Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[dangie]

From the BBC:

‘US Capitol rioter Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman", announced on X that he was going to buy some guns, moments after he found out he had been pardoned by President Trump.

"I just got the news from my lawyer. I got a pardon baby," Chansley said.

"I love this country."

……It is a crime for convicted felons to own guns in the US. But under a full pardon, a formerly convicted person is absolved of the crime and its consequences, enabling Chansley to legally buy a firearm.’

Makes you think what he’s going to do with those guns?

 

[Snow1964]

One of the more interesting Executive Orders (for a rail forum) is the one which says Federal employees returning to the office

Trump has also signed a memorandum mandating that federal workers must work in the office and are not allowed to work from home.

If similar were to happen in UK, could the railway ramp up its commuter service quickly to cope? I guess not (although the speed of changes and extra trains at start of 2 world wars shows it use to be possible to change within hours)

 

[trainswitheddy]

Trump has also signed a memorandum mandating that federal workers must work in the office and are not allowed to work from home.

Surely an issue for the D.O.G.E. here? If workers can work from home and are more efficient at home then the gov can save money leasing commercial spaces, saving taxpayer dollars. Funny how medicare and social security can be cut but (presumably) rent for these spaces isn't in the question at all.

If government owned space then again, selling off and saving money on maintenance etc.

 

[Bevan Price]

When California wildfires are 10 times worse than this year.
When much of Florida has been washed away after 250 mph hurricanes.
Will people still be glad that they voted for "drill drill, drill, burn lots more oil" Trump ?

Whilst the effects may vary across the world, and the rate of change unpredictable - the end product of continuously increasing the CO2 content of the atmosphere is inevitable.

Ever more severe weather conditions.
Harder to grow food crops.
Famine.
Earth becomes almost inhabitable.

Those reading this won't be around to see the end - but in 100, 200, 500 years ? Quite possible.

 

[najaB]

Ever more severe weather conditions.
Harder to grow food crops.
Famine.
Earth becomes almost inhabitable.

Musk, Bezos, et al plan to be heads in jars, living on Mars by then.

 

[trainswitheddy]

When California wildfires are 10 times worse than this year.
When much of Florida has been washed away after 250 mph hurricanes.
Will people still be glad that they voted for "drill drill, drill, burn lots more oil" Trump ?

Whilst the effects may vary across the world, and the rate of change unpredictable - the end product of continuously increasing the CO2 content of the atmosphere is inevitable.

Ever more severe weather conditions.
Harder to grow food crops.
Famine.
Earth becomes almost inhabitable.

Those reading this won't be around to see the end - but in 100, 200, 500 years ? Quite possible.

Unfortunately climate change denial is being peddled, that and apparently any disaster is government controlled.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The jacket made him do it - a low armhole prevented full arm movement

x.com

twitter.com

(Sorry, I can't work out how to quote the tweet rather than post a link)

Copy and paste?

low armhole

 

[Cloud Strife]

Surely an issue for the D.O.G.E. here? If workers can work from home and are more efficient at home then the gov can save money leasing commercial spaces, saving taxpayer dollars. Funny how medicare and social security can be cut but (presumably) rent for these spaces isn't in the question at all.

It's typical Republican politics, in that they want people back to the office because this a weird conservative flex, but then they complain about government inefficacy and costs.

Having said all this, I don't think it's all doom and gloom. The Republicans have a wafer-thin majority in the House of Representatives, and there will be quite a few of them who are looking over their shoulder at the 2026 midterms. It's likely to really hold up any legislative agenda, as there are quite a few members of Congress there who only won narrowly for the Republicans. Then you've got the Senate in 2026 too, and while the polls right now suggest 51-49 for the Republicans, it's too close for comfort.

My feeling is that Trump is going to rule by decree, while Congress continues its steady slide into irrelevance.

 

[m0ffy]

My feeling is that Trump is going to rule by decree, while Congress continues its steady slide into irrelevance.

Don’t forget the Supreme Court’s role - they’ve spent the past four years redefining laws, striking down established practices, and creating new laws out of thin air to further the Republican agenda.

 

[scarby]

Which comments do you consider hysterical? Maybe give a proper argument rather than a blanket statement.

In a few years, just like Al Qaeda, Brexit and Covid, Trump will be almost forgotten by the news media and they'll have moved on to the next "crisis" to get attention.

The way the world is portrayed by the news media, you'd be forgiven for thinking that beyond a handful of nations, most countries don't even exist, as you never hear anything about them!

 

[alex397]

In a few years, just like Al Qaeda, Brexit and Covid, Trump will be almost forgotten by the news media and they'll have moved on to the next "crisis" to get attention.

The way the world is portrayed by the news media, you'd be forgiven for thinking that beyond a handful of nations, most countries don't even exist, as you never hear anything about them!

In just a few years? Presumably you don’t expect him to serve the full term then.
Perhaps there’s less news about Al Qaeda and Covid now, but there’s certainly still quite a bit about Brexit, seeing as it was a disastrous decision to make.
I agree about your point about the media only giving attention to a handful of nations though. I’m sick of hearing about the US, when I hear very little about many other countries. However, the US still has a lot of power and influence on the world stage, unfortunately.

 

[Gloster]

In a few years, just like Al Qaeda, Brexit and Covid, Trump will be almost forgotten by the news media and they'll have moved on to the next "crisis" to get attention.

The way the world is portrayed by the news media, you'd be forgiven for thinking that beyond a handful of nations, most countries don't even exist, as you never hear anything about them!

To a certain extent that is true, but the changes that Trump, Musk et al. will have made to society will be the new normal. It is true that you have to live in the real world, but will anybody be questioning whether the vast majority of people would have been better off if things had gone otherwise? That is if we are not preoccupied by problems caused by the Trump gang.

 

[BingMan]

In just a few years? Presumably you don’t expect him to serve the full term then.

I fully expect him to "serve" until he dies and then be replaced by his son.
B**ger the constitution. (Except the bit about the right to bare arms)

 

[najaB]

In a few years, just like Al Qaeda, Brexit and Covid, Trump will be almost forgotten by the news media and they'll have moved on to the next "crisis" to get attention.

Maybe this is a foreign concept to you, but there's this thing called "time", the passage of which causes something else called "change". The fact that something that was once a threat is no longer a threat isn't a sign of a massive conspiracy by "the They" to control people's minds. If you don't believe that Al Qaeda or Covid were actual threats, tell that to the thousands who died in terrorist attacks and insurgency, or the literal millions who died of Covid.

 

[Gloster]

I fully expect him to "serve" until he dies and then be replaced by his son.
B**ger the constitution. (Except the bit about the right to bare arms)

I said Trump/Vance in #1 as I think that it is quite possible that Trump will not manage a full term. He will either become clearly unable to continue to serve or there will be a sort of coup and Section 4 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment will be invoked if he starts behaving (even more) erratically (or not in the way his backers want). I do not see him going voluntarily unless he can engineer one of the Trumpettes in and that might be a step too far for others. We are in uncharted waters and they are full of sharks.

 

[simonw]

B**ger the constitution. (Except the bit about the right to bare arms)

Where in the constitution does it enshrine the right to wear short sleeved shirts?

 

[najaB]

And, again, where is his full-throated clarification that he wasn't making a fascist gesture and rejection of support from neo-Nazis?

So, he has given a non-response to the furore:

Some on X, the social medial platform he owns, likened the gesture to a Nazi salute, though others disagreed.

In response, the SpaceX and Tesla chief posted on X: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy48v1x4dv4o

He's allegedly a genius but a three-year old's "No, I didn't eat the chocolate" with a face covered in chocolate is a better refutal.

 

[Thirteen]

I said Trump/Vance in #1 as I think that it is quite possible that Trump will not manage a full term. He will either become clearly unable to continue to serve or there will be a sort of coup and Section 4 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment will be invoked if he starts behaving (even more) erratically (or not in the way his backers want). I do not see him going voluntarily unless he can engineer one of the Trumpettes in and that might be a step too far for others. We are in uncharted waters and they are full of sharks.

Trump's mental decline which people started noticing during the campaign is going to be even more on display unless he limits his appearances and that will lead to more speculation about his health. It's a vicious circle.

 

[brad465]

Trump's mental decline which people started noticing during the campaign is going to be even more on display unless he limits his appearances and that will lead to more speculation about his health. It's a vicious circle.

This is my thinking, he got away with in the campaign for two reasons: 1) Biden's decline was more obvious and Biden is physically older. 2) On the campaign Trump could pick his appearances strategically and select clips would edit out any bad bits.

As President all the attention will be on him and there's the added factor that being President is a very stressful job. Trump may try to delegate as much as he can, but his ego also means there are things he will still want to be front and centre of.

 

[Thirteen]

This is my thinking, he got away with in the campaign for two reasons: 1) Biden's decline was more obvious and Biden is physically older. 2) On the campaign Trump could pick his appearances strategically and select clips would edit out any bad bits.

As President all the attention will be on him and there's the added factor that being President is a very stressful job. Trump may try to delegate as much as he can, but his ego also means there are things he will still want to be front and centre of.

I saw a clip a few weeks back and he seems noticeable slower.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I saw a clip a few weeks back and he seems noticeable slower.

The clip of him in the church was awful, it looked like he just couldn't (or wouldn't) concentrate

 

[LYradial]

I think would not is correct, were you to video me listening to someone in fancy dress talking words I disagreed with I might look just like that.

i also dont think he is all bad, some things i agree with

 

[brad465]

Ironically, this act of contrition actually makes this Capitol Riot convict more worthy of pardon than any of the other 1,500 or so Trump gave pardons to:

Convicted US Capitol rioter Pam Hemphill turns down Trump pardon

Former "Maga granny" Pamela Hemphill tells the BBC the Trump government is trying to "rewrite history".

www.bbc.co.uk

One of the people who served jail time for taking part in the US Capitol riot four years ago has refused a pardon from President Donald Trump, saying: "We were wrong that day."
Pamela Hemphill, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in prison, told the BBC that there should be no pardons for the riot on 6 January 2021.
"Accepting a pardon would only insult the Capitol police officers, rule of law and, of course, our nation," she said.
"I pleaded guilty because I was guilty, and accepting a pardon also would serve to contribute to their gaslighting and false narrative."
Hemphill, who was nicknamed the "Maga granny" by social media users - in reference to Trump's "make America great again" slogan - said she saw the Trump government as trying to "rewrite history and I don't want to be part of that".
"We were wrong that day, we broke the law - there should be no pardons," she told the BBC World Service's Newsday programme.

Trump's decision to pardon or commute the sentences of nearly 1,600 people involved in the attempt to violently overturn the 2020 election came just hours into his presidency.
In a news conference on Tuesday at the White House, he said: "These people have already served years in prison, and they've served them viciously.
"It's a disgusting prison. It's been horrible. It's inhumane. It's been a terrible, terrible thing."
However, the move has drawn an uneasy reaction from some Republican politicians.
Senator Thom Tillis, from North Carolina, said he "just can't agree" with the move, adding that it "raises legitimate safety issues on Capitol Hill".
Another Republican US senator, James Lankford from Oklahoma, told CNN: "I think we need to continue to say we are a party of law and order."
He added: "I think if you attack a police officer, that's a very serious issue and they should pay a price for that."

 

[najaB]

i also dont think he is all bad, some things i agree with

And what do you agree with that balances out his corruption, pandering to the oligachy, xenophobia, transphobia and racism?

 

[simonw]

The clip of him in the church was awful, it looked like he just couldn't (or wouldn't) concentrate

I think the words of the preacher rattled him. I guess few people speak truth to him like she did.

 

[DarloRich]

Have I missed the announcement about the end of the war in Ukraine?

 

[Ediswan]

Have I missed the announcement about the end of the war in Ukraine?

Now a 100 day promise.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Now a 100 day promise.

Hyper inflation! Even peak Zimbabwe or Venezuela has nothing on this!

 

[DarloRich]

Now a 100 day promise.

oh - I thought it was east to fix.....................

 

[LYradial]

And what do you agree with that balances out his corruption, pandering to the oligachy, xenophobia, transphobia and racism?

Since you ask I agree with his “putting America first” also I like the idea of sticking up for American workers rather than those who take societies benefits whilst making no contribution to that society