Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Doomcookie]

Now imagine how pathetically bad at politics the Democrats have to be to be unable to sell that.

But really it’s more like “vote for us because we might institute some granular means tested tax break for some home buyers, and also we will gaslight you about Joe Biden’s mental fitness!”

Or, how incredibly stupid American voters are for not listening when it is told directly to their faces.

[gondrin]

Under normal circumstances, yes. So what if another judge rules "This arrest makes no sense, let her go at once" and the FBI just... doesn't?

I do not envy people living in the US at the moment :-/

Well, the FBI themselves don't have any holding facilities. They have to use either one of the local jails, one of the county jails, one of the state jails or one of the federal facilities. The warden or prison personnel there would be required to release the Judge or they can be forcefully drug into court under contempt charges by deputized US Marshalls that would work for that court.

Fun Fact: Those deputized Marshalls wouldn't come under the authority of the Executive Branch as they would fall under the Courts Jurisdiction.

So while they wouldn't want them released, they wouldn't have a say in the matter. The FBI isn't like the local police station that has their own jails. Like most federal police, they don't actually have any holding facilities of any kind. They have to use either local, county, state or, if there is one nearby, federal.

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so the donald's game of "fire/replace everyone around me by having them take the blame for my mistakes" has arrived in the pentagon with his alcoholic secretary of defense

this is the leadership senate republicans voted for

Remember, during his first administration, they had to hold job fairs at the White House because they couldn't keep anyone for more than a couple of months either through them quitting or getting fired.

You know, a place MOST people actively try to work at because of the prestige it brought during a normal Presidency had to hold an actual job fair because they couldn't find anyone to work there.

[Breccia]

We've moved onto the arrest the judges phase for going against the emperor's wishes.

From CNN:

I'll add WaPo but the story is going around.

Worth noting:

Patel announced the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan in a post on the social media platform X, which he deleted moments after posting. The post accused Dugan of “intentionally misdirecting” federal agents who arrived at the courthouse to detain an immigrant who was set to appear before her in an unrelated proceeding.

“Thankfully, our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since,” Patel wrote. “But the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public.”

Court records surrounding Dugan’s arrest were not immediately available Friday morning. The FBI declined to comment on why Patel had deleted his post announcing Dugan’s arrest.

If it was a good, legal, moral, ethical, completely above-board arrest...why delete the post?

The judge is accused of lying to the FBI about a suspected undocumented immigrant's location. Not refusing to answer, which is legal, but lying to law enforcement. I'll just say it, because I'm not a hypocritcal "it's only okay when our side does it" crower like @tehdang is, and I'm also not a supporter of violent terrorism like he is, but don't lie to law enforcement, don't obstruct justice, that's things Trump has objectively done on record by the way. And he was never brought to trial for it. So, kind of hypocritcal to arrest the judge for it...but, yes, if the judge did in fact lie to the FBI, which we do not know, but in that case, by all means, pursue legal remedy.

I do not take the word of Trump that this is what happened. I will accept the word of 12 jurors, because this is America.

Now that aside, arresting a judge is no small matter. I assume there was an arrest warrant? If not, then we are getting further into dictator territory. And no, I don't think this will scare judges into following Trump's orders. I think they'll be understandably angry that checks and balances are being threatened and I think they'll use their knowledge of the law to be more careful next times.

I'll wait for more facts before passing judgement, because again not a hypocrite or terrorist supporter, but from what we objectively know so far, this is following the dictator playbook. The fact that the FBI is ashamed of the arrest is evidence of innocence, not guilt.

[Edge-]

In some rare good news - https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-h...lth-initiative

The Trump administration is restoring financial support for a landmark study of women's health, an official said Thursday, reversing a defunding decision that shocked medical researchers.

"These studies represent critical contributions to our better understanding of women's health," said a statement from Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

The decision was made because the National Institutes of Health, which funds the Women's Health Initiative, or WHI, has "initially exceeded its internal targets for contract reductions," Nixon said. "We are now working to fully restore funding to these essential research efforts."

The Trump administration has demanded that all federal health agencies cut their spending on contracts by at least 35%, undergo massive layoffs and terminate hundreds of research grants.

"NIH remains deeply committed to advancing public health through rigorous gold standard research and we are taking immediate steps to ensure the continuity of these studies," Nixon added.

The news came a day after NPR reported on the plan to cut the project's funding.

Of course the pointless, unnecessary chaos is still harmful, but at least one piece of good funding will be restored.

It continues to seem like nobody in the White House actually knows what's being cut or is going on.

[Breccia]

Of course the pointless, unnecessary chaos is still harmful

Indeed. It's like saying "okay fine, we won't shut down Social Security or the IRS. We'll just fire most of the staff and close the website. When people complain the departments aren't working, then we'll shut them down."

[SAY HER NAME]

In some rare good news - https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-h...lth-initiative



Of course the pointless, unnecessary chaos is still harmful, but at least one piece of good funding will be restored.

It continues to seem like nobody in the White House actually knows what's being cut or is going on.

Its worth pointing out that these agencies which fund research represent a tiny percentage of the budget and even if you were to cut all of it would not be enough to cover for the tax cuts. Glad to see where the priorities are at

[NineSpine]

Or, how incredibly stupid American voters are for not listening when it is told directly to their faces.

Whose job is it to get those voters to vote for them?

[Mayhem]

What should Democrats be doing then? Outside of fighting everything in court and making it known they will keep doing so, not much will stop republicans right now. I don't think pulling a matt Murdoch here and forsaking the law to pull vigilante stuff is the play, personally, as I don't think America is that far gone.

There is a reason republicans have started demonizing judges, because it's the one thing that works to delay and hinder unconditional actions.

No, if the president ignores the law, the obvious answer is to fight him in court, duh.

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Its fascinating to me that you guys dont realize the internal contradictions. If this was Europe the president wouldnt be ignoring court orders. Bc the courts would be on their side all the time. This shows a perfectly functional government

If this was in Europe, the president wouldn't be able to do this shit because it would require an actual war for them to have this kind of power.

[SAY HER NAME]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/0...tions-00309407

It looks like the Trump administration has given up on trying to deport international students for traffic violations and dismissed charges. They didnt do this willingly btw. They had to be rebuffed in the courts

Its nice to see that Republicans fail to grasp the things that make america succesful.

[Edge-]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/0...tions-00309407

It looks like the Trump administration has given up on trying to deport international students for traffic violations and dismissed charges. They didnt do this willingly btw. They had to be rebuffed in the courts

Its nice to see that Republicans fail to grasp the things that make america succesful.

they were already successful in their campaign of terror against foreign students who expressed wrongthink, that's all that matters.

i wonder how marco rubio will defend this reversal given that he's been an attack dog talking about dangerous and awful all these college students are for doing things like expressing protected first amendment speech and shit

[Mayhem]

It wasn't politicking that took out the Nazi Reich. Politicking did nothing to prevent their rise to and securing of power.

No, because right at the beginning the other parties were outlawed and put in concentration camps, but let's ignore that minor detail.

Even before the last "free election", in march 33 the communist party was more or less crushed. Socialists and Nazis were fighting in the streets. Merely two weeks after the election laws were put in place to silence what remained of the opposition. Four months after the election the NSDAP was the sole legal party.

Right now the Democrats should be fighting not waiting.

And those Germans chose to keep themselves safe while, at best, turning their heads away from those who weren't just fearing death and prison, but actively being hunted and dragged off.

Which is already happening right now in the USA. People are already being dragged to prison or even being sent to death camps outside the USA (and Auschwitz, I'll note, is in Poland, not Germany).

That's hardly comparable.

My point is that you can't wait for politicians to save you. It won't happen. It practically can't happen, outside of an election, given how the USA's systems work. The American people need to fix this. Move fast and break things. Swinging a protest sign and chanting isn't going to do anything; protests work with businesses because you directly interfere with that business via the protest. A lack of "awareness" isn't the problem, it's a lack of "action". Which doesn't mean marching, it means throwing wrenches into the systems of government by whatever means necessary. You can't break fascism by playing by the rules; they make the rules, and will use them against you.

I am not saying people should wait for politicians, I am saying the fucking politicians shouldn't wait. Right now the democrats are playing by the rules and you absolve them of any responsibility and instead want the citizens to take the lead. Sorry but that makes no fucking sense.

The next chance the Democratic Party has to meaningfully affect anything is the 2026 midterms. And even then, it's reliant on the voters to do any of it. This is down to the masses, not the leadership.

You can't at the same time compare the current republican administration with the beginnings of a fascist takeover and expect them to run free and fair elections. Sorry to say this but if their goal is to remain in power then the voters are out of the equation already.

[Nymrohd]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-par...7cf52d5a606d19

Blue lives matter. But not as much as loyalists getting the Trump lift.

[Breccia]

Goes back to an earlier post of mine:

[En Sabah Nur]

Donald Trump claims to have received call from Xi Jinping and to have cut ‘200 deals’ on trade

Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had “called” him, despite denials from Beijing that talks to ease trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies had started.

The US president also made the claim that he had sealed “200 deals” on trade, even though no such pacts have been announced.

“You have to understand, I’m dealing with all the companies, very friendly countries. We’re meeting with China. We’re doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I’ve made all the deals,” Trump said in an interview with Time Magazine published on Friday.

Trump said of the Chinese president: “He’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf.”

However, several people familiar with the situation in Washington and Beijing said Xi had not called Trump. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not comment.

In his Time interview, the US president also insisted that “100 per cent” he had done 200 trade deals with countries across the globe, even though none have been announced. But he also suggested that they could be unveiled in the next month. “Over the next three to four weeks . . . we’re finished, by the way,” he said.

Really just the most prolific bullshitter on the face of the planet, isn't he?

Are we meant to just believe that he wouldn't announce every last deal made as soon as it was done so that he could save face and try brag with something legit?

Even China are basically telling him to shut the fuck up:

On multiple occasions Trump has also referred to trade talks between the countries, even though these are yet to take place, according to people in Washington and Beijing.

“China and the US are NOT having any consultation or negotiation on #tariffs. The US should stop creating confusion,” the Chinese foreign ministry posted on X on Friday.

[Edge-]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-par...7cf52d5a606d19

Blue lives matter. But not as much as loyalists getting the Trump lift.

lmao of course he pardons a lady who stole police funds for plastic surgery come on now, that's very important

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Donald Trump claims to have received call from Xi Jinping and to have cut ‘200 deals’ on trade

Eventually even the media are going to stop reporting on his very obvious and transparent lies.

i wonder what he'll do then, threaten to nuke them?

[SAY HER NAME]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-par...7cf52d5a606d19

Blue lives matter. But not as much as loyalists getting the Trump lift.

I sometimes wonder where Trump even finds these people to pardon. Like this is a random small time criminal doing some of the worst trashiest crimes.

[Nymrohd]

I sometimes wonder where Trump even finds these people to pardon. Like this is a random small time criminal doing some of the worst trashiest crimes.

Someone in his circle told him about the plight of the poor blonde woman desecrating her body with bad plastic surgery to look like a Trump handmaiden and ofc he had to act.

[En Sabah Nur]

Eventually even the media are going to stop reporting on his very obvious and transparent lies.

i wonder what he'll do then, threaten to nuke them?

Oh, that'll never happen. They helped him get elected precisely because they know they can keep reporting his bullshit and keep getting clicks/views. Helps that he is his usual shotgun of shit, where they always have something to talk about. To the point they can freely ignore doing what they did with Biden in favor of pretending certain things didn't happen.

But he'll still threaten them when he gets a whiff of anything not positive about him lol

[Gorsameth]

Donald Trump claims to have received call from Xi Jinping and to have cut ‘200 deals’ on trade

Really just the most prolific bullshitter on the face of the planet, isn't he?

Are we meant to just believe that he wouldn't announce every last deal made as soon as it was done so that he could save face and try brag with something legit?

Even China are basically telling him to shut the fuck up:

Is it wrong for me to wish China would go "Every time Trump lies about china the tariffs will go up more"?

[Breccia]

So, I don't have TIME magazine's article, just kidding, of course I do.

TIME interviewed Trump and...it was...not great. They advertise the interview with

The first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term have been among the most destabilizing in American history.

Naturally, Trump did nearly nothing but lie. For example, he told TIME he had already gotten 200 trade deals. TIME of course asked him to name even one. Trump refused. A lot of the rest were old favorites like 2020 being stolen, the trade gap (he was wrong by literally negative 200 percent), the Jan 6th terrorists were just peaceful loving non-murderers, etc.

Trump then claimed Garcia wasn't released because nobody, more to the point Trump's lawyers, haven't asked him yet.

Well, because I haven’t been asked to ask [El Salvador President Nayib Bukele] by my attorneys. Nobody asked me to ask him that question, except you

Did...did Trump forget he was in charge?

This might be the most damning part of the interview:

It’s possible that Trump, 100 days in, is at the peak of his power. A resistance—if not one that resembles the first-term Resistance—is stirring to life. Trump’s protectionist policies threaten a recession of his own making; businesses big and small face the imminent threat of closure as they cut workers, close production lines, and try to stay afloat in the face of disruptions to supply chains and revenue of a scale not seen since the pandemic. Universities have found greater courage in the face of Trump’s threats to their multibillion-dollar research budgets. Communities that rely on immigrant labor have bristled at the uptick in deportations. With consumer confidence at its lowest level in three years and inflation expected to climb as a consequence of the trade war, even meek Republicans have raised complaints about the impact of some of Trump’s moves on their political future. Polling finds that a larger share of Americans now live in fear of their government and Trump’s approval rating has slipped to 40%, according to a Pew survey, lower at this early stage in his term than that of any other recent President.

The interview spells out Trump's attacks on democracy, his inability to form a cohesive plan, and his many failures. Even as the article suggests Trump is trying to break any organized resistance against him, it says one is forming regardless.

And this is Trump putting his best foot forward. TIME and FOX News, despite differing reasons for telling the truth (being a credible news organization vs. not wanting to be sued again), continue to point out Trump is a lying failure.