Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

Coming back into the spotlight are the NDA's that Trump made WH employees sign. As a reminder, with the exception of classified info (and WH staffers who aren't Kushner or Ivanka pass background checks) they're not typically required to do this.

Problem is, if someone breaks the NDA and, say, the DOJ sues them, that's admission what they said is true. You can't sue someone for breaking an NDA when they make shit up, that's slander, libel, or fan fiction. So it seems kind of counterproductive.

[Breccia]

So I'll spare you reading through this long-ass analysis of a back and forth at Trump's NBC town hall, in which, well, he admitted the NYTimes story about his taxes was true.

Despite Trump saying "no, the story is false"...

1) He said it was illegal to publish. It is not illegal to make shit up, or Trump would have gotten the chair dozens of times over. It is illegal to publish real tax returns that aren't yours without permission.

2) Trump, possibly caught off guard...actually wait.

3) Trump was caught off guard by a question about his taxes at a town hall in which he was the only participant. What the fuck?

2) Trump tried multiple times to deflect from straight answers. The man who claims he has the best memory claimed he did not remember if he owed money to foreign banks, which is of course a lie, but also claimed it would be easy to fix, but for some reason hasn't done so. He also didn't say "I don't owe $400 million" but did say "that's a tiny portion of what I'm worth" No, it isn't, we saw the reports he's worth $1.1 billion.

4) Trump claimed the $750 he paid in taxes was a filing fee. That's just stupid to say. For one, he'd be claiming he spend $0 in taxes. For two, no, the NYTimes did not make that kind of rookie mistake. You can deduct filing fees, the line in which you do so is very clear.

Trump did claim he was still under audit. That's...true? It looks like the IRS wants the $100 million he stole back.

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As I recall, @Breccia started the administration documenting it all, and...quickly found that it would've been a full time job to do so.

It's not a one-man job. On a daily basis, we have four to ten posters bringing new stories. And that's not even counting @Benggaul and the numbers.

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The Kentucky Herald Leader endorses McGrath

During his 36 years in office, McConnell has made it perfectly clear that his only passion is the pursuit of power, his own and that of the Republican Party. For that reason alone, we would endorse his opponent.

Luckily for voters, McGrath, a former fighter pilot and public servant, would make an excellent senator who would actually put the needs and interests of Kentuckians above her own

The newspaper also isn't fond of McConnell pushing forward a SCOTUS nominee while ignoring COVID relief.

[Shadowferal]

If Trump flees to Russia he won't be taking anyone with him. It'll be every man for himself
"Who are these people that call themselves my family? I don't know them...no really."

[Felya]

If Trump flees to Russia he won't be taking anyone with him. It'll be every man for himself
"Who are these people that call themselves my family? I don't know them...no really."

He can’t... it’s a ludicrous assertion...

[Adam Jensen]

Oh and by the way today is the the day, according to QAnon, which Trump couldn't get himself to denounce, that JFK Jr will reveal himself and replace Mike Pence on the Trump ticket

[Edge-]

Oh and by the way today is the the day, according to QAnon, which Trump couldn't get himself to denounce, that JFK Jr will reveal himself and replace Mike Pence on the Trump ticket

I await with baited breath.

[Xarkan]

Oh and by the way today is the the day, according to QAnon, which Trump couldn't get himself to denounce, that JFK Jr will reveal himself and replace Mike Pence on the Trump ticket

I thought JFK Jr was dead? Or do i remember wrong?

[Adam Jensen]

I thought JFK Jr was dead? Or do i remember wrong?

I mean . . . yeah he's very much dead. Probably mostly a skeleton by now, was he preserved before he was buried? I dunno. But definitely dead and not coming back.

[Benggaul]

I thought JFK Jr was dead? Or do i remember wrong?

You remember correctly. I believe part of the conspiracy theory is that his death was faked.

These people are fucking morons and now they have representation in the government.

[Kaleredar]

There is a non-negligible chance he and his family will try to flee.

They all full well know that there is a barrel full of criminal charges being held back for the day when he and his family are no longer shielded by Trump's occupation of the presidential office.

Fleeing to Russia is about the only way they will be able to avoid them.

Even if Trump doesn't make it out it's quite possible that some of his family will be able to.

That would implode the Republican party of course, but when have any of the Trump family crime syndicate given a shit about anyone or anything other than themselves?

Unfortunately most of Trump’s base still won’t abandon him at that point. They’ll likely think “he had to flee, because Hillary and the other satanic pizza parlor cultists were going to try and have him killed, and only Putin can keep him safe!”

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Oh and by the way today is the the day, according to QAnon, which Trump couldn't get himself to denounce, that JFK Jr will reveal himself and replace Mike Pence on the Trump ticket

Why do these morons keep choosing to believe in such easily disproven conspiracies? So much so that they choose to put a date on it?

Also, I have to wonder why they idolize JFK jr. of all people. Do they think the one from clone high is the one they’ll be getting?

[Adam Jensen]

Why do these morons keep choosing to believe in such easily disproven conspiracies? So much so that they choose to put a date on it?

Also, I have to wonder why they idolize JFK jr. of all people. Do they think the one from clone high is the one they’ll be getting?

It's the same dilemma faced by foolish con men who put dates on the world's ending. Then they have to explain to their cult why the world still exists after the date passes by with nothing happening.

[Felya]

I thought JFK Jr was dead? Or do i remember wrong?

That’s what the deeps state wants you to believe... but, in reality... JFK Jr killed 2 women, including his wife and sister in law, as well as a man that resembled him enough to appear as him. To hide from the deep state...

Edit: Jeebus... he was only 38...

[Shadowferal]

I thought JFK Jr was dead? Or do i remember wrong?

Conflate it with "Weekend at Bernie's" and it's all good.

[eschatological]

I mean . . . yeah he's very much dead. Probably mostly a skeleton by now, was he preserved before he was buried? I dunno. But definitely dead and not coming back.

Dude died in a plane crash, not sure they even buried a body.

[Antiganon]

Hey another example of how Trump repays loyalty, a stab to the back and a quick toss under the bus at the first sign of inconvenience to him. It is almost like watching an old 80's/90's Saturday morning action cartoon where the main bad guy would bonk his minions on the head or blast their butts when they failed. Except instead of a bonk on the head or non lethal laser blast to the but Trump just blows a whole through the head of each minion at the slightest inconvenience.

He's like stupid Darth Vader. But vaguely orange and round.

Darth Tater.
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Potato-Hea.../dp/B00061I4U6

[Gelannerai]

It's the same dilemma faced by foolish con men who put dates on the world's ending. Then they have to explain to their cult why the world still exists after the date passes by with nothing happening.

Incidentally the Q crowd has had this happen to them multiple times at this point. Their purge has been set to happen like 20 times now. Their routine excuse is spreading misinformation to confuse the deep state. Typical tin-foil hat shit.

[Ursus]

After this is all over, every single QAnon adherent needs to undergo a mandatory mental illness evaluation, both for their own good and society's good. Some of these people are just assholes who have latched onto the conspiracy theory to further their own interests, but I'd be willing to bet a good portion of them belong in a psychiatric hospital.

[Edge-]

Much smaller scale, but another right wing nutjob apparently wanted to kidnap and kill the Democratic mayor of Wichita - https://www.kansas.com/news/politics...246513655.html

The apparent motive was the suspect’s opposition to “masks and tyranny,” Whipple said.

“He said he was going to kidnap me and slash my throat and he needed my address because I needed to see the hangman — me and everyone who, something about tyranny,” Whipple said.

“It sounded like the person was very upset about pretty much mask mandates and he said something about not being able to see his mother because of COVID restrictions on elderly homes.”

Very fine people.

[Hinastorm]

I actually am not sure what he believes on an ideological level, other than himself. With some you see an attempt to advance a particular ideology, but with him, it seems to be about his wants and whims. People call him fascist aligned, and frankly I am not sure (not the same as saying I don't think he is), he says what he thinks his base wants to hear, but I don't know how much of it he actually means and believes himself. He is willing to appease some very (imho) unpleasant groups to maintain power, so that would indicate that whatever he may believe, it is more aligned with them than other groups, but I dunno, his narcissism seems as such that it is possible he believes in next to nothing other than himself.

I sincerely don't think Trump as any core beliefs. He's a classic, textbook narcissist. He only cares about himself and those directly around him to the extent that their well-being either makes him look good, or ensures their loyalty.

On a side note, this also makes me feel a LITTLE more comfortable heading in a trump lame duck session. He doesn't give AF what happens to the country once he's out of office, so i'm not quite sure what incentive he would have to ruin things on his way out.

Unless he thinks upending things so badly right before Joe takes office will make him look better? Or something? It's hard to try to parse any sort of strategy from Trump. He really is a smooth brained moron.

[Kaleredar]

I sincerely don't think Trump as any core beliefs. He's a classic, textbook narcissist. He only cares about himself and those directly around him to the extent that their well-being either makes him look good, or ensures their loyalty.

On a side note, this also makes me feel a LITTLE more comfortable heading in a trump lame duck session. He doesn't give AF what happens to the country once he's out of office, so i'm not quite sure what incentive he would have to ruin things on his way out.

Unless he thinks upending things so badly right before Joe takes office will make him look better? Or something? It's hard to try to parse any sort of strategy from Trump. He really is a smooth brained moron.

I anticipate any Trump lame duck actions, should he lose, to mainly revolve around burning the paper trail behind him and attempting to extract as much money as for himself and exonerating himself of as much legal liability as possible.

I really don't think he cares much about lasting policy beyond it being able to accomplish those two things for him.