Yes, Prime Minister of Japan

Li Xinghe shrugged:

"Maybe both."

Soon, Kay Trump received a mission to return to Washington to visit his father, Donald Trump.

And to confirm whether he really sent it soon.

Chapter 134 The Scalper's Slip: Washington, the Insect's Daughter: Trump (4200 words)

Washington Reagan Airport.

As a large luxury passenger plane from Tokyo landed, several plainclothes agents cleared the way, and a beautiful, sexy, and poised woman stepped out.

Kay Trump, who has lived in Tokyo for more than five years, has grown into a healthy and beautiful young woman with the air of a wealthy heiress. Her work mainly involves making videos, and she doesn't have a single wrinkle, looking as if she is still 18 years old.

The American traders gathered at the airport entrance were adept at identifying women with such obvious naive and innocent traits, so as soon as she entered the airport, she was surrounded by a large group of them.

"Miss, would you like to exchange foreign currency?"

"Do not."

"Do you have foreign currency? A girl like you who has returned from overseas must need plenty of US dollars, and we have a lot of US dollars. We need RMB, Asia Pacific Dollar, Japanese Yen, Korean Won, or Singapore Dollar and Australian Dollar."

Kai frowned slightly.

This group of people had a very obvious gray background. Looking around at the seemingly chaotic and dilapidated airport, she was surprised to find that in the few years she had been away, the United States had changed far more than she had imagined.

Several undercover Secret Service agents surrounded the group and drove away the surrounding traders.

"Hey!"

After getting rid of the grey-market profiteers, Kay got into the car heading to the White House. Halfway there, she rubbed her hungry stomach and had the Secret Service stop at a shopping street in Washington's East Side.

Kai gives a banknote to a South American trafficker posing as a Mexican:

"One hot dog."

The vendor looked at Kai in utter shock:

"Ten dollars? Do you want to buy a pack of tissues? A bottle of toothpicks?"

Such a joke made Katton feel embarrassed. She had forgotten that the dollar had depreciated considerably.

Although the official exchange rate was 3:1 against the yuan, it had already fallen below 1.5:1 on the black market. Foreign traders preferred to trade based on the black market exchange rate, or they would only accept yuan, yen, or Asia Pacific dollars.

It was actually China, Japan, and South Korea that attempted to stabilize the high exchange rate of the US dollar, because without the large North American market to absorb domestic production capacity, their economies would genuinely face a recession. The US, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain its position and was forced to cooperate passively, because they had injected too much liquidity into the market, and such a large amount of dollars piled up in North America could explode at any time.

The vendor boldly and proactively solicited:

"Give me $100, or 80 RMB/Asia Pacific Dollar, that's hard currency."

As a last characteristic of developed countries, the high costs of labor and security are revealed at this time. Even an empty plot of land will be used by gangs or police to collect rent.

Kay paid 100 Asia Pacific dollars and received complimentary jalapeños, double the spicy cheese, and more sauce. Her generosity was seen by many as tantamount to foolishness.

But when she was about to eat, she saw several federal agents behind her and took a few steps forward with a little shame, then called over the McDonald's assistant manager.

Kai turned around and said:

"Let me treat you all to a meal."

As for the federal agents, they quietly warned McDonald's not to try and scam naive girls who act like they're on a vacation abroad:

"The Secret Service will pay."

Curious Kai took the opportunity to quietly ask the assistant store manager who came to serve him:

"Excuse me, how much do you earn?"

"$1500 a week. It might sound funny, but I have to share an 8-square-meter room with a shared bathroom with someone else. The cost for the two of us to share is $900 each per week. We can't afford $100 sausages and hamburgers. We have to go to the supermarket to buy $10 packs of instant noodles or $45 canned food and eat them in two meals. We also have to get leftovers from restaurants to survive."

The assistant store manager, Xiang Kai, lowered his voice and said, "I'm a bit secretive."

“I used to be a fan of old Trump. I know you, Kay. I hope you can cheer him up. America needs a savior. We want to go back to our good life. Please! Take us back!”

It turns out this person is a former Trump supporter, still reminiscing about the wonderful American life before 2017.

"Take me back to the old time!" (You're singing, aren't you? Are you singing in vain? Lin Zai Zai isn't there...)

This statement is already the dream of many Americans.

At that time, a mid-to-lower-level employee, such as an assistant store manager in Washington or New York, earned around $6000 a month. But as he himself stated, that amount was barely enough to survive.

In North America, a Toyota/BYD joint venture car in the $10 range sells for $6 to $10, with other cars priced similarly. This isn't cheap, but fortunately, American car manufacturers are even more daring, selling for $20. Similarly, the price of an Apple iPhone has repeatedly increased, surpassing $3000 and trending towards $5000. One reason they dare not raise prices too much is that other Android manufacturers have been making affordable $3000 phones.

The pricing of goods across the United States is being restructured. The soaring prices of industrial products, once earned through the hard work and sweat of late-developing industrial nations, have made Americans realize the true purchasing power of a monthly salary of $3000.

This time, it's definitely about earning US dollars and spending RMB.

However, the outcome was not as rosy as some people had imagined.

When everyone finished eating and returned to the White House, the government offices near Washington Square were bustling with activity.

The person outside kept saying:

"I've heard that the Ministry of Industry is issuing more and more regulations. Now even ordinary electrical appliances need to go through many government approvals before they can be stored and sold. Many appliances are gone before they even reach the stores."

Someone broke down in front of the approval hall, shouting in despair:

Does anyone know where to buy a new refrigerator?

Unexpectedly, this shout attracted more than a dozen brokers who asked, "I have a note, do you want it? It's from Hisense, arriving next month. Black market price."

While Trump implemented some shock therapy-style free-market economic measures, issuing approvals remains a key to making money for Capitol Hill officials. Normal industrial imports and commodity sales are increasingly subject to various restrictions and approvals.

Seeing this scene, Kay Trump was suddenly reminded of that summer many years ago when Li Xinghe carried her and ran through the streets of Los Angeles. America wasn't like it is now back then.

She turned and went home.

As soon as I entered the White House, a little girl suddenly hugged me.

"Ha, Kai's back."

Arabella complains about her older sister:

“You’re finally back. You’ve hardly come back since you went to Tokyo.”

Kai was speechless. He couldn't very well say that he had already forgotten all about Tokyo while he was making milk sandwiches.

She hurriedly pulled out her gift box, containing a bag of jewelry that had recently become very popular in East Asia:

"A gift for you~"

"Thank you!"

The atmosphere inside the White House remains tense and anxious.

Today is the government's regular meeting, where many very important national policy issues will be discussed.

Trump was indeed hospitalized, hastily initiating shock therapy and attempting to revive his American politicians and bureaucrats, who crammed into the White House to try and manage the country.

Kai sneaked in; there were no secrets left, as many secretaries were secretly passing on classified information.

The Interior Minister's deeply worried complaint:

"Everything is terrible, and life is always a struggle. Even train derailments are less frequent because supplies from agricultural states are not only expensive, but they are also frequently robbed by railroad bandits along the way. The railroad company is considering equipping itself with armor and machine guns, while the train drivers are already preparing to resign."

The so-called railway robbers were actually local armed militias.

They rely on the railway, exploit the railway, and rob the railway; it's not like these black guys haven't been stealing from the railway for a long time.

The Agriculture Minister emphasized the issues of wealth inequality and state boundaries:

“The government’s approvals are very problematic. Localities are becoming increasingly independent, with wealthy states unwilling to provide financial and resource assistance to poor agricultural states, while agricultural states are constantly raising prices on agricultural products in an attempt to recoup the fiscal transfers they are missing.”

There are many agricultural states that Americans call "states that only exist on paper," meaning that most people will never visit them in their lifetime, and they are not as well-known as overseas tourist destinations.

The Ministry of Commerce is putting pressure on the Ministry of Finance:

"We have fewer and fewer resources available for export. Oil, shale oil, pharmaceuticals, precision instruments, wheat, soybeans, beef, flour—we need these resources to balance our international payments. And if the dollar can no longer maintain its high international value, even the black market exchange rate won't save our current economy."

But the Ministry of Finance could only answer them:

"Banks can only raise interest rates again and again to withdraw the excess dollar liquidity from the market and get the economy back on track. We all know that the current exchange rate is problematic; it shouldn't be so bad. This is only a temporary problem."

The Energy Secretary issued an urgent warning:

"But the more interest rates rise, the more the economy dies."

"If we don't raise interest rates, the economy will die right now. Do you want the US to become like Türkiye in the past?"

Turkey was once known for 'killing economics,' lowering interest rates as inflation rose and weathering numerous economic crises. Naturally, the cost was that Turks either adopted the euro or were simply unable to save money, living paycheck to paycheck.

The US could become like Turkey, maintaining its economy by squeezing every last drop of value from the banknotes of the poor. But who could become Türkiye's Euro?

The ministers in charge of the economy collectively ignored the Department of Homeland Security's anxieties:

"According to some private inquiries, our few developed and populous states are considering forming their own new National Guard to attack poor and underfunded agricultural states in order to obtain their abundant food supplies. Unfortunately, the United States has a severe shortage of heavy weapons, but light weapons are plentiful."

This is America, a nation of guns.

But America is also a land of freedom. Black men can raid railroads every day, and armed militias can fight in the fields. As long as they don't affect the overall economy, it doesn't matter.

All of these complaints, when ultimately summarized in the White House's economic reports, can be summed up in one sentence:

"Because China has locked down all or part of the key technologies across the entire industrial chain, even products manufactured by illiterate workers in Africa cannot compete with the cost-effectiveness of Chinese products. We have no choice but to buy Chinese products..."

The United States can no longer relocate its industries from its homeland to Japan, from Japan to South Korea, from South Korea to Southeast Asia, and from Southeast Asia to China, extracting excessive profits in the past.

Even Indian goods are having their value chains blocked by key Chinese technologies.

In short, buying anything requires going through China, and Chinese goods have locked in the global price chain, preventing the US from finding another unfortunate victim to exploit.

After leaving the meeting on governing the country, Kay strolled to the back of the White House.

Meanwhile, in the White House back room, the presidential family was predictably continuing its infighting. Compared to Trump, who verbally proclaimed patriotism and governance, these children were pure insects, their desire for money far exceeding their desire to be normal people.

A group of seemingly glamorous individuals stood together, yet they were arguing about the most shameless things:

Donald Trump Jr. wiped away his crocodile tears:

"The old man's health is indeed failing..."

But his sister-in-law, Lara Trump, anxiously pressed for answers:

"But he hasn't even decided who the vice president will be!"

At that moment, Donald Trump Jr., Barron Trump, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, and Lara Trump, Eric Trump's wife—whether they were born insects, fickle, or pure princes—took notice of that position.

Vice President!

Under U.S. law, the vice president will temporarily assume the presidency upon the death of the president.

But Trump barely scraped by before securing the presidency by being the first to tacitly approve of overthrowing Vance. He promised a fair election for all Americans, but it ended before it even began.

Naturally, there's no time to choose a crown prince like a vice president, which would only cause trouble for themselves.

Now, Lao Chuan is hospitalized again, and is even gradually falling into a coma. His children and daughters-in-law have added an indescribable chapter to his already complicated life.

The brothers and sisters, each with their own ulterior motives, began to secretly plot their schemes.

Donald Trump Jr. considers himself the most orthodox:

"Anyway, I was the vice president during Vance's time."

Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, kept encouraging herself:

"The old man must appoint me as vice president first."

Neither Ivanka nor Barron had a chance to take over, but they began to secretly speculate:

Whom should we support?

Kay stuck out her tongue, and to avoid being caught and asked 'whom to support,' she quietly ran to the West Wing of the White House.

Unexpectedly, there was also a group of people from the Department of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff here. When they saw Kay, they treated her like a hot commodity, grabbing her and asking:

"We want to know, who does Li Xinghe support?"

The Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and various military leaders are all eager to know who the next president will be. Ideally, it would be someone supported by Trump, Li Xinghe, and recognized by the military, allowing for a more dignified end to the conflict between the two sides.

The military will also have an excellent window of opportunity to plunder the financial sector's gold coins while purging Vance's remaining financial forces.

Although Trump has implemented shock therapy and even considered depleting the financial sector's gold reserves, Wall Street still has plenty of money.