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These Investors Lost Billions Buying Trump Stocks And Crypto

Vadim Fistikan started working at 17 and built the kind of savings that usually takes years of overtime, delayed purchases and adult restraint: more than $100,000 by the time he hit his late twenties. In 2021, the Washington State truck driver eyed a house near family in Florida, with a pool and a waterway that led to a river, and then the ocean. “We were thinking about pulling the trigger,” he says. “Then I saw this whole Trump thing going on.”
This Trump thing was the Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social. In October 2021, the president unveiled the business, promising a censorship-free platform and giving supporters a chance to invest via a special purpose acquisition company. Shares of the SPAC jumped 1,650% in two days, then fell about 30% by the start of the third. To Fistikan, that looked less like a warning than a discount. “I’m like, ‘I’m getting in,’” says the three-time Trump voter who added to his bet until it hit $205,000.
That investment is now worth $30,000.
Fistikan logged onto Truth Social last fall to voice his frustrations. “I’m like, ‘Hey, this is a scam,’” he says. “And a lot of people were like, ‘No, you’re just a Trump hater.’ I’m like, ‘No. I was on board since day one. … I’m now broke.”
He’s not alone. Katherine Chiles, the SPAC’s former chief financial officer, now uses her Truth Social account to promote a song accusing the president of selling out his supporters—“Donald Trump is a b—-.” Chad Nedohin, a worship leader who once moonlighted as the unofficial captain of Trump Media’s retail shareholders, now describes the company as a vehicle for enriching the president and his inner circle. “We’re just poor cattle to them,” Nedohin says. “He doesn’t care about anyone.”
Throughout the president’s life, his most remarkable creations—whether casinos in Atlantic City, public offerings on the New York Stock Exchange or political movements across America—all relied on one thing: believers. In 2021, Trump left the White House with an abundance of them—and quickly got to work monetizing. To do so, he followed a process with three distinct stages. First, the invention: come up with a business concept, invest almost nothing, take a big chunk of equity. Second, the sale: stir up a frenzy among the faithful, cash out what you can. Third, the mess: watch the assets collapse, salvage the scraps. From 2021 to 2025, five Trump-family ventures reached public investors: Trump Media, World Liberty Financial, Trump’s memecoin, Melania Trump’s memecoin and American Bitcoin.
“We’re just poor cattle to them. He doesn’t care about anyone.”
Now, they are all hitting the messy stage. Trump Media shares are down 89% from their peak. World Liberty tokens have fallen 82%. The president’s memecoin is off 98%. Melania’s version has dropped 99%. Shares of American Bitcoin are down 95%. The Trumps, after cashing out $1.9 billion, are still up $3.1 billion overall, according to Forbes calculations. Their supporters are down an estimated $7 billion.
Representatives of the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did spokespeople for Trump Media, which sued Forbes and other publications over allegedly inaccurate reporting about losses during the company’s first year of operation. The White House ignored questions about the president’s moneymaking ventures, issuing a statement on his policies instead. “President Trump cares deeply about the patriotic Americans who elected him to office and fights for them daily,” said deputy press secretary Anna Kelly.
The human cost of all this lies in accounts like Fistikan’s. He didn’t just buy a stock. He bought a story, that Trump views his supporters as partners rather than tools. “Pretty much my whole life savings [was] in this one stock,” says Fistikan. “This is the greatest theft, con job he has ever done.”
Nick Pinto was sitting inside Champions, the wood-heavy, leather-laden restaurant at Trump’s Miami golf resort, in January 2025 when a Robinhood notification lit up his phone: Trump had launched a memecoin.
Pinto, 26, makes most of his money creating videos for social-media platforms. His due diligence consisted of Googling around and hopping on X. “I was like, ‘Oh, let me buy some of this—never know what’s going to happen.” He initially invested $7,000.
Pinto was part of a frenzy that delivered the first family an extraordinary windfall as Trump returned to the White House. The roots of it lay in World Liberty Financial, the crypto project the president had launched the previous September. Billionaire Justin Sun, facing allegations from the Securities and Exchanges Commission, invested $45 million in its token after Trump won the election, then put another $100 million into the president’s memecoin. Melania Trump added a coin of her own. The three tokens traded furiously as Trump ascended to the throne, throwing off hundreds of millions in cash.
Then the president added a perk: dinner at his Virginia club for the top 220 memecoin investors.
“I went crazy,” says Pinto, who upped his bet to $480,000, allocating about 60% of his entire investment portfolio to the memecoin. That was enough to get him into the dinner, a scene both surreal and shoddy. Pinto says it felt like a wedding, with mediocre food and poor service. “They didn’t even give me soda—all I had was water.”
Another attendee remembers offering a cigarette to former NBA player Lamar Odom, who took a FaceTime call while they were standing outside. “I’m with these crypto kids!” Odom told his caller, Khloe Kardashian.
The memecoin slid downward after the event and never really recovered, losing two-thirds of its value by the end of the year. It was around that time that one of Pinto’s friends, who had also attended the dinner, convinced him to turn on the coin.
“This is something that the Trump family kind of came up with out of the blue,” Pinto says his friend told him, “and there’s not really a way for us to predict the future of the coin or what their plans for it are.”
Convinced, Pinto ditched 75% of his position, locking in roughly $250,000 in losses. He held onto the rest in case something wild happened.
Something did. In April, Trump hosted another event, this one at Mar-a-Lago. Attendees received goodie bags with Trump trading cards, statuettes of the president filled with cologne and Trump watches. “I almost didn’t get one because people kept stealing mine,” says Pinto, who recalls one attendee slipping out with six bags. “Mine got swiped, and then I saw a chair that was empty, so I swiped one, too.”
Memecoin Merch
The president hosted two events for his memecoin holders, one at his golf course in Virginia and another at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. Attendees walked away with bags full of Trump-branded tchotchkes.
Smells Like Victory
Among the goodies: bottles of cologne, packaged in golden statuettes of Donald Trump that retail for $249 online. “I haven’t used it yet,” says two-time memecoin event attendee Nick Pinto. “I have it for decoration.”
Watch Your Back
Red-faced watches became hot items at the Mar-a-Lago event. Online, the president sold other varieties, including one with pieces of the tie and suit he wore in his mugshot photo at the Fulton County Jail after he was indicted on racketeering and other charges in 2023.
Face Value
Trump trading cards featured words the president shouted after a bullet grazed his ear in Butler, Pennsylvania: “Fight, Fight, Fight.”
Blackout
Red MAGA hats are old news. Memecoin diners received black caps featuring the president, his signature and the name of his token, $TRUMP.
“I was like, ‘Oh, let me buy some of this—never know what’s going to happen.”
Some attendees wanted more than trumpery. Before the initial dinner, Huma Finance cofounder Erbil Karaman upped his investment, knowing the White House was considering legislation related to stablecoins, dollar-tracking cryptocurrencies that his company uses to help people move money overseas. Karaman says he did not do any lobbying at the event. Two months later, he accepted an invitation to the White House for a bill signing.
The people who did best with Trump’s memecoin tended to be the ones who cared least about it. Morten Christensen, founder of the crypto site airdropalert.com, bought the coin right after it launched, then ditched it when the hype started to fade a few days later. He says he made about 30 times his money on the trade. To attend Trump’s dinner, he bought and shorted the coin simultaneously, securing a seat for the first event for about $1,200 in fees and a spot at the second for $500.
“The MAGA people, they really believe,” Christensen says. “I’m just here for the profit. I’m in some group chats with believers, and they are really good at ignoring facts or data. … I kind of feel sorry for them.”
Even Justin Sun no longer pretends Trump’s crypto offerings are good investments. In a lawsuit filed in April, he alleged World Liberty pushed him to increase his investment, then froze his assets after he balked. Sun accused World Liberty of defrauding and extorting him. World Liberty said it had the right to freeze Sun’s tokens and countersued for defamation. Sun also alleges that, after World Liberty sent so much money to Trump and other insiders, the venture began taking on risky loans. The man who, more than anyone not named Trump, sold the project to the masses now describes it as “on the verge of collapse.”
How A Capitol Uprising Led To Capital Raising
January 6, 2021
Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol building. Twitter boots Trump, giving him a story to sell. Amazon drops web hosting for Parler, a right-wing social-media network, creating a void in the market.
January 27, 2021
One week after leaving office, Trump meets with two former Apprentice contestants at Mar-a-Lago to discuss creating a media and technology empire.
October 20, 2021
The president reveals the Trump Media and Technology Group, a social-media company that aims to create a Trump-friendly ecosystem online, starting with a Twitter clone named Truth Social.
October 22, 2021
Shares of Digital World, the special-purpose acquisition company planning to take Trump Media public, hit an all-time high of $175, implying that Trump’s barely-in-existence venture is worth more than $25 billion.
March 25, 2024
After years of holdups, Trump Media finally merges with Digital World, becoming a publicly traded company. Shares jump 59% the next day.
September 30, 2024
In the final stretch of his presidential campaign, Trump delivers an announcement: “I promised to Make America Great Again, this time with crypto,” he writes on Truth Social. “#WorldLibertyFi is planning to help make America the crypto capital of the world!” The project struggles to gain traction.
November 5, 2024
Trump defeats Kamala Harris, becoming the first president to win nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in 1892.
November 25, 2024
Crypto billionaire Justin Sun, contending with charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission, purchases $30 million of World Liberty tokens, energizing the project, which eventually delivers more than $800 million to Trump.
January 17, 2025
Three days before his inauguration, Trump launches a memecoin. The fine print warns buyers that it is not intended to be an investment. The president’s supporters pile in anyway, sparking a trading frenzy that ultimately provides more than $600 million to the president.
January 19, 2025
Melania Trump announces a memecoin of her own, part of a broader effort to enhance her personal balance sheet. A financial disclosure suggests the token, which has fallen 99% from its high, supplies $6 million to the first lady.
May 12, 2025
American Bitcoin reveals plans to merge with a SPAC. Investors gobble up shares, boosting the price 448%. It has since dropped 96%.
As believers become skeptics, the Trumps are shifting assets in telling ways.
World Liberty, which pitched itself as a vehicle to upend traditional finance, delivered about $850 million to Trump, who has since loaded up on the least exotic asset in finance, municipal bonds. Trump Media, meanwhile, has become less a social-media company than a hoard of bitcoin. It raised $2.4 billion through equity and debt when shares were riding high, then put the proceeds into the cryptocurrency near its peak.
That erased about $1 billion of shareholder capital. It also gave the company an asset that appears to be more enduring than Truth Social, the “free-speech” platform that recently suspended a Forbes reporter who used it to contact shareholders. For a company that promises to give people a voice, Trump Media seems to have a rather narrow view of who should use one.
First sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., who manage their fathers’ holdings on a day-to-day basis while he serves as president, have adopted the old man’s playbook for themselves. In March 2025, they struck a deal with a data-center company for 20% of its bitcoin-mining machines, then rebranded the business as American Bitcoin.
What did the data-center company receive in return? A crowd of investors wrapped up in a Trump-tied hype cycle, into which it could dump enough shares to more than make up for the 20% of forfeited equity. The companies announced a deal to go public via SPAC on May 12, 2025, and shares of the SPAC jumped 448%.
Ryan Kenney, a 41-year-old military spouse who studied architecture but now spends much of his time raising two kids, thought he was getting into American Bitcoin early and cheap when he invested $60,000 after prices pulled back the next week. The stock’s value was in its buzz, not the fundamentals. That made the standard meme-stock rallying cries—“Buy the dip!” “Average down!”—especially dangerous. Kenney kept buying, ultimately upping his investment to $98,000. It’s now worth $9,000.
Lately, he has been thinking about others in a similar predicament. And the scale of their losses. “Maybe people didn’t lose as much as I did,” he says, “but that might be hundreds of thousands of Americans all losing five grand.”
Then there is Fistikan, still dreaming of that Florida house. With his savings wiped out, he settled for an overgrown, $18,000 lot, figuring he could build on it. Someday. The Iran war drove diesel prices above $6 in the Pacific Northwest, where he hauls loads, cutting into his earnings.
“I would make the same amount of money if I was flipping burgers,” he says.
Recently, short on cash, Fistikan had to sell something. He could have liquidated his Trump Media shares, which still appear overheated as the company bleeds hundreds of millions of dollars a year while maintaining a market cap more than triple the value of its underlying bitcoin holdings. But Trump-tied investments are not moved chiefly by discounted cash flow. It’s more loyalty and the hope that another rally is just one frenzy away.
So Fistikan sold his F-150 pickup.
That’s the Trump trade in miniature. The dream was a house in Florida near the water. The outcome, for now, is an overgrown lot, a clobbered investment account and just enough cash to stay afloat.
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1 dead as Guadalupe River flooding devastates Kerr County

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KERR County, Texas – A deadly flood emergency became fatal early this morning, as the rapidly rising waters along the Guadalupe River prompted water rescues, evacuations and road closures throughout Kerr County.
Kerrville’s Mayor Pro-Tem confirmed that one person died in the devastating flooding which swept across the region. The official has not revealed any details about the deceased.
Emergency crews responded to numerous rescue requests and warned that flooding in the county was a serious problem.
Residents living near the Guadalupe River were urged to evacuate immediately, especially those who live downstream towards Comfort. The river had risen 16 feet within 30 minutes. Emergency managers have warned residents to evacuate before floodwaters reach their home. They also urged them to avoid flooded roads and low-water crossings, as well as river access points.
This is just the second disaster that has struck the Texas Hill Country in the past year. The July 4th floods, which killed over 100 people including Camp Mystic campers and staff members, were the first. National Weather Service issued a warning that another “large, deadly flood wave” would be moving down the Guadalupe River. Residents were urged to immediately move higher ground.
Gov. Greg Abbott stated that more than 1300 emergency personnel were deployed in the area and rescue crews have already saved over 70 lives.
Abbott stated that “our number one priority is to save lives”.
Flash Flood Emergency
After torrential rainfall continued across the South Fork watershed of the Guadalupe River, the National Weather Service declared a Flash Flood Emergency in Hunt and Kerrville. The warning was that flooding would be catastrophic and further rains could worsen the situation.
Flood Watch in South Texas continues through Thursday night
Kerrville City officials urged their residents to stay put, to move up to the safest level in their home and to avoid traveling while floodwaters were rising.
According to Tierra Linda Volunteer Fire Department, emergency officials have also been warning of an enormous wall of water that is moving along Harper Road.
Out of caution, the Sidney Baker Bridge has been temporarily closed.
Evacuations and Shelters
The Buckhorn Lake Resort, located on Goat Creek Road close to Interstate 10, and Ingram RV Park evacuated guests as conditions began rapidly worsening. Calvary Temple Church (3000 Loop 534) in Kerrville was designated as a shelter and center for reunification.
Three shelters were opened by emergency officials in Uvalde due to widespread flooding along the Leona and Nueces rivers. Shelters are available for residents in the following locations:
Flores Primary Campus 901 N. Getty St.
Dalton Elementary School 600 N. Fourth St.
Southwest Texas College is located at 2401 Garner Field Road.
Overnight, floodwaters also flooded Uvalde. They trapped people in their vehicles and blocked access to the city. Texas Game Wardens evacuated and rescued about 12 people, while local crews reached stranded citizens using boats.
Road & Bridge Closures
Kerr County has been devastated by flooding, which has caused severe damage to the bridges, transportation infrastructure, and other structures.
Sidney Baker Street Bridge is closed after a barge was lodged under the bridge.
Anderson Ranch Bridge, Junction Highway: washed out.
Ingram Hills Road Bridge : washed out
Henderson Branch Bridge, State Highway 173/Bandera Highway: washed out.
Main Street and Water Street Bridges are covered in debris following Town Creek’s overflow.
Highway 39 Bridge has suffered significant damage from washout and is being temporarily stabilised by TxDOT.
480 bridge in Center Point: In less than 45 mins, the Guadalupe River rose from 3 to 4 ft. The water level at Highway 27 was about 4 ft.
The county is still a very dangerous place to travel. Interstate 10 and portions of Highways 27 & 39, as well Medina Highway remain closed. Many Center Point roads, such as River Road and Sutherland Road are either flooded or unpassable. Arcadia has also been completely closed after flooding washed buildings onto the road.
As the flood waters remain hazardous and new storms are approaching, city officials urge residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel. They also encourage them to monitor alerts for emergencies and to follow any evacuation orders.
Water Rescues
Around 2:30 am, Kerr County emergency crews responded to six water rescue calls. Floodwaters made it impossible for firefighters to reach a trapped mother and her child near Indian Creek Road, Ingram. The flooding also rendered the road connecting Kerrville to Hunt impassable. This limited access by emergency personnel.
As rescues grew, Ingram, Kerrville and the Texas Department of Public Safety called for additional help.
Safety for Campers
CAMP officials said that everyone is still safe at the CAMP camp, despite it being cut off temporarily by floodwaters. Skyline Drive was flooded by a storm upstream. However, officials say the camp is still dry and that the cabins are more than 80 feet high above the Guadalupe River.
Campers and staff shelter in place, with food, essential supplies, and backup generators while staying in touch with emergency management officials.
Flooding continues
Ingram was also affected by flooding, with authorities warning of impassability on many streets.
Residents of an RV park in Comfort moved their trailers higher as the sirens began to sound and another wave of water was approaching. The managers said that floodwater levels reached a level similar to the devastating flooding of last year, and warned residents to remain put until conditions improved.
As rain moves across the area, officials warned that flooding is still a serious situation. Forecasters reported that some areas received between 10 and 20 inches of rainfall over the last two days. Rivers rose more than 30 foot in just a couple hours. Further heavy rains are expected until Friday.
Residents should monitor weather alerts to avoid flooding and move higher if it threatens.
Disaster Declaration
Rob Kelly, Kerr County judge, signed the local disaster declaration. He also requested official assistance from Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Greg Abbott was notified of the continuing flooding in Kerr County.
Declaring a disaster allows local authorities to access emergency resources quickly, coordinate state aid and claim reimbursement for the costs of emergency response.
Kerr County is currently facing life-threatening floods, road closures across the county, and water rescues. The rapid rise of waters on the Guadalupe River has also caused extensive damage.

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Cyclospora outbreak: Hamilton County reports additional cases

HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio —
Hamilton County continues to report more cyclosporiasis cases as the disease spreads to other counties and states.
Hamilton County officials have reported an increase of 17 cases in their most recent update, which was reported Tuesday.
Number of confirmed cases increased from 10 to 12. The number for probable cases remained the same, while number of suspect cases went from 5 to 4
On Wednesday, 366 new cases were reported in Ohio, and 46 of them required hospitalization. There have not been any reported deaths.
Hamilton County Public Health reports that the following are reasons for hospitalization: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, indigestion, abdominal blood, shortness in breath, coughing, food poisoning concerns, a urinary infection, nausea, abscess or fever, stomach pains, headaches and chills. Other causes include colitis, fatigue, heart palpitations; loss of appetite; sore throats and constipation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of today, there were 1,645 cases with 141 hospitalizations.
Watery diarrhea, bloating, cramping and loss of appetite are all symptoms of cyclosporiasis.
Health officials advise that if you have these symptoms then it is best to consult your doctor.
Antibiotics and rest, as well as fluids and fluids can help treat the disease.
Health officials recommend the following measures to prevent cyclosporiasis:
Hands should be washed with soap and warm water after handling raw fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly in running water. Clean a produce brush to scrub firm produce such as melons.
Eat or store cut, cooked, and peeled fruits and vegetables immediately.
Hamilton County officials state that every year about 1 in 6 people get a foodborne disease. The county offers best practices on how to prepare, store and cook food safely.
Ohio officials have not yet confirmed the source of this outbreak.

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State health officials confirm 43 cases of Cyclosporiasis, WI farmers on alert

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued Air Quality Advisory to the following counties. Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Lafayette, Marquette, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha The PM2.5 (24-hour) AQI is predicted to be at the level of Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy. NowCast (one-hour average) AQI will reach Hazardous levels. WHERE…Statewide. When…Tuesday noon until Thursday noon. Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: For Very Unhealthy (Purple) AQI: Sensitive groups: Avoid all physical activity outdoors. Replan activities for a better time of day or indoors. Asthmatics: Keep your quick-relief medication and asthma action plan handy. Heart disease patients: Palpitations, breathlessness, and unusual fatigue are all signs of a problem. Contact your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms listed above. All others: Reduce outdoor activity. If you are experiencing symptoms, go indoors. If the AQI is unhealthy (red), sensitive groups should consider rescheduling activities or moving them inside. If you are experiencing symptoms, go inside. Asthmatics: Keep your quick-relief medication and asthma action plan handy. Heart disease patients: Palpitations, breathlessness, and unusual fatigue are all signs of a problem. Contact your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms listed above. All others: Limit outdoor activity duration and intensity. If you are experiencing symptoms, go inside. If the AQI is unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange), then you should reduce your outdoor activity and make it shorter. You can be outdoors, but you should take frequent breaks. Be on the lookout for signs such as shortness of breathing or coughing. Asthmatics: Keep your quick-relief medicine and asthma action plan handy. Heart disease patients: Palpitations, breathlessness, and unusual fatigue are all signs of a problem. Contact your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms listed above. This advisory will be re-evaluated Thursday morning and likely extended for at least some portion of the state beyond noon on Thursday. Wildfire smoke from Minnesota and Ontario is expected to enter the northern WI area between 8 pm and midnight on Tuesday. Smoke will move southward, reaching approximately a line from Eau Claire up to Sheboygan by midday Wednesday. The smoke will move south-southwest and reach a line between La Crosse and Janesville by Wednesday evening. By 6 am Thursday, statewide impacts are possible. In northwest Wisconsin and especially along Lake Superior, the heaviest impacts of smoke, as well as the potential Hazardous (Maroon AQI) NowCast AQI are to be expected. Lake-added smoke will be a possibility for the communities that are near Lake Michigan. For more information on current air quality, please see: https://airquality.wi.gov

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Hegseth requires testosterone deficiency screening for service members over 30

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the Pentagon would require all servicemen and women over 30 years of age to undergo a testosterone screening annually. They can choose testosterone replacement therapy if they’re recommended to be treated.
Hegseth said in a video titled, “High-T Dept.” that he was authorizing a screening program to detect testosterone deficiencies among our military personnel. This will ensure you are operating at your best.
The service member’s health will be assessed periodically, and he said that they would undergo a test every year. Under 30s can also choose to have their blood tested.
Hegseth stated in the video that “we owe our soldiers the best possible medical care, and the program fulfills this obligation.” In order to thrive after your military service, it is important that you maintain your health for the long term.
Additional guidance on the policy hasn’t been released by the Pentagon. Defense Health Agency directed questions to the Pentagon.
According to the American Urological Association, low testosterone is defined differently in each study. Its prevalence can range from 2 to 50 percent.
Marty Makary of the Food and Drug Administration, then citing a study from 2007, said that during a panel discussion on 2025 testosterone replacement therapy, 5.6% men aged 30 to 79 had low testosterone and other symptoms like depression and reduced strength.
The researchers found that military training has a significant impact on testosterone levels in servicemen.
The high stress and operations pace that servicemen experience can decrease testosterone. Sometimes this is acutely felt, and other times it may be long-term. This was stated by Army Major Theodore Crisostomo Wynne at the FDA 2025 panel.
Major Crisostomo Wynne, a Madigan Army Center urologist, said that he was speaking to the panel on a personal basis and not in the capacity of representing views from the Pentagon or Defense Health Agency.
The lack of testosterone is a concern for the Special Operations community, where scientists have discovered a syndrome that they call “The Operator’s Syndrome.”
Crisostomo Wynne explained that the syndrome is likely caused by chronic stress and other factors, such as blast exposure and traumatic brain injury, leading to hormone dysregulation and mood changes. The syndrome is a combination of medical, psychologic and psychological factors. One of them, which seems to affect almost all these men, is a decrease in testosterone.
Hegseth referred to servicemen as the “most decisive tactic advantage” in his video.
The battlefield requires and demands “maximum psychological and mental preparedness” and by treating these markers of health early we keep you at the forefront of lethality, giving you support to the level that you provide this nation with the best.

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Hegseth announces new policy to test troops for low testosterone and offer them hormone replacement therapy

Hegseth’s move coincides with other Trump Administration officials who have been advocating for easier access to testosterone therapy. However, the message from Hegseth, along with others, blends well-known science about the hormone, as well as broader and less supported claims.
The Pentagon, when asked what Hegseth hoped to achieve with his new policy, referred back to Hegseth’s comments in the video, which mentioned that troops must be “strong, capable and resilient” as well as that modern warfare demands “maximum mental and psychological readiness”.
Read more: Georgia may resume enforcement of the ban on hormone therapy for youth transgender, says a judge
Special operations forces, and in particular Navy SEALs, have been under fire for using testosterone and other similar substances as performance enhancers.
In 2022, the death of a SEAL trainee during training led to the discovery of testosterone and other substances. This revealed that drug abuse was far more widespread than previously thought.
The Navy announced that a year after the death of the recruit, it will begin a program for drug testing to detect “any hormone substance chemically or pharmaceutically related to testosterone” which promotes muscle development.
Read more: Federal workers file complaint about Trump’s ban of gender affirming care
Hegseth stated that his initiative “is not about artificial enhancement.”
No response was given by the Pentagon to inquiries about academic or research studies that supported this move. The Pentagon did not say whether female soldiers who are entering perimenopause would be eligible for an estrogen-based treatment.
The testosterone levels of men naturally decline with age. They have been associated for a long time with issues such as erectile dysfunction, low libido and mood swings. Experts have been debating for many years about how to diagnose these problems, and whether or not they can be corrected by replacing testosterone.
Hegseth made his announcement at the same time that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other Trump Administration officials were working to ease doctors’ prescription of testosterone. The Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it would ease the limits for doctors to prescribe testosterone patches, gels and pills.
According to the current FDA label, these medications are for men who have hypogonadism. This is a condition in which testosterone levels are drastically reduced.
Many influencers, including Kennedy supporters of the “Make America Healthy Again,” movement, tout testosterone to help look younger and build muscle. Most medical experts do not accept these uses.
Recent studies, however, have provided evidence that testosterone is beneficial for some conditions and has eased concerns over its safety, especially in relation to heart health.
The FDA has removed the boxed warnings about the possible risk of stroke and heart attacks from these drugs.
A series of National Institutes of Health studies on older men showed that testosterone treatment improved sexual performance, libido, and other measures, and also had a slight effect on the mood. There was no or little improvement on other measures such as fatigue, memory and overall health.
There are other studies that show potential improvement in strength, muscle mass and bone density.
Nevertheless, medical guidelines recommend that testosterone testing should not be done on a blanket basis. Doctors are typically advised to talk about testosterone therapy when men have symptoms that concern them and who show low levels in two blood tests.
Testosterone levels fluctuate during the day, making it difficult to test for them. The morning following a fast is the best time to measure testosterone levels.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (a Pennsylvania Democrat who is also an Air Force veteran) said that the announcement “proves Secretary Hegseth receives direction from far corners of manosphere.”
A congresswoman from the House Armed Services Committee expressed her hope that testosterone testing would be made available to both men and woman, and servicewomen could have access to similar resources so they can be among the world’s most elite warriors.
Hegseth said previously that he did not think women should have combat roles, and that these positions should reflect the “highest standard of males.” Since becoming the head of Pentagon, he has either blocked or dismissed female military leaders.
Other changes have been made to medical care for troops.
He announced in April that the longstanding military flu vaccination mandate would be repealed, citing religious freedom and “medical autonomy”. A flu outbreak in June at the U.S. Air Force boot camp caused at least 300 illnesses.
Ben Finley, a writer for the Associated Press, contributed to this article.

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