efficiency. The GAO estimates federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave in 2025. About $6.7 billion was associated with the deferred resignation program. Employees stopped working but kept receiving pay before leaving government. The important caveat: bad leave coding may inflate the estimate. GAO also says the government can't accurately establish the program's cost to calculate long-term savings. Because apparently they don't know anything. So the people who hired to find waste created a savings program whose savings they can't reliably calculate. I bought a fitness tracker once. This is like it telling me, congratulations, you've lost weight. We eliminated the scale. Paying people to leave can save money eventually. Businesses do buyouts, but eventually is not an accounting category. You have to count what you spent, count what you saved, and compare them. I realize this is controversial. It involves numbers without applause. And don't blame the employees for accepting the deal they were offered. If my boss said, we'll pay you to stay home, I wouldn't reply, first, let's examine your ideological consistency. I'd already be home. President Trump says Kennedy Center repairs won't proceed unless his name can go on the building. Apparently, the roof requires structural flattery. His allied board voted to close most of the venue. Citing safety and financial problems. A judge says adding Trump's name requires congressional approval. Congress has already allocated $257 million for repairs. Wanting credit for improving a building is understandable, I guess. Supporters want him recognized for getting things done, but recognition should follow the repair, not become another thing holding it up. A plaque doesn't patch a ceiling. Gold letters don't repair wiring, and you can't evacuate through an ego. Imagine a plumber saying, I can stop the leak, but first, this becomes the Kevin Memorial Bathroom. Kevin, you replaced a washer. We're not commissioning a statue. The issue isn't whether you like Trump. It's whether public service becomes conditional on personal applause. I teach self-esteem. Here's the advanced exercise. Do something useful. Let somebody else enjoy it and survive the terrifying possibility that the building keeps its original name. Pitch this to a movie studio. A leader holds up repairs to a national arts center because he can't have his name on it. They'd send it back. Give the character a believable motivation. Now, that's Tuesday. I remain optimistic. We can still have great performances at the Kennedy Center. We just need the chairman to finish his. I'm TJ Walker. Ultimize.
