Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Kathranis]

Reminder that Trump has been attacking Kemp since 2020 and backed Perdue in 2022 to try and primary him. As recently as four days ago Kemp was calling him out on his bullshit.

Kemp isn't a Trump ally and can't run for reelection in 2026 anyway. He has nothing to gain politically and seems to dislike the man personally.

[Dontrike]

Thought I'd post this just to see how people would bet. He's definitely near or over 300. I'm 6'3'' and am something like 290 and look nothing like that, and I think I'm an absolute fat ass.

[Breccia]

He's definitely near or over 300

Just so we're clear:

And the punch line, of course, is Trump might not even show up. He knows he has no facts to work with, he knows his opponents have four years worth of objectively grounded criticisms like "you didn't build the wall" or "my god, man, you're over 300 pounds you fat fuck".

I've been saying this as a joke. I never expected to have a boxing-style weigh-in on this.

- - - Updated - - -

Why Trump might regret passing on the first debate

Now, I've touched on this topic before, in a general way, and this article backs that. Which is always nice. But the Poltiico article goes into much finer detail, with names and dates.

If former President Donald Trump is serious about skipping next week’s debate in Milwaukee, he risks being upstaged. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images

By STEVEN SHEPARD

08/19/2023 07:00 AM EDT

Donald Trump wants to deprive his competitors of any oxygen. That’s why the former president is likely skipping next week’s debate in Milwaukee.

But it probably won’t work.

As presidential primaries have become more national in scope, debates have arguably been all that’s really mattered in the run-up to the early states. Candidates like Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ben Carson and Pete Buttigieg surged in the polls after strong showings.

And Fred Thompson, Rick Perry and Beto O’Rourke stand as cautionary tales of hyped-up candidates who bombed on stage and saw their campaigns crumble months before voting even began.

The proof is in the numbers: Much of the movement in recent primary fights has been marked in time by the nationally televised debates. Candidates sink or swim based on their debate performances — and the first debate has often been the catalyst for the first real changes in those races.

After the RNC hosts the debates, the winner doesn't debate again for a full six months, and then, it'll be against Dark Brandon.

Trump is a horrible debater. It's a tough call which is worse, someone who has no responses except lying and insults...or someone who can't respond at all, based on him not being there.

If you like, read over the timeline of debates vs. results. I mostly remember those election cycles, and nothing about their depiction seems wrong to my confirmation bias.

Speaking of debates, it's time for Guess the Speaker!

You know, every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction he claims, whatever it is, is rigged against him. The FBI conducted a year-long investigation into my emails, they concluded there was no case. He said the FBI was rigged. He lost the Iowa caucus, he lost the Wisconsin primary. He said the Republican primary was rigged against him.

This is how Donald thinks. And it’s funny, but it’s also really troubling. That is not the way our democracy works. We’ve been around for 240 years, we’ve had free and fair elections, we’ve accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them. And that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a debate stage during a general election.

Clinton said that, in public, in 2016. And she's been right ever since. Y'all didn't vote for her because But Her Emails, how's the obstruction of justice charges working for you? Still relevant?

Big GOP donors push for Trump alternative

Axios has been getting some interesting exclusives. I thought they were mostly a meta-site. Anyhow, again, a topic raised before, again, clarified with details.

The details are "it's Youngkin". Who has been watched by Murdoch for some time. I'll leave you to read the details, but it's yet establishment of a pattern.

And there's a reason the money is leaving.

On Trump indictments, polls tell GOP what it doesn’t want to hear

This Maddows blog is written by Steve Benen...man, he must be regretting that name...and while it may be considered an OP ED, like many not written by Trump supporters, facts and evidence are brought up.

By a 57%-to-37% margin, Quinnipiac found independent voters agreeing that Trump should be prosecuted.

The top-line results do not appear to be an outlier: The latest poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted shortly before this week’s Fulton County indictment, also found that 53% of Americans “approve of the Justice Department indicting Trump over his efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election.”

This comes on the heels of related polling from June, which also found a narrow majority of Americans supporting the criminal charges against Trump in his classified documents case.

Just making it clear: Biden's approval rating is not great, but higher than 37%. Making it far far worse, that's not even an approval rating for Trump. That's a "well at least don't send him to jail".

There is no good news for Donald Trump out there.

[postman1782]

In a better world, Kemp would tell that guy to get fucked, to his face, on national television, and then have him promptly removed from his seat on the senate for wasting everyone's time with such an obviously insane bit of pure partisan bad faith bullshit.

In a perfect world he would be the minority in any state, and he would be asked to fucking resign when he made this bullshit claim.

[Breccia]

I easily won the Great State of Georgia in 2016, did a fantastic job, as President, for Georgia and the entire USA, received 10 Million more votes than I got, nationwide, in 2016, got by far the most votes in history for a sitting President, but shockingly, “LOST” Georgia. All this despite winning nearby Alabama and South Carolina in Record Setting Landslides. Why did Georgia officials agree to, and sign, the one sided Consent Decree? Does anybody really believe I lost Georgia? I DON’T!

-- Trump

Well, it was good while it lasted.

-- his lawyers

[Egomaniac]

-- Trump


-- his lawyers

Well, at least he's stil phrasing it as his belief that he never lost Georgia. His lawyers can take small comfort in that.

- - - Updated - - -

Trump is a horrible debater.

This is true except for one thing...his people love everything he says. They love that he won't follow the rules of debate. They love that he fights with the moderators. According to them... he "won" all the debates he took part in in both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

If any other candidate backed out of the debates...they'd be seen as cowards...but those rules don't apply to Trump. He's going
to go on his safe space with Tucker and attack the other candidates without having to open himself up to any attacks at all... not that anyone but Chris Christie would actually attack him at all. This would also be seen as a sign of weakness...from anyone else.

[Breccia]

his people love everything he says.

That's not the same. If the RNC hosts an actual debate, and not an episode of Jerry Springer, Trump loses. He never beat Clinton once, he never beat Biden once.

[Kaleredar]

That's not the same. If the RNC hosts an actual debate, and not an episode of Jerry Springer, Trump loses. He never beat Clinton once, he never beat Biden once.

The RNC is not known for their ability to "rein in the crazy," nor would any single one of them have spine enough dare to be the one to tell Trump that his time was up or to let others speak.

Trump not attending is probably the best possible thing for the other candidates there. Hell, it might even give them chutzpah enough to talk negatively about him, especially if Christie is up there. It would be refreshing, as spineless and cowardly as they are otherwise, the see the GOP writ large start having to off-the-cuff say negative things about Trump.

[Egomaniac]

That's not the same. If the RNC hosts an actual debate, and not an episode of Jerry Springer, Trump loses. He never beat Clinton once, he never beat Biden once.

It doesn't matter if it doesn't change voters minds. He's already won the debate...by not taking part. Instead he can go on Tucker Carlson and take swipes at him without any chance of a rebuttal.

He never beat Clinton in a debate. He won the Election.

[Breccia]

He never beat Clinton in a debate. He won the Election.

Valid, but there are some caveats.

One, his lead dropped. Leave out the laptop, and the debates hand Clinton 2016.

Two, these debates are another story entirely. Trump went to the 2016 RNC debates and picked up steam for exactly the reason you suggested. He built the rabid fanbase from those. He...already has that, he can't do that twice. What he can do, is lose the 2016/2020 voters who said "Well I guess we better vote Trump or else we get the sane, competent, experienced Clinton" and held their noses. If someone in the 2024 RNC debates can get them back, they can spend months and months pushing Trump down in the polls between their performance and Trump's trial disclosures. Also, Trump can't run on a hypothetical record anymore, only his real one, which the other candidates will surely point out every 30 seconds, whether he's there or not.

As that article I cited strongly says, debates can change minds. The cult is a lost cause. They're insane. But that's not even 40% of Republcians. And the RNC knows it. The only question is, do they think they'll do better with the growing 60 or shrinking 40.

Also, when I read it I thought you meant the audience, which I no longer think is the case, and if so my bad.

[Egomaniac]

Valid, but there are some caveats.

One, his lead dropped. Leave out the laptop, and the debates hand Clinton 2016.

As that article I cited strongly says, debates can change minds. The cult is a lost cause. They're insane. But that's not even 40% of Republcians. And the RNC knows it. The only question is, do they think they'll do better with the growing 60 or shrinking 40.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't have the entire GOP. He's got enough enough that most of the other candidates won't dare to attack him directly. The only person really willing to go after him is Chris Christie...and his poll numbers aren't so hot.

[Breccia]

The only person really willing to go after him is Chris Christie...and his poll numbers aren't so hot.

Christie is gaining. And the RNC motto seems to be "we need to look forward, not back" these days.

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see his choice. He's chum either way. He brings only baggage to the table and can't defend any of it.

[Egomaniac]

Christie is gaining. And the RNC motto seems to be "we need to look forward, not back" these days.

Anyhow, it'll be interesting to see his choice. He's chum either way. He brings only baggage to the table and can't defend any of it.

Yeah, he's gaining... but that's mostly at the expense of DeSantis...not Trump.

[Breccia]

Yeah, he's gaining... but that's mostly at the expense of DeSantis...not Trump.

Trump had a similiar experience, eating smaller candidates one at a time. Christie could be doing the same, except Trump might have done so more literally. I mean, has anyone seen Fiorina?

[Egomaniac]

Trump had a similiar experience, eating smaller candidates one at a time. Christie could be doing the same, except Trump might have done so more literally. I mean, has anyone seen Fiorina?

Trump was never as low in the polls as Christie is currently. THere aren't many smaller candidates for him to eat.

And fat jokes land better when the other guy isn't even fatter.

[Poopymonster]

Thought I'd post this just to see how people would bet. He's definitely near or over 300. I'm 6'3'' and am something like 290 and look nothing like that, and I think I'm an absolute fat ass.

So when do we get to see his girth certificate?

[Odinfrost]

So when do we get to see his girth certificate?

Bringing fingers together
Soon(tm).

[gondrin]

So, everyone ready for the Trump Seal of Approval? I mean, who doesn't want to show off that they have been truly scammed AND were proud of it.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...78070a2c&ei=10

Trump Claims His ‘Seal of Approval’ Will ‘Protect Loyal Donors From Scammers’ — Here’s What It Looks Like

Ex-President Donald Trump and his team have devised a Trump “Seal of Approval” they claim will “Protect Loyal Donors From Scammers.”

Trump’s campaign put out a press release entitled “Team Trump Unveils New “Seal Of Approval” To Protect Loyal Donors From Scammers” introducing a new process to prevent scammages:

edminster, NJ — President Donald J. Trump will grant the right to use his “Seal of Approval” to an exclusive group of candidates and committees that the President endorses or otherwise supports. The purpose of the Seal is to help President Trump’s donors distinguish between authorized uses of his name and likeness, and unauthorized uses including oftentimes outright scams. It is intended to protect the President’s donors and supporters from illegitimate organizations falsely claiming some affiliation with President Trump and his campaign.

President Trump’s endorsement power is the most powerful force in American politics. His influence is election defining. When President Trump posts an endorsement on Truth Social, or a candidate onstage before tens of thousands of voters, America First patriots rally behind President Trump’s choice and deliver a decisive victory.

Unfortunately, some candidates, PACs and their fundraising vendors have drained millions of dollars from President Trump’s donors by falsely claiming that they support President Trump, that the President supports them, and that funds received in response to the solicitations will support, help, or defend President Trump. To fight this scam, President Trump’s endorsement will now include the right to use his name and likeness in fundraising solicitations and other campaign communications, as signified by this Seal. The Seal will be a powerful signal to President Trump’s loyal donors that the sender is on Team Trump, and is not a scammer.

It goes on for quite a bit more, then reveals the seal in all its glory:

[Cthulhu 2020]

Just a reminder, as if it wasn't ABUNDANTLY clear who owns Trump: https://bylinetimes.com/2020/01/23/r...bank%20records

Russia deposited $500M USD into the Commercial Real Estate Div. of Deutsche Bank right before Trump took out a $1B loan from his casinos in Atlantic city going bankrupt. Trump is infamously known for not paying his legal fees, not paying his loans, not paying his construction workers, etc. to the point that he couldn't get loans in the USA, so he turned to outside banks that peddle in corrupt political influence rather than money. Russia knew what it was getting into. It wasn't looking to make money off of Trump, it was looking for a political plant.


Trump's shitty credit score has been known about for decades, the Russian connection was more recently uncovered by public eye, but people have known for a long time that Trump has bumped elbows with Russian real estate oligarchs for a long time.

[Kaleredar]

Just a reminder, as if it wasn't ABUNDANTLY clear who owns Trump: https://bylinetimes.com/2020/01/23/r...bank%20records

Russia deposited $500M USD into the Commercial Real Estate Div. of Deutsche Bank right before Trump took out a $1B loan from his casinos in Atlantic city going bankrupt. Trump is infamously known for not paying his legal fees, not paying his loans, not paying his construction workers, etc. to the point that he couldn't get loans in the USA, so he turned to outside banks that peddle in corrupt political influence rather than money. Russia knew what it was getting into. It wasn't looking to make money off of Trump, it was looking for a political plant.


Trump's shitty credit score has been known about for decades, the Russian connection was more recently uncovered by public eye, but people have known for a long time that Trump has bumped elbows with Russian real estate oligarchs for a long time.

I would hope that the freeze on Russian assets has clogged up this source of income for Trump quite a bit.