Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[s_bushido]

I would like to see how many people actually give the $3,300 (people giving $5 or $10 don't concern me) considering it's 100% public that Trump has not paid any legal bills for people who are not Trump.

Didn't his ridiculous NFTs "Trading Cards" sell out pretty quickly? If fleecing the gullible wasn't easy, televangelists would be out of a job. And none of them have access to the sort of marketing that Trump enjoys.

[Breccia]

The headline of this TheAtlantic article is This Is Not Great News for Donald Trump but the tagline is "Despite what some Republicans are saying, getting indicted is generally a poor political strategy" so you know I have to quote it.

The assumption that Trump will profit seems to spring from hubris (among his allies) and self-protective fear (on the part of his critics and rivals). They are operating on a shared, obsolete conclusion that nothing can ever harm the former president. For a long time, this made sense. Despite a series of scandals that would have ended the career, much less the candidacy, of any other politician, Trump won the 2016 presidential election and then embarked on an even more scandal-ridden administration. Yet he seemed to chug away, indifferent to bad press. A narrative of Trumpian invincibility developed as an antidote to callow, wish-casting predictions of walls closing in on Trump.

Caution is understandable, but we know enough now to realize that although Trump is exceptionally resilient, he’s also not invulnerable. In 2018, after he decided to frame the midterm elections as a referendum on him personally, Democrats won big in House and governor elections. In 2020, the House impeached him; when the Senate did not vote to convict, some observers took this as proof that he couldn’t be stopped. But it did damage Trump, and later that year, he lost his reelection bid narrowly but decisively, losing the popular vote for the second time. After his extended attempt to overturn the 2020 election, voters once again punished candidates flying his banner and rallying around his causes in the 2022 midterms.

What charges against Trump are certain to do is inflame his most devoted supporters. They will be furious that anyone would dare try to hold Trump accountable, view it as an act of political persecution, and make a great deal of noise about it. But no one should mistake the vociferousness of this group for size. They’ve always been noisy. They’ve always been a minority: As I wrote in November, we now have multiple demonstrations that an anti-MAGA majority exists among American voters. And now, with the country heading into the 2024 election cycle, Trump alternatives are gaining more traction—most significantly, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida.

The article also says
1) there's no real reason to believe Trump being indicted will make people who aren't Trump supporters, into Trump supporters. Trump isn't Nelson Mandela. It will inflame his remaining rabid fanbase, but they weren't leaving anyhow.
2) there is no evidence that this will help Trump, because nothing like this has ever happened before. Trump being such a wanted criminal is something 44 Presidents have not done.

And as I've said recently, it's easy for a politician to say stuff. Lots of Republicans are saying "being indicted will be good for Trump" but few of them are saying "and I have decided to help him with all my power". Again, Jordan wants answers from Bragg but the answers will be "I'm arresting him because he's a criminal and I have proof". Greene, or as a reminder to tehdang and GreenJesus it's Speaker Greene, mainstream viewpoint of the party, is likely going to organize some kind of jailhouse visit and will give a speech while doing so, but she can't spring Trump either.

In a semi-related note, DWAC stock price rose yesterday...but from $12.40, where it plunged March 14 and stayed there for three days. That's the lowest it's been basically ever. Not only is Trump likely going to have other problems, and not only is the merger still under investigation, but Trump is now firing people.

Trump Media & Technology Group, Truth Social’s parent company, laid off about half a dozen people, including senior members of its ranks, such as Chief Technology Officer William “BJ” Lawson, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Lawson was the third person to hold the role at the company. Some close to Trump Media estimate it can fund operations through September at present spending levels, according to the people.

CyberTrump 2077 might see an influx of people returning to the platform, we've seen that kind of boost before around Nov 7, 2022. But that lasted a month.

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Didn't his ridiculous NFTs "Trading Cards" sell out pretty quickly?

He sold his dignity for $5.6 million, yes, and we have no idea how many he bought himself. It represents a drain on his most devout cultists of a finite resource that cannot be donated a second time. It is just straight-up cash, tho, not a PAC donation with rules.

(remembers what the charges are for)

Loose rules.

[Elder Millennial]

Didn't his ridiculous NFTs "Trading Cards" sell out pretty quickly? If fleecing the gullible wasn't easy, televangelists would be out of a job. And none of them have access to the sort of marketing that Trump enjoys.

There's a reason why there's an overlap between the audience of televangelists and Trump.

[Gelannerai]

There's a reason why there's an overlap between the audience of televangelists and Trump.

And why so many televangelists shill for Trump.

[gondrin]

So, how did the protest go that Trump called for that happened in Manhattan?

It had a few dozen people, a guy in a rat suit and more reporters with cameras than anything else.

Another "big" Trump event that, much like his hands, was far smaller in size then he likes to admit.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...68e4a768&ei=37

Trump Protest Fizzles Out: 'More Reporters Here Than Trump Supporters'

Former President Donald Trump's call for supporters to take to the streets in protest of his potential indictment accusing him of campaign finance violations has so far been met with a tepid response.

A New York City rally to protest against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's purported plans to indict the former president fell spectacularly on its face Monday after more journalists showed up to the event than pro-Trump activists.

An email obtained by Newsweek hours earlier announced that the "peaceful protest" was set for 6 p.m. local time in lower Manhattan, organized by the New York Young Republican Club.

"I'm at the pro-Trump protest put on by the NY Young Republicans Club," tweeted Ben Collins, senior reporter for NBC News, shortly after the protest started. "Not a joke, there are more reporters here than Trump supporters. This was supposed to be the big one."

"It's just a bunch of cameras taking picture of a guy who is putting on a rat suit next to a guitar with the words Hang Fauci on it," Collins added. "This was supposed to start a half hour ago."

A short time later, Collins tweeted that the demonstration was "approaching critical mass of reporters," as he could not "even see the couple dozen people over the cameras anymore."

Within 30 minutes, he declared that the protest was "over," concluding that it had consisted of "two dozen guys in MAGA hats" who spoke to a correspondent from far-right outlet One America News Network.

Collins said that some Trump supporters may have been scared away from participating due to rumors of planned protests being used as a federal law enforcement "trap." A number of big-name GOP politicians and other prominent conservatives have also warned Trump supporters against protesting.

Newsday reporter John Asbury estimated that a slightly higher number of Trump supporters had attended the event, while still being outnumbered by members of the media.

"The protest to support President Trump on the eve of his indictment in Lower Manhattan was kept to about 50 members and outnumbered by media," Asbury tweeted. "Young Republicans said they purposely kept the event to its members in order to keep the protest peaceful."

New York Young Republican Club President Gavin Wax claimed in a tweet that 100 protesters had shown up to the "fine and peaceful" event. He conceded they were outnumbered, estimating that three times as many reporters had attended.

Regardless of the numbers, those who were at the event seemingly agree that it was largely attended by journalists rather than pro-Trump protesters.

In one particularly absurd moment, a reporter purportedly attempted to interview another reporter who they initially assumed was a protester.

"So many reporters here I just saw a reporter start interviewing someone but they turned out to be a reporter too," HuffPost senior reporter Christopher Mathias tweeted.

In addition to the demonstration in lower Manhattan, a small number of Trump supporters also gathered to protest in front of Trump Tower on Monday. There have been no indications that a large-scale rally is planned in New York City or nationally.

Trump on Sunday called for his supporters to protest and "take back our country" after announcing that he expected to be indicted on Tuesday in the probe involving hush money and adult-film star Stormy Daniels. His lawyer Joe Tacopina has said Trump will voluntarily surrender if an indictment is handed down.

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump loyalist, rejected Trump's call for protests, in a tweet on Sunday.

"We don't need to protest about the Communists Democrat's planning to arrest Pres Trump and the political weaponization of our government and election interference," Greene tweeted. "These idiots are sealing their own fate in 2024."

GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned against protests in favor of "calmness" on Monday, telling reporters, "I don't think people should protest this ... and I think President Trump, if you talk to him, he doesn't believe that either."

Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told listeners, "Don't protest given the atmosphere we're in," during a Twitter Spaces interview on Monday, warning that those who do could be "framed like a lot of the January 6 people."

Some Trump supporters opposed to in-person protests have suggested alternatives, including instigating a national run on banks.

[Breccia]

I see that Trump posted another late-night video, probably in the dark, telling his rabid fanbase again that They are not coming after me – they are coming after you. I’m just standing in their way."

Wow. How many of his followers had sex with whores? That must be what he means, right? I know the sex industry is decent but 74 million customers? Wow.

Or, wait, does he mean his followers all committed campaign finance violations? Did 74 million Trump supporters donate illegally? I mean, the only way that could have happened is if all Trump donations were illegal.

"I think Trump's just playing the victim/martyr here."

No, Trump wouldn't lie to his followers, don't be ridiculous. Maybe we should ask some of them. Hey @tehdang hey @GreenJesus when Trump said "They are coming after you" what is he talking about? What actions have you Trump supporters done that "they" would come after you? And how is Trump being arrested going to help? Surely the two of you, as known long-term Trump supporters, can clarify the matter. This is a fast-moving thread and Trump being such a selfless person is something you would react positively to, so the @ is completely justified here.

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a guy in a rat suit

...whose side was he on?

I am glad there was no violence, of course. The hardest of core Trump supporters have proven they're willing to commit violent felonies to keep Trump from the consequences of his failures. Maybe they were going to commit violence, but were scared off by the giant rat.

[gondrin]

I see that Trump posted another late-night video, probably in the dark, telling his rabid fanbase again that They are not coming after me – they are coming after you. I’m just standing in their way."

Wow. How many of his followers had sex with whores? That must be what he means, right? I know the sex industry is decent but 74 million customers? Wow.

Or, wait, does he mean his followers all committed campaign finance violations? Did 74 million Trump supporters donate illegally? I mean, the only way that could have happened is if all Trump donations were illegal.

"I think Trump's just playing the victim/martyr here."

No, Trump wouldn't lie to his followers, don't be ridiculous. Maybe we should ask some of them. Hey @tehdang hey @GreenJesus when Trump said "They are coming after you" what is he talking about? What actions have you Trump supporters done that "they" would come after you? And how is Trump being arrested going to help? Surely the two of you, as known long-term Trump supporters, can clarify the matter. This is a fast-moving thread and Trump being such a selfless person is something you would react positively to, so the @ is completely justified here.

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...whose side was he on?

I am glad there was no violence, of course. The hardest of core Trump supporters have proven they're willing to commit violent felonies to keep Trump from the consequences of his failures. Maybe they were going to commit violence, but were scared off by the giant rat.

The guy was on the side of Trump. I believe he was the one who had the guitar with "Hang Fauci" on it.

[Breccia]

The guy was on the side of Trump. I believe he was the one who had the guitar with "Hang Fauci" on it.

Ah, so no actual violence, just threats of violence.

Hey how come Trump supporters want to hang Pence and Fauci, Trump employees, but just jail Biden? How does this look for what's left of Trump's employees, if Trump's most ardent fans want their enemies jailed but Trump's employees actually murdered?

[Azadina]

Ah, so no actual violence, just threats of violence.

Hey how come Trump supporters want to hang Pence and Fauci, Trump employees, but just jail Biden? How does this look for what's left of Trump's employees, if Trump's most ardent fans want their enemies jailed but Trump's employees actually murdered?

Because they failed their God Führer. Their enemies on the other hand never swore undying loyalty in the first place. That's the fucked up rationale behind it.

[Elder Millennial]

So, how did the protest go that Trump called for that happened in Manhattan?

Anyone who thought they could do a Jan. 6 in NYC has never met the NYPD. Not because the NYPD is some just, fair, upstanding organization, but because the NYPD is Wall Street's private army. At the first sniff of a riot the headcracking and tear gassing would commence and the National Guard would be called in in exactly 1.7 seconds.

[Breccia]

I had hoped, after so much time had passed, that they’d have more against Trump than this weak case involving Daniel’s.

They do. Don't confuse "first" as "only".

[Zemini7]

Or it is the first of many that follow due to hesitancy. Who really wants to be the first one to indict a former president anyways?

[Breccia]

It had a few dozen people

Pro-Trump protesters claim low turnout ‘by design’

“We threw it tog--"

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? Holy shit, you weren't kidding!

“We threw it together at the last minute, the last 24 hours,” said Gavin Wax. The president of the New York Young Republican Club organized the demonstration outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court where Trump could be arraigned in the coming days.

“We weren’t sure we even wanted to come out because some people don’t like us, but we are here to show that there is support for President Trump in the bluest area in the country, here in Manhattan,” said Wax, trying to account for the small gathering of some 50 people when he’d predicted a crowd of at least three times the size earlier in the day.

By Monday evening, Wax claimed the small turnout was by design because the club wanted it to be a “low key” event.

"I wanted it to be low-key" is what I would say, when I invited hundreds and got dozens. Tooooootally intentional u gaiz.

But it's not all whore payments and election donation felonies. Trump is trying to have the Georgia case thrown out, on the grounds of "I don't want to be found guilty."

Lawyers for Trump in new court filing Monday asked to "quash" an Atlanta special grand jury probe investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The attorneys argued the proceedings "violated all notions of fundamental fairness and due process."

They're also seeking to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and invalidate all evidence gathered as "unconstitutionally derived."

Trump's lawyers argue the grand jury was conducted in a process that was "confusing, flawed and at-times, blatantly unconstitutional." They say the proceedings "failed to protect the most basic procedural and substantive constitutional rights of all individuals discussed by this investigative body."

Among other points, the lawyers took issue with the vague code section governing special purpose grand juries in Georgia, which do not have the power to indict but to investigate and subpoena.

They take issue with extensive media interviews done by the grand jury foreperson Emily Kohrs, Willis and supervising judge Robert McBurney.

And they take issue with the fact that Willis was disqualified from investigating one target, Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, for campaigning for his one-time opponent.

"What violations of fairness and due process?"

The part where Trump committed crimes and was caught.

"What part was unConstitutional, that has somehow not been caught yet?"

The part where Trump committed crimes and was caught.

"What did the grand jury do, that they weren't allowed to do?"

Nothing. They did exactly as the law asked. They were not allowed to indict, but they didn't indict, so there's no issue there.

"What part of that one juror speaking out after the grand jury trial, would invalidate what happened when the grand jury trial was taking place?"

Nothing. At worse that's a change of venue issue. Me coming to a stop in my parking space in the morning does not mean I retroactively wasn't going 117MPH in a 30MPH construction zone. Um, allegedly, officer.

"Why did they wait this long, if they had both a lengthy and legitimate list of issues that should get the case ejected? Why didn't they say something sooner?"

Probably because the list is not legitimate. Possibly because of the way grand juries work, but I don't think so in this case.

"Is this court filing anything more than buzzword salad?"

It has Russian dressing.

"Did you hear the rumor that Trump Tower houses a China government national bank?"

What a strange direction to take this line of questioning, but no, I didn't hear the rumor. It's actually true.

On March 19, 2023, anti-Trump political action group Medias Touch posted a short video of Trump bragging about the fact that China's largest bank — and by some metrics the world's largest bank — has office space in New York City's Trump Tower.

This is factual. The largest bank in China, and frequently ranked as the largest in the world, is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). Its controlling shareholder is the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China.

In 2019, the Trump Organization renegotiated a lease with ICBC. The prior ICBC lease had netted the Trump Organization at least $23 million. A new lease in place significantly reduces the amount of real estate ICBC uses, but the bank still maintains one floor for ICBC executive offices at the time of this reporting. The listed address is the 20th floor of Trump Tower.

Because ICBC is a state-controlled Chinese bank with offices in Trump Tower in Manhattan, we rate this claim as "True."

Might be one of the easier pieces Snopes ever did. "Well, they're listed there so...yep."

And finally, for this post, +1 CNN point as, oddly enough, FOX News covers Bragg's response to the threats posed and posted by Trump's increasingly terrorist cult following.

We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law.

In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth. Our skilled, honest and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work.

Echoes of Mueller, there.

By the way, Tuesday's half over and Trump isn't arrested yet. Anyone else not at all surprised that Trump was wrong/lying about something? Or are we expecting a 5PM surprise yet?

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Or it is the first of many that follow due to hesitancy. Who really wants to be the first one to indict a former president anyways?

I've been saying something close enough to this for a while now. If Trump is arrested, jailed or not, his problems intensify and his options reduce. This makes it the perfect time to arrest him for, say, extortion, insurrection, or tax evasion.

[Edge-]

"We weren’t sure we even wanted to come out because some people don’t like us..."

rofl, since when is protesting about people liking you? fuckin go figure Trump supporters apparently don't even understand the fuckin point of a protest

[jonnysensible]

bomb threats will probably be called in for a while

[fwc577]

bomb threats will probably be called in for a while

Until it isn't just a threat because right-wingers attract domestic terrorists.

[Breccia]

A Trump indictment would be a disgusting abuse of power. The DA should be put in jail.

-- Sen. Rand Paul, by Tweet

Oh? On what charge?

-- Breccia, right here

Just a reminder to everyone, that the Republican Party (and friends) are arguing en masse that a politician should not be arrested for crimes they did. They are not saying "Trump didn't do it" and at best are barely saying "Trump did it, but it wasn't a crime". They are saying "the arrest is politically motivated" and have no evidence of this -- especially considering there is evidence of Trump's crimes enough to indict, from the sounds of things.

Refusing to arrest a criminal because they are of a particular political party is not justice. That's dictatorship.

[s_bushido]

Just a reminder to everyone, that the Republican Party (and friends) are arguing en masse that a politician should not be arrested for crimes they did.

Maybe everyone should just start chanting "Lock Her Up!" as loudly as possible whenever one of these dipshits comes out to wring their hands over attempts to "prosecute their political opposition."

[jonnysensible]

is this going to be another case of :

THEY GOT HIM THIS TIME
*trump easily evades*
Well i'm sure they will get him next time


or is it actually something?

[Myradin]

is this going to be another case of :

THEY GOT HIM THIS TIME
*trump easily evades*
Well i'm sure they will get him next time


or is it actually something?

Its possible its another case of trump just making stuff up to stir up the crowd. I don't believe there's been any official statement sayig he's being arrested today, just trump started claiming so.