[craig nigrelli]

WITH A federal GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AVERTED THIS WEEKEND – THANKS TO THE PASSING OF A STOPGAP SPENDING BILL – ATTENTION NOW TURNS TO THE INCOMING ADMINISTRATION.

IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, DONALD TRUMP WILL BE BECOME  THE 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.    ON SUNDAY – HE TOOK TO THE PODIUM, A RALLY TYPE GATHERING IN ARIZONA,  TO TOUCH ON SEVERAL TOPICS AS HE NEARS INAUGURATION DAY

“That’s what I call it – a common sense revolution that’s coming soon to America, to a theater near you, right? But it’s coming to you through your president Donald J. Trump. The people have given us their trust and in return we’re going to give them the best Day 1, the biggest first week, and the most extraordinary first 100 days of any president in American history.”

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP SPOKE FOR OVER AN HOUR TO A CROWD AT TURNINGPOINT’S AMERICA FEST IN PHOENIX ON SUNDAY – HIS FIRST RALLY-TYPE SPEECH SINCE WINNING THE ELECTION LAST MONTH.

IN HIS ADDRESS – TRUMP REPEATED HIS PLANS TO IMPOSE TARIFFS ON CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA TO TARGET ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND DRUGS ENTERING THIS COUNTRY.  HE ALSO MENTIONED HIS ADMINISTRATION WILL CREATE AN AD CAMPAIGN TO WARN AMERICANS OF THE DANGERS OF DRUGS LIKE FENTANYL.

SPEAKING ABOUT THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE,  TRUMP DESCRIBED IT AS “HORRIBLE” AND CALLED FOR ITS END – SAYING

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN WANTS TO MEET WITH HIM “AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.”

TRUMP ALSO BROUGHT UP THE PANAMA CANAL – CLAIMING THE COUNTRY OF PANAMA IS CHARGING EXCESSIVE FEES FOR THE US NAVY AND AMERICAN BUSINESSES TO USE THE PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC OCEANS.

IF THE FEES DON’T CHANGE — TRUMP THREATENED THAT AMERICA MIGHT TAKE BACK CONTROL OF THE CANAL – WHICH THE U.S. HAD ONCE OWNED – UNTIL IT  HANDED OVER THE CANAL,  TO PANAMA DECADES AGO.

THE PRESIDENT OF PANAMA – REACTED TO TRUMP’S COMMENTS – SAYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA “EVERY SQUARE METER OF THE PANAMA CANAL AND THE SURROUNDING AREA BELONGS TO PANAMA, AND WILL CONTINUE TO.”

TRUMP RESPONDED TO THAT WITH A POST SAYING, “WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT.”

ALSO IN HIS SPEECH, THE PRESIDENT-ELECT ADDRESSED THE CRITICISM HE IS FACING CONCERNING THE INFLUENCE OF HIS ALLY  ELON MUSK – WHO DEMOCRATS HAVE MOCKINGLY LABELED AS EITHER PRESIDENT MUSK OR PRIME MINISTER MUSK.

TRUMP CALLED THOSE ALLEGATIONS JUST ANOTHER HOAX.

“No he’s not taking the presidency. I like having smart people. They’re on a new kick – ‘Russia Russia Russia,’ ‘Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine,’ all the different hoaxes and the new one is President Trump has seeded the presidency to Elon Musk. No, that’s not happening but Elon’s done an amazing job. Isn’t it nice to have smart people that we can rely on.”

TRUMP JOKED THAT MUSK — WHO WILL HEAD THE  NEW DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY – CAN’T BECOME PRESIDENT EVEN IF HE WANTED TO – -BECAUSE THE TECH BILLIONAIRE WAS NOT EVEN BORN IN THIS COUNTRY.  HE WAS BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA.