Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Thepersona]

So many of the worst hit places for deaths were nursing homes and I think everybody knows better now to have them locked down. The Chicago area had a massive spread early on from one place where they didn't stop visitors until after nearly every resident and staff member had it (they hadn't been tested until too late). And staff at those places often work multiple sites or do home care too which makes it even worse than normal community spread.

I'm deathly afraid of this fucking thing infecting my dad or my mom, as my dad is 70 years old and my mom is 60 (well, they exercise and all of that jazz but regardless)

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Yeah, that's got to be it. Pushing Trump's fat ass behind a podium to say "I'm not a racist, some of my best friends are...line?...African-American" a couple weeks after Obama said something actually intelligent and meaningful, just so they can say "hey look, we're part of the solution".

They can always try to fuck it up in a creative way though

[Kaleredar]

I want to believe he's doing this because he thinks it is the moral thing to do, but the cynic in me wonders if he's taking a political gamble that Trump will lose this year and take the GOP with it, becoming persona non-grata among the Republican party and therefore unable to harm him politically when Romney is up for re-election in 2024 should he run again.

Regardless, I can give him some props at least for doing the right thing even if I am unsure about his motives, especially since he has to know this will be unpopular with the racist MAGAt cult.

I don't know how much clout Romney holds with the Mormon church, but his support of Biden (or at least rejection of Trump) *might* do something towards making Utah be more up in the air.

Regardless of his ultimate motives, I think we can be fairly assured that Romney despises Trump and likely doesn't want to see him as president anymore.

Trump taking the podium talking about peace and equality [...] will serve only as an excuse for Republicans to point and say "See? SEE? He cares!" After which Trump will go golfing while cutting food stamps and Medicare.

To be fair you could say that about almost anything in these past 4 years.

[Machismo]

I don't know how much clout Romney holds with the Mormon church, but his support of Biden (or at least rejection of Trump) *might* do something towards making Utah be more up in the air.

Regardless of his ultimate motives, I think we can be fairly assured that Romney despises Trump and likely doesn't want to see him as president anymore.

Not in a million years. Utah is the reddest (or second) state in the country.

[Breccia]

Bolton wants his tell-all book out in June. Trump doesn't.

It's unclear whether the president has seen the contents of Bolton's memoir, but in January, he blasted the book as "nasty & untrue" and full of "classified national security" secrets.

"If I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?" Trump tweeted.

@Edge- you're on...

Also, I'm too tired to go looking, but, if the book is untrue...how would it be classified? Is the US govt in the habit of classifying lies?

Unrelated: it's time once again for Guess the Speaker!

What's our message?

Yep, that's Corey Lewanbiglebowski, long-time friend of the Trump campaign on a Zoom call to them. Now, he later clarified to something more specific...but apparently, the bigger question was basically unanswered.

Supposedly, they're going with "The great American comeback has begun. ... Renewing. Restoring. Rebuilding. Together, we'll make America great again." Which, yes, is flat-out admission that their first term did nothing -- less than nothing, at this rate. I mean, they have to know how shitty of a battle cry that is. "Join Trump, and he'll get us back to where we were before you elected him the first time!"

Now the article's kind of all over the place -- it's about Trump's campaign, how could it not be -- but this is my favorite part out of the center.

"There's a thought that we need to shift to be much more cohesive in terms of a message of healing, rebuilding, restoring, recovering ... a theme that goes with COVID and the economy and the race stuff," said a senior adviser to Trump.

"The messaging that works for the red-MAGA-hat base doesn't resonate with independents."

"He has to tone down the most incendiary rhetoric, talk about law and order in the context of riots, and at the same time say the country's united that what happened to George Floyd can never happen again," a second adviser familiar with the internal discussion said.

"He's starting to hear from a lot of people, political people, who are saying, ‘Simmer down. ... You are not helping the situation by talking about only sending the military in.’"

"We need to say police are an integral part of society, but we've gotta dial it down a bit," the adviser added.

But a third adviser familiar with the conversation cautioned: "Nobody would have been invited to that meeting who truly thinks they can stop Trump from saying anything."

Trump can tone down the incendiary rhetoric if he's on a telepromptor and someone takes his phone. Otherwise, all bets are off. It's likely this hypothetical speech Trump is supposed to give next week is a step in that direction, but how long can they keep him pointed that way? Trump is easily triggered -- we saw that in excess this week -- and the election is 5 months out, including three debates with Biden. Meanwhile, "the race stuff" (eyerolls) has already been handed to Biden on a platter by Trump, and yeah, "I'll get back all those jobs I lost" is hardly a rallying cry that builds confidence. And he's running out of promises to break. Plus the country is in deeper debt than it's ever been -- and was in 2019, just so we're clear -- meaning Trump did, in fact, run America like one of his businesses. Oh, and just because I haven't used it in a while:

It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine

No wonder they're having trouble with a message. What's left to say? "I promise, this other brand of snake oil will actually work"? "We support the troops except the ones we duct taped to Saudi oil fields and all those ones who opposed using them as domestic forces"? "Trump loves all five remaining US farmers"?

I have one they can try. "We're tired of winning. We just want to go home."

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Colin Powell has company. A lot of it.

This joint letter is signed by 275+ retired diplomats, generals and senior national security officials.

We are concerned about the use of U.S. military assets to intimidate and break up peaceful protestors in Washington, D.C. Using the rotor wash of helicopters flying at low altitude to disperse protestors is reckless and unnecessary. The stationing of D.C. Air National Guard troops in full battle armor on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial is inflammatory and risks sullying the reputation of our men and women in uniform in the eyes of their fellow Americans and of the world.

Declaring peaceful protestors “thugs” and “terrorists” and falsely seeking to divide Americans into those who support “law and order” and those who do not will not end the demonstrations. The deployment of military forces against American citizens exercising their constitutional rights will not heal the divides in our society.

We urge the President and state and local governments to focus their efforts on uniting the country and supporting reforms to ensure equal police treatment of all citizens, regardless of race or ethnicity.

Ultimately, the issues that have driven the protests cannot be addressed by our military. They must be resolved through political processes.

That letter, along with Powell's and other public statements, brings the number of former JCOS condemnations up to four.

"It's unusual for any flag officers, or indeed any former officers, to speak out against the commander-in-chief," said David Segal, the founding director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland, saying officers generally try to remain apolitical. "In the 50 years I've been studying the military, I can't think of a precedent.

"And the fact that there hasn't been any pushback, I think, is even more telling," he said. "I don't see any controversy from the ranks or from society."

I think that last part's something we missed. Not only have so many former top brass been so vocal -- nobody's saying "Dude, you can't say that".

Former White House and State Department official Heather Hurlburt agreed.

She said that when there have been heated public debates in the past about how the military should be used, they have not provoked the same response from flag officers. She cited the large protests against the Vietnam War, the transition from the draft to an all-volunteer force, the Reagan administration's actions in Central America, the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and the decision to allow women to serve in combat.

Hurlburt, now at the New America Foundation, said that when such controversies occur, former Joint Chiefs chairmen definitely make their views known in private. However, she said, "it's rare for any to speak publicly, and in none of the instances above did four speak out."

The situation is unPresidented.

[Draco-Onis]

New slogan for Trump? oh I got a few

Trump 2020 - It's like injecting bleach in your veins
Trump 2020 - Only the living can vote.
Trump 2020 - Making America young again
Trump 2020 - Granpa had it coming
Trump 2020 - The apocalypse is only half done

I am sure some of you can help them out.

[Evielution93]

New slogan for Trump? oh I got a few

Trump 2020 - It's like injecting bleach in your veins
Trump 2020 - Only the living can vote.
Trump 2020 - Making America young again
Trump 2020 - Granpa had it coming
Trump 2020 - The apocalypse is only half done

I am sure some of you can help them out.

Trump 2020 - Hillary killed George Floyd!
Trump 2020 - Be best!
Trump 2020 - The Empire Strikes Back
Trump 2020 - Please clap.
Trump 2020 - Grabbing Amercia by the pussy
Trump 2020 - I reject your reality and substitute my own.

[Cup of Tea]

New slogan for Trump? oh I got a few

Trump 2020 - It's like injecting bleach in your veins
Trump 2020 - Only the living can vote.
Trump 2020 - Making America young again
Trump 2020 - Granpa had it coming
Trump 2020 - The apocalypse is only half done

I am sure some of you can help them out.

I think I’d probably suggest:
Trump 2020 - I take no responsibility

[Felya]

I think I’d probably suggest:
Trump 2020 - I take no responsibility

Trump 2020 - Submit

[Pannonian]

Trump 2020 - Submit

Trump 2020 - When the looting starts, the shooting starts

[Draco-Onis]

Trump 2020 - Submit

missed opportunity at kneel before Zod quote

[Felya]

missed opportunity at kneel before Zod quote

I was going for simplicity of our role in Trump’s domination.

Edit: Lick the boots of shiny, shiny leather... isn’t as catchy and I think would result in a copyright claim.

[Pannonian]

i was going for simplicity of our role in trump’s domination.

Edit: Lick the boots of shiny, shiny leather... Isn’t as catchy and i think would result in a copyright claim.

please dont ruin that song!

[Felya]

please dont ruin that song!

I shall not... playing Mario Party is troubling enough...

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More fun with peaceful protests:

Trump tweet: Players who kneel are “disrespecting our Country & our Flag”
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ntry-our-flag/

Responding to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s statement that the league was wrong not to be more supportive of players’ protests, Trump tweeted late on Sunday night that he still considers kneeling during the anthem to be disrespectful.

“Could it be even remotely possible that in Roger Goodell’s rather interesting statement of peace and reconciliation, he was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the National Anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?” Trump wrote.

[Paranoid Android]

I shall not... playing Mario Party is troubling enough...

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More fun with peaceful protests:

Trump tweet: Players who kneel are “disrespecting our Country & our Flag”
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ntry-our-flag/

Trump's advisors are saying he is going to make a speech maybe this week about racism. Yet this clueless moron is attacking one of the issues we have, which Kaepernick was trying to protest peacefully and bring attention.

[Belize]

Trump's advisors are saying he is going to make a speech maybe this week about racism. Yet this clueless moron is attacking one of the issues we have, which Kaepernick was trying to protest peacefully and bring attention.

I can only imagine a Trump speech about racism would go something along the lines of:

"It's the black folks fault that they don't SuBmIt to the police and get murdered. Must be DoMiNaTeD. SaD!"

[Pannonian]

I can only imagine a Trump speech about racism would go something along the lines of:

"It's the black folks fault that they don't SuBmIt to the police and get murdered. Must be DoMiNaTeD. SaD!"

i think it would be highly theatrical, with a scripted speech, emotionless (as he doesn't believe or even knows half the words he reads from the prompter) because his staff will have worked on him for days to not fuck it up.

Though there is still a possibility that he fucks it up, because well, it's all a big shitshow.

[kaelleria]

Even if it weren't Trump, his speech will be about 2 weeks too late. Anything a normal politician would say after a long delay would be seen as lip service...

When you add in the fact that Trump actually has been sued by the government for being racist, says terrible things on his platforms, etc... All it will do is piss people off more.

[Breccia]

Even if it weren't Trump, his speech will be about 2 weeks too late.

Something we've seen a lot in the Trump tenure, is Trump announcing a bigly statement was coming. I am of the opinion this was about driving up the ratings.

If I am correct, and Trump is currently trying to drive up the ratings of his "racism is wrong" speech instead of, you know, giving the speech, I think that tells us everything we need to know about the incompetence and narcissism of Individual One.

If you can give the speech right now, why wait a week?

If you can't give the speech right now, how does waiting a week help?

I'm of the opinion that, if any one of us nameless forum posters, regardless of who they voted for or support, was told "give a quick speech about how racism is bad" they could come up with something at least passable, within 30 minutes, that would last ten minutes. Just like most of us can write a five-page paper overnight if it's due in the morning. The Commander in 140 Characters doesn't like to stick on one topic that long -- he likes swapping topics so that his audience has more reasons to cheer and clap their hands. Plus, his last press conference -- the one he was 45 minutes late to -- lasted ten minutes, tops, and that was about one of his biggest issues.

If you put a bandage on the wound after the patient has bled out, you're not the hero. You're the incompetent bystander who watched someone bleed to death.

[Twdft]

Trump's advisors are saying he is going to make a speech maybe this week about racism.

I make it a point not to watch too much of him (gotta hang on to my last couple braincells, reading about it is entirely enough) but I very much look forward to this speech. It will be a hoot.

Teleprompter or not? How much of it will be written by him, respectively will he go off script.

[-aiko-]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...74605059555328

CNN Polls are as Fake as their Reporting. Same numbers, and worse, against Crooked Hillary. The Dems would destroy America!

Whelp, already starting to set up the narrative for when he loses. This is going to be a very, very nasty election isn't it? Yay...