The political State of Israel was not spared from Trump’s sweeping America First tariff decrees. The 17% imposition came despite Israel’s midnight hour action to lift all remaining duties on US imports—seemingly a last-minute effort to preempt Trump.

It didn’t work.

And now Trump is inviting Bibi Netanyahu for another bro hug at the White House:

Let’s not pretend this is about any real, meaningful partnership. This isn’t just a matter of diplomacy; this is a well-rehearsed performance, a carefully choreographed act that serves a much bigger narrative. Trump and Netanyahu both know the score—they’re playing the same game. The “close relations” aren’t genuine affection—they’re the calculated moves of two stage managers, each pulling the strings of their own political theater. Whether it’s tariffs, hostage talks, or military operations in Gaza, every interaction feels more like a scripted exchange designed to give the appearance of progress while maintaining the balance of power behind the scenes.

And it sure seems like Trump is tipping that balance more and more.

Obviously one must take the following passage from The Times of Israel with 17 grains of salt, but here is a quick snapshot of the hostage situation from its point of view:

A ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down after the completion of the first phase on March 1. Thirty-three hostages were released during that phase, including 25 living captives.

Israel has sought to have the deal reworked so that more hostages can be released in an extension of the phase one temporary ceasefire, allowing the IDF to resume fighting against Hamas. The terror group has insisted on sticking to the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to transition on March 2 to phase two, during which the remaining living hostages — 24 in total — would be released in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and permanent end to the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the latter two terms, arguing that they would keep Hamas in power.

The premier directed the IDF to resume intensive military operations in Gaza on March 18 after Hamas rejected several proposals to extend the first phase of the ceasefire.

A senior Palestinian official familiar with the talks told The Times of Israel on Wednesday that Hamas is prepared to release all the hostages at once in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.

Amid Israel’s longstanding rejection of such a trade, it submitted earlier this week a proposal to extend phase one — something it had long refused to do and an apparent indication that Hamas is buckling under the intensive Israeli military pressure.

The Hamas proposal was nearly identical to one submitted by US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff, which would have seen the release of five hostages and also included guarantees from the mediators that Israel would agree to begin holding talks on the phase two permanent ceasefire, the Palestinian official said.

Needless to say, this is more than just a meeting between two diplomats working on a viewable level. Considering the timing of it, this invitation to Netanyahu is yet another very clear narrative deployment by Trump—although the details of what we’re supposed to glean from it do remain unclear.

On the surface, it certainly seems like an alpha move, for sure.

“We knew that this was going to happen, but we are surprised about the scope of the tariff and are still learning the implications,” said [Finance Ministry Chief Economist Shmuel] Abramzon…. “We have a good channel with the US administration, and I believe that through dialogue and negotiations, we will succeed in making a change to this evil.”

Evil?

So have all the tariffs placed on the United States over the years, including the 33% by your very own state, been evil as well?

Commenting on the impact of the US tariffs on Israel, Abramzon said that “if the global economy is weakened, our economy will also be affected.”

Evil and weakened. But only when Trump does it.

The delusion doesn’t end there:

“Although the new tariff increases have been presented, we don’t see this as a final plan, in the sense that we have seen Trump change his views,” he said. “So there could be room for negotiation for a lower tariff rate, especially given the close relations between Trump and Netanyahu.”

Close relations between Trump and Netanyahu?

Let’s not pretend this is some minor economic scuffle between allies. This is about leverage. Theater. And something more.

Because when you follow the thread of such delusion in stories from tariffs to hostages, from Gaza to Epstein, from the American media gatekeepers to JFK, it becomes harder and harder to deny the shape of the thing staring back.

It’s not just about Israel. It’s about us in relation to it.

 

Is trickster Trump indeed seeing things the same way, as “a trick,” one he intends to trump with his own play?

Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival, while Trump is on top of the world. Both understand the game, and both must understand the amount of leverage or lack thereof each has. So when Trump says, “I’d like to free as many hostages as possible,” and then name-drops Netanyahu’s upcoming US visit, that’s not just diplomacy. That’s set design.

That’s a rehearsal.

“It’s called we do a little trolling,” Trump once said.

As I’ve been exploring in every other plotline on the political stage, it seems we’re watching a script play out—and in classic Trump fashion, it’s a negotiation conducted through headlines and winks.

“He’s coming. I think he’s coming soon. And I’m going to be seeing him. And I’d love to help with the hostages. I’d like to free as many hostages as possible.”

People think he’s repeating himself unnecessarily. He’s not. That’s his way—it’s strange for a reason. Same thing as when he said “no we’re just going to have it, we’re going to have Gaza” sparked outrage but all people had to do was wait to see what he was doing, which was to get Middle Eastern countries off the couch to take an interest in Gaza themselves.

It’s a classic play in the Art of War, if you didn’t know. Put out into the public sphere something extreme knowing you won’t get it, but also knowing you don’t even want it. You want something else, and you get it when the other side reacts to your bluff.

If you don’t understand that, it will be difficult to understand anything happening on the political stage.

“It’s called we do a little trolling.”

The State of Israel is supposed to be the golden child, a strategic ally, the one nation America never penalizes, regardless of what it does in Gaza, Damascus, or DC, because so many folks assume the “State of” is the same as the Israel spoken of it the Old Testament.

That has been the frame. That has been their protection against suspicion. Dare I say it–that has been the trick.

And for decades since 1948, perhaps even since 1909 or 1896, depending on your historical taste for causes and effects, it has held.

But something has shifted with Trump. And it’s not just economic. It’s epistemological. It’s eternal.

The American Right is starting to ask questions, dangerous ones in the face of people’s calcified understanding of politics and religion. They are the kind of questions that get people shadow-banned, fired, or labeled as antisemite.

Questions like:

• Who exactly runs the Western alliance?
• Why do the US government and Israel fund both sides of Middle East wars?
• And who benefits when Israel simultaneously plays permanent victim and permanent occupier?

These aren’t new questions, but they’re becoming newly visible—and wholly legitimate.

Like Epstein’s island and his lists. Like Maxwell’s father. Like the notion of blackmail and US politicians. Like Syria’s Christians getting bombed to annihilation by pro-Israel actors.

These are all articles I’ve written. No space here to review, except to drop some of the links here and there. But the content is there if you’d like to study it. Here’s a passage from one:

With AG Pam Bondi recently announcing that some information in the Epstein files will be redacted for national security reasons, the beloved Streisand Effect was triggered for many an American asking “why?”

And once again, we have seen an explosion of understanding as to who actually controlled the entire Epstein operation. The answer is something many a conspiracy theorist has been asserting for years.

Remember the power the conspiracy theorist and the conservative can wield together if we could just stop bickering for a minute….

Once upon a time I wanted that list exposed, even though I’d already come across many of the likely names. But I feel Americans pretty much know the basics at least enough–Hollywood, DC government, the music industry, etc. Not that the exact names aren’t important, but I think we can return to that later in the information dissemination process. Perhaps right now the most important pill Americans need to start swallowing is the truth of who was and still is behind these blackmail operations.

Because then you can start connecting it to other things, maybe, or something.

Such jagged little pills.

What’s happening now with Israel and tariffs is not isolated. It’s part of a cascade, a dawning directed right at us.

I said in “The Gatekeepers and the Ghost of JFK” that what unites Epstein, Gaza, the CIA, and Ukraine is access—who gets to see, who gets to speak, who gets to gatekeep the official narrative.

This 17% tariff is a narrative fracture.

They force a question nobody wants to ask: If Israel is our greatest ally, why are we treating them like a competitor?

Is Trump really standing up to Bibi?

Or is Bibi just playing his part?

Because as we noted before, these men are not just leaders. They are politicians but stage managers too. And the theater they run is one of shared illusions—financial, geopolitical, religious.

They are actors in a very old play.

So when the tariffs drop and the smiles stay plastered on—don’t be fooled. This isn’t a betrayal. Only time will tell exactly what it is entirely, but for now, it sure seems, at least to a degree, some shift in the US-Israel relationship.

Perhaps a branding reset?

Trump’s mere presence, not to mention his growing power, is indicating that a lot of this is accelerating, and the zone of proximal development is getting tighter. People are seeing the dots connect, and some of this can’t be easy.

Let’s wrap this the way we started, with a question, or a series of them.

If Trump is putting a 17% tariff on Israel while continuing to float a relationship with Bibi Netanyahu, not to mention teasing a hostage release…

What does that make us?

Are we citizens of a sovereign nation? Is America truly sovereign?

Is Trump indeed pushing us in that direction?

Are we just spectators in a very expensive passion play, or is the entire globalist financial system a slave structure anyway being dismantled by those nations warring against the deep state—an empire we spectators are being freed from?

Who is the deep state?

Where is Trump’s power leading us?

These questions aren’t just idle musings. They’re a wake-up call. It’s easy to watch these political games unfold from the sidelines, thinking they don’t affect us. But they do—because every single time we ignore the forces behind the headlines, we hand over a piece of our own autonomy. When we let these power structures continue unchecked, we’re not just letting others play their game—we’re participating in it. By remaining passive, we’ve already made a choice.

This is not just about “politics.”

So, the next time you hear about tariffs, hostages, or any other geopolitical maneuver, ask yourself: What does this mean for me? For my children? For my country’s future? What action can you take to ensure that your sovereignty is preserved in the face of this rising global chess game?

These aren’t just big picture questions—they’re personal. Because in the end, the choice isn’t just about who’s on top. It’s about whether we remain free to choose at all.

LEJEUNE RECENT

---

May everyone named directly or referenced indirectly ask forgiveness and do penance for their sins against America and God. I fight this information war in the spirit of justice and love for the innocent, but I have been reminded of the need for mercy and prayers for our enemies. I am a sinner in need of redemption as well after all, for my sins are many. In the words of Jesus Christ himself, Lord forgive us all, for we know not what we do.