Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Rasulis]

This is the curse of RTO.

IT sector in the US laid off around 141,000 jobs in 2025. This is not unique to the US though. Globally, the IT sector lost around 1.2 million jobs in 2025. Alibaba workforce dropped from 204,891 in 2024 to 124,320 by March 31, 2025.

[Xyonai]

The latest idea to bring down car prices from the administration is to introduce tiny sub-compact cars like those that are popular in Southeast Asia. The catch is different environments, with much more distance to travel and more harsh weather conditions in the US. More importantly though, the prospect of potentially getting in a car accident with one of the millions of full-size trucks on US roads does not seem like it would end well for the tiny car owner. That should be a massive safety concern about this idea in the US.

To be as fair as I can be; those smaller trucks are pretty great for urban areas and even just small load transport in rural communities, filling in the niche of all small to mid sized pick-ups that have more or less gone extinct thanks to the Ford F150 Childmulchers. And really they'd not be any less liable to be obliterated by other cars than a smart car. More the issues I'd say would come from them not meeting other safety standards, maintenance if they use non-standard parts, and potentially price if they have to be imported.

[Breccia]

He's declared fentanyl as a WMD, so he can use even more military to blow shit up.

The choice of wording means nothing. Trump is just babbling.

Federal law describes what a weapon of mass destruction is. Literally first place I looked was the FBI.

What are weapons of mass destruction?
A WMD is defined by U.S. law (18 U.S.C. § 2332a) as any of the following:

• a destructive device, such as an explosive or incendiary bomb, rocket, or grenade
• a weapon that is designed to cause death or serious injury through toxic or poisonous chemicals
• a weapon that contains a biological agent or toxin
• a weapon that is designed to release dangerous levels of radiation or radioactivity

WMD often refers to all chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) weapon modalities. These weapons can have a large-scale impact on people, property, or infrastructure.

Trump cannot change federal law just because he says so. At best, this was hyperbole - unfitting in a declaration of this type, to be sure. In any other situation, this is Trump displaying ignorance or trying to circumvent well-known federal law just because he says so.

[En Sabah Nur]

I'm not one to generally talk about how someone looks, but fuck me, Vanity Fair did not touch any photos up for their Susie Wiles piece.

Anyone care to see Leavitt up close, lip filler injection sites visible and all?

Spoiler: 

[fwc577]

I'm not one to generally talk about how someone looks, but fuck me, Vanity Fair did not touch any photos up for their Susie Wiles piece.

Anyone care to see Leavitt up close, lip filler injection sites visible and all?

Spoiler: 

This pic should come with a NSFW warning. She looks like a granny up close.

[Breccia]

FOX News announces *ding* Trump has a major announcement tomorrow at 9 Trump Central Time.

"About what?"

Trump didn't say.

"Why didn't he just say what he wants to say, right now?"

Trump didn't say.

"What happened to cause this announcement?"

Probably the economy tanking. The single biggest thing the GOP is supposed to be good at, and Trump is failing in public on purpose due to his willing direct actions. He needs a distraction and he needs it now.

"What will this be about?"

Probably committing war crimes. He knows announcing legal prosecutions like this makes the cases worse, not better. He won't reduce tariffs. There's no reason to believe this is Ukraine and Russia making peace and, for some reason, waiting for Trump to announce it. So I'm predicting an announcement of more violent war crimes on the open seas and/or Venezuela.

[Draco-Onis]

The choice of wording means nothing. Trump is just babbling.

Federal law describes what a weapon of mass destruction is. Literally first place I looked was the FBI.



Trump cannot change federal law just because he says so. At best, this was hyperbole - unfitting in a declaration of this type, to be sure. In any other situation, this is Trump displaying ignorance or trying to circumvent well-known federal law just because he says so.

We should just appreciate how terribly stupid Trump and his supporters are, he is combining the biggest failures of American policy the war on drugs and the war on terror. That's like looking at the two biggest mistakes of your life combining them to do it again.

[btlcryct]

The choice of wording means nothing. Trump is just babbling.

Federal law describes what a weapon of mass destruction is. Literally first place I looked was the FBI.



Trump cannot change federal law just because he says so. At best, this was hyperbole - unfitting in a declaration of this type, to be sure. In any other situation, this is Trump displaying ignorance or trying to circumvent well-known federal law just because he says so.

In a sane world, I'd agree fully. But we're not living in that world anymore. I have no doubt SCOTUS would let him do whatever he wants if this gets taken to them, in the name of "protecting the American people".

[Breccia]

I have no doubt SCOTUS would let him do whatever he wants

I do. They don't want to open this up. They know full well it would be trivial to label carbon emissions from automobiles "weapons of mass destruction" and force everyone to drive EVs.

And I don't think they'll need to do anything, honestly. This is just Trump giving an excuse to put tariffs out there, which is already before SCOTUS. I suppose he could be planning to invade a country on the knowingly false grounds they're using WMDs...huh, that sounds familiar...but that feels more like Congress' job to stop than SCOTUS. Trump likely could invade, say, Venezuela for literally no reason at all. Congress would just need to declare it an actual war to remain there.

A WH declaration means nothing in this context, and even Team Trump knows it. They're retroactively justifying things, nothing more. This designation will not lead to a single arrest.

[Rustedsaint]

FOX News announces *ding* Trump has a major announcement tomorrow at 9 Trump Central Time.

"About what?"

Trump didn't say.

"Why didn't he just say what he wants to say, right now?"

Trump didn't say.

"What happened to cause this announcement?"

Probably the economy tanking. The single biggest thing the GOP is supposed to be good at, and Trump is failing in public on purpose due to his willing direct actions. He needs a distraction and he needs it now.

"What will this be about?"

Probably committing war crimes. He knows announcing legal prosecutions like this makes the cases worse, not better. He won't reduce tariffs. There's no reason to believe this is Ukraine and Russia making peace and, for some reason, waiting for Trump to announce it. So I'm predicting an announcement of more violent war crimes on the open seas and/or Venezuela.

Let’s open the betting pool on what it’s about
Blabbering about winning the 2020 election, bidden’s auto pen
More traffs or more biggie deals that won’t actually happen
Announcing new bitcoin that help him get into heaven
Blowing up more boats, invading that South American country that I can’t spell atm for some reason.
Banning/arresting the Democratic Party due to leftist violence
Piggybacking on his previous announcement of fentanyl being a wmd, he gonna invade Canada.
Or that long shot announcing his health has turned for the worse and will be stepping down

[Breccia]

Well I cited FOX, that means I get to cite CNN and nobody can complain.

Turns out, there was more to that jobs report. Guess if it was good news!

"...yes?"

First time on these forums?

American workers made an average of $36.86 an hour in November, up 3.5% over the past year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. That may sound like a nice raise, but it’s barely enough to keep pace with the 3% annual gain in consumer prices.

"Ahah! It was good news! Wages grew faster than inflation! MAGA!"

Second time on these forums?

And it was the lowest annual paycheck growth that Americans have had since May 2021.

Yep. Biden beat it, every year. Once again, Trump is objectively worse than Biden on the economy.

"Well at least it wasn't negative."

Third time on these forums?

And, of course, that’s just an average, boosted by a 4% wage gain last month among top earners, Bank of America’s deposit data showed. Middle-income household paycheck gains were just 2.3%, and low-income households gained just 1.4% in pay over the past year.

Yep. Trump's direct actions in public on purpose have caused wages to grow less than the rate of inflation, unless you are rich.

Now I linked the article. There's a moving graph there I can't accurately show/cite here, but it is both inflation and also wage growth on the same graph. The graph starts in 2019-

"You know CNN was probably cherry-picking that year, right?"

I have enough CNN points to post them for months without having to defend them. Also, wake me when their figures, cherry-picked or not, are objectively false. I'll bet you $800 million they're accurate. Fourth time on these forums?

The annual growth in American workers’ hourly pay topped out at 5.9% in March 2022

"Okay, that's just flat-out disingenuous. CNN knows that was never sustainable."

which was never sustainable

"...oh."

Yep. Fifth time on these forums?

but has been steadily falling ever since. That trend is, in part, a result of smaller cost-of-living adjustments as inflation has returned to near-normal from the four-decade high set in June 2022.

But sinking wage growth is also a result of a worsening job market. The US economy has lost jobs in three of the past six months, and 2025 is on pace to post the worst job growth since the pandemic wiped out a record number of jobs in 2020.

Meaning, once again, Biden did better on the economy than Trump is doing.

So, want to take a guess about where inflation is going?

"Not anymore, no."

Eh, I'll give you another chance.

The good news, according to Powell, is that this increase [EDITOR: in inflation] is entirely due to Trump’s tariffs, which, in theory, will not add to long-term inflation problems: Prices will go higher once, and the new rate will set in. Tariffs do not keep prices rising indefinitely.

How about now?

"Still no, you're going to follow-up with worse news."

Well you got there eventually.

The bad news is that prices may still have some room to run higher from their current levels. Companies have eaten roughly 80% of Trump’s new tariffs thus far, their profit margins are shrinking, and they’ll begin passing much of those costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices next year, according to JPMorgan.

Thursday’s Consumer Price Index report is expected to show that annual inflation rose to 3.1%, further narrowing the gap between paycheck growth and price increases. Both trends are pointing in the wrong direction, exacerbating perceptions that America’s cost of living is no longer affordable.

Trump might push a false number, but at this point, there's no benefit. Being caught lying would be worse than posting that 3% rose to 3.1%, and there are dozens of private sources lined up to give their own carefully researched values.

Trump supporters, you willfully voted for someone who is doing worse than Biden, who Trump said was bad. Your choices are few: you can admit you were wrong, you can beg for more time, or you can keep being blatant fucking lying hypocrites. Or, you can keep hiding in whatever bunker you're crying yourself to sleep in, unable to engage in even the simplest topics like "unemployment" or "inflation" because everything you claimed is wrong. Also known as "open admission of being pussy fucking cowards". Take your pick, only one answer is actually mature, but I'm betting you'd literally rather die than admit you made a mistake.

[btlcryct]

I do. They don't want to open this up. They know full well it would be trivial to label carbon emissions from automobiles "weapons of mass destruction" and force everyone to drive EVs.

And I don't think they'll need to do anything, honestly. This is just Trump giving an excuse to put tariffs out there, which is already before SCOTUS. I suppose he could be planning to invade a country on the knowingly false grounds they're using WMDs...huh, that sounds familiar...but that feels more like Congress' job to stop than SCOTUS. Trump likely could invade, say, Venezuela for literally no reason at all. Congress would just need to declare it an actual war to remain there.

A WH declaration means nothing in this context, and even Team Trump knows it. They're retroactively justifying things, nothing more. This designation will not lead to a single arrest.

I really hope so, but they made some decisions in his 2nd term that have left me shaking my head going WTF?!

[D Luniz]

Could this actually be the nail in the trump cult coffin? Not, as you said that he is a horrible person, but it's so put out the open and indefensible. You cannot seriously support this, so what will Maga do?
Could this finally be the light bulb moment?

A reminder that when the Access Hollywood tape come out republicans were falling over each other to point out how they had girls and women in their lives and "couldn't look them in the eyes again if I supported Donald Trump"
And the complete lack of republicans that either lost contact with those family members or gouged out their eyes

TLDR: no lightbulb, these people will back him to the bitter end, then gaslight that they didnt when he's unable to sick maga on them anymore.

[Edge-]

A reminder that when the Access Hollywood tape come out republicans were falling over each other to point out how they had girls and women in their lives and "couldn't look them in the eyes again if I supported Donald Trump"
And the complete lack of republicans that either lost contact with those family members or gouged out their eyes

TLDR: no lightbulb, these people will back him to the bitter end, then gaslight that they didnt when he's unable to sick maga on them anymore.

lindsey graham, rafael cruz, marco rubio, etc. etc. etc.

i'm tired of people thinking that these folks want to be redeemed or are redeemable. at this point it's been roughly a decade of them choosing to be terrible, awful, no-good people who will always come running back to gargle donald's balls no matter what happens. because the republican party has set itself up like a cult for a long time now (see "saint reagan") and it just so happened that somehow reality tv star and legendary sleezeball donald trump ended up being the one to take the figurehead position

it's their identity. people don't change their identity easy

[Poopymonster]

lindsey graham, rafael cruz, marco rubio, etc. etc. etc.

i'm tired of people thinking that these folks want to be redeemed or are redeemable. at this point it's been roughly a decade of them choosing to be terrible, awful, no-good people who will always come running back to gargle donald's balls no matter what happens. because the republican party has set itself up like a cult for a long time now (see "saint reagan") and it just so happened that somehow reality tv star and legendary sleezeball donald trump ended up being the one to take the figurehead position

it's their identity. people don't change their identity easy

The only way I could see any of them repenting is if they were given a fatal diagnosis, and like 6 months to live.
That happens, suddenly people get a whole heapin helpin of the Jesuses*.
Otherwise no change.

*The one in the book, not Supply Side Economics Jesus, Aryan Jesus, or any of the others that are not a Jew with some decent ideas about not being a prick but kept "whipping rich people" on the table. Before he flipped it.

[postman1782]

This pic should come with a NSFW warning. She looks like a granny up close.

The thing is, shes only what? 28 now? She was 27 at the inauguration, why is she getting lip fillers. And she's married to some 50 or 60 year old.

[Milchshake]

<Twin Peaks Voice>
It's Happening Again


Appropriately, Snoqualmie Falls from the Twin Peaks intro has been apocolyptically flooding this week.

[Masark]

The choice of wording means nothing. Trump is just babbling.

Federal law describes what a weapon of mass destruction is. Literally first place I looked was the FBI.

Trump cannot change federal law just because he says so. At best, this was hyperbole - unfitting in a declaration of this type, to be sure. In any other situation, this is Trump displaying ignorance or trying to circumvent well-known federal law just because he says so.

One could probably try shoehorning it in under "toxic or poisonous chemicals" in front of a suitably biased judge.

[Rasulis]

To be as fair as I can be; those smaller trucks are pretty great for urban areas and even just small load transport in rural communities, filling in the niche of all small to mid sized pick-ups that have more or less gone extinct thanks to the Ford F150 Childmulchers. And really they'd not be any less liable to be obliterated by other cars than a smart car. More the issues I'd say would come from them not meeting other safety standards, maintenance if they use non-standard parts, and potentially price if they have to be imported.

Japanese Kei cars are cute. As usual, Japan is ahead of us. Although I will be scared driving those on US highways.

[Poopymonster]

Japanese Kei cars are cute. As usual, Japan is ahead of us. Although I will be scared driving those on US highways.

So the red one is a 2 seater for Americans.
One person in the front. One person in the back.