Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Corvus]

After costing Canadian conservatives the election, Trump has doubled up by costing Australian conservatives the election as well. Back in February they were on track to win due to the cost of living crisis but then Trump came along and they look like being smashed.

[Odinfrost]

Yeah, I had this exact discussion with my MIL two nights ago. Its weird.

Now, I dont think that Trump is gonna become Pope, the Vatican isnt a branch of the US government and Trump cant EO them into submission, and I doubt the Vatican is gonna say "lets appoint Trump Pope!" either.

Its not impossible, but neither is me spontaneously combusting. The odds are just really REALLY low.

Oh. Definitely. He won't be elected. But he just needs his followers to like the idea of the possibility. Because then he can start twist the narrative to BS more stuff.
Like saying that "the only reason I wasn't picked was because they thought that being president in the greatest country on earth and being pope would be too difficult. I'd say I can do it, you can see how good a job I do, I would be a great pope, greater than non-American popes, which is all of them believe it or not. No pope from the United States. Crazy to think about, right? No popes from the most Christian country.
Maybe we should make our own pope, does that sound good? The United States Pope. Would you like that? Would you like to see me be the United States Pope?"
And it would be met with thunderous applause.

[PhaelixWW]

After costing Canadian conservatives the election, Trump has doubled up by costing Australian conservatives the election as well. Back in February they were on track to win due to the cost of living crisis but then Trump came along and they look like being smashed.

[Breccia]

https://x.com/atrupar/status/1918495125426041317

Hey, look. Trump is imagining himself as the pope.

Yup. It's a religion. Good thing we're allowed to talk about religion here, huh?
@tehdang unless you say otherwise I will now refer to you as a "Trump worshipper" because it's clearly a religion now. You're free to object, but as long as Trump declares himself to be a religious leader, and you a known Trump supporter don't disagree, that means you do agree, and you are a Trump worshipper.

[PhaelixWW]

I mean... it's crazy. Just look at this turnaround:

[Davemetalhead]

Yup. It's a religion. Good thing we're allowed to talk about religion here, huh?
@tehdang unless you say otherwise I will now refer to you as a "Trump worshipper" because it's clearly a religion now. You're free to object, but as long as Trump declares himself to be a religious leader, and you a known Trump supporter don't disagree, that means you do agree, and you are a Trump worshipper.

If tehdang has any sense he has you on ignore, what with the constant baiting you do, so what's the point in you continually doing so?

[Breccia]

If tehdang has any sense he has you on ignore, what with the constant baiting you do, so what's the point in you continually doing so?

First, ignoring me doesn't make me go away.

Second, ignoring me doesn't make me wrong.

Third, it is worth every word demonstrating how far gone you have to be, just to be a Trump supporter. There's always something new to add to the deplorable list. Admittedly, "it's a religion" is not as bad as "direct willing supporter of terrorism" but it's still on the list.

And fourth, it's not ignoring me that makes him a snivelling craven coward. It's supporting Trump while knowing everything Trump does is vile, having no answer for any of it, and supporting him anyway because a Trump supporter admitting they made a mistake is a fate worse than death.

- - - Updated - - -

Trump goes on yet another late-night tweeting rampage.

Can it be so that Judges aren’t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from? If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE.

"What? The US can no longer deport people? What madness is this?"

Trump is, of course, lying. Trump can deport people just fine. He just can't declare them enemy combatants and use the Alien Enemies Act to do it. He has to use the Immigration department. You know, like everyone else.

Until Trump invoked it this year, the Alien Enemies Act was only invoked during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. Trump, in a proclamation on March 15, declared that Tren de Aragua was a designated terrorist organization that was "perpetuating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States."

Rodriguez wrote in his 36-page opinion that the Trump administration’s use of “invasion” does not match the historical use of the term, which has typically been used in connection with military endeavors or warfare. The court found that an “invasion” or “predatory incursion” must be “an organized, armed force entering the United States to engage in conduct destructive of property and human life in a specific geographical area” but that “need not be a precursor to actual war.”

"What a hack! Who appointed this judge, who is clearly so ignorant of the law is whatever Trump says it is?"

Trump appointed him.

Follow-up: if the AEA was the way to go, why didn't Trump do this in his first term? If not using the AEA makes the US an uninhabitable crimeland, and Trump didn't use it, doesn't that make him the problem, too? I think Trump just admitted that Trump destroyed the country.

[Doomcookie]

If tehdang has any sense he has you on ignore, what with the constant baiting you do, so what's the point in you continually doing so?

I think it goes back to all the times he tried to lie about not being a Trump supporter, despite the quotes of him admitting he voted for Trump.

When he was constantly being called out for the lies, and support of terrible things, all he wanted to do was deflect. He can't answer a direct question, and does everything he can to avoid being judged based on who he is, and the choices he made.

[Endus]

If tehdang has any sense he has you on ignore, what with the constant baiting you do, so what's the point in you continually doing so?

He's got me on ignore, too. Forum threads aren't private messages, though; this is an open discussion and there's an audience. Sometimes, you post something performative, not expecting an actual response, because you're actually speaking to that audience we all share.

And pointing out the hypocrisy or inconsistency in another user's post is of value to that discussion, even if that one poster won't see the criticism. All of us can see it, and know not to take them seriously.

The Ignore feature largely serves for blocking harassment or protecting a fragile ego. And critical posts aren't "harassment". I've blocked exactly one dude in my entire time here, and that was a guy spamming my PMs with multiple death and doxxing threats.

[Tech614]

Contracts protect both players and the institutions make them fully guaranteed and there are no issues. If the Colts third string qb on a rookie contract randomly goes crazy and has an MVP level season they don't suddenly get to transfer to another team that will pay them more they have to play out their contract and hope they get rewarded. See Brock Purdy. The real issue is we are still treating this as school teams when realistically especially post mega conferences it is for all intents and purposes a minor league.

1) The only rookie contracts in the NFL that are fully guaranteed are 1st rounders. If you suck and get cut as a 3rd rounder you are SoL and losing the majority of that money. The NFL also has a players union that negotiates all these terms for them, there is no college football union to do the same here so until there is a union to speak for them trying to lock them to teams is laughable as shit.

2) NIL money is not paid by the university it's paid by sponsors. The NFL salary comment is a complete bullshit comparison because NIL is the equivalent of a NFL player making a commercial for T Mobile, not the money they are paid to play for the team. You seem to be ignoring the blatant anti trust here with trying to police how much a player can sell their NIL for. You do realize what those 3 letters mean right? Name, image, likeness. How would you feel if some dumb org tried to police how much you could make from an advertiser that wants you? There is a reason the NCAA got clowned in court over this.

3) The money they will actually make from revenue sharing now that it's a thing is tiny compared to the money they bring in to the university. It's a $20 mil cap that has to be spread across the entire athletic department, not just the revenue sports. This is good for the players without marketing to make good NIL money but it is absolutely nothing compared to the market value of.

So yea, any leftist that is against college football players which are largely minorities not coming from rich families earning what the free market wants to pay them is in fact not a leftist at all and is trying to cosplay as one because they don't like Trump. Any regulation put into this should be protecting players from scam rug pulls, not trying to limit their earning.

[Davemetalhead]

He's got me on ignore, too. Forum threads aren't private messages, though; this is an open discussion and there's an audience. Sometimes, you post something performative, not expecting an actual response, because you're actually speaking to that audience we all share.

And pointing out the hypocrisy or inconsistency in another user's post is of value to that discussion, even if that one poster won't see the criticism. All of us can see it, and know not to take them seriously.

The Ignore feature largely serves for blocking harassment or protecting a fragile ego. And critical posts aren't "harassment". I've blocked exactly one dude in my entire time here, and that was a guy spamming my PMs with multiple death and doxxing threats.

And that's fine, but Breccia bates him on almost every single fucking post in this thread, and it's getting bloody tiresome now. Breccia posts some great stuff, informative and often amusing, as well as worrying, but bating tehdang so damned often is just fucking annoying when it leads to nothing.

Worst still is accusing him of things that he never said, just because Breccia doesn't like tehdang's political opinion - I'm not saying I agree with tehdang, if anything I pretty much agree with Breccia on most things, I'm just sick and tired of the constant crap that he's accusing tehdang of.

[Breccia]

And that's fine, but Breccia bates him on almost every single fucking post in this thread, and it's getting bloody tiresome now. Breccia posts some great stuff, informative and often amusing, as well as worrying, but bating tehdang so damned often is just fucking annoying when it leads to nothing.

That's the point. It's supposed to lead to nothing. There is no defense. And until he and the rest of the Trump worshippers admit that and leave, I will continue to do so, because they'll still deserve it with every disingenuous, trolling, or outright lie post.

The problem isn't me asking questions that never get answered. It would be trivial to just answer the questions and shut me the hell up. He won't. Your problem is with the coward hiding behind a fat orange senile idiot in a Pope hat. Take it up with him.

[Edge-]

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/02/nx-s1...rder-law-firms

A federal judge on Friday struck down President Trump's executive order targeting the prominent law firm of Perkins Coie, finding it unconstitutional and declaring it an attack on the foundational principles of the American legal system.

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell is the first to permanently block an executive order issued by Trump punishing a law firm for representing clients or causes that he dislikes.

"No American President has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue in this lawsuit targeting a prominent law firm with adverse actions to be executed by all Executive branch agencies," Howell wrote in her 102-page ruling.

"But, in purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: 'The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.'"

Perkins Coie was the first law firm targeted with a sweeping executive order that imposed potentially existential punitive measures on it. Trump's order suspended security clearances for the firm's employees, barred its attorneys from access to government buildings and officials, and ended government contracts with the firm.

Trump has issued similar executive orders against several other prominent law firms that he views as political enemies. Three of those firms, in addition to Perkins Coie, have sued to challenge Trump's actions, and won court orders temporarily blocking enforcement of the orders.

Perkins Coie's case is the first to be permanently blocked.

The latest authoritarian/fascist/dictatorial/choose your favorite term here attempt by Donald to weaponize the government against law firms representing people and groups he doesn't like by unfairly penalizing them and canceling contracts.

Donald is not the sole operator of this government, but Republicans sure seem to want it to work like that.

Is this the most lawless administration of all time? Court records so far sure seem to indicate that it is. And the party of "law and order" is silent.

[Xath]

1) The only rookie contracts in the NFL that are fully guaranteed are 1st rounders. If you suck and get cut as a 3rd rounder you are SoL and losing the majority of that money. The NFL also has a players union that negotiates all these terms for them, there is no college football union to do the same here so until there is a union to speak for them trying to lock them to teams is laughable as shit.

2) NIL money is not paid by the university it's paid by sponsors. The NFL salary comment is a complete bullshit comparison because NIL is the equivalent of a NFL player making a commercial for T Mobile, not the money they are paid to play for the team. You seem to be ignoring the blatant anti trust here with trying to police how much a player can sell their NIL for. You do realize what those 3 letters mean right? Name, image, likeness. How would you feel if some dumb org tried to police how much you could make from an advertiser that wants you? There is a reason the NCAA got clowned in court over this.

3) The money they will actually make from revenue sharing now that it's a thing is tiny compared to the money they bring in to the university. It's a $20 mil cap that has to be spread across the entire athletic department, not just the revenue sports. This is good for the players without marketing to make good NIL money but it is absolutely nothing compared to the market value of.

So yea, any leftist that is against college football players which are largely minorities not coming from rich families earning what the free market wants to pay them is in fact not a leftist at all and is trying to cosplay as one because they don't like Trump. Any regulation put into this should be protecting players from scam rug pulls, not trying to limit their earning.

The issue here is that NIL money is effectively tied to the university and going to the university and again it's forcing recruitment of your own team constantly. There are college basketball teams that currently have zero players because their entire roster is sitting in the portal to see what they get. The end of this is going to be an official minor league system probably with branding still tied to the schools but at least 2 year possibly 3 year contracts. They absolutely won't be standardized contracts like the NFL but they will be multi year likely fully guarenteed.

[No Kings Voter]

https://x.com/atrupar/status/1918495125426041317

Hey, look. Trump is imagining himself as the pope. Who could have seen it coming that the moron would like the idea.

And once more, Donald Trump continues to tick the boxes for being the Anti-Christ (look up what the anti christ is supposed to embody, symbolise and do. It's kinda scary how familiar everything sounds) and I don't know if he's doing it on purpose or if being such a narcissistic asshole with a giant following just coincidentally lines everything up.

Trump fucking with the Conclave ... backfiring on him in the most funny way. We get a hardline liberal Vaction III Pope, that starts excommunicating JD and Opus Dei weirdos.

[DarkTZeratul]

https://x.com/atrupar/status/1918495125426041317

Hey, look. Trump is imagining himself as the pope. Who could have seen it coming that the moron would like the idea.

Whole lot of people on Bluesky posting essentially, "I'm not Catholic, but even I'm offended by this."

[Davemetalhead]

The problem isn't me asking questions that never get answered. It would be trivial to just answer the questions and shut me the hell up. He won't. Your problem is with the coward hiding behind a fat orange senile idiot in a Pope hat. Take it up with him.

No, my problem is with you

[DarkTZeratul]

No, my problem is with you

Frankly, then, that sounds like a you problem.

[Mazza]

No, my problem is with you

Thedang very much dug his own grave on this by constantly lieing, presenting lies as they were facts and at best twisting cherry picked facts. And now you are upset because Breccia is "mean" to him? For real?

[Tech614]

Thedang very much dug his own grave on this by constantly lieing, presenting lies as they were facts and at best twisting cherry picked facts. And now you are upset because Breccia is "mean" to him? For real?

Won't somebody think about the fascists? We have to stop hurting their feelings!