Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[En Sabah Nur]

Isolationism is a great policy to pursue if you want to cede global leadership and the lose all the soft power the United States has built up over the past century or so.

I kinda want to just ask the entirety of the GOP: "are ya winning, son?"

They're so short-sighted it boggles the mind.

[Edge-]

Thought RFK did ok during his hearing. Set the record straight on being supportive of vaccines, which was the main concern with him

IMO turn him loose on the food/pharma industry and clean up our food chains. Or at least try.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rfk-jr-pr...200404192.html

“Now we know that, you know, we should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that’s given to Whites, because their immune system is better than ours,” Kennedy said.

...

RFK Jr. also claimed in 2023 that the COVID-19 virus was engineered “to attack Caucasians and Black people,” but not “Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.”

No wonder you liked him.

[Cthulhu 2020]

but who ever said that? i surely didn't.
my argument is that instead of finding out about p2025 and shitting your pants that the world is going to change you should find out about p2025 and realize it's a part of the world already and hopefully recalibrate your thinking about what politics really means.

look i won't go too far into this because i'm fairly certain that most of my real core views would be violations of the forum rules to honestly express, but suffice to say i'm of the opinion that elections in the US are bullshit as far as being a mean to defeating fascism.
i believe that regressive political and social ideology are an aggressive cancer that can and will eventually destroy human civilization and that the only way to deal with an aggressive cancer is to flood it with poison to weaken it and then excise it from the host entirely.
that means violence, that means revolution, that means political oppression. you can argue with me over whether or not i'm wrong in my assessment and whether or not you can sit back and hide behind constitutional guardrails to protect you from it, but i firmly believe that "just vote for the democrats" is akin to saying "just buy this quartz stone and meditation bead bracelet and it will cure your stomach cancer".

I mean I mostly agree, fascism is an inherently destructive and oppressive ideology. Every time we smash it down with violence (the confederacy, the Nazis) they just go into hiding for awhile then as freedom thrives they start arguing that their ideas should be allowed in the marketplace of ideas because MUH FREEZE PEACH.

I wholly disagree that inherently destructive speech should be allowed to thrive at all, but they hide it behind layers of civility and pretending to speak in good faith, when in reality their end game is oppression. The only real way to oppose them is to either let them show their hand and make the majority of the world see them for the violent, oppressive and destructive force that they are, or violently oppose them. There is no reasoning with them.

[En Sabah Nur]

Seems notable.

[Edge-]

Seems notable.

rofl "only celebrate white men" ok bros

[Breccia]

US Military forced to admit in public they didn't understand Trump's vague-ass orders and, as a result of hastily-pushed Executive Orders mentioning DEI hires, thought they had to suspend all weapons purchases.

The Army rushed to satisfy Trump’s executive orders this week, sparking so much confusion that top officials directed a halt on new contracts and then walked it back — the latest muddled response to a series of chaotic actions by the White House.

Top officials misinterpreted Trump’s order on diversity, equity and inclusion and set an Army freeze on deals for new weapons. The Pentagon clarified on Tuesday that it wasn’t going to issue a pause. The move upended the defense industry and signaled a broader uncertainty around Trump’s sweeping actions.

It also reinforced the challenges to Trump’s quick-decision approach to governance — such as recent orders to freeze certain federal funding and foreign military aid — that has sent agencies scrambling. Such tension is particularly acute at the Pentagon, where questions about the impact of Trump’s executive orders threaten to slow down high-dollar programs and rock the defense industry.

“What kind of signal does this send to the defense industrial base, which is already plagued with a number of challenges?” said Becca Wasser, a former Army official and current senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. “A lot of that stems from a very unclear demand signal from the U.S. government.”

What a surprise. Yelling "DO SOMETHING!" into the room turns out to be pretty unhelpful.

"Surely the Commander in Chief told them very specifically and very directly what they were supposed to do? He does keep saying how much he values the military."

He lied.

But this week’s confusion shows the challenges to making fast moves in the government’s largest federal agency.

“It was not communicated to us directly; it was leaked to us,” a defense industry executive, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said about the ordeal. “We are interpolating based on memos that are government-to-government and attempting to turn that into useful information.”

One defense official with knowledge of the situation attributed the Army reaction to trepidation about the scope of Trump’s orders and unease about big personnel changes.

The Air Force also walked back decisions this week, including removing a training that mentioned the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of Black pilots who fought in World War II. Some Pentagon officials worried actions explicitly mentioning race could run afoul of the White House’s stance denouncing “woke” diversity initiatives.

The Air Force quickly reinstated the training after Hegseth said the removal was unnecessary.

Hold on, I think we have a quote for this...

Absolutely! Only 1 day and he has done more for America than any other president.

Aww, it's all been walked back. Now he's done less for America than any other president.

[Edge-]

Aww, it's all been walked back. Now he's done less for America than any other president.

You're confused, I think. Aphelios seems to view chaos, failure, and malice as positive attributes.

[Cthulhu 2020]

"wait we have rules and processes to follow and can't just do whatever we want?" - republicans, consistently as of late

if i didn't know better i'd think they don't respect our institutions or laws!

oh wait i do know better and they don't respect our institutions or laws or democracy.

I've said this since... forever. Republicans act like presidents have the power of a king, forgetting the concept of separation of powers. When a Republican is in office (or Trump) they act like he should be able to do anything he wants and be able to ignore all of our laws that are supposed to prevent dictators. When a Democrat is in power, they act like the few executive acts that Democrats do are inherently oppressive, regardless of what it is.

Either way, I'm convinced conservatives are attracted to the idea of a god emperor. It's why some of them unironically see the Terrans as "based" in Warhammer and believe they're the "good guys". They have no concept of nuance and seem to desire some kind of absolute ruler to lead them. They call other people sheep but unironically desire a shepherd for themselves.

[Edge-]

Either way, I'm convinced conservatives are attracted to the idea of a god emperor.

No, it's the idea of "Daddy"

On Friday, actor Mel Gibson was asked during an appearance on the Fox News show “Hannity” to weigh in on Trump’s recent visit to California amid the wildfires (Gibson, a California resident, lost his home in Malibu) when he bizarrely said, “I’m glad Trump’s here at the moment. It’s like daddy arrived, and he’s taking his belt off, you know?”

and

And conservative lawmakers such as Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) have also readily given Trump the moniker. During an appearance on Fox News last week, Donalds listed off things he expects Trump to do during his second term, saying that the country will get the “stability that we were asking for.”

“Daddy’s back,” he said. “And that’s what you’re going to see”.

Boebert similarly leaned in on the parental figure theme in a post she shared on X, formerly called Twitter, the day before Trump’s inauguration.

“Daddy’s home!!” she wrote in the post, which featured a Time magazine cover showing an illustration of Trump.

The list goes on. Musician Kid Rock added the lyrics “daddy’s home” to his “We the People” song...

...former Fox News host Tucker Carlson notably delivered an unsettling speech at a Trump rally in October, in which he compared the U.S. under Democratic leadership to a “hormone-addled 15-year-old daughter,” before referring to Trump as a “dad” coming home to restore order and “spanking” a “bad little girl.”

Republicans really have a weird daddy kink/fetish that they keep roping the rest of us into and I do not consent to being a party of their weirdo daddy fetish.

I can't wait for them to start calling him "papi" as well.

[Moralgy]

No, it's the idea of "Daddy"



and



Republicans really have a weird daddy kink/fetish that they keep roping the rest of us into and I do not consent to being a party of their weirdo daddy fetish.

I can't wait for them to start calling him "papi" as well.

I just imagine all of these dudes jacking it to the thought of trump and them in a room roleplaying that they have been naughty.

[Edge-]

I just imagine all of these dudes jacking it to the thought of trump and them in a room roleplaying that they have been naughty.

Which one is the naughty one? We know Donald likes to be spanked, after all. I wish we didn't.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/whit...pyToPasteboard

The White House on Wednesday said a “federal funding freeze” remains in “full force and effect” despite it rescinding a controversial memo ordering that freeze on grants and loans to give agencies time to review programs for their compliance with President Donald Trump’s agenda.

rofl nevermind THE FUNDING FREEZE IS BACK AND NEVER STOPPED

chaos chaos chaos chaos retards retards retards retards retards

[Breccia]

So what you're saying, @Edge- is that what Trump did was illegal, he was told it was illegal by a judge, he took it back, then told the public "we're still doing that illegal thing anyhow"?

[Al Gorefiend]

Which one is the naughty one? We know Donald likes to be spanked, after all. I wish we didn't.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/whit...pyToPasteboard



rofl nevermind THE FUNDING FREEZE IS BACK AND NEVER STOPPED

chaos chaos chaos chaos retards retards retards retards retards

Hey watch those hard Rs, do not use the language of the oppressors.

[Shadowferal]

Something to note; Crude Prices Fall as Weekly EIA Inventories Jump

[Edge-]

Something to note; Crude Prices Fall as Weekly EIA Inventories Jump

damn, so even less reason for expensive exploratory drilling rofl

[DarkTZeratul]

So what you're saying, @Edge- is that what Trump did was illegal, he was told it was illegal by a judge, he took it back, then told the public "we're still doing that illegal thing anyhow"?

As someone on Bluesky put it, "Disregard my previous memo, this is to avoid the lawsuit, still doing the crimes."

[Breccia]

Thought RFK did ok during his hearing.

R.F.K. Jr. Appears Unfamiliar With Key Elements of Medicare and Medicaid

"So what if he swapped Medicare and Medicaid a few times?"

Well first of all, considering he wants to be in charge of them, a lot. Second of all, that was hardly the only mistake.

At times, Mr. Kennedy seemed to confuse the two programs. Medicare is a federal program that provides coverage to older and disabled Americans, while Medicaid is a state-federal program that covers low-income people.

When he first described Medicare, he seemed to ignore the half of the Medicare program that relies on private insurance plans to provide care. Later, he acknowledged that he was enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan and said he thought “more people would rather be on Medicare Advantage because it offers very good services.”

Mr. Kennedy described Medicaid as “fully paid for by the federal government.” In fact, Medicaid, which provides health insurance coverage to nearly 80 million low-income Americans, is financed through a combination of state and federal funds.

Mr. Kennedy also claimed that many Medicaid enrollees were frustrated by high costs they face with their public insurance coverage.

“Most people who are on Medicaid are not happy,” Mr. Kennedy claimed. “The premiums are too high. The deductibles are too high.”

He repeated a similar argument later in the hearing, facing questioning from Senator Ben Ray Lujan, Democrat of New Mexico. “The premiums are too high, the deductibles are too high, and everybody’s getting sicker,” he said.

But the vast majority of Medicaid enrollees do not pay any premiums or deductibles for their coverage. Federal law specifically prohibits premiums for the lowest-income Medicaid enrollees. Patients typically do not have to pay anything when they go to the doctor, aside from a handful of state-based experiments that have tested out small fees.

Recent research on Medicaid does not support Mr. Kennedy’s contention that “everyone’s getting sicker.” Studies generally find that increased Medicaid enrollment improves people’s access to health care. Some studies have also found that Medicaid improves health outcomes, although that is a more limited body of research.

Senator Cassidy asked Mr. Kennedy to describe how he would reform the Medicaid program. While other Trump nominees have offered concrete policy proposals — Russell Vought, the nominee to run the Office of Budget and Management, suggested a work requirement for the program in his confirmation hearing last week — Mr. Kennedy described vaguer changes.

He said he supported changes to “increase transparency” and “increase accountability.”

When Mr. Cassidy pressed him to be more specific, Mr. Kennedy responded, “I don’t have a broad proposal for dismantling the program.”

Mr. Kennedy did seem prepared, however, to be asked about the enrollment figures for Medicaid, accurately telling senators that the program covers about 72 million people through the traditional public insurance program and an additional seven million through a targeted benefit, the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

So, he correctly knew how many people were covered, but not what they did. That's like knowing how many people you shot, but not how many of them were criminals and how many were innocent.

"That's a harsh comparison to make."

You're right, and it's intentional. He wants to withhold care from American citizens and taxpayers. You're damn right I'm treating this like it'll have a high body count.

[gondrin]

Which one is the naughty one? We know Donald likes to be spanked, after all. I wish we didn't.

- - - Updated - - -

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/29/whit...pyToPasteboard



rofl nevermind THE FUNDING FREEZE IS BACK AND NEVER STOPPED

chaos chaos chaos chaos retards retards retards retards retards

Oh this subject, that same judge is planning on making a far longer timeframe to pause this order outright. Thing is while they cannot arrest the President for being in contempt of court, they can arrest everyone else involved. Not saying they will do that, just that the judge can absolutely ask for the OPM people in charge of these things to be arrested for contempt.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...04ca8e0d&ei=25

Judge signals he will block Trump administration from freezing funding

A federal judge signaled he will issue a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing federal loans and grants, raising concerns the White House will try to enact the same policy described in the now-rescinded memo from the Office of Management and Budget.

District Judge John McConnell Jr. has not entered the temporary restraining order given the rapidly changing circumstances, but signaled he would sign an order proposed by the 22 state attorneys general who brought the case.

McConnell had harsh words for the Trump administration and justified his future order -- despite the OMB's change of policy -- based on a social post by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"I think the breadth of the relief that plaintiffs are seeking is extraordinary," argued Department of Justice attorney Daniel Schwei before McConnell cut him off.

"Respectfully, so was the breadth of the OMB directive," McConnell said.

Earlier Wednesday, Donald Trump's administration sent a memo rescinding its sweeping directive that sought to pause potentially trillions in loans, grants and financial assistance, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.

"OMB memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded," the short memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, reads. "If you have questions about implementing the President's Executive Orders, please contact your agency General Counsel."

The new directive follows a tumultuous 48 hours for the White House, as states and local governments raised concerns that funding for health care, law enforcement, disaster aid and infrastructure spending could be paused or delayed during the expansive rollout of the policy.

Leavitt defended the policy on social media, saying Trump still plans to implement a funding freeze without specifying what mechanism the president plans to use.

"This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze," Leavitt posted on X. "It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court's injunction. The President's EO's on federal funding remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented."

Amid the confusion, a federal judge on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., issued a stay of the policy through Monday as lawyers for the Department of Justice struggled to confirm the extent of the directive. The policy had been set to go into effect at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

"Without this funding, Plaintiff States will be unable to provide certain essential benefits for residents, pay public employees, satisfy obligations, and carry on the important business of government," 22 state attorneys general had said in the lawsuit challenging the policy Tuesday.

On Monday, the Office of Management and Budget ordered federal agencies to freeze any federal funding to activities that might be implicated by Trump's executive orders, causing states, local governments and nonprofits to scramble to determine if their funding would be cut off. Less than 24 hours after the policy was revealed, the White House attempted to clarify the policy in a memo, saying programs that provide direct benefits to Americans -- such as Social Security, Medicare and SNAP benefits -- would be excluded from the freeze.

During the hearing Tuesday, the lawyer for the Department of Justice struggled to clarify exactly what would be affected.

"It seems like the federal government currently doesn't actually know the full scope of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause. Is that correct?" U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan asked.

"I can only speak for myself, which is just based on the limited time frame here, that I do not have a comprehensive list," DOJ lawyer Daniel Schwei said, adding, "it just depends" on the type of program and funding source.

[Edge-]

Oh this subject, that same judge is planning on making a far longer timeframe to pause this order outright. Thing is while they cannot arrest the President for being in contempt of court, they can arrest everyone else involved. Not saying they will do that, just that the judge can absolutely ask for the OPM people in charge of these things to be arrested for contempt.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...04ca8e0d&ei=25

they can order the doj to do that or whatever

and the doj can just ignore the orders

or donald can just pardon them

again, let's see how this stupid game of lawless chicken works, and if the administration is determined to be lawless I say the rest of the nation and all democrats should follow suit

[Breccia]

they can order the doj to do that or whatever

and the doj can just ignore the orders

or donald can just pardon them

Maybe. Probably, even. And states can watch what's going on and figure out what of their own laws, such as fraud, are being violated. I don't believe even Trump's army of yes-men are willing to go to fifty criminal trials at once, if it's publicly being made clear they're breaking the law. So, I'm predicting they'll "only" stop giving things like food stamps to brown people, and acting like it's a mistake when it's caught.