 Welcome to the latest edition of Washington Secrets. Today, we have an exclusive look at Lara Trump's new single, an AI truce breaks down, and we find out just why Donald Trump suddenly took an interest in a speck of rock in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Plus we have the winners of my Nuuk game. Lara Trump is dropping a new EP of songs in April followed by an album later in the year. Secrets got a sneak peak of her next single, Sah-Sah, which features Egyptian rapper Mohamed Ramadan. It comes out on Friday, and you can listen to a sneak peek HERE And it shows where her priorities lie right now after passing up the chance last year to dive back into politics and run for North Carolina's vacant Senate seat, where she was born and raised. "With how crazy my life is between my Fox News show, my podcast, being a mom, being a crazy dog lady, and more I have really enjoyed the escape that comes from music and have truly been having fun with different genres and meeting artists," she told Secrets. "I was excited to collaborate with Mohamed and love how light and upbeat our new song turned out. I hope people enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed collaborating on it." For those trying to read the runes of her political future, Secrets suggests looking at the way the single was recorded. Ramadan flew to Miami and then drove to President Donald Trump's golf club in Jupiter, Florida. The main lobby was turned into a recording studio. The video was filmed right there once the track had been laid down. The whole thing was kept not just close to home, but at home – given that Lara, Eric Trump and their two children have lived in a five-bedroom home at the Trump National Golf Club gated community for the past five years. A Secrets source says Lara ruled out running in North Carolina because it would have taken her away from home and her young family. If she does dive deeper into politics – her huge fundraising haul for the Republican National Committee during the 2024 election suggested big things could follow – expect it to come no more than a wedge shot away from her base, somewhere in the Sunshine State. It was new territory for her collaborator, Ramadan. He is a regular on television and the top of the charts in the Middle East. He told Secrets the whole thing was Lara's idea, and he contributed lyrics in the style of an Egyptian romantic song, but with a melody that would crossover to a Western audience. The haters have already had their say. A clip of Ramadan teaching Trump his signature "Tiger" dance move went viral at the weekend, with a slew of insulting comments. And they will no doubt have more to add about the single's heavy use of autotune (even though Secrets, an aficionado of Middle Eastern and North African pop where it is treated as an extra instrument, is all in favor). But Mohamed said he never had any worries about teaming up with such a visible member of MAGA's first family. "I had absolutely no reservations at all, and I don't get involved in politics. I'm an artist, and I genuinely admire Lara's art and her voice," he said. "We were brought together by the song—and even if she weren't from the Trump family, I still would have made this song with her." The single was produced by LJ Fino and his First Class Label Group. He believes much of the mainstream music industry has overlooked the America First audience. "Lara has a big year ahead with a collaborative EP featuring major global artists, including her record with Mohamed and released in conjunction with Warner Music Group, followed by her debut album "Just Lara" arriving in late 2026," he said. Davos man Trump looked and sounded exhausted when he addressed the audience at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday morning. But then who wouldn't be after a plane malfunction that delayed his overnight flight by three hours.Even so he couldn't resist ad-libbing and cracking jokes. "Would you like me to say a few words about Greenland?" he deadpanned.It's fair to say that the ensuing laughter could be described as "nervous." Read more about his Davos speech HERE. AI chief breaks Trump truce It's barely a month since Dario Amodei, chief executive of artificial intelligence giant Anthropic, embarked on a relationship rebuilding tour of Washington. It came after David Sacks, Trump AI czar, attacked Anthropic for their left-wing, anti-Trump bias. He pointed to a now-deleted 2024 tweet that compared Trump with a "feudal warlord" and to Amodei's support for Kamala Harris. As a result, Amodei went into damage limitation mode. He met with Trump officials and senators to assure them that they were very much on the same side, wanting the US to win the race to dominate AI, even if he would like tighter regulation. So maybe the thin, mountain air at the World Economic Forum in Davos got to him yesterday. He launched into an attack on the decision by Trump officials to allow US firms such as Nvidia to sell advanced chips to China. "I think this is crazy," he said . "It's a bit like selling nuclear weapons to North Korea." His truce went about as well as Secrets' dry January. The whiff of cigarettes A year ago Trump and his administration were relaxed about the U.K. decision to give up the Chagos Islands, which are home to a US military base, and sign them over to Mauritius. In fact, Trump frequently sounded as if he had never heard of the specks of rock in the middle of the Indian Ocean when the subject came up. So why did he suddenly unload on his pal, Sir Keir Starmer, on Monday night, calling it an "act of great stupidity?" It marked a huge U-turn. American officials backed the deal which included a 99-year lease for the base on Diego Garcia. Secrets immediately detected the whiff of stale cigarettes. The issue is a hobby horse of Nigel Farage, the British populist, Trump ally and noted tobacco enthusiast. And The Telegraph got the goods, pointing out that Mike Johnson, House Speaker, had been a guest on Farage's TV show hours earlier when the subject came up. Why was the U.S. not up in arms, he was asked. In the hours that followed, the speaker is understood to have spoken to his boss on the phone, the paper reported. Cue angry Truth Social post. Nuuk winners Congratulations to Kevin Miller, Mohamed Bushry Basheer, and Sean Maxwell for getting the other four capitals with letters that cannot be colored in. Did you work it out? The four are: Kyiv, Vilnius, Minsk, and Tunis. Now go and amaze your friends around the watercooler. You are reading Secrets, a guide to power and politics in DC and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly and you can reach him at secrets@washingtonexaminer dot com with your comments, story tips and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you'd like to sign up, click here. | 
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