Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[rayvio]

Most here speculate that that's what the "October surprise" from the GOP is going to be.

nah, they're all going to dress as Orange Hitler for Halloween

[Xyonai]

There's no real requirement for joining a board of directors. Generally they want people to compliment their leadership, like having a lawyer or accountant on the board. Hunter has been on other boards so I figure he was qualified enough.

That and I imagine the clout of having a (former) Vice President's son on their board of directors would've been too good to pass up. Like I'll admit Joe's position likely played a part in getting Hunter his, but not because Joe put pressure on the company to do it.

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Which is why I put "apparently". It's the GOP's main bugbear. I couldn't care less.



The board for a Ukrainian natural gas producer. So really they're screaming "nepotism!" while at the same time trying to make various conspiracy theories fit around his position there. There's nothing there--they've looked--but that hasn't stopped them from trying to manufacture something for the past year or so. Most here speculate that that's what the "October surprise" from the GOP is going to be.

Honestly it's a bold move to hammer the "NEPOTISM!!!' nail onto Biden when Trump Jr, Ivinka, and Kushner all have cushy federal jobs despite the lot of them being hilariously unqualified. But the GoP wouldn't have standards if they didn't have double-standards.

[Slant]

The board for a Ukrainian natural gas producer. So really they're screaming "nepotism!" while at the same time trying to make various conspiracy theories fit around his position there. There's nothing there--they've looked--but that hasn't stopped them from trying to manufacture something for the past year or so. Most here speculate that that's what the "October surprise" from the GOP is going to be.

There's no real requirement for joining a board of directors. Generally they want people to compliment their leadership, like having a lawyer or accountant on the board. Hunter has been on other boards so I figure he was qualified enough.

Yeah, ok, that's ridiculous. One family killed 3 thousand people, toppled the twin towers and the US into a state of permanent emotional angst about basically anything, the other is... a board of director position in a foreign business. Not even close. I'm gonna ignore that as Trumpkin drivel. Thanks for explaining, though.

[Zan15]

There's no real requirement for joining a board of directors. Generally they want people to compliment their leadership, like having a lawyer or accountant on the board. Hunter has been on other boards so I figure he was qualified enough.

LOL OJ Simpson was on the board of directors of multiple companies....

if that tells you anything about requirements.

[Breccia]

So remember that payroll tax deferral that nobody is doing because nobody's willing to gamble that Trump will win next year and also somehow get the ability from Congress to forgive the deferral?

Apparently, federal employees are force-added to the list. Yep, they are required to defer their taxes. They don't get to opt out like nearly everyone else.

It's also worth noting that businesses are still asking questions that the IRS hasn't answered, like "how do we get the money back if the employee doesn't want to pay?"

[JohnBrown1917]

The Bin Laden family supporting Trump should be nothing new, that family has always had close ties to the GoP.

Bin Laden, the terrorist, and the Bin Laden family, the money hungry Saudia family are not the same. So just like most Trump stuff you see, its an US conservative thing, nothing unique to everybodies favourite orange friend.

[Machismo]

So remember that payroll tax deferral that nobody is doing because nobody's willing to gamble that Trump will win next year and also somehow get the ability from Congress to forgive the deferral?

Apparently, federal employees are force-added to the list. Yep, they are required to defer their taxes. They don't get to opt out like nearly everyone else.

It's also worth noting that businesses are still asking questions that the IRS hasn't answered, like "how do we get the money back if the employee doesn't want to pay?"

Yes, I know federal employees, and they are fucking livid over this. This will do nothing more than screw them over for the first few months of 2021. Federal employees like consistency, and this throws a huge wrench into their lives.

[Benggaul]

Going to have to skip the COVID-19 roundup for tonight. It's looking like a very underreported day anyway so don't expect any surprises except suspiciously low numbers.

Sorry. Dealing with some stuff.

Stay safe, folks.

[Breccia]

Trump says he's not going to meet the Democrats to negotiate coronavirus relief.

"Why not?"

Because he's taking the high road.

"...what?"

I don't need to meet with them to be turned down. They don't want to make a deal because they think if the country does as badly as possible ... that's good for the Democrats.

I am taking the high road. I'm taking the high road by not seeing them,

"Didn't he turn them down last time?"

Yes.

"So the Democrats are saying they want to meet, and Trump is flat-out refusing, making him the obstacle, and he's admitting it?"

He's claiming that the Democrats will refuse any offer he makes, so that things get worse.

"...doesn't making zero deals therefore make that happen, with the side effect of his public admission that ending negotiations was his idea?"

Yes.

"How does refusing to even meet help the situation?"

It makes him look slightly better than meeting and not getting anywhere. There is no benefit for the country.

"Does he think this somehow plays out in his favor?"

I guess? In the real world, no. But saying the Democrats wanted him to fail, so he would fail on purpose, is not the approach I would pick.

"And if, say, he changes his mind later, won't this make him look weak?"

Yes. Or, he could stick to his principles, not meet, and intentionally damage the country.

I suppose he could also wait until McConnell negotiates a deal, one that he can either take credit for when he publicly admitted he can't take credit for it, or one that's veto-proof and makes him look the fool.

But Trump has other problems. Money problems.

Before I get into the article, it's worth noting that COVID-19 cut into many people's money supply. Duh. And donating to a campaign might be seen as optional.

Biden last month broke every record for a single month for a Presidential campaign ever ever.

When contacted for comment, the Trump campaign said the Trump campaign was breaking records. Which is a stupid thing to say, when donations are public and Biden just broke all of them. This was a lie.

And it's also worth noting that Trump has been light on advertising -- I suspect he's saving all his money for a massive blitz when news "coincidentally" breaks about Hunter Biden. That's a lot of eggs in one basket, and it assumes nothing else goes badly...which intentionally holding back COVID-19 relief would encourage, not suppress. In fact, with Biden currently not in charge of anything, this is a very risky move. But just because it's stupid and risky, doesn't mean Trump won't do it. He did bankrupt so many casinos, he lied about how many casinos he bankrupted, because losing 3 at once but saying it's onie bankruptcy is the only way he could save face.

It could possibly be luring Biden into the open to spend all his money, but umm...he has plenty. I don't think Biden's going to spend all of it and leave the later half of October completely open.

And I briefly looked around for "Trump donates to his own campaign". I didn't find much. I did find these:

1) Trump Has Now Moved $2.3 Million Of Campaign-Donor Money Into His Private Business
1a) Trump properties have made over $17 million from the campaign and the RNC since 2016

2) Trump is paying his own legal bills from his campaign funds
2a) Trump and allies have spent $58 million on legal bills and compliance work

3) The White House is worried that just 6 of Trump's top donors in 2016 and 2018 have given to his reelection bid, according to a new report

4) The Trump campaign has knowingly taken thousands of dollars from a neo-Nazi leader and other racists

I found nothing about Trump giving to his own campaign in the last month. If it happened, it's not public. Trump would probably make a big deal about it if it happened. The legal fees thing is also pretty significant, giving Biden a $58 million head start Trump can't possibly hope to reclaim. I don't know how much a typical campaign spends on legal fees, but I'm just going to say "it's less than $58 million" without fear of being contradicted with evidence, because at this point 24-hour challenges have the success record of cold fusion-powered jetpacks, and I've won literally all of them for six months, and this one seems harder than all of them.

Now, again, the skeptic in me is saying "Trump is saving up all his resources to zerg at the last minute". The idea of Trump planning a last-minute news binge about something out of Ukraine is still my number one draft pick, so to speak.

But I'm willing to entertain a second option that's actually supported by the facts. Was the TNC really what he wanted? How about the rally that, well, killed Herman Cain? What about the protests outside the White House? What about the part where even FOX News is saying "Trump is behind in the polls and didn't go to honor slain Americans because of a light drizzle"? How about being behind in the military polls even before that, his generals refusing to take his side, and Trump preparing to fire Esper?

All that...and the fact that basically nothing he ever did actually worked. The economy is in shambles. He's lost jobs. He's been laughed off the world stage figuratively and literally. There's no vaccine yet, and not only are people equating his push to a vaccine with Putin's, his push to a vaccine alienates his QAnon conspiracy theorist base. I can't remember the last real victory he had in court, and even if I did, his victories are outnumbered (@cubby back me up here). And of course, despite trying to make CHINA VIRUS CHINA VIRUS CHINA VIRUS a thing, it hasn't caught on with the people now abandoning Phase One and blaming him...but the latest reports says 180,000 deaths might only be halftime for this year.

Trump is tired of winning.

Trump is giving up and going home.

That's my second pick. We'll see which it is soon enough.

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Going to have to skip the COVID-19 roundup for tonight

Well according to worldometers, there were 286 deaths. That's a big drop from 1,000+ days, but it's also a holiday weekend. The real issue is "who went to a party today?"

Texas leads with 42 new deaths, then California with 33, NJ with 22, SC with 20, NY with 19, PA with 18, Fuck Florida with a bold-faced lie, Ohio with 17, and so on.

Texas has passed California and has the third most deaths. I think that happened recently.

South Carolina's death count includes one child.

I'm worried that NY and NJ are showing signs of increasing, but those signs are low...so far.

We should be further down than this. But y'all didn't want to wear the mask.

[pathora44]

Honestly it's a bold move to hammer the "NEPOTISM!!!' nail onto Biden when Trump Jr, Ivinka, and Kushner all have cushy federal jobs despite the lot of them being hilariously unqualified. But the GoP wouldn't have standards if they didn't have double-standards.

Not being qualified is only a pebble next to the boulder that is why Ivanka and Kushner shouldn't be in high level government positions. They both failed qualifications for security clearance because they are national security threats with a shit ton of foreign business dealings. Yet daddy Trump forced through their security clearance. Yet OMG Hunter Biden is on a Ukrainian power company board of directors NEPOTISM!!!! Yet who cares that Ivanka and Kushner have high level government positions with high level security clearance in the U.S. with Kushner at least being deep in Saudi pockets.

[cubby]

Honestly it's a bold move to hammer the "NEPOTISM!!!' nail onto Biden when Trump Jr, Ivinka, and Kushner all have cushy federal jobs despite the lot of them being hilariously unqualified. But the GoP wouldn't have standards if they didn't have double-standards.

Trump and his insane cult followers/enablers/supporters are at Orwellian levels of doublethink at this point. Trump has literally told people to not believe what they see with their eyes and ears, which is in itself an almost verbatim quote from 1984. So Trump embracing Nepotism with his own Crime Family is fine, and yet at the exact same time, he can condemn Biden for the same behavior. Trump is telling us taht 2+2=5, and his cult is swallowing it up like the ignorant whores they are.

1984: “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Recall that the day Trump took office, Amazon sold out of 1984.

[Kaleredar]

Trump and his insane cult followers/enablers/supporters are at Orwellian levels of doublethink at this point. Trump has literally told people to not believe what they see with their eyes and ears, which is in itself an almost verbatim quote from 1984. So Trump embracing Nepotism with his own Crime Family is fine, and yet at the exact same time, he can condemn Biden for the same behavior. Trump is telling us taht 2+2=5, and his cult is swallowing it up like the ignorant whores they are.

1984: “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Recall that the day Trump took office, Amazon sold out of 1984.

For them I really do think it's a matter of "Trump knows best."


"Well, Trump might have appointed his immediate family... but he must have had a good reason! He won the presidency, which makes him right! Clearly, he understands this at a level you simply don't."

They assume what Trump did was right because it was Trump that did it, and work backwards from there.

[Justank]

So remember that payroll tax deferral that nobody is doing because nobody's willing to gamble that Trump will win next year and also somehow get the ability from Congress to forgive the deferral?

Apparently, federal employees are force-added to the list. Yep, they are required to defer their taxes. They don't get to opt out like nearly everyone else.

It's also worth noting that businesses are still asking questions that the IRS hasn't answered, like "how do we get the money back if the employee doesn't want to pay?"

Yeah we just got notified end of last week, and a bunch of people are shitting on the poor new CMSAF over it even though she has nothing to do with it and no power to change it. As if she didn't have enough problems beings the follow on act for Enlisted Jesus. My financial situation is fine regardless, but it's going to catch some people that either aren't paying attention or just aren't budgeting well off guard in a bad way come 2021.

[Paranoid Android]

NEW: Nearly 200k of the 313,243 Georgia voters who were removed from the voter rolls in 2019 were mistakenly purged— a 63.3% error rate.

It was wrongfully concluded that those people had moved, when they had not.

Kemp (R) won GA by less than 55k votes. https://t.co/NblEJIA0NM

https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/...534679040?s=19

Yes, sadly we have, had a thread just on Voter Suppression, almost unanimously by the GOP.

[Bodakane]

Any Trump supporting veterans care to speak on his insults of veterans? Its been a few days, I'm anxious to hear what you all think of that.

[Breccia]

My financial situation is fine regardless, but it's going to catch some people that either aren't paying attention or just aren't budgeting well off guard in a bad way come 2021.

What you described is why a lot of people -- most? -- aren't doing this. Trump said he'd forgive the debt, but not only does that require trust in Trump to pay a debt, but it also requires a bill to do this that survives the House and Senate.

I don't know who actually thinks this will happen.

Congratulations Trump supporters, Trump has gotten to the part where he literally can't give money away.

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I want everyone, everyone, to guess how much Trump lost last year. How much of his net worth vanished in 2019.

Then, after you guessed, click on this Forbes link.

NO SPOILERS but...how many of you guesed even close?

Now I will say, the Forbes article says Trump has $160 million in cash. Remember how yesterday I said he'd given zero to his campaign?

[Adam Jensen]

Honestly it's a bold move to hammer the "NEPOTISM!!!' nail onto Biden when Trump Jr, Ivinka, and Kushner all have cushy federal jobs despite the lot of them being hilariously unqualified. But the GoP wouldn't have standards if they didn't have double-standards.

The entire Republican playbook so far has been to blame the Dems for things the Republicans are guilty.

Nepotism with Joe Biden's son? What exactly is Ivanka or Jared's qualifications? Why do they have WH positions?
But her emails? Funny how Melania, Ivanka, Jared, to name a few, are using private email servers for government emails
Biden has dementia! Meanwhile, Trump has rambled through every single speech incoherently, can't pronounce words like "Yosemite" or "Thailand," barely managed his way down a ramp and gave us a ten minute rant about how he can drink water with one hand

And yet Cult45 swallow all of this without question.

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Any Trump supporting veterans care to speak on his insults of veterans? Its been a few days, I'm anxious to hear what you all think of that.

I can answer for them.

"The Atlantic is a liberal rag that wrote a hit piece on Trump. None of the sources gave their names and therefore they're bullshit. It's all lies and fake news."

[Belize]

"The Atlantic is a liberal rag that wrote a hit piece on Trump. None of the sources gave their names and therefore they're bullshit. It's all lies and fake news."

You'd be surprised.

This is completely anecdotal, but a lot of the veterans I work with are currently in the middle of a crisis of faith.

There's a lot of "But what has he actually done for us" flying around, with not a whole lot of answers.

[kaid]

The reason the atlantic article hit trump so hard is that it rings of truth. Most people just having seen trump so long instantly recognize that him saying that is entirely in character with his past behavior. Now if somebody said Biden say that most would just blow it off are ridiculous. But hearing trump said it most just think yup that sounds like trump being trump.

[omerome]

So I was just browsing twitter and saw this:
https://twitter.com/stevenleser/stat...998912/photo/1

Let's just say, it gives everyone a new mental image of the resident in the White House.