“We Don’t Need More Subsidies, We Just Need More Homes At Prices People Can Afford,” said House Financial Services Committee Subcommittee Chair Mike Flood (NE-R) on 5.14.2025. This ought to be a great time to be in manufactured housing. But when industry statistics and trends (see Sunday Weekly Headlines Recap segment further below) are considered, it seems that potential and need are not translating into the opportunities that demand that appear to exist in every state in the U.S., in Washington, D.C. or in Puerto Rico. What, if anything, is the second term of President Donald J. Trump going to do about it? Another Innovative Housing Showcase (IHS) 2025 plus other items in the Sunday Weekly Recap and MHVille FEA will shed light on that topic. Which brings us to the famously quotable observation.
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” is often attributed to Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, and is commonly associated with his work “The Art of War”. However, it is also famously spoken by Michael Corleone, a character played by Al Pacino in the movie The Godfather: Part II. This dual attribution highlights its significance in both historical and popular culture contexts.
For years, many of the leaders in Big Tech here in the U.S. have been prominent supporters of the Democratic Party and Democratic presidential candidates (see Sunday Weekly Headlines Recap segment further below). During the 2024 election cycle, more billionaires supported selected (she wasn’t chosen by voters during the primary process) Democratic candidate Kamala Harris (D) and her running mate Gov. Tim Waltz (MN-D) than supported prior President Donald J. Trump and then Senator (now Vice President) J.D. Vance (OH-R). In the highly controversial 2020 election cycle, much of big tech was clearly and openly aligned with then candidates Joe Biden (D) and Kamala Harris (D).
When the Trump White House newswire recently proclaimed a meeting with Big Tech leaders on the topic of AI, was it because Big Tech has sincerely embraced POTUS Trump and Trump them? Or was it an example of “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” on the part of each of those two distinct perspectives?
Note that among those in attendance was William “Bill” Gates III, prior Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) board member, shareholder in Berkshire Hathaway, and longtime ally of Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett including in nonprofits (also think: Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance (VMF), Shaw, Berkadia, and other firms clearly connected to the manufactured home industry.
VP J.D. Vance (R) has been considered by some as rather close to Big Tech. A recent headline from right-leaning Breitbart proclaimed the following.
“It Begins: We Just Saw the First Bad AI Jobs Report”
Perhaps those are among the factors that prompted President Trump to hold the high-profile meeting with Big Tech leaders in the now gold-gilded Oval Office.
Part I. From the Trump White House website on 9.5.2025.
President Trump, Tech Leaders Unite to Power American AI Dominance
Last night, President Donald J. Trump and the First Lady hosted an extraordinary gathering of technology industry leaders at the White House for discussions centered on harnessing artificial intelligence to propel the U.S. to the forefront of global innovation.
Building on the Trump Administration’s visionary AI Action Plan and the First Lady’s leadership to support AI education, this public-private collaboration is fueling unprecedented growth in infrastructure and innovation as the U.S. leads this new frontier of scientific breakthrough.
Here’s what the tech leaders had to say about their transformative partnership with the Trump Administration:
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman: “Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation President. It’s a very refreshing change. We’re very excited to see what you’re doing to make our companies and our entire country so successful. The investment that’s happening here, the ability to get the power of the industry back in the United States, is going to set us up for a long period of great success leading the world — and I don’t think that would be happening without your leadership.”
Google co-founder Sergey Brin: “It’s a real incredible inflection point right now in AI and the fact that your Administration is supporting our companies instead of fighting with them — it’s hugely important. It’s a global race and I think we’re at the cusp where these AI models are about to become profoundly useful… so we’re very grateful for your Administration’s support.”
Open AI President Greg Brockman: “We’ve been just very impressed with how this Administration has really embraced AI. In addition to the most massive infrastructure building in history… There has been a choice of whether to approach it with optimism, and I think that that’s what I’ve really seen from this Administration, so I just wanted to say thank you for that.”
Oracle CEO Safra Catz: “This is a most incredible time. AI is going to change everything — you hear all of us saying that — but the fact that you are our President and you recognized this right away, and you’ve unleashed American innovation and creativity — all the work you’re doing in basically every cabinet post in addition to what’s coming out of the White House — is making it possible for America to win.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook: “I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major [$600 billion] investment in the United States and have some key manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, here. I think that says a lot about your focus and your leadership and your focus on innovation. I also want to thank you for helping American companies around the world. This is a very key, key thing, and I really enjoy working with your Administration.”
Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella: “Thank you so much for bringing us all together, and the policies that you have put in place for the United States to lead. One of the things that I think has made this industry unique is not only the innovation, but it’s the market access that you have obviously championed for us all over the world and also the trust the world has on American technology. I think that everything that you’re doing in terms of setting in place the platform where the rest of the world can not only use our technology, but trust our technology more than any other alternative, is perhaps the most important issue — and you and your policies are really help a lot.”
Alphabet, Inc., and Google CEO Sundar Pichai: “The AI moment is one of the most transformative moments any of us have ever seen or will see in our lifetimes, so making sure the U.S. is at the forefront — and I think that your Administration is investing a lot already. The AI Action Plan, under your leadership, I think is a great start, and we look forward to working together — and thanks for your leadership.”
AMD President and CEO Lisa Su: “The incredible work that your administration has done to support the semiconductor industry… the amount of acceleration that we’ve seen just in the few short months that the Administration has been in place — we’re so grateful for that support.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg: “This is quite a group to get together — and I think all of the companies here are making huge investments in the country in order to build out data centers and infrastructure to power the next wave of innovation… [Meta is investing] at least $600 billion through 2028 in the U.S.”
MHProNews notes that President Trump’s years in media are clearly on display on a daily basis. While much of the media remains left-leaning and anti-Trump, and some on the Establishment Right also often stand in opposition, Trump has for years turned even negative press into opportunities in disguise.
Part II
1)
MAGA Minute With Karoline Leavitt | Crime Falls, Dow Hits Record, Gas Prices Drop #news
Among the headlines for this week in review is one for Saturday that includes the ratings bestowed by third-party AI to the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Clayton Homes (BRK), Champion Homes (SKY), Cavco Industries (CVCO), Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the FHFA. It was not requested by MHProNews, it was simply produced and is revealing. An array of other topics follow.
Don’t miss today’s postscript.
With no further adieu, here are the headlines for this Sunday week in review from 8.31.2025 to 9.7.2025.
Part III
What’s New, Recent and Select from MHLivingNews
What’s New, Recent, and Select from Washington, D.C. based MHARR
What’s News, Recent or Select from the Masthead
Select Items from Tim Connors, CSP and his Words of Wisdom
What’s New in the more Eclectic Smorgasbord of topics from contributor L. A. “Tony” Kovach in the “Reality Check” series for the mainstream Patch
— MHProNews states the obvious by noting that there are no known working crystal balls. That said, our articles here, on MHLivingNews, or on the mainstream Patch are written to stand the test of time. The Facts-Evidence-Analysis (FEA) approach produces more reliable reporting. The second article linked below was extensively fact checked with AI for clarity on a subject that is thorny for many. —
What’s New on the Daily Business News on MHProNews
Saturday 9.6.2025
Friday 9.5.2025
Thursday 9.4.2025
Wednesday 9.3.2025
Tuesday 9.2.2025
Monday 9.1.2025
Sunday 8.31.2025
Postscript
1) MHProNews notes that media can present facts, evidence, and offer sound analysis that blends third-party AI with human expertise. But MHProNews can’t make someone think, there has to be a willingness for someone to probe the issues being presented, hopefully in a manner that seeks objective truth. Which brings someone to the age-old question: what is truth?
“Truth or verity is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.”
2) But for some, they are taught to believe that ‘truth’ is whatever ‘the party line’ happens to be. That was observed well over half-a-century ago. It is regrettably still an accurate observation today.
“Whatever the party says for today is true for today. Whatever the party says tomorrow is true for tomorrow.”
– Bishop Fulton Sheen, speaking of the communist view of truth vs. the Western view of truth, which is based on reality.
Linked here and shown below is what left-leaning Google’s AI powered preview (part of the Gemini AI product) had to say about the above.
The statement describes Bishop Fulton Sheen’s view that communism dictates truth as it changes with the party’s decrees, a concept he contrasted with the Western view where truth is grounded in unchanging reality. The phrase highlights the fluid and malleable nature of truth within a communist system, where what is considered true is determined by the ruling party’s current agenda, rather than by objective, external facts.
Explanation of Sheen’s statement:
Context of Sheen’s message:
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Sheen, a prominent Catholic Archbishop, was a vocal critic of communism, which he saw as a profound threat to Western civilization.
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He argued that communism, by divorcing truth from objective reality, undermines the foundations of justice, freedom, and human dignity that he believed were inherent to Western, Christian thought.
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This statement is part of his larger critique, emphasizing how the Soviet system manipulated information and ideology, making truth a tool for political control rather than a reflection of objective fact.
3) For some, facing the truth is difficult or painful for a range of reasons. One, it may mean admitting that they have previously been mistaken. Even an AI system may at first buck a notion that is presented to it, until it is demonstrated by evidence to be true.
You can’t win by only playing defense, regardless of the sport. There has to be an offense, a way to put points on the board, in order to win a contest. Perhaps more precisely, in football, someone might in theory win a game with a defense that can intercept the pass, or scoop up the fumble in mid-air, and then watch that defender scamper into the end zone.
But typically, both offense and defense are needed.
4) That (#3) is routinely true in life in general, but also for manufactured housing more particularly. Thousands of industry firms have closed or shut down since the start of the 21st century. Doubtlessly some have resigned themselves to the status quo, because they ‘need’ 21st Mortgage Corp. Bucking ‘the system’ is in an open or direct fashion is simply ‘not an option’ for numbers of firms.
5) As a programming note, it is a little over a month away to the 16th anniversary of the launch of what today is known as Manufactured Home Pro News (MHProNews).
6) Facts matter.
Evidence matters.
Truth matters.
A combination of accurate facts-evidence-analysis (FEA) can bring people into a clearer understanding of what is true.
7) This publication has evolved from a positive but in part naïve understanding of the dynamics in manufactured housing into what is now a more mature, sober, and clear eyed publication. It is now the documented largest, most-read, and go-to source for historically sound and evidence-based information about modern manufactured housing and significant parts of the industry’s history too. It has been the largest even in the some ‘down’ years between 2015 and 2025 too. Who says? An array of third-party AI plus an even larger array of industry professionals who have said as much over the years. We are still pro-manufactured housing. It is just that we better grasp why manufactured housing is underperforming during a well-documented affordable housing crisis.
8) Will Trump 2.0 step up to the plate for MHVille and enforce good existing laws? That remains to be seen. Post Innovative Housing Showcase (IHS) 2025 may provide some clues. But one thing seems to be true about Team Trump. Trump is able and willing to pivot. Whatever his thinking, if any, about modern manufactured housing today could in theory evolve. What is beyond question is that until now, manufactured housing has not received the kind of support from either Democrats or Republicans throughout the 21st century.
9) Evolving events, plus planned topics that if past is prologue many will likely only be covered by MHProNews are expected for the week ahead.
MHProNews has been pursuing the truth and the benefit of the widespread need millions of affordable housing seekers with zeal. The early years are in some ways as revealing as the last decade have created a picture of an industry where the larger and self-proclaimed consolidators of the industry have made the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) their ‘tool’ for self-enrichment at the expense of others while posturing as working for “all segments” of the industry. Who says? Industry pros, the consolidators themselves, as well as 3rd party AI.
Stay tuned. The consolidators of manufactured housing read here. Public officials are readers. Investors and analysts read here. Nonprofits and educators are readers. These are known from an array of third-party sources.
When the traffic (visits) and pageview recorded by a single-cPanel on MHProNews (we have multiple cPanels) swamp in less than a day what MHI reportedly experiences in a month (using SimilarWeb data). For a ‘niche’ publication for a niche industry to have some 60 times (plus/minus depending on the month, etc.) the traffic of MHI is a compelling fact that suggests that readers like you find the evidence they are looking for here, even if some don’t like what they find.
Thanks, Howard.
Until next time, thanks be to God and thanks be to all who make this platform possible.
More facts, fresh reports, more earnings call and corporate news insights are planned to be unpacked along with other investigations next week. Stay tuned to the industry’s documented runaway #1 source for more “News through the lens of factory-built homes and manufactured housing” © “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use”© where “We Provide, You Decide.” © This is the place for “Intelligence for your MHLife.” © Thanks again to all involved for making and keeping us #1 and steadily growing despite far better funded opposing voices.
Again, our thanks to free email subscribers and all readers like you, as well as our tipsters/sources, sponsors and God for making and keeping us the runaway number one source for authentic “News through the lens of manufactured homes and factory-built housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) See Related Reports. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
