Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Gorsameth]

Not only does Trump seem to hire the worst people, he doesn’t seem to even know what they are doing on his behalf. It seems like Trump has the reverse spider sense... all of his senses are dampened, when around crooks.

Trump knows.
Trump probably told Barr to fire Berman because of his investigations into Trump and his associates. But Trump now seems to understand that Obstruction of Justice is a thing, and likely a thing he will get prosecuted for if he doesn't win re-election.
Firing Berman could be yet another Obstruction of Justice charge against him, so he 'wink wink, nudge nudge' to Barr to have him for Berman while Trump can claim to not be involved.

Like how he told Sessions (I think it was Sessions, could have been someone else) to fire Mueller, who flat out refused to do it and then Trump told him to deny that Trump ever asked him to fire Mueller.

[Felya]

Good News! Turnout has been shitty for trumps coronarally. This means some combination that people are rightfully staying away due to fears of the virus or dislike of trump.

https://twitter.com/asteadwesley/sta...989960704?s=21

Oops and trumps blaming on on protestors:

https://twitter.com/ryanobles/status...249462784?s=21

Half a dozen of Trump’s staff tested positive... I really hope Trump doesn’t get it... I’d hate for him to be a martyr for any cause...

[Easo]

According to Barr’s letter this morning, Trump ordered the firing. According to Trump this morning, he had nothing to do with it.

Berman said he will not step down, until being fired by Trump, but has stated he is stepping down immediately upon receipt of Barr’s letter. So... take it as you will... Berman is treating is as Trump fired him.

According to Barr, Trump fired Berman and Berman is acting as if he was fired, by stepping down. Trump stated he knows nothing about it...

Thanks, now my head hurts.

[draynay]

Good News! Turnout has been shitty for trumps coronarally. This means some combination that people are rightfully staying away due to fears of the virus or dislike of trump.

https://twitter.com/asteadwesley/sta...989960704?s=21

Oops and trumps blaming on on protestors:

https://twitter.com/ryanobles/status...249462784?s=21

Unfortunately Trump decided to cancel his remarks to the overflow crowd outside, which must be a terrible disappointment to the twenty-something people milling around in the general area.

[Belize]

Good News! Turnout has been shitty for trumps coronarally. This means some combination that people are rightfully staying away due to fears of the virus or dislike of trump.

https://twitter.com/asteadwesley/sta...989960704?s=21

Oops and trumps blaming on on protestors:

https://twitter.com/ryanobles/status...249462784?s=21

I love the images of the crews tearing down the outdoor stage.

Apparently someone legitimately believed enough people would show up to warrant an overflow. I guess the coordinated push to register a bunch of people that were never planning to attend actually worked.

[Benggaul]

I love the images of the crews tearing down the outdoor stage.

Apparently someone legitimately believed enough people would show up to warrant an overflow. I guess the coordinated push to register a bunch of people that were never planning to attend actually worked.

Well, some people were also turned away for some reason.

[Breccia]

Oops and trumps blaming on on protestors

So he's either lying, or admitting he was unprepared for the very thing he said was going to happen and he'd be ready for, in his threatening tweet earlier.

Hmm.

Well you know the deal, Trump supporters. Let's hear your opinion on the subject! You have 48 hours out of respect to you getting tested after the rally. Did Trump tell the truth about protestors blocking the entrances, and as such, do you admit Trump was unprepared for the protestors he said would be there? Or, is Trump lying about the protestors blocking the entrance? Remember, Trump's been planning this for weeks, has access to a literal army he's proven he's willing to use, and even threatened protestors before the event itself. So there's no way you can pick a third option "there were so many protestors, it didn't matter if he prepared for them or not" because I'm calling bullshit on that pre-emptively.

"But Breccia! What if the protestors outnumbered the Trump supporters, Trump campaign staff, security, law enforcement, Secret Service and military he brought with him by such a degree that he was basically forced to surrender?"

I mean...I don't think that's what happened, but I guess I'd take that, too? Because it would probably pain a Trump supporter to use that as an excuse, true or false, since it means people who showed up just to protest Trump outnumber his supporters and staff by like six or ten to one.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, some people were also turned away for some reason.

In a post on Facebook, the Tulsa Police Department said they made the arrest at the request of Trump campaign staff.

Hmm. A peaceful protestor who was not trespassing (bought a ticket) was ordered arrested by Trump. Isn't that interesting.

[fwc577]

So he's either lying, or admitting he was unprepared for the very thing he said was going to happen and he'd be ready for, in his threatening tweet earlier.

Hmm.

Well you know the deal, Trump supporters. Let's hear your opinion on the subject! You have 48 hours out of respect to you getting tested after the rally. Did Trump tell the truth about protestors blocking the entrances, and as such, do you admit Trump was unprepared for the protestors he said would be there? Or, is Trump lying about the protestors blocking the entrance? Remember, Trump's been planning this for weeks, has access to a literal army he's proven he's willing to use, and even threatened protestors before the event itself. So there's no way you can pick a third option "there were so many protestors, it didn't matter if he prepared for them or not" because I'm calling bullshit on that pre-emptively.

"But Breccia! What if the protestors outnumbered the Trump supporters, Trump campaign staff, security, law enforcement, Secret Service and military he brought with him by such a degree that he was basically forced to surrender?"

I mean...I don't think that's what happened, but I guess I'd take that, too? Because it would probably pain a Trump supporter to use that as an excuse, true or false, since it means people who showed up just to protest Trump outnumber his supporters and staff by like six or ten to one.

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Hmm. A peaceful protestor who was not trespassing (bought a ticket) was ordered arrested by Trump. Isn't that interesting.

SHE WAS BLOCKING THE DOOR PREVENTING THE OVERFLOW PEOPLE FROM ATTENDING!! /s

[Breccia]

For more on Trump's small, limp attendance, this TheHill article says the following:

The Trump campaign said in a statement the president and Vice President Pence would not give speeches at a separate stage outside the arena as originally planned.

The campaign had touted the dual speeches from each leader as a special feature of the president's first campaign rally in months and a sign of the enthusiasm and turnout they were expecting in Tulsa.

Reporters on the ground shared photos and video of outside the arena just before the vice president was scheduled to take the stage, however, which showed a sparse crowd in an overflow area outside.

Inside the arena, the floor and lower bowl were filling up with more than an hour until the president's speech. Supporters were still filling in, but the arena had yet to reach capacity.

A picture of the outside area, shared at 6:30


A picture of the inside, shared at 6:15

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SHE WAS BLOCKING THE DOOR PREVENTING THE OVERFLOW PEOPLE FROM ATTENDING!! /s

Yeah...that's not going to work. Even if she was there just to troll Trump and his rabid fanbase, she wanted to do so inside where the cameras were. So that defense you offer sarcastically can't be offered in earnest.

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I love the images of the crews tearing down the outdoor stage.

Why use the images when wanna see the video? Posted at 7:15, the SS "moved the crowd back" to take the overflow stage down. Um, if there'd been a crowd, they wouldn't have taken the stage down.

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Wait, I found another one, courtesy of real news CNN.

[fwc577]

I wonder if we can get some actual, honest video of the crowd size. I see a lot of people on Twitter at the rally doing these slow moving pan shots, but they're all only showing half the venue. I suspect the other half is empty so that's why they're not panning in a full 360, haha.

[Levelfive]

Thanks, now my head hurts.

Let's add to that:

More Complicated Than It Looks
By Josh Marshall
|
June 20, 2020 11:38 a.m.

An anonymous DOJ vet shares some key details about Geoff Berman’s unique legal status as US Attorney in the Southern District of New York:

"Many others weighing in about the SDNY fiasco, but I’m not seeing this point, which is worth considering.

Even if Trump can ultimately dislodge Berman (under 28 USC 541 he, though not Barr, can likely fire him), he can’t pick the temporary replacement. Until the Senate confirms someone, that choice plainly belongs exclusively to the SDNY judges under 18 USC 846. If Trump tries to ignore that and install his own pick anyway he faces two problems he can’t easily overcome. First, there would be a staff revolt. Second, every criminal defendant indicted under the bogus US Attorney would have standing to seek dismissal because the indictment was not authorized or signed by the lawful US Attorney — and those motions would be decided by the same SDNY judges whose authority Trump is trying to usurp.

Trump may not mind all that chaos as the price for covering up whatever Berman is investigating. But for a guy running a “LAW AND ORDER!!” campaign, allowing a bunch of bad guys to get off just to protect himself may not be a great move.

It also seems likely to backfire in the Senate. Romney would already be likely to vote against a SDNY nominee in these circumstances. Gardner, McSally, Ernst would probably realize they have to do likewise, and even Collins might decide it’s time to do more than furrow her brow. McConnell would have little reason to let that vote play out.

So it seems likely that even if Berman is ousted, his replacement through Election Day will be someone picked by the SDNY judges.

Judges regularly have to make these temporary US Attorney appointments, and they virtually always just install whoever the AG suggests (for a bunch of reasons that usually make a lot of sense). But judges don’t like getting played and most (maybe not some Trump appointees) care about judicial independence. I think we can expect the SDNY judges to pick someone who will be unwilling to help Trump obstruct Berman’s investigations."

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog...-than-it-looks

Also suggests to me that Graham's earlier decision gives cover to Senate Republicans, as much as anything else. On the other hand, maybe Berman agreeing to step down gives them all the cover they need.

My head also hurts.

[Benggaul]

Wait, I found another one, courtesy of real news CNN.

I see a LOT of Blue with very small amounts of Red mixed in. If only I believed in omens...

As a mini-COVID-19 update before I collapse, the US has passed 33k new cases for the second day in a row. California, Texas and Florida have all reported more than 4k new cases on the day. Total deaths currently stands at 121,979, so while we likely won't hit 130k by the end of the month, we almost certainly will hit it within a week or so of that.

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I wonder if we can get some actual, honest video of the crowd size. I see a lot of people on Twitter at the rally doing these slow moving pan shots, but they're all only showing half the venue. I suspect the other half is empty so that's why they're not panning in a full 360, haha.

Another angle/shot from Twitter.

https://twitter.com/petersagal/statu...052670976?s=20

[Breccia]

I mean...I'd love to say "well I guess it won't be a spreader event". But the Trump supporters are still tightly packed, so...

[Benggaul]

I mean...I'd love to say "well I guess it won't be a spreader event". But the Trump supporters are still tightly packed, so...

I have to imagine they're also all being encouraged to stand/sit closer together for the photos/videos.

[fwc577]

Team Trump better get ready to be overwhelmed by all the Blue in November! HAHA.

If you blow this picture up, it even looks like a lot of people are spread out by a seat or two around the lower level. I'd be SHOCKED if there is over 9k in this picture.

[Gorsameth]

Team Trump better get ready to be overwhelmed by all the Blue in November! HAHA.

Considering the situation going on, filling half of a large stadium for a political rally seems like a good turnout to me.

Obviously completely bonkers to have it and Trump will have to defend his frail ego from not completely filling it.

[D Luniz]

Florida over 4000 today.

DeSantis blames brown people.

Fuck Florida.

wait, what?

I mean, its not like I don't believe a GOP member wouldn't, yet I like to think most them have some self-preservation instincts at least.

[fwc577]

Considering the situation going on, filling half of a large stadium for a political rally seems like a good turnout to me.

Obviously completely bonkers to have it and Trump will have to defend his frail ego from not completely filling it.

The people who support Trump think Covid is fake news. Trump is cooked.

[Breccia]

it even looks like a lot of people are spread out by a seat or two around the lower level.

Good! That way there's a lower risk of sickness or death.

[Edge-]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a9577576.html

So...uh...Trump just told his supporters he ordered testing be slowed down because...testing was turning up more cases?

I...The cult of Trump is a suicide cult.