Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Edge-]

https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...ression-jokes/

Pence said that Buttigieg took “maternity” leave and everyone else got “postpartum depression” in his absence during the annual Gridiron dinner for journalists on Saturday in Washington.

Jean-Pierre slammed the former vice president for the remarks that she said were homophobic and inappropriate.

“The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so because he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punchline,” she said. “He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people, who are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Pence said in his joke that while Buttigieg was out on leave “thousands of travelers were stranded in airports, the air traffic system shut down, and airplanes nearly collided on our runways.”

“Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression,” he said.

Once more, conservatives attempting to be funny is generally deeply unfunny and usually kinda offensive. I don't even really get the punchline at all here, I guess it's an attempt to link "popartum depression" to "departures" or something? People being depressed over canceled flights?

I dunno, just a reminder that Republicans are generally deeply unfunny people who mistake hate for humor.

[Breccia]

As expected, the NY AG's office has not commented on the Trump grand jury, as they don't with other open investigations. So they haven't said if Cohen is testifying.

So Cohen himself said so.

"And I've met Braggs for 20 other interviews," he said via attorney. "We've had a lot to talk about."

- - - Updated - - -

Ladies and gentlemen, a "very stable genius":

These Four Radical Left investigations of your all time favorite President, ME, is just a continuation of the most disgusting Witch Hunt in the HISTORY of our Country. No different than the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, the UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE IMPEACHMENT SCAM, the SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN, the “NO COLLUSION” MUELLER REPORT, etc. Whether it’s the MAR-a-LAGO RAID, the UNSELECT COMMITTEE HOAX, the PERFECT GEORGIA PHONE CALL, or the STORMY “HORSEFACE” DANIALS EXTORTION PLOT, ALL SICK, FAKE NEWS!

There are really only three explanations as to why someone would claim everyone is out to get him:
1) He's correct, and somehow the DOJ, multiple terms of Congress, New York, Georgia, your own lawyer, a porn star, the governor of the state you live in, and very likely others have somehow all joined a massive conspiracy against him, for no fault of his own.
2) He's paranoid to the point of insanity.
3) He's really that bad of a person, and has done that many things wrong, that that many people are justifiably out for justice and/or revenge.

I think we can effectively rule out #2. Simply put, while Trump might be paranoid and might be insane, we do have plenty of public evidence that a large number of people are taking action against him. After all, you can be paranoid and insane, but still be sought after for the crimes you've done.

It's also going to be hard to justify that first option. Even if a state or federal law enforcement agent had a personal vendetta, it doesn't matter much if there's no evidence against the target. We currently haven't seen all the evidence, nor should we have under the circumstances, but we do have multiple people speaking on the record in public about it. Raffensperger, for example, and Cohen. We also know how many boxes were carried out of Mar-a-Lago, and we know what Team Trump said in official statements to federal law enforcement that turned out to be objectively false.

It's going to be exceptionally hard to see the above all-caps self-own by Trump, listing all the things he's done on one page -- doesn't make your point strong when you remind everyone of all the bad things you did -- and suggesting that's evidence that he's innocent. The increasing rate Of Capital LETTERS is NOT HELPING MUCH, EITHER!!!

Are we seeing someone who is perfectly sane, calm, and somehow the biggest target of false prosecutions and lawsuits from a vast array of angles with a moderately visible stream of evidence?

Or are we seeing a guilty person, who knows they're about to lose everything, losing what's left of their fat orange mind?

If you're not sure, you can look at what he said about Biden's proposed budget. As a hint, he did suggest that this was going to be bigger than 1929's collapse based on (checks news) a tax increase on the rich to levels the US survived before no problem, and two banks that overstretched and the FDIC did their job to save the common investor. That rant was also almost all caps as well.

"Didn't Trump roll back bank regulations personally and directly?"

That sounds like something Biden would say.

"Okay, but is it true? Biden's not 100% perfect nor 100% perfectly honest."

True, but in this case the evidence is more in his favor than not. Trump's rollbacks didn't directly cause the SVB to collapse, but it did directly allow SVB the freedom to pursue the actions that led to its own collapse. (The above-cited article also looks into whether SVB was sunk by "wokeness" to which the answer was "no, and that's a fucking stupid question")

Trump also attacked DeSantis again, defended Kim Jong Un again, and--

"Wait, what?"

Kim Jung Un of North Korea, who I got to know and got along with very well, is not happy with the U.S. and South Korea doing big training and air exercises together. He feels threatened.

Yeah, Trump is still defending dictators like him and Putin. Recently, intentionally, and in public. Doesn't do a lot of favors for the whole "Everyone is out to get me for no reason" defense.

If you're still not sure which way this faces, there's one more quote:

Had he [Mike Pence] sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6, so in many ways you can blame him for Jan. 6. Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe, number one, you would have had a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘Jan. 6’ as we call it

Yes, that's Donald Trump specifically and directly blaming Mike Pence for the murderous insurrection.

So remember, everyone, that Trump supporters are supporting this line of thinking and agree with it, unless they say otherwise.

They believe that everyone is out to get Trump for no reason.

They believe that dictators should be allowed, even encouraged, to be dictators.

They believe that consequences of their actions are someone else's fault.

And they believe Mike Pence is the cause of Jan 6th's murderous insurrection, that Mike Pence should have overturned the election, and that Trump should have legally won the 2020 election had he done so.

Remember that, whenever any Trump supporter says to you (here or otherwise) anything about any topic, they are trying to deflect from the fact that these are things they believe, but refuse to discuss, because they cannot defend them.

Do not allow them to change the topic.

Do not allow them to support something they're ashamed to admit.

Do not let them they follow someone this big of a criminal, this big of an (attempted) dictator, this big of a traitor, and most importantly to them, this big of a loser.

[Paranoid Android]

NEW -- The former president who incited the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol blames his own vice president for the violence -- because Pence refused to go along with Trump's coup attempt.

Yes, this actually happened.

Just FML! People it was Pence fault cause he didn't want to help to overthrow an election.

Trump, speaking to a group of reporters aboard his personal plane en route to a campaign event in Iowa, responded to comments Pence made at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., in which the former vice president said “history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for the events of Jan. 6.

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6, so in many ways you can blame him for Jan. 6,” Trump said, according to The Washington Post. “Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe, No. 1, you have had a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘Jan. 6’ as we call it.”

Once more in bold Trump admits to his intention about the election. Don't fall for the "bring it back to state legislations" that is thee coup.

[swiftowner]

NEW -- The former president who incited the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol blames his own vice president for the violence -- because Pence refused to go along with Trump's coup attempt.

Yes, this actually happened.

Just FML! People it was Pence fault cause he didn't want to help to overthrow an election.

Trump, speaking to a group of reporters aboard his personal plane en route to a campaign event in Iowa, responded to comments Pence made at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., in which the former vice president said “history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for the events of Jan. 6.

“Had he sent the votes back to the legislatures, they wouldn’t have had a problem with Jan. 6, so in many ways you can blame him for Jan. 6,” Trump said, according to The Washington Post. “Had he sent them back to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, the states, I believe, No. 1, you have had a different outcome. But I also believe you wouldn’t have had ‘Jan. 6’ as we call it.”

Once more in bold Trump admits to his intention about the election. Don't fall for the "bring it back to state legislations" that is thee coup.

Blaming someone else for your own crime is bold.

“You see, I asked the cashier politely for all the cash in the register, but he said ‘no’, so really it was his fault I had to use a gun and demand the cash forcefully. So really the cashier is to blame for the robbery, because if he’s just given me the cash when I had asked, the robbery would not have taken place.”

[postman1782]

Gotta love when people hack transphobic Nazis.

[Edge-]

Gotta love when people hack transphobic Nazis.

Appeares to still be the same, and I don't see anything outside of the twitter bio being "fishy". Link to his site is still there, boring pfp/background is still there. No spicy tweets. No likes on gay porn tweets. Hasn't started following drag queens yet.

If it's a hack, it's the most boring fuckin hack I've ever seen.

[postman1782]

Appeares to still be the same, and I don't see anything outside of the twitter bio being "fishy". Link to his site is still there, boring pfp/background is still there. No spicy tweets. No likes on gay porn tweets. Hasn't started following drag queens yet.

If it's a hack, it's the most boring fuckin hack I've ever seen.

No, that's his real account, Anonymous took credit for hacking him, and no one has changed it back yet.

https://twitter.com/krassenstein/sta...05709282451460

[Cthulhu 2020]

There's two competing stories, one is that Carlson has done it as satire, the other is that Anon did it. Guess time will tell.

[s_bushido]

There's two competing stories, one is that Carlson has done it as satire, the other is that Anon did it. Guess time will tell.

I assumed it was an attempt at a joke when I first saw it. Conservative bigots love trying to coopt LGBT terminology to try and further demean those people.

[Breccia]

Speaking of Trump lying all the time about everything:

In November, Trump claimed he sent the FBI to stop voter fraud in Florida.

After the Race, when votes were being stolen by the corrupt Election process in Broward County, and Ron was going down ten thousand votes a day, along with now-Senator Rick Scott, I sent in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys, and the ballot theft immediately ended, just prior to them running out of the votes necessary to win. I stopped his Election from being stolen

At the time, there were multiple federal and local/Florida officials who said one of two things:
1) No, he didn't.
2) No comment.

Trump had no backup for his statements.

Fat forward to today, NBC News has a response to their FOIA request on this topic.

The FBI said they had no records.

"Was any fraud found in Florida?"

No significant fraud was found anywhere. This includes Florida.

"Has anyone backed up Trump's statement?"

No.

Also, Trump is "shitting several bricks" over Cohen's three-hour testimony. As a reminder, Cohen knew the details of the money he was paying off Trump's whore with. By NY law, falsifying business records is a crime. Falsifying business records to conceal a crime, is itself a felony. Not a civil penalty against a company, a "you go to jail" felony.

A conviction isn't guaranteed, but George Conway puts the over/under at three indictments. Specifically, the aforementioned Cohen case, Georgia, and Mar-a-Lago. And that he'll still run.

So legally, he can run. He could be incarcerated and he could still run for president. And if he were elected, I think the better legal argument under the Constitution, under Article One, would be that they have to spring him.

But I don't think he's going to get elected, but I do think he is going to run. I think he's going to make a big issue out of his legal troubles to say that he is persecuted

Conway has also said Americans would crawl across broken glass to vote against Trump -- that is an exact quote -- and that he would be hard to reach for comment if Trump was indicted, because he'd be drunk.

Perhaps it's the looming threat that Team Trump is desperately trying to change its defense, possibly just to stall for time until Trump can claim "you can't arrest me, the election is ongoing".

MSNBC producer Steve Benen summarised Trump's shifting defenses in a tweet on Monday. He wrote: "Trump's evolving story on the hush money scandal: 1. I didn't know about the payment. 2. Well, maybe I knew, but I didn't tell Michael Cohen to break any laws. 3. Actually, I was the 'victim of extortion.'"

On Thursday, legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Trump had reached the "last stop before an indictment" by the Manhattan district attorney.

Kirschner said that being invited to testify in front of a grand jury is typically the final step before charges are brought forward in a majority of cases. Trump's attorney had confirmed that on March 9 this invitation had been extended to his client.

"Has Trump spoken on the topic?"

Yes.

I took the test two years ago, and I aced it. I’d love to take it again because I think I’d do even better.

Oh wait, my mistake, that's him talking about the mental competency test again. The one designed to be passed by any eight-year-old or--

"Actually, this is a major problem for Trump and by extension his supporters."

You again! I mean, he's bragging about acing a test designed to be aced or there's a problem, but, I don't see the issue other than vanity.

"...and he said wants to do better next time?"

Um...

"So...he either didn't ace it the first time, meaning he's of medically-measurable diminished capacity; or he can't do better this time, and has just told America he doesn't know the meaning of the test he took."

Oh...ouch. I guess it could technically even be both.

[Edge-]

There's two competing stories, one is that Carlson has done it as satire, the other is that Anon did it. Guess time will tell.

This is what I'm getting at. I know it's his real account. I'm saying that if anonymoose took over the account then unless they're spending this time pulling all his DM's and as much data as they can and shit (which should have already happened by now) they should be doing something like...actually funny with it. Which they could do while pulling as much data as they could. It's just quite possibly the most boring thing to do after hacking Tucker Carlson's account.

I'm pretty sure this is just what passes for "humor" or something, every descriptor tics off at least a few stupid culture war boxes.

Edit: Some confirmation - https://twitter.com/MatthewKeysLive/...27403938480129

And as others noted in the thread, this isn't the first time he's used his bio to troll. Chillax y'all, sometimes what appears to be an unfunny hack of an account is just the unfunny account holder being unfunny.

I identify as an attack helicopter! Hahaha try to contain your laughter, I'll be here with this one joke all week!

[Kaleredar]

This is what I'm getting at. I know it's his real account. I'm saying that if anonymoose took over the account then unless they're spending this time pulling all his DM's and as much data as they can and shit (which should have already happened by now) they should be doing something like...actually funny with it. Which they could do while pulling as much data as they could. It's just quite possibly the most boring thing to do after hacking Tucker Carlson's account.

I'm pretty sure this is just what passes for "humor" or something, every descriptor tics off at least a few stupid culture war boxes.

Edit: Some confirmation - https://twitter.com/MatthewKeysLive/...27403938480129

And as others noted in the thread, this isn't the first time he's used his bio to troll. Chillax y'all, sometimes what appears to be an unfunny hack of an account is just the unfunny account holder being unfunny.

I identify as an attack helicopter! Hahaha try to contain your laughter, I'll be here with this one joke all week!

Conservative Humor is usually pretty punching-down and mean-spirited. If he did it himself I think he would have chosen more "incendiary" descriptors, like "attack helicopter" instead of a simple "non-binary."

It's like... if his intent was to offend people, which if he was doing this I would assume it would be, none of what he put is really all that offensive to the people he'd be trying to offend.

[Edge-]

Conservative Humor is usually pretty punching-down and mean-spirited. If he did it himself I think he would have chosen more "incendiary" descriptors, like "attack helicopter" instead of a simple "non-binary."

It's like... if his intent was to offend people, which if he was doing this I would assume it would be, none of what he put is really all that offensive to the people he'd be trying to offend.

See: https://twitter.com/alexsalvinews/st...08543931506690

Verifying that (weird it grabbed a UE one but whatever) -

https://web.archive.org/web/20221122.../TuckerCarlson
https://web.archive.org/web/20220615.../TuckerCarlson
https://web.archive.org/web/20220309.../TuckerCarlson (serious one!)

And the site isn't letting me search further back (too many requests) but you get the point. Again, it's been how many hours? If this is anonymoose or anyone else this is the weakest-ass trolling I've seen in my damned life. Nobody said Tucker Carlson was good at this kind of thing though, because as you see by his earlier attempts, he's really not.

- - - Updated - - -

https://apnews.com/article/trump-des...1295eced5068ce

Allies of former President Donald Trump have filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis, a leading potential 2024 primary rival, of violating campaign finance and ethics rules with a shadow run for the White House.

The 15-page complaint filed Wednesday by MAGA Inc., a Trump-supporting super PAC, and shared with The Associated Press asks the commission to investigate Florida’s Republican leader for allegedly “leveraging his elected office and breaching his associated duties in a coordinated effort to develop his national profile, enrich himself and his political allies, and influence the national electorate.”

It says DeSantis is “already a de facto candidate for President of the United States,” citing the governor’s meetings with donors, outreach by allies to potential staff and his courting of influential Republicans in early-voting states, among other efforts. The complaint asks the nine-member commission — five of whose members were appointed by DeSantis — to punish the governor by having him suspended from office, publicly censured or fined.

Rofl, let the infighting begin. Or continue. Whatever.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...crim-rcna75082

Donald Trump's lawyer gave a preview of the former president's defense against possible criminal charges relating to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, saying that his client's actions were "not a crime."

In an interview Tuesday on MSNBC, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said his client was following the advice of his then-lawyer Michael Cohen when he signed off on the payments that are being scrutinized by the Manhattan district attorney's office.

Cohen "was his lawyer at the time and advised him that this was the proper way to do this to protect himself and his family from embarrassment. It’s as simple as that," Tacopina said. "That is not a crime. It's not a crime."

Ah yes, Trump always has someone else to blame. There always is.

Why does he surround himself with people who give him such consistently bad advice?

[postman1782]

Trump is now under investigation with Truth Social. A sanctioned Russian Oligarch allegedly laundered $8 million through Trump's social media company.

The payments came from Paxum Bank, which is registered in Dominica, and ES Family Trust, and the Guardian reports Paxum Bank is partly owned by Anton Postolnikov, an apparent relation of Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who worked for Putin’s government until 2017 and now runs the Russian-controlled maritime company Rosmorport.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisond...h=51b0cd6f68a1

[Edge-]

Trump is now under investigation with Truth Social. A sanctioned Russian Oligarch allegedly laundered $8 million through Trump's social media company.



https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisond...h=51b0cd6f68a1

Don't worry, he has nothing to do with it. It's not his decision. He's never heard of the guy or the bank. What's Russia, even? Where is that?

Weird how there tends to be so much criminality and sketchy-as-fuck behavior around him and companies/organizations he owns/is involved with all the time.

[Breccia]

TheAtlantic tells us that Mike Pence Is Warning Us About Trump

Pence affirmed that on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump endangered his life along with the lives of his family, the members and staff of Congress, and numerous law-enforcement officers. Trump did this by inciting a mob to attack the Capitol, stop our constitutional process by force, and allow him to remain in office.

“Donald Trump was wrong,” Pence said at the white-tie event, which was attended by journalists, politicians, and other D.C. insiders. “I had no--"

Hold on a moment, did you see the story in the AP that Stormy Daniels is testifying?

Daniels met with and answered questions from Manhattan prosecutors and is willing to be a witness, her attorney, Clark Brewster, tweeted. The adult film actor tweeted her thanks to him for “helping me in our continuing fight for truth and justice.”

Sorry, just popped up on my feed and I had to mention it. Daniels and Cohen very likely agree with each other, as tends to happen when one person pays the other off for a contract they both signed.

Back to Pence:

“I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and--"

Sorry again, I have an article from Forbes titled "Trump’s Media Company Reportedly Under Federal Investigation For Money Laundering Linked To Russia".

EDIT: This is the @postman1782 thing.

A federal criminal investigation into Trump’s media company Trump Media has expanded to include potential money laundering violations linked to an $8 million loan with Russian ties, the Guardian reported Wednesday, potentially further threatening the ex-president’s media company and its planned merger with special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC).

Citing anonymous sources, the Guardian reports federal prosecutors in New York expanded their criminal probe into Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Trump’s Truth Social platform, at the end of last year to scrutinize the $8 million in payments.

The payments were reportedly made in two installments, with $2 million being paid to the company in December 2021—when the Guardian notes it was on the “brink of collapse” after its planned merger with DWAC got delayed—and another $8 million was paid two months later.

The payments came from Paxum Bank, which is registered in Dominica, and ES Family Trust, and the Guardian reports Paxum Bank is partly owned by Anton Postolnikov, an apparent relation of Aleksandr Smirnov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who worked for Putin’s government until 2017 and now runs the Russian-controlled maritime company Rosmorport.

Investigators were reportedly tipped off about the payments in October 2022 by whistleblower Will Wilkerson, a former executive at Trump Media, who told the Guardian the payments initially “caused alarm” at Trump Media and executives considered returning the money but decided not to, in part because they couldn’t afford to lose it.

How unprofessional, interrupting the former Vice President a second time. We should really hear what he has to say.

"I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that--"

Well, how embarrassing. It appears yet more breaking news, there was another Georgia phone call that the grand jury heard.

They also divulged details from the investigation that had yet to become public.

One was that they had heard a recording of a phone call Trump placed to late Georgia House Speaker David Ralston in which the president asked the fellow Republican to convene a special session of the legislature to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia.

Dearie oh dearie me, I seem to keep interrupting Pence with information that Trump broke election laws, took Russian money to fund a disinforation media site, and threatened election officials more than we already knew. Last interruption, I promise. Please, Mr. Vice President, continue.

Donald Trump was wrong.

I had no right to overturn the election, and his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable

Whaaaaaaaat? Trump a danger to elections and personal safety? Tell us something we didn't know.

[Poopymonster]

Whaaaaaaaat? Trump a danger to elections and personal safety? Tell us something we didn't know.

That's nice for History to hold him accountable, but I'd rather see it dealt with in the here and now.

[Taifuu]

Speaking of Trump's publicly available history of crimes; what have Garland and the DOJ been up to? They only thing that appears to be making any sort of progress was the investigation into the classified docs and that didn't start until late last year from what I can tell. The only recent thing I can find on him was the senate hearing regarding COVID lab leaks and the Hunter Biden investigation.

[Breccia]

Speaking of Trump's publicly available history of crimes; what have Garland and the DOJ been up to?

From comments by Conway and others, I think the most likely situation is "building an obstruction case from Mar-a-Lago". It is possible they have Trump's murderous insurrection in their plans too, but it really looks like Trump stealing federal records and keeping them in his basement is an easier target.

[Taifuu]

As good a place as any to put this, if it hasn't already been linked in some way.

21% of Fox News Viewers Trust Network Less After Texts Revealed in Dominion Lawsuit: Survey

Much more in the link, including graphs and such.

As low as the numbers are, its still something, I guess.

I am genuinely shocked the number is that high. I hadn't actually expected that to make any difference to any Fox news viewer since just watching them should be obvious that they lie.