The latter. These rare earth minerals are for the most part
extremely hard to get and the process puts also a massive burden on the environment.
MiNErALs is a buzz word, used by Trump to sell his idea of peace, which would be fine if only his cult fell for it. The problem is that the hysteria about them is spreading everywhere.
Exactly. I've read some things that basically question what minerals are there, the feasibility of costs of getting it in terms of money, labour, etc and it would essentially amount to massive strip-mining operations with massive ecological/environmental costs, and even if it had success, there's almost no chance any potential profits would arrive during Trump's term.
I think there are 3 parts to this:
1) First, this seems the natural extension of Trump's extremely simplistic world-view that it should be "America First" and the world should pay the U.S. for defending them and keeping them safe, like a mafia boss. I don't think he actually knows or even cares if he actually gets the "minerals" or not. It's just something to play up to his base and prove how "America won't be taken advantage of anymore"
2) As previously mentioned, for whatever reason (we can all speculate), he's increasingly on the side of the Russians and Putin. If the minerals deal breaks down, or if he can put it on national TV that "we've been disrepected by Zelinsky", or whatever, these are all outs and excuses to walk away and hand victory to Putin.
3) The more sinister part is JD Vance and the likes of Peter Thiel, etc. whispering in his ear as well. I have a philosophy degree and I cannot wrap my around this "Techno-anarchy"/"techno monarchy" shite they are into. If you look into it, they are codifying their language, and using some very dodgy pseudo-philosphical/prophetic/god-complex/Christian theocracy crap. So, for example, when they say "liberialism" or "neo-liberalism", it actually doesn't mean what most folks think, "i.e. hippie woke leftists worrying about pronouns and black lives matter". They are referring to "philosophical liberalism", i.e.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism#:~:text=Liberalism is a political and,and equality before the law
In other words, they are at war with what essentially is the core tenets of "western values" from the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Magna Carta, American revolution, the "peaceful dissolution" and sometimes not so peaceful dissolution of the European colonial empires, the United Nations, sovereign nation states, the EU, etc. They are looking at things like "Fuedal Ireland" and the American "Wild West" where nations are dissolved and power is solidified into corporations with a CEO who get to act like a monarch.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/18/jd-vance-world-view-sources-00168984
If you don't believe me, look into Curtis Yarvin like the article above said, especially. Vance cited him and says he has the plan to "remove the cancer of liberalism" from the U.S. Government. Project 2025 isn't actually sinister enough compared that that pile of shite.
So, if you want to be thoroughly fecking depressed and really scared, consider that:
1) Trump is looking for any reason to get out of supporting Ukraine. He'll take any reason, even if he has to manufacture it - which he just did.
2) He has an unfathomable affinity for Putin.
3) The people whispering in his ear are lunatics who are disgesting the crap I just posted, and worse, they might actually beleive in it. Trump is obviously too fecking dumb and lazy to read anything, and what he does believe could probably be written on a drink napkin. However, remember, these people around him may actually believe that "burning the whole thing down" is preferred. Remember when Elon said that, "there may be short-term pain"? That is codified in their language/belief/logic system - the super-rich believe they will benefit, or possibly rule, in the long-term - if in the short term the world burns.
Also, watch this crap:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/While_the_Rest_of_Us_Die:_Secrets_of_America's_Shadow_Government
We've reached this point where the ultra-rich are buying islands in New Zealand, etc. and building compounds to live out the apocalypse. Like madmen, like James Bond villains, they are looking to live forever, colonize Mars, or cause the end of the world so they can survive it and rule.
