The Future Belongs to Jake Paul
Life during Trumptime 3/9/26 - 3/15/26
Trump passed the torch to his heir apparent this week and it’s not Marco Rubio or JD Vance.
Jake Paul appeared at a political rally with Trump in Hebron, Kentucky this week where the President gave Paul his full endorsement. Paul is not running for any political office. “I’m gonna make a prediction. You will be, in the not too distant future, running for political office. And you have my complete and total endorsement, OK?”
Paul is a longtime YouTuber who parlayed his success into a career selling low quality snacks to children. He boxed Mike Tyson, starred in a reality show that aired on HBO, and interviewed the President on YouTube. When I think about the future of American politics I see Paul.
The Oscars aired on Sunday and I have, on occasion, heard friends and critics moaning about a certain kind of movie typified by Oscar nominees F1 and Top Gun: Maverick. Both are directed by the same guy and feature an aging hero who steps up to show a young and cocky upstart how it’s done. In ages past, a similar movie would see the aging hero seeing his limitations and stepping aside. Think Bull Durham.
The success of Top Gun and F1, I’m told, is a sign that Baby Boomers have a chokehold on the culture. These films are metaphors for how the new generation can’t get ahead, a trend we see reflected in business and politics across the country. I think the real issue is more material. Hollywood knows how to market its films and young people aren’t going. They’re at home watching Jake Paul and Mr. Beast on Youtube.
The torch is getting passed in American entertainment. One showman has anointed another.
3/9/26
While all eyes are on America’s war with Iran, the War on Drugs continued with increased intensity. Pentagon social media accounts spent Monday celebrating weekend attacks on boats in the Pacific. The Department of War said the strikes killed “six male narco-terrorists,” a number that brought the death toll of this phase of the War on Drugs to 157.
3/10/26
In what would become a theme of the US-Israel War in Iran this week, the Trump administration sent mixed signals about the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it had begun to mine the Strait, especially grim news because the US Navy decommissioned its Middle East minesweepers last year.
Oil prices shot up and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright didn’t help. “The U.S. Navy successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure oil remains flowing to global markets,” he said on X. This wasn’t true and he immediately deleted it. Oil prices climbed went up as a result.
“If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction! Additionally, we are using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Iran mined it anyway.
3/11/26
We got a glimpse of the cost of the Iran War today. During a closed door briefing with Congress, the administration said the first six days had cost an estimated $11.3 billion. During the first two days of strikes, the US spent $5.6 billion on munitions alone. Reporting on the briefing said that Trump planned to ask Congress for an additional $50 billion in funding for the war.
“Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilised,” Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said in a statement to the world.
The Wall Street Journal had an illuminating article about America’s lack of a plan for the Strait of Hormuz going into the war. Trump wanted to sell insurance to ships in the Gulf as a way of easing the burden on the oil industry his war had caused. It’s not going well. “US officials called London insurers and brokers, trying to figure out how the market operates, industry insiders said,” the Journal reported. “Some have received calls asking for confidential data on the Lloyd’s market that participants have been reluctant to share.”
3/12/26
Palantir CEO Alex Karp spoke at AIPCon 9 and then gave an interview to CNBC where he talked about the Pentagon blacklisting Anthropic, the role AI is playing in war, and the disruption he sees coming to the American economy. “This technology disrupts humanity’s train, largely Democratic voters, and makes their economic power less, and increases the economic power of vocationally trained, working class, often male voters. These disruptions are going to disrupt every aspect of our society,” Karp said.
In Iraq, a US Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed during a mission. Six airmen died.
3/13/26
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was in the middle of a sit-down on camera interview with Wilfred Frost of Sky News when the President pulled him into a closed door meeting in the situation room.
When Bessent returned around 90 minutes later he sounded shaken. “The President is in great spirits. The Iranian mission is proceeding well ahead of schedule and, you know, I have to tell you, I have teenage—teenager who is considering military service and I can give this team my highest compliment…I would say I trust my child’s life in their hands.”
During a press conference that same day Pete Hegseth claimed the Strait of Hormuz was open for business. “The only thing prohibiting transit right now is Iran shooting at shipping. It is open for transit should Iran not do that,” Hegseth said.
3/14/26
On Truth Social, Trump attempted to will a coalition of allies into existence to help the US open the Strait of Hormuz.
“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe. We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are. Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated. In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!”
As of this writing, no allies have signed up to help though some have tepidly left the option open.
3/15/26
Tucker Carlson said the CIA is after him and has been reading his text messages. What’s his crime? According to Carlson, he spoke to people in Iran before America attacked.
Having just seen Jake Paul, in an act of narcissistic self-destruction, get thoroughly blarted by a past-his-prime boxer, I have no doubt about his suitability as Trump's successor. It's all part of America's descent into idiocracy.
They might both be showmen but they are also both utter fools.
And thanks for chronicling the Iran omni-shambles. But I think you missed one very important element. And you probably have the right connections to follow it up:
'U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus'
https://jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-were-told-iran-war-is-for
This is not the work of a single religious crackpot in the senior officer ranks. It is reported to have been a widespread occurrence across the entire US military. It worrying since it undercuts the widespread belief that the military is a stabilising counterweight to Trump. With hindsight, it also puts into clear context Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckerbee's repeated statements over the last year that he expects and welcomes Armageddon and the End Times.