Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Fugus]

As long as he is in charge of the government I doubt any creditor will go after him, he can send the thugs from the justice department or any other regulator to torment those that go after him. He stands to make billions from looting the social safety net as well, that's not even going into possibly shorting markets using dark pools. I am going to agree with the other posters that it's pure ego, he seems to be obsessed with being loved.

Depends on if those creditors are within the US or not. They very well could come after him in other nations and start going after his assets there.

Personally, I would love to see Mexico, Canada, the EU and every other nation start putting Trump and any members of his administration and their immediate families on lists that deny them entry into those countries. To actually see them forced to stay in the US or nations like China and Russia and the nations they are trying to turn the US into. Make it where their families WILL be stuck living in the hell they create and they will not be able to escape it either.

[Mekh]

https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025-03...rport-detained

We are now torturing green card holders holy fuck

That's the third German now who went through something like this. The consulate must be quite busy.

[fwc577]

That's a fair analysis, I honestly hadn't thought of other TCGs eating MTG's lunch.

Yeah, I used to be big into TCGs back in the late 90s early 2000s and even back then there were a lot of trends and fads. MTG was always the go-to game, but a new Pokemon expansion would come out and people would be playing that for a few weeks. A new Star Wars TCG set came out and people would be playing that for a few weeks. At my local gaming shop, we all got into things like Rage, Robotech, 7th Seas and LOTR for small stints.

But there were definite drop-offs, at least locally, when all the kids were playing the new thing.

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'Self-inflicted wounds': New data shows even MAGA's hardcore is souring on Trump's antics

Not expecting much...

'Oh what a difference!' Trump blames all the world's problems on his 2020 election loss

"Trump is hardly in pariah territory; his overall approval rating is at 45 percent, similar to much of his first term," Blake added

Wait until we hit an ACTUAL recession. We're in the early stages right now but when things go fucking haywire, there will come a point in the next 4 years where you won't be able to find more than a couple fanatics who even admit to voting for Trump.

[Poopymonster]

Yeah, I used to be big into TCGs back in the late 90s early 2000s and even back then there were a lot of trends and fads. MTG was always the go-to game, but a new Pokemon expansion would come out and people would be playing that for a few weeks. A new Star Wars TCG set came out and people would be playing that for a few weeks. At my local gaming shop, we all got into things like Rage, Robotech, 7th Seas and LOTR for small stints.

But there were definite drop-offs, at least locally, when all the kids were playing the new thing.

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"Trump is hardly in pariah territory; his overall approval rating is at 45 percent, similar to much of his first term," Blake added

Wait until we hit an ACTUAL recession. We're in the early stages right now but when things go fucking haywire, there will come a point in the next 4 years where you won't be able to find more than a couple fanatics who even admit to voting for Trump.

Loved Rage. I still have my Wyrm deck. The artwork was fantastic for those cards.

[Fugus]

Loved Rage. I still have my Wyrm deck. The artwork was fantastic for those cards.

Used to love MTG, stopped playing over a decade ago. Made an infinity deck that made most of my friends quit.

Had a friend who used to love playing the Amugaba card, he would sing "We all live in a Yellow Submarine". Since I favored my Squirrel deck I would counter with swinging "When the Saint's Come Marching In" except I would say Squirrels instead of Saints.

Nephew is into Pokemon now, went to a shop and was surprised looking at what my cards are worth nowadays. Got something like $600 in just Earthcraft cards from what I could tell.

[Rasulis]

Another red signal.

1 in 7 Pending Home Sales Are Getting Canceled, the Highest Share During This Time of Year on Record

Atlanta, Las Vegas, Houston and parts of Florida are seeing the highest share of deals falling through, with supply piling up in those areas. Los Angeles is among the metro areas with the biggest increase in cancelled sales, due largely to January’s devastating wildfires.

More home purchases are being canceled, especially in the southeastern part of the country. Just over 41,000 U.S. home-purchase agreements fell through in January, equal to 14.3% of homes that went under contract that month. That’s up from 13.4% a year earlier, and the highest cancellation rate for this time of year since at least 2017.

There are a few reasons today’s homebuyers are skittish:

• Supply is rising and demand is falling. Housing inventory has risen to its highest level since 2020, giving homebuyers more options. At the same time, pending home sales fell to their lowest level on record (aside from the start of the pandemic) in January. More supply and less demand means the housing market has tilted in buyers’ favor, with some house hunters backing out during the inspection period because a better house for them has come along–or at least the promise of a better house.
• Economic uncertainty. Redfin agents report that some deals are falling through because buyers (and sometimes, sellers) are getting cold feet due to widespread economic and political uncertainty. Tariffs, layoffs, and federal policy changes are among the factors contributing to an air of instability. Some people are choosing to stay put.
• Sticker shock. Mortgage rates and home prices remain stubbornly high, with January’s average rate hitting 6.96%, an eight-month high (weekly average rates have since declined to 6.76%, and the median U.S. home-sale price rising 4.1%. Combined with economic uncertainty, high housing costs are causing some would-be buyers to change their minds.

Florida, Other Parts of the South Are Seeing Highest Share of Deals Falling Through
Atlanta leads the nation in canceled deals, with one in five (19.8%) of January’s pending home sales canceled. It’s followed by Orlando, where 18.2% of deals were canceled, Las Vegas (17.9%), Houston (17.8%) and Jacksonville, FL (17.8%). This analysis includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros.

The so-called pandemic boom towns are seeing this issue the most. Lots of buyer's remorse also.

Home-purchase agreements are getting canceled at the lowest rate in the Bay Area. San Francisco has the lowest share, with 4.1% of deals following through, followed by San Jose, CA (5.9%). Rounding out the top five are Nassau County NY (6.8%%), Oakland, CA (8.4%), Seattle (8.7%). All of those markets are currently tilting toward sellers, with a limited amount of supply on the market, meaning buyers typically don’t have many other choices if they back out of a deal.

With the exception of FiDi and Mission, all the other districts are hot right now. Sunset is ridiculous.

Amid Wildfires, Home-Purchase Cancellations in Los Angeles Rose to Highest January Level Since 2017. In Detroit, 17.4% of home-purchase agreements are falling out of contract, up from 13.1% a year ago–the biggest increase among the major U.S. metros. Next come Atlanta (19.8%, up from 16.6%), Virginia Beach (15.2%, up from 12.1%), New Brunswick, NJ (11.8%, up from 9.1%) and Los Angeles (15.9%, up from 13.2%).

Thirty-seven of the 50 most populous metros saw home-purchase cancellations rise, as a percentage of all pending sales.

The biggest declines were in Fort Worth, TX (16.2%, down from 18%), Fort Lauderdale, FL (17.2%, down from 18.6%), Philadelphia (11.8%, down from 13.2%), Cleveland (16%, down from 17.1%) and Columbus, OH (14.1%, down from 15.1%).

We are still talking double digits cancellation rate.

[Ivanstone]

Loved Rage. I still have my Wyrm deck. The artwork was fantastic for those cards.

The great thing about Rage was the cards were practically bullet proof. I’d take any surplus commons I had and turned them into 40k terrain.

[Rasulis]

We are seeing something that we have never seen before.

• Housing supply rose to the highest level since 2020 in January, but housing demand fell to the lowest level since 2020 as mortgage rates hit an eight-month high.
• Sellers are making moves because they’re tired of waiting for mortgage rates to fall, but buyers are skittish amid economic uncertainty and rising home prices, which are up 4% from last year.
• The typical home that sold sat on the market for 56 days—the longest of any January since 2020.

Supply up, demand down, yet price for the most part stays up. With some minor reductions. Less than 10%. Not even close to making up for the pandemic price increase, the higher interest rate, and economic uncertainty.

Some of Florida metro areas have one year supply of homes for sale now, and homes sat on the market for over 99 days.

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Small Business Optimism Index.

• The net percent of owners expecting the economy to improve fell ten points from January to a net 37% (seasonally adjusted).
• Twelve percent (seasonally adjusted) of owners reported that it is a good time to expand their business, down five points from January. This is the largest monthly decrease since April 2020.
• Sixteen percent of owners reported that inflation was their single most important problem in operating their business, down two points from January and now just below labor quality as the top issue. The last time it was this low was in October 2021.
• The net percent of owners raising average selling prices rose 10 points from January to a net 32% (seasonally adjusted). This is the largest monthly increase since April 2021, and the third highest in the survey’s history. The percent of owners lowering their prices is 10 points lower than it was one year ago.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 29% plan price hikes in the next three months, up three points from January and the highest reading in 11 months.
• Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners rose three points to 12%, only one point below the survey’s highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021. The last time labor costs ranked this high was in February 2023.
• The frequency of reports of positive profit trends was a net negative 24% (seasonally adjusted), up one point from January.

Looks pretty grim. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy as they employ the vast majority of workers. They are currently flashing warnings on stagflationary pressure. Is stagflationary a word?

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The good news is that small businesses are still hiring.

NFIB Jobs Report: Small Business Job Creation Weakens in February

NFIB’s February jobs report found that 38% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in February, up three points from January and the highest reading since August 2024. A seasonally adjusted net 15% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, down three points from January.

Overall, 53% of small business owners reported hiring or trying to hire in February, up one point from January. Forty-eight percent (89% of those hiring or trying to hire) of owners reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. Twenty-seven percent of owners reported few qualified applicants for their open positions and 21% reported none.

Job openings were the highest in the retail, construction, and manufacturing sectors, and the lowest in the agriculture and finance sectors. Job openings in construction were up one point from last month, but down seven points from the prior year.

Thirty-one percent have openings for skilled workers (up two points) and 13% have openings for unskilled labor (up three points).

The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem rose one point from January to 19%. Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners rose three points from January to 12%, only one point below the highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021. The last time labor costs were ranked this high was February 2023.

Seasonally adjusted, a net 33% of small business owners reported raising compensation in February, unchanged from January. A net 18% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down two points from January.

[Tech614]

Used to love MTG

Quoted out of context in a political thread this sounds really bad lmao.

[Fugus]

Quoted out of context in a political thread this sounds really bad lmao.

Oh dear god..... I wasn't even thinking about it. The damage is done. Especially when you talk about the Yellow Submarine as part of that context.

[Xath]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...ren-de-aragua/

This is beyond illegal and will be expanded very soon more than likely I have no idea wtf has happened to the US.

[Edge-]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...ren-de-aragua/

This is beyond illegal and will be expanded very soon more than likely I have no idea wtf has happened to the US.

when did congress declare war?

[Rasulis]

Looks like no more Voice of America (VOA). Too bad.

VOA journalists put on administrative leave after Trump axes parent agency

[Xath]

when did congress declare war?

That would be why it's illegal as hell

[Belize]

https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...ren-de-aragua/

This is beyond illegal and will be expanded very soon more than likely I have no idea wtf has happened to the US.

I'm sure TdA members all wear easily identifiable badges, and this won't be abused to label any 'undesirables' for removal, regardless of affiliation.

[Xath]

I'm sure TdA members all wear easily identifiable badges, and this won't be abused to label any 'undesirables' for removal, regardless of affiliation.

As I said it will be expanded

[Draco-Onis]

Depends on if those creditors are within the US or not. They very well could come after him in other nations and start going after his assets there.

Personally, I would love to see Mexico, Canada, the EU and every other nation start putting Trump and any members of his administration and their immediate families on lists that deny them entry into those countries. To actually see them forced to stay in the US or nations like China and Russia and the nations they are trying to turn the US into. Make it where their families WILL be stuck living in the hell they create and they will not be able to escape it either.

Of all the countries I am keeping my eye on is China, Elon has a lot of manufacturing and sales there. They are the #2 best selling car in that country so I wonder when or if the CCP is going to put the squeeze on it to get back at Trump. The only tariffs he hasn't gone back and forth on are the China ones he just keeps adding them and they keep retaliating sure there is more coming next month.

[Xath]

Of all the countries I am keeping my eye on is China, Elon has a lot of manufacturing and sales there. They are the #2 best selling car in that country so I wonder when or if the CCP is going to put the squeeze on it to get back at Trump. The only tariffs he hasn't gone back and forth on are the China ones he just keeps adding them and they keep retaliating sure there is more coming next month.

I can't believe I am legitimately reduced to rooting for China to be petty can I wake up already and have the world be sane again.

[Rasulis]

Of all the countries I am keeping my eye on is China, Elon has a lot of manufacturing and sales there. They are the #2 best selling car in that country so I wonder when or if the CCP is going to put the squeeze on it to get back at Trump. The only tariffs he hasn't gone back and forth on are the China ones he just keeps adding them and they keep retaliating sure there is more coming next month.

Tesla China sold 30,688 vehicles in February, including those sold in China and those exported from China to overseas markets, according to data released today by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

That's down 49.16 percent from 60,365 in the same period last year and down 51.47 percent from 63,238 in January.

BYS is killing everybody else in China right now. In other parts of Asia, Tesla is being outcompete by Toyota, Mitsubishi and BYD.

Still #1 in the US. That's because we are keeping the Chinese EVs out.

[Xyonai]

Tesla China sold 30,688 vehicles in February, including those sold in China and those exported from China to overseas markets, according to data released today by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

That's down 49.16 percent from 60,365 in the same period last year and down 51.47 percent from 63,238 in January.

BYS is killing everybody else in China right now. In other parts of Asia, Tesla is being outcompete by Toyota, Mitsubishi and BYD.

So I guess right now it's a race between Tesla's market value collapsing to the point where Musk loses his major money making empire and him acquiring total control of the government so he can just grant himself infinite Tesla and SpaceX Contracts on Demand.