Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

Before pausing country-by-country tariffs for 90 days, President Donald Trump repeatedly said tariffs were bringing in immense revenue.

At an April 8 executive order signing, Trump said, "We’re taking in almost $2 billion a day in tariffs. Two billion a day."

He repeated the $2 billion figure during an April 8 speech to the National Republican Congressional Committee. Trump did not cite a source for the figure.

False

Not only did Trump reverse the revenues April 9, except for China and the last 10%, there was no evidence at all the US was taking in anything. At best, Trump was projecting what the % he briefly applied would do if trade remained constant, and that was $2 billion. In other words, fraud.

When Associated Press reporter Josh Boak asked about tariffs in the White House press briefing March 11, the exchange with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly became testy.

It also produced a sentence that left economists’ heads spinning: "Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people," Leavitt said.

After Leavitt said that, Boak responded, "I'm sorry, have you ever paid a tariff? Because I have. They don't get charged on foreign companies. They get charged on the importers."

Leavitt pushed back, calling his question "insulting."

False

Like anyone who isn't Trump, Boak was right when saying tariffs are charged to importers. Even if prices somehow magically lowered, it is still not a tax cut. Any plan to replace existing taxes with tariffs is hypothetical, and more importantly, would instantly be ruined by Trump simply removing tariffs as he's done multiple times already.

While hosting race car drivers at the White House, President Donald Trump explained his decision to pause country-by-country tariffs, while raising tariffs on goods imported from China, which are now 145%.

Trump focused on the importance of weaning the U.S. off Chinese goods.

"China was by far the biggest abuser in history," he said at the April 9 event. "Somebody had to do it. They had to stop because it was not sustainable. Last year, China made $1 trillion off trade with the United States. That’s not right."

False

The trade gap was $300 billion last year. The highest trade gap was a little over $500 billion, in 2018, when Trump was in office.

In an April 9 memo, Trump directed his administration to strip security clearance from Chris Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and investigate Kreb’s time at CISA.

Trump said Krebs "weaponized" his authority and "censored speech."

"Krebs, through CISA, falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, including by inappropriately and categorically dismissing widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines."

Trump repeated that the election was rigged while he signed the memo in the Oval Office on April 9.

"This guy, Krebs, was saying, ‘Oh, the election was great. It was great.’ Well, it’s been proven that it was not only not great ... It was a very corrupt election. They used COVID to cheat," Trump said.

"Almost right from the beginning and (Krebs), he’s tried to make the case that this election was a safe election," Trump continued. "I think he said this is the safest election we’ve ever had. And yet, every day you read in the papers about more and more fraud that’s discovered."

Pants on Fire

Duh.

On PBS, "they now have drag queen storytime instead of good old Sesame Street," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., during a March 25 interview with Newmax host Chris Salcedo. Greene made the comment before a House hearing about defunding PBS.

False

"Sesame Street" continues airing on PBS and has not been replaced by drag queen storytime.

Greene referenced a 2021 segment of the show "Let’s Learn," produced and funded by a local New York City member station and the New York City Department of Education. PBS did not produce or distribute the segment that featured a drag queen singing along to the book, "The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish."

The video was available on PBS.org for about two months in 2021. PBS’ CEO said the local station mistakenly posted the segment on the website.

You know the deal. @tehdang these are all objective lies said and often repeated by the people you voted for and continue to support. Your upcoming failure to address the issue will be taken as admission you know they are lies, but continue to support these lies anyhow.

[gondrin]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/trum...231028015.html

Apparently gender-bent Goebbels, Presse Secretary Karoline Leavitt, keeps getting called out by the Chinese embassy for wearing clothes that were at least in-part manufactured in China, and otherwise her expensive, luxury clothing.



That moment when you decline to take advantage of the free publicity because there is such a thing as bad publicity.

The best one is always the MAGA hats and other merch that were made in China and will continue to be made in China. Because nothing says 'MERICA!!! than wearing clothes made in a foreign country.

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The GOP needs to be dismantled. They're the ones who pass these Nazi-ass laws that ICE is purporting to enforce in the first place.

As much as it sucks to say this, ICE was a bipartisan thing that came right after 9/11. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE and a few other things came from that event. Before ICE, it was split between 3 agencies, Custom, INS and Federal Protective Service.

It was a reaction to pretty much being afraid of ones own shadow, so to speak.

[Breccia]

As Trump's measles outbreak continues to spread, the CDD admits the count is probably underreported.

Which I would believe, considering who's running the place.

Dr. David Sugerman, a senior scientist leading the CDC’s measles response, said Tuesday at a meeting of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee that more than 90% of the cases are “related to the Southwest outbreak, driven by transmission in close-knit, undervaccinated communities.” The other cases have largely been imported from other countries, he said.

“We do believe that there’s quite a large amount of cases that are not reported and underreported,” Sugerman said Tuesday as he updated the committee on measles. “In working very closely with our colleagues in Texas; in talking with families, they may mention prior cases that have recovered and never received testing, other families that may have cases and never sought treatment.”

Sugerman said the CDC has deployed 15 people to Texas to help manage the outbreak and is sending seven more this week. It continues to make measles vaccines available to health departments at their request, he said, and it is helping standardize and expand wastewater surveillance.

However, the CDC slashed $11.4 billion in Covid funding last month, some of which helped state health departments respond to disease outbreaks. Sugerman said the loss of Covid grant money has created “funding limitations” in Texas, where state officials are redirecting staffers to work on the measles response or moving them from other regions to help support efforts in the outbreak area.

“We are scraping to find the resources and personnel needed to provide support to Texas and other jurisdictions,” Sugerman said.

Even the CDC says the CDC is underfunded and understaffed. Oh, and an unvaccinated adult died with measles (cause of death still not public) so the death count could possibly be three. As a reminder, there had been no child deaths to measles since 2003 until these two.

NBC News then goes on to quote RFK Jr. saying basically "get the vaccine if you want, it doesn't work and doesn't last very long", then quotes studies disproving the statements from the conspiracy theorist Trump put in charge of saving the lives of sick Americans.

[gondrin]

my favorite part of the white house's response to this video and visit -



is there anyone in this administration that isn't functionally a poorly written cartoon villain?

Honestly, this is where everytime she gets up and holds a press conference, each reporter needs to ask the same exact question.

"Was there any evidence he was shown to be a gang member of MS-13 or any other gang?"

When the inevitable "X case from 2019 shows that he is" comes out, have a transcript of it that shows "No evidence was shown that he was legitimately a MS-13 member or any member of any gang. It was based off of testimony that wasn't ever established as true."

When she replies with her normal whataboutism or normal propaganda nonsense that evidence should be valid, they should then state that "Well, I have testimony that is credible that you are not born in this country and your birth certificate was faked. Are you?"

Basically, put them on the spot and force them to actually come to terms with what they are doing. Put them in the shoes of the people they are attacking. Show her and the rest of them the hostility they have shown everyone else.

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About 30% of jewish americans voted for Trump. We live in the stupidest of times.

People forget that a sizable number of Jewish people also, at the time, voted for the German Nazi party.

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Oh boy, it'll be fun to see Trump piss off the Mormons.

Will this be where they move to a new place only to get attacked by giant bugs?

[Rasulis]

The Trump administration has issued termination notices to over 1,500 CFPB staff, reducing the agency by nearly 90%.

A newly released memo outlines a major policy shift that deprioritizes enforcement, supervision, and regulation of nonbank lenders, student loans, medical debt, and fintech firms.

[Fugus]

The Trump administration has issued termination notices to over 1,500 CFPB staff, reducing the agency by nearly 90%.

A newly released memo outlines a major policy shift that deprioritizes enforcement, supervision, and regulation of nonbank lenders, student loans, medical debt, and fintech firms.

Knew this was coming. His last time in office he dismantled them to the point their prosecutions dropped by over 90%, this was bound to be worse. Said to know all this was coming and not able to do anything about it because too many would rather sell out their own children pretending their right their hurting their pride admitting their not.

[gondrin]

The Trump administration has issued termination notices to over 1,500 CFPB staff, reducing the agency by nearly 90%.

A newly released memo outlines a major policy shift that deprioritizes enforcement, supervision, and regulation of nonbank lenders, student loans, medical debt, and fintech firms.

This was a thing right from the start. They literally tried this within the first 3 weeks before a judge put a halt on it unless it went through official means. One of the first acts that Vaught did was pretty much stop all work being done and furloughed everyone with pay.

[Edge-]

The Trump administration has issued termination notices to over 1,500 CFPB staff, reducing the agency by nearly 90%.

A newly released memo outlines a major policy shift that deprioritizes enforcement, supervision, and regulation of nonbank lenders, student loans, medical debt, and fintech firms.

who bunch more financially illiterate people gonna get hosed by shady companies

thank you donaldo trumpino

[tehdang]

The Trump administration has issued termination notices to over 1,500 CFPB staff, reducing the agency by nearly 90%.

A newly released memo outlines a major policy shift that deprioritizes enforcement, supervision, and regulation of nonbank lenders, student loans, medical debt, and fintech firms.

What took him so long?

End that misbegotten MONSTER and move on to the next. Then end all executive-created tariffs on countries other than China for a good pairing.

[Ivanstone]

What took him so long?

End that misbegotten MONSTER and move on to the next.

Then end all executive-created tariffs on countries other than China for a good pairing.

He's very incompetent at being evil.

Why does the GOP love financial crimes so much?

Careful. DHS is probably monitoring your computer right now. Disagreeing with Dear Leader might get you renditioned to El Salvador.

[Kaleredar]

What took him so long?

End that misbegotten MONSTER and move on to the next.

Never seen anyone so pro-student debt, do you work for one of their companies?

Besides, if you feel that “people are unnecessarily burdened by government regulations when they have to seek out loan sharks because of oversight placed upon those loan sharks” then you’re failing to address the core issue, which is why do so many people need to rely on loan sharks in this society you’ve created?

Then end all executive-created tariffs on countries other than China for a good pairing.

You know Trump isn’t going to do this.

He’s segued out of his pure malicious greed angle and gone into something far, far worse: doing things because he actually believes in them. Or at least, believes that his idiotic idea is right so he’ll keep doubling down on it.

The con man is never in more danger than when he begins to believe his own con.

[Cthulhu 2020]

They will care, just possibly not in the way you'd like. They are a cult of strength so they will not yield or negotiate and since the cult does not allow simply ignoring protests either, they will escalate.

They'll plant agents in large protests who are there explicitly to start violence, then when the violence happens in anti-Trump rallies because they planted those people there they get to point and say "LOOK SEE LIBERALS ARE THE VIOLENT ONES"

[tehdang]

He's very incompetent at being evil.

Why does the GOP love financial crimes so much?

Careful. DHS is probably monitoring your computer right now. Disagreeing with Dear Leader might get you renditioned to El Salvador.

Dems love their unaccountable government agencies, that's for sure. Who cares about their abuses?

Never seen anyone so pro-student debt, do you work for one of their companies?

Next up: Never seen anyone so pro-cancer!

Besides, if you feel that “people are unnecessarily burdened by government regulations when they have to seek out loan sharks because of oversight placed upon those loan sharks” then you’re failing to address the core issue, which is why do so many people need to rely on loan sharks in this society you’ve created?

Dems could reinstitute slavery while just getting their supporters to say "Opposing this means you hate oversight! And love loan sharks! And you're ignoring societal problems."

You know Trump isn’t going to do this.

He’s segued out of his pure malicious greed angle and gone into something far, far worse: doing things because he actually believes in them. Or at least, believes that his idiotic idea is right so he’ll keep doubling down on it.

The con man is never in more danger than when he begins to believe his own con.

He probably won't, but it would still be the perfect pairing.

[DarkTZeratul]

I never thought he was dead.

Neither did I, personally, but several people expressed concern that that's why the admin was stonewalling getting him back. But no, he's alive, they're just racist assholes who don't want to do so even though they themselves admitted it was a mistake.

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Next up: Never seen anyone so pro-cancer!

If you were defending RFK Jr's cuts to the CDC (and to be clear I haven't seen if you are or not), that would be honestly be a fair response.

Dems could reinstitute slavery while just getting their supporters to say "Opposing this means you hate oversight! And love loan sharks! And you're ignoring societal problems."

Oh, you mean how you and the party you support openly wants to be able to remove immigrants, and even citizens, from the country entirely on the basis of government accusations of terrorism, without trial, and are explicitly saying "Opposing this means you hate Jews! And love terrorists and foreign gangs! And you're ignoring criminals."

[Aphelios]

False

Not only did Trump reverse the revenues April 9, except for China and the last 10%, there was no evidence at all the US was taking in anything. At best, Trump was projecting what the % he briefly applied would do if trade remained constant, and that was $2 billion. In other words, fraud.



False

Like anyone who isn't Trump, Boak was right when saying tariffs are charged to importers. Even if prices somehow magically lowered, it is still not a tax cut. Any plan to replace existing taxes with tariffs is hypothetical, and more importantly, would instantly be ruined by Trump simply removing tariffs as he's done multiple times already.



False

The trade gap was $300 billion last year. The highest trade gap was a little over $500 billion, in 2018, when Trump was in office.



Pants on Fire

Duh.



False



You know the deal. @tehdang these are all objective lies said and often repeated by the people you voted for and continue to support. Your upcoming failure to address the issue will be taken as admission you know they are lies, but continue to support these lies anyhow.

You're wrong.

[Bwgmon]

You're wrong.

Well, I'm certainly convinced by your compelling counter-argument.

[Mayhem]

People forget that a sizable number of Jewish people also, at the time, voted for the German Nazi party.

Not entirely comparable, the nsdap never had full control of the government up until the coup.

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Next up: Never seen anyone so pro-cancer!

So you're pro student debt and pro cancer?

What comes after weird?

[alach]

Well, I'm certainly convinced by your compelling counter-argument.

He sure showed us. I will have to rethink my entire world view now.

[tehdang]

Oh, you mean how you and the party you support openly wants to be able to remove immigrants, and even citizens, from the country entirely on the basis of government accusations of terrorism, without trial, and are explicitly saying "Opposing this means you hate Jews! And love terrorists and foreign gangs! And you're ignoring criminals."

I thought the left never speak of "immigrants, and even citizens" as if they were two distinct groups! No, your ignorance on this matter betrays your lack of concern. Perhaps you meant to say illegal aliens, or maybe it was student visa holders in illegal encampments on university campuses that cheer Hamas and October 7th? I'm sure you can find a real disagreement between us that lies behind this bluster.

But if you're just fighting strawmen instead of me, or want to pretend I'm Stephen Miller, you won't catch me occupying positions I don't support in order to give you something to fight.

[Tech614]

I thought the left never speak of "immigrants, and even citizens" as if they were two distinct groups! No, your ignorance on this matter betrays your lack of concern. Perhaps you meant to say illegal aliens, or maybe it was student visa holders in illegal encampments on university campuses that cheer Hamas and October 7th? I'm sure you can find a real disagreement between us that lies behind this bluster.

But if you're just fighting strawmen instead of me, or want to pretend I'm Stephen Miller, you won't catch me occupying positions I don't support in order to give you something to fight.

I have yet to see evidence of them deporting anyone that cheers hamas and oct 7th. What they have done is deport people that organize anti genocide rallies, and none of these people cheer for hamas just because some bad apples show up at their events and try to act like they are a part of it. I have seen no evidence of those bad apples being deported, because people have no clue who the hell they are.

Then again I don't expect the resident genocide denier to even know what the fuck is happening on this matter.