A penguin is breaking the internet.
If you’ve been on X (formerly Twitter) this past weekend, you’ve seen the clip: a lone penguin in Antarctica, walking away from its colony, heading toward distant mountains. Tens of millions of views. The footage comes from Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary Encounters at the End of the World. While the other penguins head toward the sea—toward food, toward safety, toward what they’re supposed to do—this one turns and walks the opposite direction. Alone. Toward the mountains.
Herzog called it a “death march.” The internet dubbed it the “Nihilist Penguin.”
But that’s not what people are celebrating. Not even close.
The Gallows Get Flipped
There’s an old story in the book of Esther. Haman, an arrogant official in the Persian court, built a gallows to hang Mordecai—the one man who refused to bow. He had the whole thing planned out. The execution was set. Victory was certain.
But the story didn’t end the way Haman expected. In the end, it was Haman himself who swung from those gallows.
That’s what’s happening right now. And people can feel it.
For decades, globalist institutions like the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization have been building the gallows for national sovereignty. They set the agenda. They dictated the terms. They told nations what they could and couldn’t do, while countries like America footed the bill and got lectured in return.
Then President Donald Trump walked into Davos.
The Penguin Goes to Davos
Last week, President Trump stood before the global elite at the World Economic Forum and didn’t play nice. He opened by acknowledging he was speaking to “many friends, a few enemies.” He told European leaders the free ride is over. He laid out America’s position on Greenland, on tariffs, on energy, on security—and made it clear that the old arrangement where America pays and everyone else benefits is done.
The next day, the United States completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization—ending a 78-year membership and cutting off hundreds of millions in funding to an organization that failed during COVID, pushed globalist health agendas, and couldn’t demonstrate independence from political influence.
The colony said you can’t do that. The penguin kept walking.
And then the White House posted an AI image of President Trump walking alongside a penguin toward the mountains, with Greenland’s flag in the distance. The caption: “Embrace the penguin.”
The critics pounced immediately. “Penguins don’t live in Greenland!” they shouted. And they’re right—penguins live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. There are no penguins anywhere in the Arctic.
But here’s the thing: it didn’t matter. The people got it. The penguin had already become the symbol—defiance, charting your own course, refusing to follow the colony. The White House was speaking the language of the moment, and the movement understood exactly what it meant.
The establishment was busy fact-checking geography. Meanwhile, the movement was flying at 30,000 feet.
A Global Awakening
President Trump isn’t alone. Look around the world right now:
In Argentina, President Javier Milei inherited the world’s worst inflation—over 200%—and a government bloated beyond function. He’s implemented over 13,000 structural reforms, slashed spending, eliminated agencies, and brought inflation down to levels not seen in years. His approval rating? Nearly 50%. At Davos this year, he declared that “the world has begun to awaken” and that “the Americas will be the beacon of light that will once again illuminate the entire West.”
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has become one of Europe’s most stable leaders, pushing judicial reforms, tackling illegal immigration, and refusing to bow to Brussels’ agenda. She’s called a close ally of President Trump and has positioned Italy as a leader in the conservative resurgence sweeping Europe.
In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele took a country that was literally called the “murder capital of the world” and crushed the gangs that had terrorized citizens for decades. Homicides dropped from over 6,600 in 2015 to just 82 in 2025. His approval rating exceeds 80%. The critics call him authoritarian. The people call him a savior.
In Iran, the people themselves are rising. What started as protests over inflation has exploded into the largest uprising since the 1979 revolution. Millions in the streets across all 31 provinces, chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Long live the Shah.” The regime has responded with brutal force, but the people keep marching. They’ve had enough of a system that promised revolution and delivered oppression.
And today, Israel announced the recovery of the final hostage remains from Gaza. For the first time since 2014, there are no Israeli hostages—living or dead—held in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu removed the yellow ribbon pin he’d worn since October 7, 2023, and told the Knesset: “We have brought them all back. There are no more hostages in Gaza.” Hamas built those tunnels to terrorize and hold innocent people captive. Now the hostages are home and Hamas’ leadership is decimated.
The gallows are getting flipped everywhere.
What the Penguin Really Means
The penguin isn’t walking away in despair. It’s walking away in defiance.
It’s saying: Your system doesn’t work for me anymore. Your rules don’t serve my interests. Your agenda isn’t my agenda. I’m walking a different direction—and I’m not asking permission.
The colony will always call it a death march. The critics will always say you’re crazy. The establishment will always insist there’s no other way.
But sometimes the gallows they built for you become the gallows they hang from. Sometimes walking away from a corrupt system is the bravest thing you can do. Sometimes the penguin knows something the colony doesn’t.
Embrace the Penguin
We’re living in a moment when leaders with backbone are emerging around the world. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re not apologizing. They’re not playing by rules designed to keep them in line.
They’re walking toward the mountains.
The question for you is simple: Are you going to follow the colony? Or are you going to chart your own course?
Embrace the penguin. And follow us on X!
And for those of you who have made it thus far, a special treat!
— Tracey
For more on leading with conviction, visit TremendousLeadership.com.
