In this February 21, 2026, Promethean Action weekly class, Brian Lantz discusses what he calls a “new birth” of the U.S. physical economy under President Trump, focusing on production, jobs, supply chains, and major industrial buildouts rather than financial markets.
He reviews Trump’s February 20 response to a Supreme Court ruling reported as limiting tariffs, arguing the administration says tariffs will remain through alternative authorities…
Including a 10% import surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974
Continued Section 301 investigations, and
Ongoing Section 232 tariffs, such as 50% on steel and aluminum.
Lantz cites a BEA chart showing a 17% decline in the trade deficit from April to December 2025 and references USTR Jamieson Greer’s statement that trade agreements will remain in effect.
Brian highlights younger administration leaders (JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Greer, and others) and promotes his book “Rebuild the USA” and his free “Physical Economy” Substack as tools for citizen organizers ahead of the 2026 midterms.
He also lists economic indicators he says are improving …
mortgage rates under 6%, higher tax returns
rising manufacturing PMI
labor participation at 84.1% (highest since 2001)
172,000 new January jobs
inflation around 2.4–2.6%, and
declines in violent crime categories in 2025.
Next, Lantz contrasts falling federal employment with rising construction jobs tied to factory building, and argues Trump’s February 12 revocation of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding removed $1.3 trillion in regulatory burdens.
He then details major industrial initiatives:
Japanese and South Korean investments (including a Georgia synthetic diamond grit facility and a $6B Tennessee zinc smelter supported by DoD capital)
a $1.4B rare-earth magnet supply chain project by Vulcan Elements, and
a nuclear buildout driven by executive orders - highlighting Valor Atomics’ microreactor planned for operation by July 4, 2026.
Brian also covers DOE’s request for state-hosted nuclear innovation campuses, Texas A&M’s RELLIS SMR hub, and the 11 GW “Firming” Matador campus near Amarillo.
Internationally, Lantz references a Washington “Board of Peace” for Gaza reconstruction with $7B pledged plus $10B from the U.S., and Rubio’s Critical Minerals Ministerial with 54 nations where JD Vance proposed a preferential critical-minerals trade zone with enforceable price floors, alongside “Project Vault,” a $12B private-sector/EXIM initiative to secure mineral supplies.
Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Promethean Action Weekly: A New Birth of the U.S. Economy
01:34 Supreme Court Tariff Ruling: Why Trump Says It Brings “Certainty”
03:09 Trade Deficit Slide: Data Showing Tariffs Working
06:10 How Tariffs Stay in Force: Sections 122, 301, and 232 Explained
07:55 A New Generation of Leadership: Vance, Rubio, Greer & the Hamilton Parallel
11:39 Rebuild the USA: Why Citizens Need a “Physical Economy” Playbook
14:59 Quick Scorecard on the Real Economy: Rates, PMI, Jobs, Inflation, Crime
21:05 Workforce Shift: From Federal Overhead to Construction & Production Jobs
23:42 The Cost of Net Zero—and Trump’s Deregulatory Breakthrough
25:57 Industrial Revival in Motion: Japan & Korea Invest in U.S. Supply Chains
29:24 Rare Earths Made in America: Vulcan Elements and a Vertical Supply Chain
31:42 Nuclear Renaissance: Microreactors, Executive Orders, and DOE Innovation Campuses
38:32 Texas as an Energy-Industry Hub: A&M Reactor Campus and the Amarillo Megaproject
43:20 Geopolitics Meets Physical Economy: Gaza Reconstruction & the “Board of Peace”
46:09 Critical Minerals Preferential Trade Zone: JD Vance’s Plan + Project Vault
51:45 Closing Thoughts: The Future We’re Building
About Brian Lantz
Expert in the almost forgotten science of physical economy.
Basing his interventions on fundamental concepts, he’s engaged in a far-ranging dialogue to shape the future of our economy & culture.
