When political retribution meets immigration enforcement, the consequences don’t stop with immigrants—they reach American workers, small businesses and American manufacturing.

By Nika Bella Vita
Founder & CEO, GYM IN A BOX® USA

What kind of country are we becoming when politically connected MAGA influencers can publicly talk about reporting people to immigration authorities—and celebrate when those people are detained or deported?

That is the question Americans should be asking right now.

Laura Loomer Should Be a Warning to All of Us

LAURA LOOMER

Laura Loomer, one of Donald Trump’s most vocal MAGA allies, has once again been at the center of controversy over racist and inflammatory rhetoric.

Reuters reported just yesterday that Loomer is facing renewed criticism over racist comments directed at Black women, including elected officials. She has also repeatedly claimed influence within Trump’s political orbit.

Source: Reuters — Trump ally Laura Loomer faces fresh criticism over racist comments against Black women

And then there is what happened with Milo Yiannopoulos.

The British far-right commentator was detained by ICE on August 27 and subsequently deported to the United Kingdom.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Yiannopoulos originally entered the United States legally in 2019, later overstayed his authorized stay, failed to appear for an immigration hearing and became subject to a final removal order.

Whatever anyone thinks about Milo Yiannopoulos politically is irrelevant to my larger point.

What concerns me is the normalization of politically connected people using—or appearing to use—immigration enforcement against people with whom they have personal or political disputes.

Loomer publicly celebrated Yiannopoulos’ detention and had reportedly said she alerted authorities about him. That is the dangerous part.

I personally don’t care at all about that guy the fact that MAGA influencers ( spoiler alert: THEY ARE JEWISH) are now acting as the Nazis in 1930’s Germany when they were hunting down the Jews, is shocking.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/milo-yiannopoulos-detained-by-ice-laura-loomer-is-taking-the-credit-for-reporting-him/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAUES7FwZG9mBWZkaWQWUNpSsvM1vffZMn7TPmRL0PudP3-mUWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR7_k7-EWgKhDaZFx2qexPB3txBaYdk32KvrdLU_Glc_qF1qzRw1iMHwQCvUQA_aem_Sepj7X9f7F29IvTiDNeMNw

Sources: Reuters — British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos detained by ICE; Reuters — Far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos deported to UK

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/far-right-commentator-milo-yiannopoulos-deported-uk-2026-08-29/

Think about where this kind of culture can lead.

A politically connected person has a dispute with somebody. Immigration authorities become involved. Then the detention or deportation is publicly celebrated.

To me, as a German immigrant, this sounds frighteningly reminiscent of some of the darkest chapters of German history.

I do not make that comparison casually.

I grew up with German history.

I understand what happens when a society begins normalizing denunciation—when people become comfortable reporting neighbors, colleagues, political opponents or simply people they dislike to government authorities.

The United States in 2026 is feeling like Nazi Germany 2.0. And the WORST? LAURA LOOMER and STEPHEN MILLER, the powerful racist befind ALL OF THESE HORRORS, are JEWISH ✡️

That’s the most shocking part for me.

But history exists precisely so that we recognize warning signs before societies reach their darkest destinations.

A culture in which people become afraid that someone with political connections can sic government authorities on them should disturb every American, regardless of political affiliation.

And fear has consequences.

I know because I have watched those consequences reach directly into my own American business.

I Have Seen What This Fear Does to an American Business

I am Nika Cristiani, an immigrant entrepreneur, inventor and founder and CEO of GYM IN A BOX® USA.

I came to America as an investor and entrepreneur.

My husband and I invested our own money here.

We built our company here.

We created innovative fitness technology here.

We manufactured here.

We created jobs here.

Our Los Angeles, California, production operation employed approximately 150 workers who were legally here.

Today, that production operation is gone.

We had to shut it down.

One of the major reasons was brutally simple:

OUR WORKERS BECAME AFRAID TO COME TO WORK.

They were scared.

They were watching what was happening throughout Los Angeles.

They were watching aggressive ICE operations.

They were watching videos of immigration arrests and enforcement actions.

They were hearing story after story circulating throughout immigrant communities.

And eventually that fear entered our workplace.

These were people working legally.

They had jobs.

They earned their money.

They contributed to our company and helped an American business manufacture products in Los Angeles.

But when workers become frightened that simply leaving their homes and going to work could expose them to immigration enforcement, fear doesn’t remain an immigration-policy issue.

It becomes an economic issue.

It becomes an employer issue.

It becomes a manufacturing issue.

And eventually, it becomes an American-jobs issue.

https://latino.ucla.edu/research/immigration-enforcement-small-businesses-los-angeles/

This Isn’t Just Our Story: UCLA Documented “The Cost of Fear”

There is now hard economic evidence showing what immigration enforcement has done to businesses in Los Angeles.

In July 2026, UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute published a report with an extraordinarily appropriate title:

“The Cost of Fear.”

Researchers examined businesses surrounding nine immigration-enforcement sites in Los Angeles County.

They found that the June 2025 enforcement surge resulted in approximately 46,000 fewer business visits and an estimated $3.16 million in accumulated losses in only two weeks across the nine locations studied.

Among surveyed business owners, 59% reported sales falling by more than 50%.

And UCLA explicitly cautioned that its figures likely understated the total economic damage because the research covered only nine enforcement sites and only the two weeks following enforcement activity.

Source: UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute — The Cost of Fear: The Impacts of Immigration Enforcement on Small Businesses and Latino Entrepreneurs in LA County

This is exactly what politicians need to understand:

YOU CANNOT TERRIFY A WORKFORCE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY CLAIM YOU ARE REBUILDING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING.

Workers ARE manufacturing.

Workers ARE small business.

Workers ARE supply chains.

Workers ARE production.

Take away the workers—or make them terrified to work—and eventually you take away the factory.

That is what happened to us.

AND THEN CAME THE TRUMP TARIFFS

As if losing our Los Angeles production capacity wasn’t enough, GYM IN A BOX® has simultaneously been fighting another battle:

The Trump tariffs.

Our products are sophisticated wearable fitness technologies.

Like virtually every modern electronics and technology company, we operate within a global supply chain and depend upon imported components and manufacturing resources.

The tariff escalation created extraordinary additional pressure for our small business.

We dealt with supply-chain disruption.

We dealt with delayed inventory.

We dealt with shipments being held.

We dealt with capital being tied up.

We dealt with enormous unexpected import expenses.

And we dealt with trying to plan an independent American company while international trade rules seemed capable of changing overnight.

We absorbed these costs rather than simply dumping them onto our customers.

But somebody ultimately has to pay a tariff.

And this is one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding this entire political debate:

AMERICAN IMPORTERS PAY THE TARIFF.

When GYM IN A BOX® imports merchandise or components subject to a tariff, we are the American company confronted with that additional cost.

It affects our margins.

It affects our cash flow.

It affects inventory.

It affects pricing.

And ultimately it affects our ability to invest and employ people here.

Then the Supreme Court Ruled Against Trump’s IEEPA Tariffs

On February 20, 2026, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—IEEPA—did not give the president the authority being claimed to impose the sweeping tariffs at issue.

Reuters reported that at least $133 billion had already been collected under the tariff regime by the time of the ruling.

American importers then began pursuing enormous refunds.

Sources: Reuters — Supreme Court tariff coverage, February 20, 2026; Reuters — Trump’s tariff refunds may total up to $182 billion, estimates find

You might imagine that would have been the end of it.

IT WASN’T.

The administration almost immediately shifted to another legal authority.

After losing the IEEPA case, President Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose another broad global import surcharge.

The legal justification changed.

For American importers, the tariff burden did not simply disappear.

Reuters later described what happened perfectly:

“Trade policy did not pause when the Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It adapted quickly and with consequence.”

Source: Reuters — Beyond IEEPA: When trade law becomes national security policy

AND WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH THESE TARIFFS AS I WRITE THIS.

This is exactly what I have been discussing publicly, including on CUOMO / NewsNation.

We talked about what these tariffs were doing to our small business.

I explained that this wasn’t some academic economic argument for me.

I was paying the bills.

Our company was dealing with the consequences.

Our inventory was affected.

Our cash flow was affected.

Our supply chain was affected.

Our international distribution was affected.

And our ability to operate competitively in America was affected.

Then something even more remarkable happened.

In May, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled against the administration’s temporary global tariffs imposed under Section 122.

But the ruling did not broadly stop tariff collection for every American importer.

The administration appealed.

On May 12, a federal appeals court temporarily paused the lower court’s relief even for the three importers who had successfully challenged those tariffs.

The tariffs remained in place while the legal battle continued.

Source: Reuters — US appeals court pauses ruling against Trump’s global tariffs

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-rejects-trumps-global-tariffs-2026-02-20/

So understand what American businesses have been dealing with:

The government imposes tariffs.

Businesses pay.

The Supreme Court rules against the statutory authority used for sweeping tariffs.

The administration switches legal authorities.

Businesses keep dealing with tariffs.

Another federal court rules against the replacement tariff mechanism.

The administration appeals.

And American importers remain caught in the middle.

THAT IS NOT ECONOMIC STABILITY.

That is uncertainty.

And uncertainty is devastating for small business

A Court Decision Doesn’t Give a Small Business Its Lost Years Back

Even where businesses ultimately become entitled to refunds, money alone cannot reverse everything that happened.

A refund doesn’t automatically restore a lost contract.

It doesn’t restore lost distribution.

It doesn’t restore customers who went elsewhere because inventory was unavailable.

It doesn’t compensate us for every opportunity we couldn’t pursue because our capital was tied up.

It doesn’t undo months of supply-chain disruption.

And it doesn’t rebuild manufacturing capacity that has already become unsustainable.

Small businesses cannot operate indefinitely as collateral damage while Washington moves from one tariff theory to another.

SO GUESS WHERE “AMERICA FIRST” SENT OUR MANUFACTURING?

CHINA.

Yes.

GYM IN A BOX® USA has now been forced to completely outsource our production to China.

I want people to understand the staggering contradiction in that sentence.

OUR FACTORY WAS IN LOS ANGELES.

NOW OUR PRODUCTION IS IN CHINA.

We wanted to manufacture in Los Angeles.

We employed approximately 150 workers there.

We wanted to expand American manufacturing.

We wanted to create jobs here.

Instead, two enormous pressures collided.

On one side was an immigration-enforcement climate that created so much fear that workers who were legally here became afraid to report to work.

On the other side were tariffs, supply-chain disruption, enormous additional costs and unprecedented uncertainty.

Eventually, maintaining our Los Angeles production operation became unsustainable.

And the result?

We closed our Los Angeles production and outsourced production to China.

Tell me again how that is “America First.”

THE CONTRADICTION COULD NOT BE MORE ABSURD

How does forcing an American company out of American manufacturing bring manufacturing home?

How does frightening legally authorized immigrant workers protect American jobs?

How does financially squeezing an independent American technology company make America more competitive against China?

How does forcing an American importer to absorb additional tariff costs help that company hire more Americans?

And how does making it increasingly difficult for an American small business to manufacture domestically hurt China when the eventual result is that the company moves its production there?

For GYM IN A BOX®, the outcome was precisely the opposite of what Americans were promised.

I CAME TO AMERICA TO BUILD SOMETHING

This is what makes this so personal to me.

I did not come to America asking America to give me something.

I came here to BUILD SOMETHING.

I invested here.

I created here.

I manufactured here.

I hired here.

I paid taxes here.

My husband and I put our own money, careers and lives into building GYM IN A BOX® USA.

We weren’t sent here by some giant multinational corporation.

We weren’t financed by a hedge fund.

We are self-funded immigrant entrepreneurs.

We came here because America was supposed to be the country where somebody willing to work, invest, innovate and create jobs could build something extraordinary.

That is the American dream I believed in.

And now I am watching policies supposedly designed to put America first make it harder for entrepreneurs like us to do exactly what America says it wants:

INVEST HERE.

INNOVATE HERE.

EMPLOY PEOPLE HERE.

MANUFACTURE HERE.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN GYM IN A BOX®

Our story is one company.

Now multiply it.

Manufacturing.

Agriculture.

Construction.

Hospitality.

Restaurants.

Healthcare.

Warehousing.

Transportation.

Technology.

Small businesses across America depend upon immigrant workers—including millions of people legally entitled to live and work in this country.

You cannot create an atmosphere in which immigrants collectively feel targeted and then pretend that fear will conveniently stop at the factory door.

It won’t.

And we should not normalize politically connected people publicly celebrating the use of immigration enforcement against their enemies without asking ourselves what precedent that creates.

Today it might be someone you dislike.

Tomorrow it might be someone you love.

Eventually, Americans need to ask themselves what kind of country they want this to become.

AMERICA HAS TO DECIDE WHAT “AMERICA FIRST” ACTUALLY MEANS

Does it mean supporting entrepreneurs who invest in America?

Does it mean protecting American manufacturing?

Does it mean helping small businesses create jobs?

Does it mean making America the world’s greatest destination for innovators, scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs?

Then our policies need to accomplish those things in reality—not merely in campaign speeches.

Because slogans don’t manufacture products.

Fear doesn’t create factories.

Hatred doesn’t build companies.

Tariffs don’t magically create domestic supply chains.

And intimidation doesn’t create prosperity.

People do.

Entrepreneurs do.

Workers do.

Immigrants do.

Americans do.

Together.

For GYM IN A BOX® USA, the consequences are already real.

THIS WAS MY BUSINESS.

THIS WAS OUR LOS ANGELES PRODUCTION.

THESE WERE APPROXIMATELY 150 JOBS.

THESE WERE REAL WORKERS.

And now that production is gone.

Not to another American state.

Not to another American factory.

TO CHINA.

That should bother Democrats.

That should bother Republicans.

That should bother independents.

And it should especially bother anyone who genuinely believes America should manufacture more of what it consumes.

Because when policies sold to Americans as “America First” ultimately contribute to an American small business shutting down production in Los Angeles and outsourcing it to China, Americans have every right to ask:

WHO EXACTLY ARE THESE POLICIES PUTTING FIRST?

— Nika
Founder & CEO, GYM IN A BOX® USA
Immigrant Entrepreneur • Inventor • American Small-Business Owner

Thank you for supporting my FREE work by supporting my small business

Shopgyminabox.com

Love 💕 NIKA

On top of all the harm and financial pressure already placed on small U.S. businesses, the Trump administration is now damaging another important part of our business at GYM IN A BOX®: our Canadian EXPORT market.

We built an incredibly successful business exporting our WellTech products to Canada — a market where we had virtually no direct competition in our category.

Now, new tariffs are making that business increasingly difficult, while a growing “Buy Canadian” movement and boycott of U.S. products is putting American brands like ours directly in the crossfire.

We are a SMALL AMERICAN BUSINESS. We manufacture, import, export, create jobs and compete internationally.

First, tariffs dramatically increased our costs to bring products into the United States.

Starting with “Liberation Day,” April 2, 2025, we’re going to be reposting the interviews our founder NIKA had with our friend Chris Cuomo on CUOMO | NewsNation — because this story is NOT over.

We spoke out on national TV on CUOMO | NewsNation many times about what the Trump tariffs were doing to American small businesses like GYM IN A BOX®, and we’re going to keep creating awareness.

At times, our company was hit with tariffs as high as 145%.

And here’s what matters to OUR customers:

🇺🇸 WE DID NOT PASS THOSE COSTS ON TO YOU.

GYM IN A BOX® absorbed those extraordinary tariff costs ourselves. We refused to simply slap a “tariff surcharge” onto your order.

In fact, we have worked incredibly hard to hold our pricing since launching our first MagicTone StimFitBelt™ in 2020, during the height of the pandemic.

Then came the Supreme Court decision striking down the administration’s sweeping IEEPA tariffs — followed by the government turning to other trade authorities to impose new tariffs. AXIOS

And now comes the part that should make EVERY small-business owner and American consumer pay attention:

💰 The federal government has already processed approximately $100 BILLION in refunds from the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court to their biggest DONORS!

Meanwhile, some of America’s biggest corporations have received enormous refunds. Reports show Apple received approximately $2.2 BILLION and Amazon about $600 MILLION, while Walmart is among the companies receiving or eligible for massive refunds.

(Investing.com)

(The Washington Post)

GYM IN A BOX®? ZERO DOLLARS received by us so far.

We absorbed the tariffs instead of raising your prices to cover them.

Now, trade tensions are hurting our ability to EXPORT them.

So tell me again how this is supposed to help American small businesses?

Thank you, Mr. President — and everyone who empowered these policies. 🖕

Small businesses like ours are paying the price.

So when you ask why supporting an independent American small business matters — THIS IS WHY

Every time you choose a small business over another Amazon order, you are voting with your wallet for entrepreneurs, innovation, American jobs and companies actually fighting to survive.

🇺🇸 SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS.

⚡️ Support independent innovation.

❤️ Support the businesses that supported YOU.

Skip Amazon. Shop GYM IN A BOX® directly.

👉 http://SHOPGYMINABOX.COM

The Healthcare Bill Is Coming Due — And Americans Are About to Feel It

America already has the most expensive healthcare system in the developed world. Under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” millions of Americans are now heading toward an even harsher reality — and some of the biggest changes are scheduled to hit after the 2026 midterm elections.

There is something profoundly wrong with a country where getting seriously sick can become a financial catastrophe.

A hospital bill circulating online recently showed an ICU room charge of $12,566 PER DAY.

Not the surgery.

Not the doctors.

Not the medications.

Not the ventilator.

The room.

At that rate, 151 days would generate almost $1.9 million in room charges alone.

Whether every detail of that viral bill represents what an insurer or patient ultimately pays is another question — hospital chargemaster prices are notoriously different from negotiated and paid amounts.

But the larger problem isn’t viral.

It is documented.

America spends extraordinary amounts of money on healthcare, and Americans continue to struggle to afford the healthcare they’re supposedly paying for.

And now Washington is making that problem worse.

THE FIRST SHOCK ALREADY ARRIVED IN 2026

The enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025.

Those subsidies had dramatically reduced what millions of Americans buying their own insurance through the ACA marketplaces actually paid.

KFF estimates that after their expiration, Marketplace premium payments increased by an average of 114% — approximately $1,016 more per year. (KFF)

And the underlying insurance market wasn’t exactly getting cheaper either.

KFF reports that unsubsidized benchmark ACA premiums increased an average 26% in 2026 — the largest increase in eight years. (KFF)

So Americans are being squeezed from both directions:

Higher underlying healthcare prices.

Less federal assistance paying the premiums.

That’s not theoretical.

People are seeing it in their bank accounts right now.

THEN CAME THE “BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL”

Trump signed the massive 2025 reconciliation law — the legislation Republicans promoted as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — on July 4, 2025. (KFF)

And here is something every voter should understand:

Some of its most consequential healthcare provisions don’t fully arrive immediately.

They phase in.

And several major Medicaid provisions begin in 2027 — after the November 2026 midterm elections. (KFF)

That timing matters.

Not because we can prove Congress deliberately designed every implementation date around an election — we cannot.

But because voters deserve to know what is already written into law before they vote.

JANUARY 1, 2027: MEDICAID CHANGES DRAMATICALLY

Beginning no later than January 1, 2027, states generally must impose new work/community-engagement requirements on many adults covered through Medicaid expansion.

The requirement is generally 80 hours per month of qualifying work, education, community service or other permitted activities, subject to exemptions. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

States will also have to conduct eligibility redeterminations for Medicaid expansion adults every six months. (KFF)

And this is where bureaucratic policy becomes brutally human.

People don’t necessarily lose insurance because they suddenly became wealthy.

They can lose it because paperwork wasn’t returned.

Because a notice went to the wrong address.

Because employment couldn’t be verified.

Because someone couldn’t navigate another government portal.

Because life happened.

CBO’s analysis of the Medicaid provisions explicitly anticipates coverage losses resulting from procedural problems, missed paperwork, communication failures and difficulties navigating reenrollment. (Congressional Budget Office)

That’s not healthcare reform.

That’s healthcare by obstacle course.

AND THE PRESSURE DOESN’T STOP WITH PATIENTS

The law also restricts mechanisms states have used to finance Medicaid, including provider taxes and state-directed payments.

KFF estimates that 31 states may have to reduce at least one provider tax on hospitals, managed-care organizations or ambulances under the new limits. (KFF)

Another fresh KFF analysis estimates that about $60 billion in current federal Medicaid spending across 37 states and Washington, D.C. could exceed the law’s new limits on certain state-directed hospital payments once the restrictions are fully implemented. (KFF)

That means the story isn’t merely:

“Somebody might lose Medicaid.”

It means states, hospitals and healthcare providers themselves could face increasingly difficult financial decisions.

Who absorbs the shortfall?

States?

Hospitals?

Doctors?

Employers?

Privately insured patients through higher negotiated prices?

Or patients who discover that the hospital, clinic or physician they need is simply no longer available?

Those are the questions America should be discussing before November.

AND YES — PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO LOSE INSURANCE

The Congressional Budget Office isn’t a Democratic campaign organization.

It is Congress’s nonpartisan budget agency.

Its detailed analysis estimates that provisions of the enacted Medicaid law will increase the number of uninsured Americans by millions by 2034. One major provision alone is estimated to increase the uninsured population by 5.3 million. (Congressional Budget Office)

Meanwhile, the enhanced ACA subsidies have already disappeared.

And CBO’s broader analysis found something else worth remembering:

Under the reconciliation law, economic resources decline for households toward the bottom of the income distribution, while increasing for households in the middle and toward the top. (Congressional Budget Office)

Read that again.

Because underneath thousands of pages of legislative language, that is the redistribution Americans need to understand.

WE ARE PAYING MORE AND GETTING LESS SECURITY

This is the insanity of American healthcare.

We don’t have a cheap private healthcare system.

We have an extraordinarily expensive one.

Families pay premiums.

Employers pay premiums.

Workers indirectly pay through compensation.

Patients pay deductibles.

Patients pay copays.

Taxpayers fund Medicare.

Taxpayers fund Medicaid.

Taxpayers subsidize insurance.

And after all of that?

Millions of Americans still live one diagnosis away from financial panic.

Meanwhile hospitals consolidate.

Administrative complexity consumes enormous resources.

Prescription drugs can command extraordinary prices.

Insurance networks become increasingly complicated.

And patients are expected to become amateur accountants just to figure out what medical treatment will cost.

This isn’t a functioning market.

A functioning market requires consumers to understand prices before purchasing something and to have meaningful alternatives.

Nobody lying unconscious in an ambulance is comparison-shopping ICU rates.

DON’T WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE MIDTERMS TO DISCOVER WHAT WAS ALREADY PASSED

This is the part I want Americans to understand most.

The 2026 midterm election is not occurring in a vacuum.

Important healthcare changes are already scheduled for 2027 and beyond.

Work requirements.

More frequent eligibility checks.

Changes to Medicaid financing.

Restrictions affecting payments to healthcare providers.

The effects will vary enormously by state and individual circumstance, and not every frightening prediction will materialize exactly as critics forecast.

But pretending nothing significant is coming would be equally dishonest.

The law exists.

The implementation dates exist.

The numbers exist.

And Americans should know them before casting their ballots.

Because healthcare policy isn’t some abstract ideological debate taking place on cable television.

It is the medication your mother needs.

The cancer treatment your husband needs.

The emergency surgery your child needs.

The insurance premium your small business has to somehow afford.

The hospital keeping a rural community alive.

And someday, unexpectedly, it may be you in that ICU bed.

Healthcare should not bankrupt you.

Healthcare should not become inaccessible because you missed a government form.

And in the richest country on Earth, surviving a medical emergency should never require surviving a financial one afterward.

Before you vote in the midterms, ask one simple question:

What happens to my healthcare in 2027?

Then demand an answer.

Because this time, much of the answer is already written into law.

Thank you for supporting my small business, we need you!

SHOP GYM IN A BOX

Love 💕 Nika Bella Vita

My business is supporting women who suffer from postpartum depression.

TRUMP’S MANUFACTURING LIE

Tariffs Were Sold as the Great American Manufacturing Comeback. The Evidence Tells a Much More Complicated—and Costly—Story.

I want manufacturing back in America.

As an American small-business owner and product creator, nothing would make me happier than seeing more products, components, technology and supply chains built here in the United States.

But wanting something to be true does not make it economically true.

President Trump has repeatedly presented tariffs as almost a magic formula:

Tax imports. Companies come back. Factories open. American jobs explode.

It sounds simple.

The real economy isn’t.

And after years of actual data—from Trump’s first trade war and now his second—we have enough evidence to separate political marketing from economic reality.

The evidence does not say tariffs never help any American manufacturer.

They can.

Tariffs can protect a particular domestic industry from foreign competition. They can increase domestic production in that protected industry. And strategically targeted tariffs can make sense when national security, critical infrastructure or dangerous dependence on a foreign adversary is involved.

But that is very different from claiming that broad tariffs create a net manufacturing and employment boom for America.

That is where Trump’s story falls apart.

FIRST, LET’S CLEAR UP THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION: WHO ACTUALLY PAYS A TARIFF?

When an American company imports a product or component subject to a U.S. tariff, the tariff is collected from the U.S. importer.

China does not walk up to U.S. Customs and hand America a check.

The U.S. International Trade Commission studied Trump’s 2018 tariffs and found that American importers bore nearly the full cost. For the tariffs it examined, import prices increased approximately one-for-one with the tariff increase. (USITC)

Academic economists Mary Amiti, Stephen Redding and David Weinstein reached a similar conclusion studying Trump’s 2018 trade war.

They found essentially complete pass-through of the tariffs into domestic prices of imported goods and estimated that the trade war was reducing U.S. real income by approximately $1.4 billion per month by the end of 2018. (National Bureau of Economic Research)

That tariff bill then enters the American economy.

The importer has to do something with it.

Raise prices.

Accept lower margins.

Cut expenses.

Delay investment.

Reduce hiring.

Find another supplier.

Automate.

Or, frequently, some combination of all of the above.

This is why saying “China pays the tariff” fundamentally misrepresents how the mechanism works.

WHAT HAPPENED TO AMERICAN MANUFACTURING THE FIRST TIME?

This is where the argument becomes especially important.

Trump already tried large tariffs during his first administration.

So we don’t have to speculate about what tariffs might do.

We can examine what actually happened.

Federal Reserve economists Aaron Flaaen and Justin Pierce studied Trump’s 2018–2019 tariffs specifically to determine what happened to American manufacturing.

Their conclusion was striking.

Manufacturing industries receiving greater tariff protection did benefit from reduced foreign competition.

But that benefit was more than offset by the higher cost of imported inputs and retaliation from America’s trading partners.

Industries more exposed to the tariffs experienced relative reductions in manufacturing employment. (Federal Reserve)

Read that again.

A policy specifically promoted as a way to increase American manufacturing employment was associated with relative employment declines among the manufacturers most exposed to it.

Why?

Because modern manufacturing isn’t isolated inside national borders.

American manufacturers buy motors, semiconductors, circuit boards, fabrics, metals, batteries, electronics, tools, machinery and thousands of other components from global suppliers.

Put a tariff on those inputs and suddenly the American manufacturer becomes more expensive too.

That is the part of the tariff story that rarely makes it into the political speech.

THE STEEL TARIFFS ARE A PERFECT EXAMPLE

Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs actually demonstrate both sides of this argument beautifully.

Did they help American steel producers?

Yes.

According to the independent, nonpartisan U.S. International Trade Commission, the Section 232 steel tariffs:

• reduced imports of affected steel products by 24%

• increased U.S. steel prices by 2.4%

• increased domestic steel production by 1.9%

• increased U.S. steel production by approximately $1.3 billion in 2021

If we stopped reading right there, Trump could declare victory.

But economics doesn’t stop at the steel mill.

Thousands of American manufacturers BUY STEEL.

And the same USITC study found that higher steel and aluminum prices reduced production among downstream American industries using those metals.

Production in those downstream U.S. industries was approximately:

$3.5 BILLION LOWER IN 2021 BECAUSE OF THE TARIFFS.

So yes:

+$1.3 billion in steel production.

But:

-$3.5 billion in downstream production.

That doesn’t mean every tariff produces exactly that ratio. It means that celebrating the protected industry while ignoring everyone forced to buy its more expensive output gives Americans a profoundly incomplete picture of what happened. (USITC)

AND NOW WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN

Trump returned to office promising an even more aggressive tariff strategy.

The argument remains the same:

Tariffs will force companies to manufacture in America.

And there is some truth buried inside that statement.

Companies absolutely can change investment decisions when importing becomes more expensive.

Some production can move to America.

Some protected industries can expand.

Some companies will announce American factories specifically to avoid tariffs.

That still doesn’t tell us whether America wins overall.

Because we have to count what happens everywhere else.

And right now the economic picture is far more complicated than the victory speeches suggest.

Manufacturing activity actually showed considerable strength in July 2026. The ISM manufacturing index reached its highest level in more than four years, and manufacturing employment in that survey expanded for the first time in 33 months. That deserves to be acknowledged. (Reuters)

But one strong month does not establish that tariffs caused a manufacturing renaissance.

The broader labor-market picture remains mixed. Reuters’ review of Trump’s first 18 months back in office found that manufacturing employment had declined despite the administration’s promises of a manufacturing jobs boom. (Reuters)

And the latest research gives us another important piece of the puzzle.

A Federal Reserve Bank of Boston paper released this week found that tariff-exposed industries experienced higher costs in 2025. Strong productivity growth helped companies absorb some of those costs rather than passing all of them immediately to consumers.

That is interesting—and it’s important evidence that deserves to be included rather than ignored.

But look at how part of that productivity improvement occurred:

Businesses maintained output while reducing labor hours and investing more in automation and equipment. (Reuters)

Which brings us to something politicians almost never explain.

MORE AMERICAN MANUFACTURING DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN MILLIONS MORE MANUFACTURING JOBS

This is 2026.

A new factory isn’t a 1955 factory.

Modern advanced manufacturing relies heavily on robotics, artificial intelligence, automated production lines, computer vision and sophisticated machinery.

A company can spend billions building American manufacturing capacity without recreating the enormous blue-collar workforces associated with factories generations ago.

That doesn’t make the investment bad.

Quite the opposite.

Advanced manufacturing is incredibly important to America’s future.

But politicians should stop presenting manufacturing investment, manufacturing output and manufacturing employment as though they are the same statistic.

They aren’t.

THEN THERE’S APPLE

Apple is increasingly being used as proof that Trump’s tariff strategy worked.

And once again, reality requires more than a headline.

Apple has announced an extraordinary American investment program.

Its U.S. manufacturing initiatives include semiconductors, glass, rare-earth magnets and other advanced components.

That is genuinely positive for America.

But here’s what gets conveniently forgotten:

American reshoring didn’t suddenly begin when Trump threatened another tariff.

The movement toward more resilient U.S. supply chains has been developing for years.

COVID exposed the enormous vulnerability created by concentrated international supply chains.

The global semiconductor shortage demonstrated what happens when the United States becomes dangerously dependent on foreign chip production.

National-security concerns accelerated investment.

Automation changed the economics of manufacturing.

And massive government incentives—including the CHIPS and Science Act—were specifically designed to encourage semiconductor companies to build fabrication capacity in America.

Apple’s own relationship with Corning’s Kentucky manufacturing operation dates all the way back to the original iPhone era.

So when a corporation announces an American investment today, we should ask:

How much resulted from tariffs?

How much resulted from semiconductor incentives?

How much was already planned?

How much resulted from pandemic-era supply-chain restructuring?

How much resulted from national-security concerns?

How much resulted from automation making American production economically viable?

And how much represents investment the company would have made anyway?

Simply putting “TRUMP TARIFFS WORK!” over every corporate press release isn’t economic analysis.

It’s marketing.

THERE IS ANOTHER PROBLEM: TARIFF THREATS THEMSELVES CAN PRODUCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

If the President of the United States threatens a company with enormous tariffs unless it manufactures in America, executives have an obvious incentive to announce American investment.

That creates a fantastic headline.

COMPANY X ANNOUNCES $50 BILLION U.S. INVESTMENT.

But an investment pledge isn’t a factory.

A factory isn’t necessarily operational production.

Production isn’t necessarily profit.

And investment isn’t necessarily job creation.

What matters is what actually gets built, how much additional production occurs, how many sustainable jobs result—and what the policy cost the rest of the American economy to obtain them.

That’s the scoreboard we should be watching.

DOES THIS MEAN ALL TARIFFS ARE BAD?

No.

And this distinction matters if we’re going to have an intelligent conversation about trade.

There are legitimate arguments for targeted strategic tariffs.

If the United States is dangerously dependent upon a geopolitical adversary for military equipment, critical semiconductors, energy infrastructure, pharmaceuticals or other technologies essential to national security, accepting some economic inefficiency may be completely rational.

Economic efficiency isn’t the only legitimate national objective.

A country needs resilience.

It needs strategic independence.

It needs secure supply chains.

That’s fundamentally different from treating tariffs as a universal economic weapon and pretending every tariff dollar represents free money extracted from another country.

Targeted protection can be strategy.

Blanket protectionism is something else entirely.

WHAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP AMERICAN MANUFACTURING?

If we genuinely want America to become a manufacturing powerhouse again, the answer is much bigger—and much less sexy politically—than simply slapping tariffs on imports.

America needs:

Competitive energy costs.

World-class infrastructure.

A skilled manufacturing workforce.

Technical and vocational education.

Semiconductor capacity.

Robotics and automation.

Artificial intelligence.

Research and development.

Access to capital for small and mid-sized manufacturers.

Tax incentives for domestic production.

Faster permitting.

Reliable domestic supply chains.

Strategic industrial policy.

Targeted protection where national security actually justifies it.

And perhaps most importantly:

Policies that make American companies more competitive, rather than simply making their foreign inputs more expensive.

THIS MATTERS TO SMALL BUSINESSES

Large multinational corporations have options.

They can negotiate enormous supply contracts.

They can diversify production across countries.

They can hire armies of customs attorneys.

They can restructure their supply chains.

They can build factories.

They can lobby Washington.

Small American businesses don’t have those luxuries.

When a small American company suddenly receives a dramatically larger customs bill on inventory or components it has already ordered, there may be no alternative American supplier waiting down the street.

You cannot manufacture something domestically simply because a politician says you should.

Factories require machinery.

Tooling.

Technical expertise.

Materials.

Certification.

Volume.

Labor.

Capital.

And time.

Supply chains built over decades cannot simply be recreated in Ohio, California or Texas on Monday morning because Washington announced a tariff on Friday.

In the meantime, the American business pays.

And eventually somebody else does too:

the customer, the employee, the owner—or all three.

THAT’S WHY I CALL IT THE MANUFACTURING LIE

The lie isn’t that tariffs can never increase American production.

They can.

The lie is pretending that tariffs represent a painless shortcut to rebuilding American manufacturing.

They don’t.

The lie is pointing to every factory announcement while ignoring factories and businesses facing higher input costs.

The lie is counting the jobs created in the protected industry while forgetting to count jobs lost elsewhere.

The lie is treating investment pledges as completed factories.

The lie is confusing manufacturing output with manufacturing employment.

And the biggest lie of all is pretending that foreigners simply pay the bill.

They don’t.

American companies pay tariffs at the border.

And those costs move through the American economy.

I WANT AMERICAN MANUFACTURING TO WIN.

That’s precisely why I believe we should stop treating this like a political slogan.

Measure it.

Count everything.

Count the factories that open.

Count the factories that close.

Count the jobs created.

Count the jobs eliminated.

Count additional production.

Count lost downstream production.

Count tariff revenue.

Count higher input costs.

Count retaliatory tariffs.

Count consumer prices.

Count productivity.

Count investment.

And then ask the only question that ultimately matters:

DID AMERICA ACTUALLY COME OUT AHEAD?

If the answer is yes, show us the numbers.

If the answer is no, stop calling it a manufacturing miracle.

American manufacturing deserves a real industrial strategy—not a political victory lap.

Trump keeps claiming his tariffs are bringing manufacturing back to America. But there is a major difference between announcing investments and proving that tariffs created a net manufacturing boom.

I absolutely support American manufacturing. I would LOVE to manufacture more in America. But if that is the goal, we should look at what actually works—not just applaud every corporate investment announcement and automatically credit tariffs for it.

The evidence from Trump’s own first round of tariffs is important.

A Federal Reserve study examining the 2018–2019 tariffs found that U.S. manufacturing industries more exposed to the tariffs experienced relative reductions in employment, because whatever protection manufacturers received from foreign competition was more than offset by higher input costs and retaliatory tariffs. (Federal Reserve)

The independent U.S. International Trade Commission found the same basic trade-off. Trump’s steel tariffs did increase U.S. steel production—but they also raised steel prices and reduced production in American industries that USE steel and aluminum. In 2021 alone, the USITC estimated increased steel production attributable to the tariffs at about $1.3 billion, while production in downstream industries was about $3.5 billion lower. (USITC)

And who paid the tariffs?

Mostly Americans.

The USITC found that U.S. importers bore nearly the full cost of the Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs. Independent economic research reached essentially the same conclusion: the 2018–2019 tariffs were passed overwhelmingly into costs borne by U.S. firms and consumers—not magically paid by China. (National Bureau of Economic Research)

We are now seeing the same mechanism again. New 2026 research studying the 2025 tariffs finds that tariffs raise not only the prices of imported products, but also the prices of American-made products because domestic manufacturers themselves depend on imported components, materials and equipment. (National Bureau of Economic Research)

And the promised manufacturing employment explosion?

It hasn’t materialized.

Recent employment data show that despite enormous tariff increases and repeated claims of a manufacturing renaissance, U.S. factory employment has not experienced the boom Americans were promised. Manufacturing investment and manufacturing employment are also not the same thing: modern factories are increasingly automated and capital-intensive. (AP News)

Now let’s talk about Apple, because it is a perfect example of why correlation is not causation.

Apple really IS making substantial investments in American manufacturing, and that is good news. Its American Manufacturing Program includes expanded U.S. production of glass, semiconductors, rare-earth magnets and other components. (Apple)

But saying “Apple invested in America, therefore Trump’s tariffs worked” leaves out half the story.

Apple’s American supply chain has been developing for years. Its relationship with Corning in Kentucky dates back to the original iPhone in 2007. The semiconductor ecosystem Apple is expanding into also reflects years of investment in U.S. chip capacity, supply-chain security, pandemic-era lessons, industrial policy and enormous advances in automation. (Apple)

And even Apple’s headline $600 billion U.S. commitment is not equivalent to $600 billion of new factories or hundreds of thousands of new factory workers. Apple itself says it expects to directly hire about 20,000 people over four years—and that the vast majority will be in R&D, silicon engineering, software, AI and machine learning. (Apple)

That’s an important distinction.

If America genuinely wants to rebuild manufacturing, we need a serious industrial strategy: investment incentives, competitive energy, infrastructure, skilled-worker training, semiconductor capacity, automation, R&D, financing for domestic manufacturers and targeted protection where there is a legitimate national-security justification.

Strategic tariffs can be one tool in that toolbox.

Blanket tariffs are not an industrial policy.

For thousands of American businesses that already manufacture, assemble, design, distribute or sell products here while depending on global components, a tariff is simply another input cost.

And when you dramatically increase the cost of those inputs, you don’t automatically create an American factory.

Sometimes you simply make an American company less competitive.

That distinction seems to be completely missing from the political victory lap.

I want MORE manufacturing in America.

But if we’re serious about achieving that, let’s measure success by factories built, productivity increased, supply chains strengthened and NET American jobs created—not tariff revenue collected or corporate press releases announced.

American manufacturing deserves an actual strategy, not a slogan.

Thank you for supporting my small business and keeping us alive 🫂🙏

SHOP GYM IN A BOX

Because sometimes that’s what it takes to make people stop scrolling.

I’m sitting in the exact spot where I was interviewed on CUOMO | NewsNation just two days ago.

Chris Cuomo asked me why, as someone who grew up in West Germany, I recognize warning signs that concern me today.

I didn’t grow up under communism.

I grew up in West Germany with the Berlin Wall dividing my country. Every single day we were reminded that another Germany existed just beyond that wall. We watched what life was like on the other side. East Germans weren’t free to travel like we were. The communist regime controlled where people could go, what they could do, and how much freedom they were allowed to have.

My perspective is also shaped by my family’s history.

My father was born in 1934 and my mother in 1940, during the Nazi era. As children, they lived through some of the darkest chapters in German history. And one person I will always be proud of is my grandmother, Ella, who was part of the resistance movement in her hometown and stood up against the Nazi regime. Courage runs in my family, and I hope to honor that legacy by never staying silent when I believe freedoms are at risk.

That’s why I pay attention.

On July 8, President Trump publicly criticized Spain after Spain opposed his position on the Iran conflict and said the United States should cut off trade with Spain, adding “including visits.”

Today, while celebrating Spain becoming World Champions 🇪🇸⚽️—a country that became my second home for many years—I couldn’t stop thinking about those remarks.

To me, talking about restricting trade and even visits to an allied democratic country because of a political disagreement should concern every American, regardless of party.

Then I watched Bill Maher.

He essentially argued that he’d rather support another Trump administration—and even JD Vance afterward—because he says he doesn’t want “communism.”

To me, that is exactly how effective political messaging has become.

People are being convinced that asking billionaires to pay more in taxes is “communism,” while, in my opinion, overlooking actions that more closely resemble authoritarian behavior: concentrating power, attacking institutions, threatening allies, and questioning long-standing democratic norms.

Growing up in West Germany, I watched the consequences of dictatorship and communism from the other side of the Berlin Wall.

My parents survived one totalitarian regime.

My grandmother resisted another.

Those experiences taught my family that freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are precious—and that silence is dangerous.

You don’t have to agree with me.

But think for yourself.

Question everyone—including the politicians you support.

Wake up.

Be brave.

FOCUS.

Speak up.

And yes… you can still look cute while doing it. 💋

Love,
Nika

SHOP GYM IN A BOX

This Friday’s conversation with my friend and client t Chris Cuomo centered on the power of female trailblazers—women who lead with courage, resilience, and conviction, even when speaking up isn’t easy.

In times like these, the strength, resilience, and courage of female trailblazers will help shape history. ✨

Never afraid to speak the truth or stand up for what I believe is right, once again I joined Chris Cuomo on NewsNation for my monthly Business Leader Update.

This conversation focused on the challenges America’s small businesses continue to face—from tariffs and ongoing global conflicts that disrupt supply chains to consumer fatigue and the devastating impact these challenges have had on businesses like ours.

At GYM IN A BOX®, we spent more than a decade building a successful international distribution network across Europe with medical spas, rehabilitation centers, gyms, and wellness professionals. Today, much of that growth has been lost as economic pressures have fundamentally changed the landscape for American exporters.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t about taking the easy road. It’s about adapting, innovating, and refusing to give up when the odds are against you.

Thank you, Chris, if it wasn’t for you, no one would talk about the facts and what small businesses are facing.

For businesses like mine, very little has changed. Although key parts of the tariff policy were ruled unlawful by the courts, the administration has pursued alternative legal avenues that are now facing additional court challenges.

We were fortunate to build a strong GYM IN A BOX® distribution network across Europe, with medical spas, gyms, rehabilitation centers, and wellness professionals offering our technology to their clients.

That entire business model has now been wiped out by the Trump tariffs.

The tariffs didn’t just increase our costs—they made it financially impossible to continue serving many of our European partners from the United States. Years of building relationships, trust, and international growth were undone by a policy that has hit small American manufacturers and exporters like ours the hardest.

When people talk about tariffs, they’re often discussing politics. For us, it’s much more personal. They destroyed a thriving export business, reduced opportunities for our partners, and hurt American jobs and innovation.

Small businesses don’t have unlimited resources to absorb these kinds of government-imposed costs. We simply can’t compete globally when we’re forced to shoulder them.

We also attempted to recover the tariffs we believe were improperly charged through the government claims process, but our claim was not successfully processed.

It often feels as though the largest corporations—with extensive legal departments and resources—are in a much stronger position to navigate these systems than America’s small businesses, just like what we learned during the COVID funds fraud era.

Or like when Republican Senator Rick Scott’s company stole like 1.7 Billion Dollars from Medicaid  funds, this is not ok.

America’s small businesses create jobs, innovate, and strengthen local communities. We deserve a system that works for everyone—not just for those with the biggest legal departments and the deepest pockets.

Thank you, Chris Cuomo, for continuing to give America’s small businesses a voice.

Stay tuned—there’s more to come.

Success isn’t luck. Success is earned through resilience, hard work, and showing up every single day. ❤️

✨ Support American innovation.

SHOP GYM IN A BOX

The establishment is absolutely shitting their pants right now.

And you know who triggered it?

A young, fearless democratic socialist named Zohran Mamdani.

For months they laughed at him.

They mocked him.

They called him dangerous.

They call him radical. A “ Jihadist” .

They warned New Yorkers he would destroy the economy.

The Epstein class oligarchs of New York including Andrew Cuomo told us they’d leave if Mamdani would win. ( Bye 👋 ).

They are still there.

The media couldn’t stop talking about how terrible he supposedly was.

Well…

That didn’t age very well.

Instead, millions of people watched a young politician energize voters, speak directly to working people, and build a movement many political insiders never saw coming. Supporters point to his administration’s efforts to close a projected multi-billion-dollar budget gap while advancing parts of his agenda, and his popularity has continued to grow.

Now suddenly the same mainstream media personalities who spent months attacking him are scrambling.

Because they have a problem.

If people stop being afraid of the word “socialist,” they might actually start listening.

And if they actually start listening…

They might realize they’ve been lied to for decades about what these political labels actually mean.

That’s dangerous.

Not for America.

For the political establishment.

Comparing social democrats to MAGA isn’t just intellectually lazy—it completely misunderstands what social democracy actually is.

The comparison serves one purpose: to put people into a convenient box, slap a label on them, and make that label something to fear. It’s the same playbook we’ve watched for years, where anyone who believes government should work for ordinary people—not just the wealthiest 1%—gets dismissed as a “socialist,” a “communist,” or whatever buzzword happens to poll well that week.

As someone who identifies as a social democrat, I find that comparison deeply insulting.

Social democracy is rooted in liberal democracy, the rule of law, free and fair elections, civil liberties, a capitalist economy, and strong democratic institutions. Comparing that philosophy to MAGA’s populist movement isn’t analysis—it’s political clickbait.

What’s particularly interesting is watching some mainstream media commentators scramble after spending months attacking Zohran Mamdani, only to see his popularity continue to grow and many of his constituents enthusiastically embrace his leadership. Instead of engaging with why he’s connecting with so many voters, some have resorted to simplistic comparisons and labels.

When commentators stop debating ideas and start relying on caricatures, it usually says more about the weakness of their argument than the strength of the one they’re attacking.

If you disagree with social democracy, that’s perfectly legitimate. Debate the policies. Debate the economics. Debate the philosophy.

But stop pretending it’s the same thing as MAGA.

It isn’t. Also, we didn’t elect a criminal for President. They did. We didn’t sent a mob to the capitol on J6 to overturn a legitimate election. HE DID.

Here’s my challenge to every reader:

The next time someone throws around the words “socialist,” “communist,” or “Marxist,” don’t get angry.

Simply ask them to define the terms.

You may discover they can’t.

And that’s exactly why I wrote this article.

Why Zohran Mamdani Matters More Than Ever

If you think Donald Trump’s recent attacks were random, think again.

Just days after progressive candidates backed by Zohran Mamdani won key Democratic primaries in New York, Trump rolled out what appears to be the Republican Party’s midterm strategy: call Democrats “godless communists,” portray the Democratic Party as an existential threat, and revive a modern-day “Red Scare.” (The Guardian)

That should tell you everything you need to know.

If Zohran Mamdani were politically irrelevant, nobody in Washington would be talking about him.

Instead, the President of the United States is making him—and what he represents—the centerpiece of his message heading into the midterms.

Why?

Because fear is one of the oldest political tools in the book.

For months, mainstream media personalities mocked Mamdani. They predicted disaster. They dismissed him as “too radical.” Then voters showed up anyway, and his influence only grew. Supporters credit him with energizing younger voters and helping shift the political conversation around affordability, housing, and economic fairness. (The Guardian)

Rather than debating those ideas on their merits, the conversation quickly shifted to labels.

Socialist.

Communist.

Radical.

It’s easier to scare people with a word than to have an honest debate about policy.

Now, let me be absolutely clear.

I am not a Democratic Socialist.

I am a Social Democrat.

Those are not the same thing.

I’m also a capitalist, an entrepreneur, an inventor, a manufacturer, and a CEO. I believe deeply in private enterprise and innovation.

But I also believe that capitalism works best when the rules are fair, competition is real, corruption is punished, and opportunity isn’t reserved for those who can buy political influence.

That’s why this conversation matters.

Because if we can’t even define the words we’re arguing about, we’re not having a political debate.

We’re participating in a marketing campaign built on fear.

And that’s exactly why Donald Trump has now started calling Democrats “communists.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/26/trump-democrats-communists-midterms

Think about that for a second.

Not people he disagrees with.

Not liberals.

Not Democrats.

Communists.

Seriously?

This isn’t political analysis.

It’s political marketing.

It’s branding.

It’s fear.

It’s the same playbook we’ve seen for generations.

If someone wants affordable healthcare…

They’re a socialist.

If someone wants billionaires to finally pay their fair share…

They’re a socialist.

If someone wants stronger workers’ rights…

They’re a socialist.

If someone wants affordable childcare…

They’re a communist.

If someone wants politicians to stop serving billionaires…

Apparently that’s communism too.

It’s become ridiculous.

And here’s the irony.

The people screaming “SOCIALISM!” the loudest rarely bother explaining what socialism actually is.

Because if Americans actually learned the difference between Capitalism, Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, Socialism and Communism, the fear campaign would lose much of its power overnight.

Why I Stopped Calling Myself an Independent

Many of you know this already.

For years I called myself an Independent.

Not because I didn’t know where I stood politically.

I’ve always been a Social Democrat.

I simply believed good ideas could come from anywhere.

I wanted to judge policies—not political parties.

I wanted to remain open-minded.

But over the past several years something changed.

I watched one political party become increasingly comfortable attacking democratic institutions, independent courts, the rule of law and even basic facts whenever they became politically inconvenient.

No political party is perfect.

Democrats certainly aren’t.

But I no longer believe pretending “both sides are equally bad” reflects reality.

That’s why I stopped calling myself an Independent.

And I also want to make something crystal clear because Americans constantly confuse these terms.

I Am NOT a Democratic Socialist.

I am a Social Democrat.

Huge difference.

And yes…

I’m also a capitalist.

I’m an entrepreneur.

An inventor.

A manufacturer.

A CEO.

I built my company from absolutely nothing.

Nobody gave me a business.

Nobody handed me patents.

Nobody built my manufacturing company for me.

Capitalism allowed me to create products that improve people’s lives.

I love capitalism.

I believe capitalism is one of humanity’s greatest engines for innovation and prosperity.

But here’s what I don’t love.

Crony capitalism.

When billionaires buy politicians.

When giant corporations eliminate competition.

When monopolies crush small businesses.

When corruption replaces free markets.

That’s no longer capitalism.

That’s oligarchy.

So Let’s Finally Clear This Up…

CAPITALISM

Private businesses own companies.

Entrepreneurs create jobs.

People invest.

Competition drives innovation.

Success comes from building something people want.

That’s the system I believe in.

SOCIAL DEMOCRACY (This is where I stand.)

Social Democracy keeps capitalism.

Private businesses stay private.

Entrepreneurs still become successful.

People still become wealthy.

Innovation still drives the economy.

The difference?

Government makes sure the playing field remains fair.

That includes:

• Great public education

• Affordable healthcare

• Workers’ rights

• Consumer protections

• Environmental protections

• Fair taxation

• Anti-corruption laws

• Strong anti-monopoly enforcement

• Independent courts

• A reasonable social safety net

Countries like Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands generally follow versions of this model.

They’re capitalist countries.

Read that again.

Capitalist countries.

Not communist.

Not Soviet.

Not Venezuela.

Capitalist.

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM

Democratic Socialists generally want government to play a much larger role in the economy.

Many support public ownership of certain industries or essential services.

Importantly…

They still support democracy.

Free elections.

Constitutions.

Civil rights.

Whether you agree with their policies or not, Democratic Socialism is not Communism.

SOCIALISM

Socialism is actually a broad umbrella term.

Historically it refers to systems where some or much of the economy is publicly or collectively owned rather than privately owned.

There are democratic versions.

There have also been authoritarian versions.

That’s why yelling “SOCIALISM!” tells us almost nothing.

COMMUNISM

Communism is something entirely different.

Historically, governments that identified as communist generally abolished private ownership of major industries and concentrated political power in one-party states.

Communism is fundamentally different from Social Democracy.

Yet somehow politicians keep pretending they’re identical.

They’re not.

Here’s the Part Nobody Wants to Talk About…

The loudest critics of “socialism” have absolutely no problem when government spends billions helping giant corporations.

Corporate subsidies?

Fine.

Massive tax breaks?

Fine.

Government contracts?

Fine.

Corporate bailouts?

Fine.

But helping working families?

Suddenly we’re all communists.

Interesting.

Why They’re Really Afraid

Here’s my opinion.

They’re not afraid of socialism.

They’re afraid people will finally stop falling for the label.

They’re afraid Americans will actually start asking questions.

Why is healthcare so expensive?

Why are billionaires paying lower effective tax rates than many working families?

Why are monopolies getting bigger?

Why can’t young people afford homes?

Why are politicians becoming millionaires while in public office?

Those questions are dangerous.

Not because they’re radical.

Because they’re inconvenient.

That’s why I believe they’re fear-mongering.

They’re afraid of Zohran Mamdani.

They’re afraid of younger generations.

And yes…

I think they’re afraid of us.

Not because we’re communists.

Not because we hate capitalism.

But because we’re refusing to let politicians and cable news personalities do our thinking for us.

The Bottom Line

I’m a capitalist.

I’m a business owner.

I’m an inventor.

I’m a CEO.

I’m also a Social Democrat.

Those ideas are not contradictory.

In fact, I would argue they complement each other beautifully.

Capitalism creates opportunity.

Social Democracy makes sure everyone has a fair chance to participate.

That’s not radical.

That’s common sense.

A Simple Cheat Sheet

Political Philosophy

Private Business

Democracy

My View

Capitalism

✅ Yes

Usually

✅ Strongly Support

Social Democracy

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

✅ This is where I stand

Democratic Socialism

Mixed

✅ Yes

Different from my views

Socialism

Varies

Varies

Broad umbrella term—not one ideology

Communism

❌ No

Historically one-party states

❌ Do not support

If someone calls every Democrat a communist…

Ask them one simple question.

“Can you explain the difference between Capitalism, Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, Socialism and Communism?”

Most can’t.

And that’s exactly why these labels have become such powerful political weapons.

Fear is always easier than education.

But education always wins in the end.

Please join my FREE weekly newsletters like over 100 k subscribers , they also focus on healthy aging, nutrition and wellbeing, which is my professional expertise.

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Further Reading

If you’ve enjoyed this article, you may also like my previous pieces on this topic:

• Socialism: The Word That Terrifies America

https://open.substack.com/pub/belabors/p/socialism-the-word-that-terrifies?r=53w34r&utm_medium=ios

• What If America Got Smart? Introducing Special Democracy

https://open.substack.com/pub/belabors/p/what-if-america-got-smart-introducing?r=53w34r&utm_medium=ios

• The Anti-Socialism Crowd Living Entirely…

https://open.substack.com/pub/belabors/p/the-anti-socialism-crowd-living-entirely?r=53w34r&utm_medium=ios

• Related Note

https://substack.com/@bellavitaforever/note/p-167334614?r=53w34r&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

I watched Chris Cuomo today on NewsNation fact-checking his colleague Katie Pavlich, and it was one of the more interesting segments I’ve seen on the network in a long time.

It reminded me of something that’s been bothering me a lot as a former NewsNation subscriber and fan from day 1 ( when they were actually being non biased) and being on there many times myself: the growing number of fae right EX FoxNews and NewsMax television personalities on there who insist they’re “independents” while consistently echoing talking points that many viewers associate with one side of the political spectrum, and that’s MAGA.

Katie Pavlich says she’s an independent. So do several other familiar faces on NewsNation who previously worked at Fox News or other conservative outlets. Whether it’s Bill O’Reilly, Leland Vittert, or Batya Ungar-Sargon, many viewers can decide for themselves whether the “independent” label matches what they consistently see on air.

That’s the real issue.

If you’re truly independent, your reporting and commentary should challenge everyone when the facts require it—not only your political opponents.

That’s why Chris Cuomo deserves credit . Whether you agree with him politically or not, he publicly challenges claims he believes and KNOWS are inaccurate instead of simply reinforcing them.

Journalism should be about following the facts wherever they lead, even when it’s uncomfortable.

That said, I also believe many media organizations have played a significant role in normalizing political narratives over the past several years. In my opinion, networks that repeatedly provide favorable platforms for politicians without equally rigorous scrutiny have contributed to today’s deep political polarization.

I haven’t forgotten NewsNation hosting JD Vance’s town hall during the campaign, and I think media organizations should reflect on the role they play when offering major platforms to candidates. Media influence matters.

One more thing worth mentioning is NewsNation’s corporate leadership.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, led by CEO Perry Sook. Like many major media executives, his political activities and donations have been publicly reported over the years. I believe it’s fair for viewers to consider who owns a media company and whether that ownership may influence the network’s editorial direction or business decisions.

Media ownership matters. Transparency matters. And viewers have every right to ask questions about whether a network’s branding as “independent” aligns with what consistently appears on their screens.

Do your own research. Watch the coverage over time. Then decide for yourself whether the “independent” label matches the product being delivered.

Americans deserve better than branding. They deserve honest journalism.

Calling yourself an “independent” because that’s what qualifies you to get the job in order to defraud the audience, doesn’t make you one.

Your reporting does.

Really great opening monologue today again , Chris.

One point that particularly stood out was JD Vance’s recent defense of Richard Nixon. Vance argued that the Watergate scandal would be only a “12-hour news story” today and that it should not have brought down a presidency. (AP News)

I found those remarks deeply disturbing. Watergate wasn’t simply a political disagreement—it involved criminal conduct and a cover-up that ultimately led to the only presidential resignation in American history.

What makes Vance’s comments even more striking is that he’s a Yale Law School graduate and an attorney. Regardless of anyone’s politics, someone with that legal education understands the constitutional principles, the rule of law, and why Watergate became such a defining moment in American history. That’s why, in my opinion, there is simply no excuse for minimizing it.

JD VANCE WATERGATE

If this is the standard being set by people who may one day seek the highest office in the country, Americans should pay very close attention.

For anyone who missed Cuomo’s JD VANCE | NIXON monologue , it’s worth watching:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaEgHdkhrap/?igsh=MTB6MnVwNGJkN2F5eQ==

That’s exactly why I stopped calling myself an independent.

For a while, I wanted to remain open to ideas from all sides, even though I’ve always considered myself a social democrat. I believed good ideas could come from anywhere, and I wanted to evaluate policies based on their merits rather than party labels.

But over the past several years, I simply can’t ignore what I’ve seen from today’s Republican Party. In my opinion, too many of its policies, its attacks on democratic institutions, and the behavior of many of its elected officials have crossed lines I never imagined I’d see in a modern democracy. I don’t want to be associated with any of that.

One thing I also want to make crystal clear because many Americans confuse these terms:

I am NOT a democratic socialist. I am a social democrat. Those are two very different political philosophies.

A social democrat believes in a capitalist economy, private businesses, entrepreneurship, innovation, and free markets—but also believes government has an important role in ensuring fair competition, strong public education, affordable healthcare, environmental protections, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and a reasonable social safety net. Countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands largely follow this model.

A democratic socialist, by contrast, generally believes key industries or sectors of the economy should be publicly or collectively owned rather than privately controlled and favors a much larger role for government in the economy.

I have always supported capitalism. After all, I’m an entrepreneur, inventor, manufacturer, and CEO. I built my company from the ground up and firmly believe innovation and private enterprise drive progress.

What I also believe is that capitalism works best when it’s fair, transparent, competitive, and governed by the rule of law—not when it’s distorted by corruption, oligarchic influence, or political favoritism.

That’s the distinction.

Hope this helps!

The Socialist topic won’t go away either, the president is already calling all of us not only “Dumocrats“, now we’re also all “ Communists” , literally only Republican Trump Boomers still eat up this old shit.

Rebel, Revolt, Resist. 👊🏼✊🏿👊🏾

— Nika

Today, this isn’t directly a political post.

Many of you have seen me on television discussing how the recent Trump tariffs have devastated my business. You’ve heard me talk about skyrocketing costs, uncertainty, and the challenges manufacturers like us are facing.

What most people don’t know is this:

My empire was already crushed once before.

Back in 2020, during the first Trump administration, my husband Nino and I operated a successful network of EMS fitness studios and franchise locations. We had spent years building that business. It wasn’t just our livelihood—it was our passion, our dream, and our life’s work.

Then the pandemic hit.

Virtually overnight, government shutdowns forced our studios to close. Clients disappeared. Revenue vanished. Years of hard work were wiped out in a matter of weeks.

I watched a business we had spent years building collapse before my eyes.

What made it even more painful was watching the confusion, inconsistency, and lack of effective leadership during one of the most challenging periods in modern history. Small business owners like us were left scrambling to survive while the world seemed to be falling apart.

We lost almost everything.

But something interesting happens when you hit rock bottom.

You discover what you’re really made of.

Instead of giving up, Nino and I decided to reinvent ourselves. We took the technology we had been using successfully in our studios and asked a simple question:

“What if we could bring the gym home?”

That question became GYM IN A BOX®.

What started as a survival strategy turned into a completely new company. We pivoted from brick-and-mortar fitness studios to consumer fitness technology. Later, we expanded into wellness and healthy-aging BeautyTech products that are now used by customers around the world.

The business that emerged from the ashes became larger than anything we could have imagined before.

And now, years later, we find ourselves facing another challenge.

The tariffs are creating enormous pressure on manufacturers and small businesses across America. Once again, we’re being forced to adapt, innovate, and fight for what we’ve built.

Do I wish I didn’t have to?

Absolutely.

But I’ve learned something over the last several years:

Resilience isn’t a choice. It’s a requirement.

Success isn’t about avoiding setbacks.

It’s about what you do after everything falls apart.

If my journey has taught me anything, it’s that disappointment can become opportunity. Failure can become fuel. And sometimes the greatest chapters of your life begin after the story you planned for yourself comes to an end.

SHOP GYM IN A BOX

Thank you so much to high-performance coach and podcaster Lisa Goldenthal for featuring me on her inspiring Whole CEO Podcast episode:

🎙️ “How To Pivot As A Female Business Owner And Crush It”

In this candid conversation, I share the remarkable journey behind GYM IN A BOX® — from building and operating a successful network of EMS boutique fitness studios worldwide alongside my husband and co-founder, Nino, to facing the devastating reality of forced business closures during the pandemic.

What could have been the end of a dream became the beginning of something even bigger.

Learn how we reinvented the business by creating GYM IN A BOX® for consumers at home, bringing patented StimFit BodyPulse Technology directly into people’s lives when they needed it most. I also discuss the expansion into healthy-aging BeautyTech, with innovative facial and wellness technologies now being featured in luxury spas and wellness destinations worldwide.

✨ This episode is a powerful reminder that setbacks do not define us.
✨ Disappointments can become opportunities.
✨ What feels like failure today can become the foundation of tomorrow’s success.

If you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or anyone navigating change, this episode is packed with valuable lessons on resilience, reinvention, and refusing to give up.

Thank you, Lisa, for the wonderful conversation and for your continued support and love for our products. ❤️

Be sure to follow Lisa Goldenthal on YouTube for more inspiring CEO stories, business insights, and entrepreneurial success journeys.

My empire was crushed twice.

And if necessary, I’ll build it a third time.

Because entrepreneurs don’t quit.

We pivot.

— Nika Cristiani
Founder & CEO, GYM IN A BOX®

SHOP GYM IN A BOX

I had the opportunity to join Chris Cuomo on NewsNation today again to discuss the economic impact of the Iran conflict on American consumers and small businesses on CUOMO| NewsNation.

For many people, geopolitical conflicts feel distant. For business owners, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs, the impact is immediate.

As CEO and co-founder of GYM IN A BOX® USA, I can tell you that these challenges are not theoretical for companies like ours—we are living them every day.

My husband and I brought German engineering, patented wellness technology, international manufacturing relationships, innovation, and investment into America because we believed in the American Dream. We built our company with the goal of making advanced fitness, wellness, and beauty technology accessible to everyday consumers.

Today, that mission is becoming increasingly difficult.

One of the key points I made during the interview was this:

Even if tariff taxes are reduced, that doesn’t necessarily mean prices will come down. Shipping, fuel, insurance, and logistics costs have increased so much that businesses are still getting squeezed from every direction. At the same time, consumers are exhausted from years of inflation and uncertainty.

When geopolitical tensions rise, fuel prices rise. Shipping costs rise. Insurance premiums rise. Manufacturing costs rise. Every increase eventually works its way through the supply chain.

For companies that manufacture products and import components, these increases are felt almost immediately.

Many people assume that reducing tariffs will automatically reduce prices. Unfortunately, that is not what many businesses are experiencing.

Even if tariff taxes are lowered, the reality is that shipping, logistics, insurance, warehousing, and operational expenses have increased so dramatically that meaningful relief remains elusive.

At GYM IN A BOX®, we have absorbed years of rising costs, including tariff taxes and increasing shipping expenses. In many cases, we are literally eating those costs ourselves rather than passing them directly on to our customers.

Why?

Because we believe people should still have access to technologies that help them become stronger, fitter, healthier, and more confident.

Despite rising tariffs, freight charges, fuel costs, and global uncertainty, we continue to work hard to keep our wearable fitness, wellness, and beauty technologies affordable and accessible. We also offer multiple interest-free payment installment options, allowing customers to shop today and pay later, making it easier for families to invest in their health and wellness without additional financial stress.

However, we are still here.

We continue to innovate.

We continue to manufacture.

We continue to serve our customers.

And we continue to fight every day to keep our products affordable and accessible despite increasing economic pressures.

What concerns me even more than rising costs is consumer fatigue.

Americans have spent years navigating inflation, higher interest rates, tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty. Now they are facing yet another major international conflict with potential economic consequences.

We see the effects every day.

Customers take longer to make purchasing decisions. They comparison shop more. They wait for promotions. They hesitate before making discretionary purchases because they simply do not know what the next month—or even the next week—may bring.

This uncertainty affects everyone.

The biggest challenge facing businesses today is not one specific event.

It is the cumulative effect of constant uncertainty.

Businesses can adapt to almost anything when there is stability and predictability. What becomes difficult is planning, hiring, investing, and growing when new challenges continue to emerge from every direction.

Whether you are a manufacturer, retailer, startup founder, or consumer, uncertainty creates hesitation. And hesitation slows economic growth.

Despite all of this, I remain optimistic.

America has always been a place where entrepreneurs solve problems, innovate through adversity, and find ways to move forward.

At GYM IN A BOX®, that is exactly what we intend to do.

Most importantly, I want to thank every customer who continues to support our small business. Every order matters. Every referral matters. Every share, comment, and recommendation matters.

When you shop with a small business, you’re supporting founders, families, jobs, innovation, and the entrepreneurial spirit that keeps America moving forward.

Thank you for standing with us.

🛍️ SHOPGYMINABOX.COM

Shop today. Pay later. Get stronger, fitter, healthier.

— Nika Cristiani
Founder & CEO, GYM IN A BOX® USA

Thank you to Chris Cuomo and NewsNation for once again giving me the platform to speak—not just as the CEO and founder of GYM IN A BOX® L.A., but on behalf of small and mid-sized American businesses that are navigating real, daily operational pressure due to the illegal Trump tariffs that are still being charged at up to + 50 % for our electronics that can’t be sourced in the USA and have to be imported.

Shoutout also to the great Adam Mockler for having my back and defending me against this misogynistic, lying MAGA podcaster Ben Ferguson who dismissed real-world experience, downplayed the numbers, LIED and suggested losses would somehow be reimbursed by shipping companies ( ridiculous) and claimed I wouldn’t know how tariffs work and something “must be wrong in my business administration “, ignoring the fact that I’m a renowned expert in my field and a awarded tech developer and manufacturer while he’s doing MAGA podcasts based on lies and conspiracies 🤡

And yes—receipts were presented!

But that’s not all. Since the FORCED Trump & Israel war, Shipping costs are up 30%.

Here’s an example of the exact same order , shipping costs are already up + 30 % in just a few days and this will get worse. We are heading into an economic domino effect disaster and

WE WILL ALL PAY THE PRICE ‼️💯🤷‍♀️

On Top, due to the Trump administrations chaos and incompetence, Containers are stuck in customs for weeks… even months.

Supply chains are breaking under the pressure.

This is not a small issue.

This is the start of a serious economic domino effect.

At GYM IN A BOX® L.A., we don’t speak in theory—we operate in reality.

We manufacture.

We import.

We export.

We pay.

We deliver.

The reality is: Our government is acting like ROGUE PIRATES 🏴‍☠️ towards American small business owners and we pay the price.

This conversation is not going away.

And neither are we.

GYM IN A BOX® L.A. continues to build, deliver, and speak up—for every business navigating this reality.

GYMINABOX LuxuryFitness Manufacturing SmallBusiness AmericanBusinessInnovation

U.S. companies are still being forced to pay tariff taxes that have already been ruled illegal—or risk losing their goods entirely. Pay… or your shipments don’t move. And even after paying, products, prototypes, and critical components are being held at customs for weeks, sometimes months.

Our government is acting like rogue pirates! 🏴‍☠️

At GYM IN A BOX® L.A., we are building advanced wearable technology designed to help millions of Americans take control of their health. Demand is strong. Innovation is there. But instability like this makes it impossible to price accurately, scale responsibly, or commit to major retail partnerships.

This is not just our story—it’s an industry-wide bottleneck impacting U.S. manufacturing, import/export, and global competitiveness.

That’s exactly why we created the initiative

FAF — Fix America First.

A coalition of business leaders coming together to demand accountability, operational clarity, and compensation for what companies have been forced to absorb.

And without Chris Cuomo and giving me his platform so frequently, this issue wouldn’t even be part of the national conversation. That matters.

We will continue to build.

We will continue to innovate.

And we will continue to speak up—until this gets fixed.

I’m here today as the founder of GYM IN A BOX® L.A., but also as a U.S. manufacturer, importer, and exporter who is in the trenches every single day.

At GYM IN A BOX® L.A., we’ve built a company that helps millions of Americans get fitter, stronger, and take control of their health through wearable technology.

But right now—what we’re dealing with—it feels like the government is acting like rogue pirates and treating American businesses like ours as targets, not partners.

Let me explain this very clearly.

At GYM IN A BOX® L.A., we are still being forced to pay tariff taxes that have already been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court.

Yet nothing has stopped.

We are being told:

Pay… or your goods don’t move.👇

And these are not optional shipments.

These are our products, our prototypes, our technology components—the core of what we build at GYM IN A BOX® L.A.

If we don’t pay, they get sent back.

So we’re forced into it.

And in our industry—advanced wearable technology—we cannot source everything here in the United States. That’s just the reality of modern manufacturing.

Now here’s where it gets even worse.

Because of the government’s neglect, there is absolute chaos at customs.

Even after we pay these tariffs, our containers—with GYM IN A BOX® L.A. products, prototypes, and tech components—are still being held for weeks… sometimes months.

Think about that.

You pay everything they demand…

and your goods are still stuck.

That’s not a functioning system.

That’s a breakdown.

We’ve been paying these tariffs since what SHITLER called “Liberation Day 2025.”

And because of this ongoing instability, GYM IN A BOX® L.A. has not been able to move forward with multi-million dollar deals with QVC across two countries.

Not because demand isn’t there—our products perform, and the demand is strong.

But because we cannot price properly.

We cannot scale.

We cannot commit to delivery timelines when costs and conditions change constantly.

No serious retail partner will move forward under that level of uncertainty.

And this is bigger than just GYM IN A BOX® L.A.

This is happening to manufacturers, tech producers, importers, exporters across this country.

It stops growth.

It delays innovation.

It blocks American companies from competing globally.

And companies like ours—we don’t have massive legal teams or lobbyists.

We’re building the business… while fighting to protect it at the same time.

What’s also concerning is the message we’re hearing.

That there’s no time to deal with domestic business issues—that the focus is elsewhere.

But companies like GYM IN A BOX® L.A., and thousands of others, are the backbone of this economy.

And right now, we are being financially drained and operationally blocked at the same time.

That’s why we launched FAF — Fix America First.

This is not political.

This is practical.

We are bringing together business owners across the country who are facing the same reality—and pushing for accountability and compensation for what they’ve been forced to pay.

And to Chris Cuomo, , I also want to say this—

If it wasn’t for him and NewsNation, this issue would not even be part of the national conversation.

So thank you for giving a voice to what’s really happening on the ground. Small and mid-sized businesses cannot navigate this alone.

At the end of the day, it’s very simple.

We’re not asking for special treatment.

We’re asking for fairness. For partners. For attorneys. For compensation. For accountability.

You cannot just focus on starting wars and neglecting the backbone of America - Small Business Owners.

If something is ruled illegal, it should stop—and it should be corrected.

Because companies like GYM IN A BOX® L.A. are not just businesses.

We are helping people live stronger, healthier lives—and we should be supported in doing that, not penalized for it.

We’re going to keep building.

We’re going to keep innovating.

And we’re going to keep speaking up—until this gets fixed.

“You can’t claim to support American innovation while financially suffocating the companies driving it.”

— Nika

Founder & CEO, GYM IN A BOX® L.A.

If you would like to support my small business, Apply Code FIT10 on checkout for 10 % Off.

No Trump Tariff taxes added!

www.gyminabox.la

We’re Not Dealing With One Crisis — We’re Being Hit From Three Directions at Once

Let me make this very real.

This isn’t theory.

This is what we’re dealing with right now running GYM IN A BOX®.

1. Tariffs — Still Draining Us

Despite all the headlines, legal battles, and promises of relief —

we are still being charged.

The tariffs didn’t just “hurt for a moment.”

They rewired our entire cost structure.

• Components we cannot source in the U.S. are still taxed

• Production costs remain artificially inflated

• Margins we worked years to build are gone

We didn’t pass those costs on fully — because our customers couldn’t absorb it.

So we absorbed it.

That’s what small businesses do.

We take the hit… until we can’t anymore.

2. War — Sending Costs Through the Roof Again

Just as we tried to stabilize, the next shock hit.

War. SEVERAL WARS AT ONCE. And no end in sight. No plan. Only chaos. As with everything TRUMP.

And war doesn’t stay “over there.”

It moves through energy, logistics, and global supply chains — fast.

• Oil prices spike → shipping costs rise

• Manufacturing inputs become more expensive

• Timelines become unpredictable

For a wearable tech company like ours, this is immediate.

Not theoretical.

Not delayed.

Immediate.

We’re now paying more — again — for the same product.

3. Consumers — Tapped Out and Panicking

This is the part no one in power seems to understand.

You can survive higher costs.

You can adjust operations.

But you cannot survive when your customer disappears.

Right now:

• People are struggling to afford gas

• Groceries are eating up disposable income

• Fear of what’s coming next is freezing spending

So what happens? They stop buying.

Not because they don’t want your product.

Because they can’t justify anything beyond survival.

The Result? A Perfect Storm

Tariffs squeezing margins.

War driving costs even higher.

Consumers pulling back completely.

That combination is lethal.

Our sales dropped 60%.

Not because we failed.

Not because the product doesn’t work.

Because the environment became unworkable.

And Here’s the Brutal Truth

We’re not alone. But obviously, we can only speak from our own experience and own numbers.

This is happening across:

• e-commerce brands

• retail businesses

• tech startups

• manufacturers

Quietly. Rapidly.

While the narrative publicly is still:

“the economy is strong.”

So What Do You Do When You’re Hit From All Sides?

You fight to stay alive.

You cut costs.

You optimize everything.

You work harder than ever.

But let’s not pretend that grit alone fixes systemic pressure from:

• government policy

• global conflict

• collapsing consumer confidence

And let’s be clear — we only barely survived the backdraft of the pandemic, and we’re still dealing with the fallout today.

This isn’t just a downturn.

It’s a pressure test — and small businesses are the ones being pushed until something breaks.

Let’s drop the polite version.

This is not “economic uncertainty.”

This is not a “temporary slowdown.”

This is a full-scale squeeze — and small businesses are the ones getting crushed.

First It Was Tariffs. Now It’s War. Same Outcome.

We already took the hit from chaotic tariff policies that blindsided supply chains and drove costs through the roof.

We absorbed it.

We adapted.

We kept going.

Even after legal challenges questioned those policies, small businesses didn’t get relief — we got stuck with the bill.

And now?

Now we’re dealing with the next wave.

War Isn’t Just Overseas — It Hits Your Wallet at Home

The U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict isn’t abstract. It’s not just headlines.

It’s showing up in:

• rising production costs

• disrupted logistics

• volatile supply chains

For companies building real products — especially technology and wearable devices — this is immediate and brutal.

But the real breaking point isn’t just cost.

It’s demand.

Consumers Are Maxed Out

Let’s be honest:

If people are struggling to pay for gas and groceries, they’re not buying anything else.

Not fitness.

Not wellness.

Not lifestyle upgrades.

Confidence is gone.

Spending is frozen.

People are bracing for what’s next.

We’re seeing it live:

Our sales dropped 60% since the escalation.

That’s not a dip.

That’s a red flag.

So Who’s Winning?

Because someone always is.

Let’s not pretend otherwise.

Trump‘s Oligarch donors, the Trump family, insider trading from everyone who’s in his circles.

• War-driven industries are scaling

• Energy companies are capitalizing on volatility

• Financial insiders are positioning ahead of the curve

• Political power structures expand in crisis

And small businesses?

We absorb the shock.

Every. Single. Time.

No Safety Net. No Advantage. No Margin Left.

We don’t get:

• insider positioning

• early information

• bailout headlines

We get:

• higher costs

• weaker demand

• more uncertainty

And we’re expected to “figure it out.”

This Is Bigger Than One Business

This isn’t just about us.

This is about what happens when the most productive layer of the economy gets squeezed from both sides:

Costs up.

Revenue down.

At the same time.

Small businesses:

• employ millions

• drive innovation

• build independent wealth

And right now just as every day since Trump took office again, we’re being pushed to the edge.

What Now?

You cut.

You optimize.

You fight harder for every customer.

You do what entrepreneurs always do — you survive.

But let’s be clear:

There is a limit to how much pressure any business can absorb.

What Next?

If this continues — rising costs, declining consumer confidence, ongoing instability — then this isn’t temporary.

It’s structural.

And a lot of businesses won’t make it through that shift.

Final Reality Check

At some point, we have to ask the question nobody in power wants to answer:

If the system keeps rewarding crisis… who is it actually built for?

Because from where we stand — building, employing, creating —

it’s getting harder to believe small businesses were ever meant to win in it.

Writer’s Note ✍️

All research and opinions shared here are provided without paywalls or subscriptions.

If you want to support a small American business navigating this reality in real time, support matters now more than ever.

Thank you 🙏

SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS

REVEL. REVOLT. RESIST

LOVE, NIKA 💕

Preventing War Matters

A war in the Middle East does not stay in the Middle East.

It moves through oil markets.

Through shipping lanes.

Through food prices and supply chains.

And eventually it reaches every country.

Why This Conflict Will Not Stay Contained

By Nika @bellavitaforever

Most wars people imagine are short, decisive, and far away.

But the conflict unfolding right now doesn’t behave like the wars people remember.

It targets something far more fragile than armies.

The systems that keep the global economy alive.

Many people still talk about this conflict as if it were theoretical.

It is not.

We are already living through the early stages of a regional confrontation whose consequences extend far beyond the battlefield.

When people imagine war, they often picture traditional armies meeting in a decisive military clash. Tanks, fighter jets, and clear front lines.

But modern conflicts—especially in the Middle East—rarely unfold that way.

They unfold through disruption.

Through pressure on the systems that keep the global economy functioning.

Shipping lanes.

Energy supply.

Trade routes.

Financial markets.

And those systems are already under strain.

The world economy runs through a few narrow passages of water.

Two of them sit in the Middle East.

Right now, both are under pressure.

When those routes become unstable, the consequences don’t stay regional — they spread across the entire global economy.

The World’s Energy Artery

Roughly one fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.

This is not just a regional passage.

It is one of the most important energy corridors on the planet.

Every day, tankers carrying millions of barrels of oil move through that narrow strait toward Europe, Asia, and North America.

When tensions rise there, markets react immediately.

Insurance premiums for shipping companies surge.

Naval escorts become necessary.

Shipping companies reconsider routes.

Even the perception of instability is enough to shake global energy markets.

That is why this conflict does not remain local.

The moment shipping lanes feel unsafe, the economic ripple begins.

A Second Chokepoint Already Under Pressure

There is another critical passage in the region: the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located near Yemen.

This narrow corridor connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a gateway to the Suez Canal.

It is one of the key arteries of global trade between Asia and Europe.

When this corridor becomes unstable, global supply chains feel it immediately.

Cargo ships reroute.

Transit times increase.

Shipping costs surge.

And when shipping costs rise, everything else follows.

Energy.

Food.

Transportation.

Consumer goods.

The global economy runs on a delicate logistical network, and that network depends on safe maritime routes.

Modern Conflict Targets Systems

This is why the current situation cannot be understood as a traditional war.

The strategy in modern asymmetric conflict is not necessarily about battlefield victory.

It is about disruption.

Disrupting energy flow.

Disrupting global trade.

Disrupting confidence in markets.

It only takes a handful of incidents to trigger massive economic reactions.

A few tanker attacks.

A few naval mines.

Missile strikes on shipping infrastructure.

Insurance companies respond.

Shipping companies pull back.

Oil prices surge.

The system reacts instantly.

Regional Escalation Is Already a Risk

Another reality many people underestimate is the number of actors involved across the region.

Groups aligned with Iran operate across several countries.

From Lebanon to Yemen, regional dynamics are tightly interconnected.

That means escalation rarely happens in one place.

Multiple fronts can ignite at the same time.

Drone attacks.

Missile strikes.

Militia assaults on military bases.

The United States maintains military installations across the Middle East, which makes them potential targets in any expanding conflict.

Once that cycle begins, escalation becomes harder to control.

History shows that conflicts rarely remain limited once multiple actors enter the field.

The Global Economic Consequences

When energy corridors destabilize, the impact travels fast.

Fuel costs rise.

Shipping becomes more expensive.

Manufacturing costs increase.

Food prices rise as transportation costs climb.

Inflation spreads through the global economy.

Even countries far removed from the conflict feel the consequences.

That is the nature of globalization.

Our economies are interconnected.

A disruption in one strategic region can affect supply chains on every continent.

Wars Rarely Stay Limited

History teaches a clear lesson.

Wars that begin as “limited” rarely remain that way.

They expand.

Militarily.

Economically.

Politically.

Once escalation begins, controlling where events lead becomes extremely difficult.

And that is why preventing war matters.

Not only for the people directly involved, but for the stability of the entire global system.

The Reality We Face

We are not watching a distant geopolitical drama.

We are living through a moment where strategic decisions affect the economic stability of the entire world.

Shipping routes are under pressure.

Energy markets are reacting.

Regional alliances are shifting.

The consequences do not stop at borders.

They ripple outward.

Across markets.

Across governments.

Across societies.

And once conflicts like this escalate beyond control, no single leader or nation can determine where they end.

That is why preventing war matters.

Now more than ever.

Rebel, Revolt, Resist!

Writer’s Note 📝

I publish my writing and research freely because I believe conversations about geopolitics, economics, and global stability should be accessible to everyone — not hidden behind paywalls.

If my work resonates with you, one meaningful way to support independent voices like mine is by supporting the small businesses behind them.

Like many entrepreneurs across America, my company has been heavily impacted by the ongoing economic turbulence — from illegal tariff policies and supply chain disruptions to declining consumer confidence and now growing global instability.

Your support helps independent voices like mine continue researching, writing, and speaking openly.

Thank you for reading and for standing with small businesses during difficult times.

My company, GYM IN A BOX®, like many American small businesses, has been navigating a very difficult economic environment — from disruptive tariff policies and supply chain instability to declining consumer confidence and the uncertainty created by global conflicts.

Your support helps us continue building, creating, and speaking openly.

If you find value in my work, please consider supporting my small business.

Thank you for reading and for supporting independent entrepreneurs.

Nika @bellavitaforever

SHOP GYM IN A BOX WELLNESS & REHABILITATION

What Happened to “Fix America FIRST”?

By Nika, Creator of GYM IN A BOX®

For years Americans have been told that economic nationalism and aggressive tariff policies would strengthen American industry and protect small businesses. The slogan was simple: America First.

But for many entrepreneurs across the country, the reality has been very different.

I run a small American company called GYM IN A BOX®, where we design wearable fitness, wellness, and beauty technology. Like many modern technology companies, we develop our products in the United States but rely on specialized global supply chains for certain electronic components that simply are not manufactured domestically.

That is the reality of modern innovation.

When tariffs were imposed on key imported components, the impact on small businesses was immediate and severe. Costs skyrocketed. In some cases, tariffs exceeded 100 percent on certain components necessary to build consumer technology products.

For a small company, that is not a minor inconvenience. That is a major financial shock.

Unlike large corporations, we don’t have the ability to instantly restructure supply chains or absorb massive cost increases indefinitely. Many small businesses, including ours, had to make a difficult decision: either dramatically increase prices for customers or absorb the costs ourselves and hope the situation stabilized.

For more than a year, we chose the latter. We absorbed those costs rather than pass them on to the people who support our brand.

Then came a major development.

The Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs in question were illegal.

For small businesses like ours, that ruling confirmed what many entrepreneurs had already suspected — that we had been forced to pay enormous sums of money under policies that ultimately did not stand up legally.

But here is where the story becomes even more troubling.

The money small businesses paid has not been returned.

Large multinational corporations are already pursuing legal action to recover those funds. They have entire legal departments and teams of attorneys dedicated to navigating complex litigation.

Small businesses do not.

Entrepreneurs are busy running their companies, paying employees, managing supply chains, and trying to survive in an increasingly volatile economic environment. Most small companies simply do not have the resources to launch expensive federal lawsuits on their own.

Now, while businesses are still trying to recover from the economic impact of those tariffs, the United States has entered another period of global instability as American forces conduct military strikes against Iran.

Whenever geopolitical conflict escalates, the consequences ripple through the entire global economy.

Energy markets react. Shipping costs rise. Insurance premiums for cargo increase. Customs inspections tighten. Delivery timelines stretch unpredictably.

For companies like ours that rely on international components, this creates immediate operational challenges.

At the same time, consumers understandably become more cautious with their spending. Businesses operating in the wellness, technology, and lifestyle sectors often see demand slow when economic uncertainty rises.

This creates a double squeeze for small businesses: rising operating costs combined with declining consumer spending.

And all of this comes on top of the lingering economic damage from the pandemic years, when countless small companies endured shutdowns, disrupted supply chains, and years of financial instability.

Which brings us back to a simple question:

What happened to “Fix America FIRST”?

If the goal was to strengthen American businesses, why are small companies still carrying the financial burden of tariffs that were later ruled illegal?

Why are large corporations the only ones with realistic paths to recover their losses?

And how are small businesses supposed to fight back when we don’t have the legal infrastructure that massive corporations take for granted?

These questions matter because small businesses are not a side note in the American economy. They are its backbone.

They create jobs. They drive innovation. They build new industries.

When policies impose illegal financial burdens on small businesses without a clear path to restitution, it undermines the very entrepreneurs who are supposed to power economic growth.

That is why we are currently connecting with other companies that were affected by these tariffs. The goal is to explore the possibility of a class-action lawsuit that would allow small businesses to collectively pursue restitution for funds that were taken under policies later ruled unlawful.

Because fairness in economic policy should not depend on whether a company has a billion-dollar legal department.

It should apply equally to the entrepreneurs who are building the next generation of American innovation.

Small businesses already face enormous risks. We survived pandemic shutdowns. We navigated supply chain chaos. We absorbed massive cost increases.

But if “America First” truly means supporting American businesses, then small companies deserve the same opportunity for justice and restitution that large corporations are now pursuing.

Until that happens, the question remains:

Was the promise to Fix America FIRST ever really meant for small businesses at all?

“From the pandemic to tariffs to the war, small businesses like GYM IN A BOX® are navigating one economic shock after another.”

How Illegal Tariffs, War, and Economic Chaos Are Crushing America’s Small Businesses

Well first of all, I’m Nika Cristiani, the creator of GYM IN A BOX®, a company that develops wearable fitness, wellness, and beauty technology. And what’s happening globally right now absolutely affects small businesses like ours in several ways.

The first thing to understand is that we operate in the consumer wellness space. Our products help people stay strong, active, and confident — something that’s actually incredibly important in stressful times — but they’re still considered discretionary purchases. When people feel uncertain about the economy or the future, those types of purchases are often the first ones consumers delay.

And honestly, that pressure on consumers didn’t start with the current geopolitical conflict. Americans were already facing financial strain from inflation, rising living costs, and the economic ripple effects of tariffs and supply chain disruptions. For businesses like ours that develop innovative wearable technology, those policies had a very real impact.

And interestingly, during difficult times people often realize how important their health actually is. Strength, energy, and resilience are not luxuries — they’re essential for navigating stressful periods.

So while global instability certainly makes running a small business more difficult, it also reinforces why companies like ours exist in the first place — to help people feel stronger and more resilient no matter what’s happening in the world.”

Let’s start with the reality small businesses are facing right now. The United States is bombing Iran and we’re effectively in a war scenario in the Middle East. Whenever that happens, the economic consequences ripple through the entire global economy — and small businesses feel those shocks first.

I’m Nika Cristiani, the creator of GYM IN A BOX®, a company that develops wearable fitness, wellness, and beauty technology. We design our products here in the United States, but like most companies in the tech sector we rely on a global supply chain for specialized electronic components that simply are not manufactured domestically anymore.

When a war breaks out, shipping routes become unstable, cargo insurance rises, customs inspections tighten, and supply chains slow down dramatically. We’ve already experienced situations where essential parts sit in customs for months. For a technology company trying to build and ship products, that’s incredibly disruptive.

But what makes this situation even more frustrating is that small businesses like ours were already under enormous financial pressure before this war began.

For more than a year we were hit with extremely high tariffs on the components we need to build our technology. At times those tariffs exceeded 100 percent. That means we were paying double or more just to bring in the parts necessary to manufacture our products.

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that those tariffs were illegal. But here’s the problem — small businesses like ours have not seen any of that money returned.

Large corporations are already pursuing legal action to recover those funds because they have entire legal departments dedicated to fighting these battles. Small businesses don’t have that luxury. We’re busy trying to run our companies, pay employees, and keep our operations alive.

For companies like ours, the money we paid in those tariffs wasn’t small change — it was significant capital that could have gone into hiring people, investing in innovation, or lowering prices for customers.

Instead, we had to absorb those costs ourselves for months because we didn’t want to pass the entire burden onto consumers.

“Small businesses don’t have armies of lawyers — but we still deserve fairness when policies cost us millions and are later ruled illegal.”

Now the geopolitical situation escalates into a war, global uncertainty increases, and the conversation shifts away from the tariffs entirely. But the financial damage to small businesses has already been done.

That’s why we’re currently trying to connect with other businesses that were affected in the same way. Our goal is to explore a potential class-action lawsuit so that small companies have a way to seek compensation for the tariffs that were collected and later ruled illegal.

Because if large corporations can fight for their rights through legal channels, small businesses should have the ability to do the same.

Entrepreneurs already carry enormous risk. We survived pandemic shutdowns, supply chain chaos, and rising costs. But when policies impose illegal financial burdens on small businesses and there’s no clear path for restitution, that becomes a serious issue for innovation and entrepreneurship in this country.

At the end of the day, small businesses drive a huge part of the American economy. If policies create instability or unfair financial pressure, it’s not just companies like mine that are affected — it’s jobs, innovation, and the broader economic ecosystem.”

Writer’s Note ✍️

Dear beloved Substack subscribers,

I want to share something important with you.

You may have noticed that I don’t offer paid subscriptions on this Substack. That is intentional. I don’t want to profit from writing about politics or from discussing how political decisions impact our daily lives. My goal here is simply to speak openly, keep the facts straight, and call out issues that affect ordinary people and small businesses.

However, if you do want to support my work, there is a simple way to do that.

Please consider supporting my small business.

I am the creator of GYM IN A BOX®, where we design wearable fitness, wellness, and beauty technology that helps people stay strong, energized, and confident wherever they are. Our devices are not just about muscle activation and toning — they also provide incredibly relaxing massage and wellness benefits that many of our customers use daily to unwind, recover, and feel better.

I created GYM IN A BOX® to give people their strength back — anytime, anywhere. Specifically in times of crisis!

So in many ways, supporting our company truly is a win-win. You’re supporting a small American business while investing in your own health and well-being at the same time.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for being part of this community.

Rebel, Revolt, Resist. Love, NIKA

Creator of GYM IN A BOX®

“GYM IN A BOX® — Elite Body Activation.”

SHOP gyminabox.la

Introducing the “Fix America FIRST” Initiative

By NIKA @bellavitaforever

The world feels like it’s on fire.

Missiles over Iran. Almost 200 Iranian school girls died. 6 American soldiers already came back in coffins.

New bombs in Ecuador.

Infrastructure wiped out in Gaza while Hamas still exists.

Another war headline every week.

And the corrupt pro-Trump mainstream media? They’re cashing in BIGLY on the chaos. War coverage drives ratings. Outrage drives clicks. The louder the conflict, the better the business model.

But there’s one question they almost never ask:

What happens after the bombs fall?

Who rebuilds the cities we helped destroy?

Who finances the shattered infrastructure?

You already know the answer.

American taxpayers.

Meanwhile the radical groups we supposedly “eliminate” somehow remain, new power vacuums appear, and the cycle repeats.

And back home?

Nothing improves.

Gas is skyrocketing.

Groceries keep climbing.

Housing is still out of reach for millions of families.

Healthcare remains unaffordable for far too many Americans.

Even the markets are flashing warning signs.

The Dow collapsed, wiping out massive value in a matter of days. Retirement accounts took a hit. Pension funds felt it. Ordinary Americans felt it.

Yet Washington keeps acting like everything is fine. Cheering Trump. So does the corrupt Mainstream Media.

Parents still fear the next school shooting.

Small businesses are being squeezed from every direction.

Trust in government is scraping the bottom.

And then there are the trillions.

Where are the trillions collected from Trump’s tariffs?

Where did that money go?

Because small businesses like mine paid them.

My own company GYM IN A BOX®️ L.A. has taken roughly $5 million in losses from tariff policies, and the chaos is still ongoing. While entrepreneurs struggle to survive, insiders like Howard Lutnick, Peter Navarro and members of the Trump orbit seem to be doing just fine.

The promise was “America First.”

That slogan wasn’t subtle.

It meant focus here.

It meant putting the American worker, the American family, and the American child ahead of foreign entanglements and political theater.

Instead, we’ve watched military actions expand across multiple countries in a single year while everyday Americans struggle to keep up with rising costs.

Even some of the loudest MAGA voices — the same pod bro’s who once cheered every move — are now asking a very uncomfortable question:

What happened to the America First promise?

Even crazies like Joe Rogan and Al x Jones and Tucker Carlson are abandoning Trump now over all of this, including his Epstein Cover-up.

Here’s what happened:

Politics won.

The people lost.

So here’s what I’m doing about it

I’m launching the Fix America FIRST Initiative.

Not a political party.

Not a PAC.

Not another slogan to print on a hat.

A focus.

If you’ve ever listened to an airplane safety briefing, you know the rule:

Put your own oxygen mask on first.

Not because you’re selfish.

Because you can’t help anyone else if you’re suffocating.

A country works the same way.

If America is divided, broke, distrustful, and unsafe at home, we have no business pretending we’re the world’s rescue squad abroad.

Fix America FIRST.

That means:

• Ending endless wars that don’t make Americans safer

• Lowering the real cost of living

• Making housing attainable again

• Holding oligarchs accountable and making them pay what they owe

• Healthcare that Americans can actually access

• Education not determined by ZIP code or family wealth

• Serious gun reform to protect children from mass shootings

• Real support for small businesses navigating destructive trade policies

• Fair elections and fair pay

• Immigration reform that is humane, rational, and workable

This isn’t left.

It is fixing what’s NOT RIGHT ‼️

And here’s another question Washington doesn’t want to answer

Who is helping small businesses recover the illegal tariff damage caused by reckless trade policies?

Thousands of entrepreneurs were crushed.

Factories stalled. Supply chains collapsed. Costs exploded.

My own company has lost around $5 million from these tariffs alone.

And we are still paying the price.

So the question for policymakers, economists, and legal experts is simple:

How do small businesses recover the money that was effectively taken from them through destructive tariff policies?

Because if America truly wants to rebuild its economy, it starts with rebuilding the businesses that actually create jobs.

That’s what Fix America FIRST is about.

Putting Americans a US small business first in practice, not just in campaign speeches.

Holding Washington Accountable

The damage from these tariffs isn’t theoretical. It’s real. It’s measurable. And for many small businesses, it has been devastating.

In my own case, the financial impact has reached approximately $5 million in losses due to tariff payments, customs delays, disrupted product launches, and supply chain instability. Small businesses are always the first to absorb policy chaos — and the last to get relief.

That’s why I will be working together with my dear friend and campaign supporter, Eric Swalwell, to identify other companies that have been harmed by what many see as illegal and destructive tariff policies that have disproportionately impacted American small businesses.

Our goal is simple: accountability and compensation.

We will be gathering documentation from affected entrepreneurs and exploring the possibility of class action lawsuits against this administration in order to recover damages caused by these economic policies.

If your company has been impacted by the Trump tariffs, or if you want to help expose the damage they have caused to American businesses, we want to hear from you.

📩 Contact: info@gyminabox.la

or reach out to Congressman Eric Swalwell on social media.

Because small businesses are the backbone of the American economy — and when reckless policies devastate them, someone has to stand up and demand accountability.

Fix America FIRST starts with defending the people who build it.

I will hold them accountable with all my powers.

Are you in?

REBEL, REVOLT, RESIST.

LOVE, NIKA ❤️‍🔥

First, I want to thank Chris Cuomo.

I’m grateful he keeps the small business struggle alive while too many leaders are failing us. I’ll be back with Chris soon discussing my outlook on the U.S. economy moving forward — from the perspective of a U.S. importer/exporter living inside this Trump-era chaos.

Chris, thank you for actually keeping this topic alive. Because for small business owners like me, this isn’t political — it’s daily survival — and our leaders have completely failed us. You have not.

The Apple Moment America Watched

In August 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook stood in the White House and presented President Donald Trump with a custom-designed glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base, symbolizing Apple’s commitment to U.S. manufacturing.

Apple announced major U.S. investment commitments. They got Big Corp Socialist Bailouts in form of Trump Tariff relief- but until this very day, no US Apple manufacturing plant in sight …

During the broader trade-war period, Apple secured tariff exclusions on certain products and components through the formal process.

That is documented.

Yet large-scale Apple consumer device manufacturing remains overwhelmingly overseas.

From the outside, here’s what that looks like to a small business owner wiring tariff payments upfront:

If you are one of the largest corporations in the world, you can seek exemptions and navigate Washington.

If you’re Switzerland 🇨🇭 you show up with a golden Desktop Rolex and whoosh 🪄 Tariffs are gone !

ME, I KEEP PAYING DAILY EVER SINCE “LIBERATION DAY “ APRIL 2025 🤷‍♀️

If you’re small like myself?

You pay. Immediately.

Deal with it” . “ Get over it”.

No leverage.

No audience.

No meaningful relief.

My company — GYM IN A BOX® — pays the price.

What Tariff Chaos Looks Like in Real Life

Here’s what I deal with as an importer.

When my container lands at a U.S. port, I receive a notice with a payment amount due. That’s the tariff. I wire the funds. If I don’t, the goods are not released. It’s transactional and immediate.

But what has changed is unpredictability.

Containers sit.

Weeks. Sometimes months.

I had inventory take nearly three months to clear.

Tariffs paid.

Shipping paid.

Capital tied up.

But no product to sell. No launch. No revenue.

Meanwhile:

Payroll continues.

Storage continues.

Marketing continues.

Insurance continues.

Taxes continue.

This isn’t ideology.

It’s mechanics.

Tariffs are paid by the American importer — not China. I pay before I sell a single unit. When enforcement lacks clarity and the system slows down, small businesses absorb the shock first.

Large corporations hedge. They diversify. They have teams navigating policy angles.

Small innovators don’t.

Now Add the Pandemic Backdraft

And here’s what makes this even heavier.

We are still recovering from nearly three years of pandemic shutdowns and forced business closures.

Three years of little to no income.

Three years of burning reserves.

Three years of damaged liquidity and credit.

Many small businesses took on debt just to survive.

Large corporations received structured federal relief, liquidity programs, and capital access that stabilized them far faster.

The result?

Big corporations recovered quickly.

Small businesses are still rebuilding.

Banks are cautious. Credit is tight. Growth capital is difficult. Credit scores dropped drastically due to no revenge during the pandemic lockdown that lasted several years.

So when tariff instability freezes my capital at a port, I don’t have a cushion.

I absorb it.

California Leadership Is Not Helping Either

This isn’t just about Washington.

California leadership is not helping either.

Governor Gavin Newsom. Mayor Karen Bass.

Local leaders are leaving small businesses stranded while they’re busy with everything else.

We operate in one of the highest tax environments in the country.

So we face:

High state taxes.

Federal taxes.

Tariffs on tech components that cannot realistically be sourced domestically at scale.

And no meaningful relief at the state level to offset that pressure.

Instead of creating stability for small businesses, we’re navigating layered costs from both federal and local governments.

That is not support.

That is abandonment.

The Future Outlook

Investors need stability.

Manufacturing requires predictability.

No serious investor builds into chaos.

When policy signals are unstable and economic confidence erodes, capital pauses.

Hiring slows.

Expansion freezes.

Risk-taking disappears.

Small businesses — historically responsible for a significant share of job creation — go into defensive mode.

And when that happens, market power consolidates further into the hands of the largest corporations.

That is not economic strength.

That is concentration.

Workforce instability and labor shortages — including the economic impact of mass deportations in key industries — only intensify that pressure. You cannot strain labor supply while squeezing small businesses and expect long-term economic growth.

The Bigger Question

Tariffs generate billions.

Federal taxes generate trillions.

Treasury borrowing finances even more.

That money flows through the federal system every single day.

So I am asking plainly:

Who controls it?

Who authorizes where tariff revenue goes?

Who signs off on disbursements?

Who audits the movement of trillions in real time?

Is Congress fully exercising its constitutional authority over appropriations?

Are Inspectors General operating independently?

Is the Government Accountability Office producing reporting that ordinary taxpayers can actually understand?

If executive authority is being used aggressively under delegated statutes, what safeguards protect checks and balances?

As someone paying tariffs upfront — before selling a single unit — I deserve transparency.

This is not about party politics.

It is about constitutional accountability.

It is about financial transparency.

It is about public trust.

We are watching senior officials such as Pam Bondi, Mike Johnson and Scott Bessent publicly defend and align themselves closely with President Donald Trump .

From the outside, it appears they operate in complete loyalty to one individual.

So my question is about checks and balances.

When the Treasury Secretary goes on television daily defending administration policies — who is safeguarding the trillions of dollars flowing through the federal system?

Transparency Matters

Recently, images and reports have circulated online suggesting that high-value gifts — including precious metals and luxury items — were exchanged in diplomatic settings around the same time trade policy decisions shifted.

Whether those claims are fully accurate or not, the broader issue remains:

When trade policies change dramatically — especially tariff reductions or exemptions — the public deserves complete transparency.

If gifts are presented in diplomatic contexts, that must be clearly disclosed.

If trade concessions follow diplomatic gestures, the timeline should be explained.

If negotiations affect trillions in tariff revenue and global supply chains, Americans deserve to understand the decision-making process.

This is not about speculation.

It is about disclosure.

It is about ethical clarity.

It is about whether trade policy decisions are insulated from personal relationships, influence, or symbolic exchanges.

When tariffs can swing from 145% 39% to 15% in a short window, that is not a small adjustment. That impacts markets, manufacturing, and pricing structures globally.

So the question remains consistent:

Who oversees these decisions?

Who documents the negotiations?

Where is the public record?

Transparency protects democracy.

Transparency protects markets.

Transparency protects small businesses that don’t have lobbyists or access.

And if everything was handled appropriately, then there should be no issue in providing clear documentation.

That is all the public is asking for.

I want to understand the structure.

Who controls the money coming in from:

• Tariffs imposed under this administration

• Federal taxes collected nationwide

• Treasury debt issuance and national borrowing

• Any international energy or trade-related financial accounts

• Any funds connected to Venezuelan oil transactions that have been reported in international discussions

• Any commissions or revenue connected to “Trump RX” or similarly branded ventures

• Any funds Americans are encouraged to place into “Trump savings accounts” or related financial vehicles

• And every other revenue stream or debt instrument of the United States government

SHOW US THE MONEY.

Who physically controls it?

Who authorizes transfers?

Who signs off on disbursements?

Who audits it in real time?

Who ensures it goes where it is legally required to go?

When advisers who are crooks such as Peter Navarro or cabinet officials who were already in the spotlight for defrauding their own investors and clients such as Howard Lutnick are deeply involved in tariff and trade decisions generating TRILLIONS ( accordingly to their own statements) — what safeguards prevent misuse, diversion, or conflicts of interest?

Who oversees them?

Who ensures accountability?

Given that President Trump has criminal convictions related to business record practices involving The Trump Organization, what additional transparency mechanisms are currently in place to reassure taxpayers that public funds are insulated from private interests?

Many Americans feel that transparency has eroded.

There is widespread concern about the reliability of job numbers, economic statistics, immigration data, and fiscal reporting.

So I am asking plainly:

WHO CONTROLS ALL THIS MONEY?

It appears that many major actions — particularly involving tariffs, trade policy, financial arrangements, and even certain foreign policy moves — are being taken through executive authority rather than through new votes in Congress.

Where can the public see transparent, plain-language breakdowns of where tariff and tax revenue is going?

Tariffs are imposed under previously delegated trade statutes.

Emergency powers are invoked under laws already on the books.

Foreign policy actions are often justified under existing authorizations.

But here’s what I want clarity on:

When trillions of dollars flow through:

• Tariff revenue

• Federal tax receipts

• Treasury bond issuance

• National debt financing

• Trade-related accounts

• International financial arrangements

WHO actually controls the movement of that money day to day?

Who authorizes disbursements?

Who audits those accounts in real time?

Who ensures no misuse occurs?

Who is ultimately responsible if funds are mismanaged?

Where can taxpayers see a clear, accessible accounting of where tariff revenue and federal tax dollars go?

As a taxpayer — and as a business owner directly impacted by increased tariff costs — I deserve to know where my money is going.

This is not about party politics.

This is about constitutional accountability, financial transparency, and public trust.

Final Word

Small businesses barely survived pandemic lockdowns.

We survived supply chain collapse.

We survived revenue drought.

Now we are navigating tariff instability — with no cushion — while federal and state leaders fail to create a stable path forward.

Unfortunately, I can’t just walk into the White House with a golden Rolex, trophy 🏆 or plaque.

I don’t get symbolic meetings.

I don’t get negotiated relief.

I deal with it on my own.

I wire the tariffs. Or they send my already paid for product back.

I absorb the delays.

I carry the risk.

And I’m certain every small business owner understands exactly what I mean.

Because when you combine:

Trade chaos,

Layered taxes,

Pandemic backdraft,

Tight credit markets,

And shrinking workforce availability,

You create a dangerous economic formula.

If this continues, it will not just hurt entrepreneurs.

It will slow hiring.

It will freeze investment.

It will shrink innovation.

And eventually, it will destabilize the broader economy.

This is structural.

This is urgent.

SHOW US THE MONEY.

Nika

U.S. Importer / Exporter

Small Business Owner

Taxpayer

SMALL BUSINESS SURVIVOR 🦸‍♀️

www.gyminabox.la

Watch the Conversation Continue

Catch me soon on:

CUOMO | NewsNation

CUOMO MORNINGS on SiriusXM

SiriusXM link: 👇

CUOMO MORNINGS

Further Reading & Data Sources

For those who want to examine broader economic data regarding tariffs and manufacturing trends:

• Peterson Institute for International Economics – Trade and tariff analysis

https://www.piie.com

• Congressional Research Service – U.S.–China trade reports

https://crsreports.congress.gov

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Manufacturing employment data

https://www.bls.gov

• Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) – Manufacturing output

https://fred.stlouisfed.org

• U.S. International Trade Commission – Tariff and trade data

https://www.usitc.gov

There are moments in life when you feel an overwhelming sense of pride.

Not because of a title.

Not because of headlines.

But because of an action.

I’ve always believed that real strength isn’t built under bright lights. It’s built quietly — in discipline, in consistency, in the choice to show up when it would be easier not to.

Strength is built in early mornings.

In long days.

In pressure.

In responsibility.

And that kind of strength matters — whether you’re leading a company, raising a family, serving a community, or carrying the weight of big decisions.

California has always represented resilience to me. Innovation. Courage. The willingness to stand tall when it counts.

I am glad, Eric Swalwell is using my devices to stay strong while serving the American people and hopefully be the next governor of my great State California. I’m not saying this as a business person, I’m saying it as an ANGELINO.

ERIC SWALWELL & PAM BONDI

That’s what “California Strong” means.

That’s also what my California Brand represents.

At GYM IN A BOX®, we work with people who live that mindset every day. Leaders. Builders. Fighters. High performers who understand that physical discipline supports mental clarity.

Our StimFitBelt, powered by patented ToneUp15® StimFit Technology, was designed for exactly that lifestyle — to support muscle activation, enhance performance, and promote circulation in just 15 minutes. Because when life is demanding, efficiency matters.

But beyond the technology, what inspires me most is seeing people I respect continue to rise, continue to serve, continue to lead — with strength and conviction.

That makes me proud. As a founder.

As a Californian.

As a friend.

Strength isn’t a slogan.

It’s a decision.

CALIFORNIA STRONG. SHOP THE POWER

Luxury wearable wellness technology.

Designed in Los Angeles.

Ships from Beverly Hills.

Strength That Leads.

Explore more at www.gyminabox.la

I cannot believe we are at a point where I have to sit and watch Chris Cuomo nod along—uncritically—as debunked falsehoods are repeated by Trump administration official Dr. Mehmet Oz, now serving as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services AND a decades long close CUOMO family friend, just like brain worm heroin junkie anti vaxxer lunatic Bobby Kennedy jr. who just brought back measures and cut cancer research 🥴

Let’s be crystal clear: this is not just bad television.

This is scandalous.

This is dangerous.

And this directly affects every single one of us who relies on accurate information about healthcare.

Chris Cuomo’d own colleague ( White House correspondent Libby Dean) reported the day it launched on Thursday, February 5, 2026, that the drugs are only low for two months, then rise drastically again, yet Cuomo still not pushing back on Dr. Oz lies on his Friday Feb 06 show. I wonder why❓❓

And then came Dr. Mehmet Oz’s latest insult to reality.

According to Oz, Americans are now somehow “under-babied” because of high drug prices.

Read that again. Slowly.

For more than a decade, Trump and his allies have offered exactly zero real solutions to help Americans afford healthcare, housing, childcare, education, or basic stability. And now—after years of economic damage—they want to blame families for not having enough children?

Let’s be clear about why Americans aren’t having more kids:

It’s not because parents are “under-babied.”

It’s because they are over-charged, under-protected, and financially squeezed.

The affordability crisis didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was supercharged by Trump-era policies, including reckless tariff taxes that drove up the cost of goods, food, medicine, and everyday essentials—costs that were passed directly onto working families. Add exploding housing prices, crushing student debt, unaffordable childcare, and healthcare tied to employment, and the result is obvious: people can’t afford to raise families.

Blaming Americans for that reality is not just dishonest—it’s cruel.

And once again, Chris Cuomo sat there nodding.

No pushback.

No context.

No facts.

At this point, the silence isn’t accidental. When a host allows blatant economic gaslighting to go unchallenged—especially from a government official—it sends a message: facts are optional, and accountability is negotiable.

Americans are not “under-babied.”

They are over-burdened by policies that failed them.

And pretending otherwise is just another way to dodge responsibility.

I had publicly said in January that I was done writing more articles. I meant it. But the segment in question was so long—and so riddled with misinformation—that staying silent would have been irresponsible. When false narratives about healthcare policy, drug pricing, and public systems are amplified without challenge, silence becomes complicity.

What we are witnessing with TrumpRx is not innovation or relief for working families—it is yet another manufactured illusion, already exposed by journalists, analysts, and real-world testing. And yet, instead of confronting facts, we are watching powerful media platforms give oxygen to claims that have already been thoroughly debunked.

This is not about partisan drama.

This is about public trust, healthcare access, and accountability.

When influential figures lend credibility—whether through omission, deference, or outright agreement—to misleading claims made by government officials, they are no longer neutral observers. They become enablers.

That is why this matters.

That is why I broke my own promise.

And that is why this TrumpRx scam must be exposed widely, along with the media figures and institutions that continue to shield a corrupt administration and its revolving-door messengers from scrutiny.

Healthcare is not a talking point.

It is not a branding exercise.

And it is not something we can afford to “both-sides” while people pay the price.

Silence is not an option.

NewsNation still promoting the Dr. Oz lies

Trump’s “TrumpRx” Is Exposed as a Scam — and Chris Cuomo Is Still Spreading the Big Lie

Trump’s so-called “TrumpRx” drug program was exposed as a sham almost immediately after launch. And yet, here we are—watching Chris Cuomo give a platform to Dr. Mehmet Oz, now a Trump administration official, with no pushback, no fact-checking, and no accountability.That is what makes this especially disturbing.

I exposed this program months ago—publicly, on Substack, and directly to Chris Cuomo—with documentation, receipts, and primary sources. So the continued silence, the nodding along, and the absence of even basic scrutiny in yesterday’s interview isn’t ignorance. At this point, it’s a choice.

Let’s walk through the facts—again—because facts apparently still matter.

The White House Claim vs. Reality

This week, Trump held a flashy White House event boasting that TrumpRx was “slashing the price of a common inhaler from $458 to $51 — a difference of nearly 800%.”

First of all: that math is wrong.

That’s an 88% reduction, not 800%.

But the math error is the least offensive part.

TrumpRx Is Just a Reskinned Discount Program

Users who tested the site immediately discovered that TrumpRx is not a drug program at all. It is essentially a rebranded discount aggregator, similar to GoodRx, with:

• Roughly 50 prescriptions listed

• Prices often higher than what consumers can already find elsewhere

• No insurance acceptance

• No Medicare or Medicaid integration

• No structural cost reductions

In other words: no real reform.

The Wegovy “Discount” Scam

TrumpRx claims it drops Wegovy from $1,349 to $199.

Sounds amazing—until you read the fine print.

• The $199 price applies only for the first two months

• After that, the price jumps to $349 per month

• That “deal” still excludes insurance coverage

• Comparable or better discounts already exist through manufacturers

That is not negotiation.

That is marketing sleight of hand.

The Inhaler Example Is Even Worse

TrumpRx lists an inhaler for $51. But when users click through?

They’re redirected straight to AstraZeneca’s hardship assistance program—a program that already existed before TrumpRx and has nothing to do with Trump negotiations.

TrumpRx didn’t lower the price.

It simply linked to an existing corporate program and took credit for it.

Insurance? Not Accepted.

Every medication listed on TrumpRx is already covered by standard health insurance plans.

TrumpRx:

• Does not accept insurance

• Does not count toward deductibles

• Does not help seniors or low-income patients

• Does not integrate with Medicare or Medicaid

So who exactly is this helping?

Experts Are Debunking TrumpRX

Sean D. Sullivan, a health economist at the University of Washington, told The New York Times:

“TrumpRx is a side show. I consider it not a real, serious effort in service to lowering prescription drug prices for Americans.”

That assessment aligns with every independent analysis so far.

So Why Is This Still Being Promoted?

That’s the real question.

When a program has been publicly tested, documented, and debunked, yet continues to be promoted unchallenged on major media platforms, we are no longer dealing with misinformation alone—we are dealing with complicity.

Chris Cuomo knew this.

The receipts were already on his desk.

And yet, Dr. Oz’s claims went virtually unchallenged.

Healthcare is not a branding exercise.

It is not a PR stunt.

And it is not something you get to misrepresent without consequences.

TrumpRx is not reform.

It’s theater.

And pretending otherwise is how people get hurt.

🚨 Buyer Beware: The Truth About “TrumpRx” and GLP-1 Pricing - DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU HEAR ON MAGA NewsNation ( UNLESS IT COMES FROM ME 😉) ‼️

Let’s cut through the noise.

Some politically far right aligned media outlets like NewsNation platforming Snake-oil sales man Dr. Oz who is aggressively promoting TrumpRx as a breakthrough solution for affordable prescription drugs—particularly GLP-1 weight-management medications. That claim does not hold up under scrutiny.

I’ve done the research. Extensively.

Not as a talking head—but as a business owner in the wellness and fitness technology space who tracks this market closely.

Here are the facts:

• Introductory pricing is temporary.

TrumpRx advertises reduced prices for the first two months. Starting in month three, prices increase significantly.

• Long-term costs are not competitive.

When you compare sustained pricing, GLP-1 medications are widely available elsewhere for less—including through established telehealth providers, compounding pharmacies, and even consumer platforms like Groupon, with prices starting around $149.

• There is no meaningful savings.

Despite the marketing, consumers do not save money over time. In many cases, they pay more.

I raised these concerns last year. Nothing has improved. If anything, the pricing gap has become more obvious now that consumers can directly compare and experience it themselves.

Why this matters

Health care pricing should be transparent—especially when it involves medications people rely on for serious metabolic and weight-management issues. OUR OWN GOVERNMENT SHOULD BEVER BE LYING TO US ABOUT OUR HEALTHCARE ( OR ANYTHING FOR THAT MATTER), but here we are, supported by far right mainstream media like NewsNation who also lies to us about being “NON BIASED” 🤬

When media personalities present politically branded prescription portals as “wins for the public” without examining the fine print, they aren’t informing viewers—they’re misleading them.

That’s not journalism. That’s marketing. And laziness- they don’t even research anymore to make sure they’ll tell you facts only or can counter and fact check snake oil salesmen like Dr. Oz and Bobby Kennedy jr. They just let them LIE to you, OVER and OVER again. That is dangerous. You are responsible and complicit for scamming your audience.

A note on accountability

Public trust erodes when media outlets amplify claims without verification, particularly in health care. Consumers deserve facts, not spin—regardless of political affiliation.

If a program truly lowered drug costs, the data would speak for itself. In this case, it doesn’t.

Anything presented as “TrumpRx” is, at best:

a private telehealth / affiliate funnel

a coupon-style redirect

or political marketing, not policy

Important context (left out of the headlines)

✔ TrumpRx functions as a searchable cash-price directory, not a pharmacy.

The portal does not sell medications directly. Instead, it lists advertised cash prices and redirects users to manufacturers, coupon programs, or third-party pharmacies to complete purchases.

CHEAPER GLP-1’s 👇

Best GLP-1 portals

Source: STAT News

👉 https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/05/trumprx-what-to-know-drug-prices/

✔ Many medications listed still have cheaper generic alternatives available elsewhere.

An Axios analysis found that more than half of the drugs listed on TrumpRx have lower-cost generic equivalents available outside the portal, meaning TrumpRx prices are often not the lowest option for consumers.

Source: Axios

👉 https://www.axios.com/2026/02/06/trumprx-list-drugs-website-cheaper-prices

✔ Discounts apply only to out-of-pocket payments and generally do not benefit insured patients.

Purchases made through TrumpRx typically do not count toward insurance deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums and are usually not applicable for Medicare or Medicaid ben

Sources

View TrumpRx official drug list: https://trumprx.gov/browse

Reuters reporting on Medicare/insuranc limitations:

https://reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trumprx-has-limited-reach-launch-beyond-weight-loss-drugs-experts-say-2026-02-06/m

Final thought

🚨 Do your own comparison shopping. DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU HEAR ON MAINSTREAM MEDIA OR FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION

Read the pricing after the promo period.

Follow the math, not the narrative.

Your health—and your wallet—deserve better.

A quick personal and professional note: I am personally opposed to the widespread use of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss without fully understanding the long-term health implications. There is growing evidence and concern among clinicians and fitness experts that these medications can contribute to undesirable muscle loss when not paired with appropriate nutritional support and resistance training — a risk that many people aren’t being told about. If you or someone you know is considering or using GLP-1 drugs and want to protect muscle mass and overall functional health, I’ve laid out a detailed strategy for countering that muscle loss here

→ https://gyminabox.la/blogs/us-press/as-seen-on-cuomo-newsnation-gym-in-a-box-glp1-muscle-loss-ozempic-face

Love, Nika

Founder & CEO, GYM IN A BOX® L.A.

REAL SCIENCE BASED PRODUCTS

www.gyminabox.la

Luxury Fitness, Beauty & Wellness Technology

Sources & further reading:

I debunked TrumpRX already Dec 20, 2025

The medical community debunking TrumpRX

Dear friends,

Reaching 7,000+ subscribers in such a short time is something I could have never imagined and I am so grateful to have found you all. You’re amazing people . I am so proud of what you all stand for and how hard you fight every day to protect democracy, for the love of this country as we knew it, just like myself.JOIN ME HERE

Reaching 7,000+ subscribers in such a short time is something I never imagined.

Your shares, your messages, and your engagement — with some of my posts reaching over 50,000 readers — have humbled me deeply.

I am not a journalist.

I am not a political professional.

I am simply someone who believes that the United States is living through one of the most critical chapters in its modern history.

I began writing here because I believed that facts still mattered. That awareness could still move people. That truth could still influence outcomes.

Yesterday changed that for me.

When I saw that seven Democratic members of Congress voted alongside Republicans to approve additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, it became a turning point I could no longer ignore.

For me, that vote symbolized something much larger:

that even the institutions many of us believed would act as safeguards are now deeply compromised by political survival, fear, and power dynamics.

I realized that no amount of writing, fact-checking, or public discussion from someone like me can meaningfully influence decisions that are now driven by forces far beyond public accountability.

Yesterday became the moment I accepted a hard truth. When seven Democratic members of Congress joined Republicans in voting for expanded DHS funding, it showed me how deeply political compromise has overtaken principle.

Seeing leaders from my own party act in ways that feel driven by fear, power, and political calculation has convinced me that the system no longer responds to public concern in the way I once believed it could.

That is when I realized that continuing to write and argue no longer feels capable of producing the positive change I had hoped for.

This is not despair.

It is clarity.

After months of pouring my time, research, and emotional energy into this work, I have reached a personal conclusion:

I need to step away from publishing political commentary for the sake of my mental health and well-being.

This does not mean I stop caring.

It means I stop sacrificing my peace.

History teaches us that when societies become deeply polarized and the public space becomes dominated by conflict, some of us must protect ourselves in order to stay whole.

For me, that means redirecting my energy toward what I can still build and control:

health, wellness, innovation, and helping people feel stronger in uncertain times.

I will remain here with you.

I will continue to support this community.

But I will no longer be writing long-form political articles. This is my last one on here.

Again:

I’m not a writer or journalist, just someone who believes things are going really really wrong in America and we’re literally in the eleventh hour.

I fear that a time may come when speaking openly will feel increasingly risky, as history has shown in other periods when political power and surveillance expanded together. Enormous investments are now being made in data collection and monitoring technologies, especially through social media platforms and private tech companies aligned with political interests.

When I see how much funding continues to flow into these systems — including recent bipartisan votes — it raises serious concerns about privacy, civil liberties, and the future of free expression.

Whether one agrees with me or not, I believe it is wise for all of us to stay aware, protect our digital privacy, and take care of ourselves and one another in uncertain times.

All the effort we have put into fact-checking, speaking openly, and trying to create awareness now feels overshadowed by much larger forces. When major political decisions are reinforced by powerful institutions and amplified through mainstream media narratives, it becomes clear how limited the impact of individual voices can be.

Watching long-term political strategies such as Project 2025 continue to move forward has made me realize how deeply entrenched and coordinated these efforts have become over many years. At this point, they feel too powerful to be influenced by grassroots discussion alone.

I will still be here, and I will continue to support all of you. But I have decided that I will no longer be writing political articles. The amount of work, emotional energy, and research this requires no longer feels proportional to the impact it can realistically have.

My original intention was to help open the eyes of those who still support political leadership and narratives that, in my view, contradict basic ethical standards and democratic values. However, I have come to accept that facts alone are not enough to change deeply rooted beliefs — especially when misinformation and political messaging are continually amplified through powerful media platforms.

Watching political figures and their families remain in the spotlight, while serious concerns about corruption, accountability, and abuse of power go largely unchallenged, has been deeply discouraging. The constant repetition of misleading narratives has created an environment where millions are still being influenced by propaganda and distortion, even as much of the world sees these dynamics clearly.

There may come a point when many of us feel it is no longer safe to speak as freely as we once did. History reminds us how quickly surveillance and political control can grow when fear and polarization dominate society.

Seeing billions invested into monitoring technologies and social platforms tied closely to political power has made me deeply uneasy about the future of privacy and free speech.

My intention in sharing this is not to create fear, but to encourage awareness and care. Please stay informed, protect yourselves, and look out for one another.

GYM IN A BOX® will continue operating without interruption.

My business, my mission, and my commitment to empowering people through wellness and technology remain unchanged.

As a thank-you to my Substack community, I want to offer you something personal and meaningful:

🎁 SUBSTACK EXCLUSIVE — 20% OFF SITEWIDE

The largest discount we have ever offered.

Apply code: SUB20 at checkout:

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This is my way of saying thank you for reading, sharing, and standing with me through this chapter.

Please take care of yourselves.

Protect your mental health.

Stay truthful .

Stay aware.

Stay safe.

Stay strong ( Why you need GYM IN A BOX power wearables, that’s what they do- they build muscles while they burn fat ).

If you would still like to stay in touch or continue hearing from me, I invite you to join my free wellness newsletter, where I share fitness, health, and nutritional guidance from my work as a certified nutritionist and fitness entrepreneur.

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If you would like to stay connected with me in a more positive and life-affirming way, you are always welcome to join my free wellness newsletter, where I share fitness, health, and nutritional advice as a certified nutritionist and entrepreneur.

It is free to join and already followed by over 100,000 readers.

With gratitude and respect,

Nika

There was a striking moment this week when Chris Cuomo, during a virtual interview with Jacob Frey, informed the Minneapolis mayor that JD Vance was heading to his city.

Not from federal officials.

Not from advance coordination.

From a journalist.

Mayor Frey’s reaction said everything: he had not been invited, briefed, or formally informed.

Let’s pause there.

In moments of heightened tension — protests, federal enforcement actions, national attention — the most basic principle of de-escalation is communication. You don’t parachute into a city with a federal visit and bypass its elected leadership unless the goal is optics over outcomes.

That’s not coordination.

That’s escalation.

The interview itself was revealing. Frey spoke candidly about the strain Minneapolis is under and addressed the broader debate around immigration enforcement, including suggesting to REFORM Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Whether one agrees or disagrees with that position, local leaders are clearly grappling with real community consequences — and they expect to be part of the conversation.

Being informed after the fact undermines trust. It signals a top-down approach that sidelines local governance at the exact moment cooperation is most needed.

Credit where it’s due: Chris Cuomo did what journalists are supposed to do — ask uncomfortable questions, surface contradictions, and let viewers see the dynamics for themselves. No shouting. No spin. Just clarity.

Chris Cuomo

You can watch the local reporting on the Vice President’s visit here:

https://www.fox9.com/news/vice-president-jd-vance-visit-minneapolis-week.amp

Whatever side of the political aisle you’re on, this raises a simple question:

If federal leadership isn’t even speaking to the mayor of the city they’re visiting — what exactly is the strategy?

And who, ultimately, pays the price for that silence?

JD VANCE MINNEAPOLIS

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-he-hopes-renee-goods-father-still-trump-fan-following-minneapolis-tragedy.amp