Week 6: The Oligarchs Take Control
Selling Citizenship, Weaponizing Trade, and Fantasizing Occupation
Reading Time: 4 mins
By Week 6, the regime and the oligarchs that supported it had stopped testing boundaries and started smashing them. From selling citizenship to billionaires and weaponizing trade, to stoking trade wars and reimposing colonial fantasies abroad, Trump’s regime made one thing clear: this was a government built for extraction and domination, at home and overseas. The curtain was fully pulled back, revealing a ruthless machine hell-bent on enriching the few.
Here’s what Week 6 looked like day by day.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
— George Santayana, Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist
*This week’s photomontage lost a bit of its usual sharpness because of a faulty printer. The good news is the printer’s been replaced, so you’ll see the clarity and detail return in next week’s piece. Thanks for your patience and for continuing to follow my work.
TL;DR:
Europe begged for Ukraine aid.
Wall Street banker Lutnick was installed at Commerce; Kash Patel takes ATF with zero oversight.
The military’s corporate takeover continues with Dan Driscoll, Pentagon contractor exec, named Army Secretary.
Trump’s “gold card” visa sells citizenship to billionaires.
AI-fueled propaganda dreams of U.S. Gaza occupation.
Trade war chaos unleashed with tariffs on the EU, Canada, Mexico, and China.
Zelenskyy pushed and shouted at over Ukraine’s mineral wealth; no deal signed.
Executive Order strips language access for millions.
Crypto “strategic reserve” announced to pump billionaire-backed coins disguised as policy.
Monday, February 24
Trump staged another photo-op of global leadership, this time alongside Emmanuel Macron, as Europe’s leaders came hat in hand to plead for help keeping Ukraine on life support. The White House framed it as diplomacy; in reality, Trump treated their desperation like leverage, squeezing demands for favors and concessions in exchange for aid.
Meanwhile, Howard Lutnick — billionaire banker and unapologetic profiteer — was sworn in as Secretary of Commerce, cementing Wall Street’s chokehold over economic policy. Kash Patel, Trump’s loyal hatchet man who had gutted the FBI’s independence, slid into the role of acting ATF director without Senate approval, ensuring unchecked authority.
Tuesday, February 25
Vice President Vance installed Dan Driscoll as Army Secretary, tightening the military chain of command around MAGA’s grip. Driscoll, a career defense industry executive with deep ties to Pentagon contractors, was handpicked to prioritize corporate profits over the welfare of soldiers. Trump unveiled his latest pay-to-play scam: a “gold card” visa for the ultra-rich. For $5 million, billionaires could buy permanent residency, while the borders slammed shut for everyone else. Citizenship wasn’t earned; it was bought by whoever could write the biggest check.
Wednesday, February 26
Trump flooded Truth Social with AI-generated propaganda: a grotesque vision called “Trump Gaza,” depicting a future U.S.-occupied Palestinian territory. Colonialism masquerading as a campaign ad. Later, the first cabinet meeting of his second term convened with Elon Musk sitting at the table like a co-conspirator in the corporate coup. Musk, the tech billionaire notorious for gutting jobs and pushing toxic “free speech” agendas, now had a seat at the government’s highest table. The Senate rubber-stamped Jamieson Greer as U.S. Trade Representative, ensuring another corporate loyalist controlled global trade policy. Greer, a longtime lobbyist for multinational corporations, was known for prioritizing profits over workers and sovereignty. Then Trump triggered a trade war, imposing 25% tariffs on the EU while delaying tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Thursday, February 27
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer traveled to Washington, delivering King Charles’s invitation for Trump’s second royal state visit; a circus spectacle designed to legitimize a regime hungry for pageantry. Hours later, Trump reversed course on tariffs, announcing they would hit Mexico and Canada on March 4, and slapping a fresh 10% tariff on China. Stability was dead. Instability was the new normal.
Friday, February 28
Vance delivered perfunctory remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, pandering to the culture war crowd. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy met Trump and Vance at the White House, where negotiations over Ukraine’s mineral wealth devolved into a shouting match. Trump and Vance aggressively pushed Zelenskyy to hand over control of valuable resources, treating Ukraine like a colony rather than an ally. Zelenskyy refused to surrender the minerals and walked out without signing the deal, a rare moment when the regime’s predatory intentions became too obvious even for diplomacy.
Saturday, March 1
Trump signed an executive order declaring English the official language of the United States, reversing Clinton-era mandates for language assistance. Millions of non-English speakers were left to fend for themselves as federal agencies were told they could stop translating documents and services. The message was clear: exclusion was policy.
Sunday, March 2
Trump announced a “U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve” stocked with Ripple, Solana, and Cardano coins backed by wealthy insiders and speculative hype. After complaints from crypto heavyweights, Bitcoin and Ethereum were added hours later. This wasn’t strategy; it was a pump-and-dump designed to enrich connected insiders under the guise of national policy.
This Was the Week in Trump’s Regime
Week 6 laid bare the regime’s true face. The mask was off. No more half-measures or empty gestures. Citizenship was for sale, trade wars were tools of extortion, and colonial fantasies became policy. The oligarchs rewrote the rules to serve themselves. Trump’s America wasn’t just broken, it was broken on purpose.
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