Wake Up Right - February 20, 2025

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Wake Up Right
February 20, 2025

I’m alive, Wake Up Right fam! Contrary to popular belief, the Deep State did not take me out. That honor went to the flu.

But my fever broke last night, and I’m feeling much better today. So, although it’s late, please enjoy today’s newsletter. And we’ll be back on schedule tomorrow.

And thank you to everyone who reached out to check in over the last 24 hours.

  • 📊 64% want the gov. to hire on merit over DEI

  • ✅ Howard Lutnick is confirmed as Commerce Secretary

  • 🎓️ 23% of Harvard MBAs are jobless after graduation

  • 📈 The Trump admin will celebrate Black History Month today

  • 🙈 U.S. spent $241 million for trans surgery experiments on animals

The DOGE Dividend: Trump floats giving Americans 20% of savings

President Trump is considering distributing 20% of the savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) back to American taxpayers, with another 20% earmarked for reducing the national debt.

The DOGE Dividend: During a speech in Miami on Wednesday, Trump unveiled “a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% goes to paying down debt.”

Back up: The idea appears to have originated on X on Tuesday when investor James Fishback suggested the DOGE Dividend, to which Elon Musk responded: “Will check with the President.”

The numbers: According to Fishback's estimates, if DOGE hits its target of $2 trillion in savings over two years, it could yield a $5,000 payout per taxpayer.

Economic impact: The proposal could provide direct financial relief to Americans while addressing record-high inflation and federal debt.

Zoom out: To date, DOGE has identified $55 billion in cuts across federal agencies, including USAID and the Department of Education.

Big picture: I don’t say this lightly — This is a stroke of genius. Over the past four weeks, Democrats and their media allies have attempted to demonize the DOGE cuts as something that takes away from Americans. But by offering 20% back, the Trump administration is reframing it as a give-back to the American taxpayer. And it incentivizes the nation to take an interest in increasing cuts.

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Trump’s patience for Ukrainian dictator grows thin

President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him a “dictator without elections” after Zelensky refused to grant the U.S. access to Ukrainian minerals as repayment for war aid.

The details: In a scathing post on Truth Social yesterday, Trump wrote:

  • "Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won... He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections.”

Back up: Trump's anger comes after Zelenskyy appeared to reject a deal that would have seen Ukraine give the United States up to $500 billion worth of its rare earth metals as reimbursement for the weapons and support provided since the start of the war with Russia.

  • Zelenskyy said: "I defend Ukraine, I can't sell our country."

Price check: To date, the United States has given Ukraine at least $175 billion in financial support and weapons.

Zoom out: The rift occurred shortly after the Trump administration met with representatives from Russia in Saudi Arabia to negotiate a peace settlement in Ukraine — notably, Ukraine was not invited.

Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator. Is he? His term technically expired in May 2024, but under martial law, he’s canceled elections and banned opposition parties, so… 🤷‍♂️ . It’s worth noting that the U.S. held presidential elections in WWI, WWII, and the Civil War.

What happens next? Trump warned in his Truth Social post: “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”

🤰 President Trump issued an executive order to expand access to IVF and other fertility treatments for “loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.” Read more.

💳️ DOGE revealed the U.S. government manages over 4 million active credit card accounts which amounted to $40 billion in expenditures for Fiscal Year 2024. Read more.

🚘️ President Trump declared, "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD" after his administration moved to ban New York from instituting a tax on workers commuting into New York City. NY Gov. Hochul plans to sue. Read more.

🤡 Cynthia Erivo, a Black, bisexual female, is scheduled to play Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl. Read more.

🇲🇽 The Trump admin is reportedly flying covert drones over drug cartels in Mexico to hunt down fentanyl labs and report their locations to the Mexican government. Read more.

🎒 The President of NYU's College Republicans was forced to resign after she called Barron Trump "an oddity on campus." Read more.

✝️ Pope Francis showed a slight improvement while battling pneumonia and received a visit from Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, who said he was "alert and responsive.” Read more.

👏 Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth ordered senior military officials to develop a budget plan that would slash defense spending by 8% in each of the next five years. Read more.

🍎 Apple has resumed advertising on X after pausing ads over a year ago for the platform’s refusal to censor free speech. Read more.

☄️ NASA says an asteroid that was previously given a 3.1% chance of striking Earth in 2032 has dropped to just 1.5%. Read more.

🚩 Washington state lawmakers introduced a bill to remove George Washington from the state flag. Read more.

🗳️ Democrat Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a GOP-backed bill to speed up election results after the state was among the last to finish tallying ballots in 2024. Read more.

🎥 Delta Airlines CEO shuts down anchor blaming Trump for plane crashes. Watch.

🎥 LOL Sean Hannity had his hands full wrangling Donald Trump and Elon Musk in one interview. Watch.

🎥 Everything you need to know about the Delta plane crash in Toronto. Watch.

🎥 One of the Hags on The View blames Trump for airplane crashes; then another repeats the debunked lie that he’s buying armored Teslas from Elon Musk. Watch.

🎥 Black Trump supporter hilariously lambasts Democrats and the media. Watch.

🎥 Michael Knowledge gives a masterclass on shutting down transgender ideology. Watch.

🎥 CNN's numbers guy explains how Donald Trump has remade the electorate. Watch.

🎥 Trump tells reporters he's going to make sure our gold is still in Fort Knox. Watch.

🎥 Go long: Jeffrey Sachs tells Tucker Carlson why Trump’s position on Russia and Ukraine is historic. Watch. [11 min]

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