Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Captain N]

Watching The Cult literally claiming the Nobel Committee told Machado that they made a mistake and the award was supposed to go to Trump is now a thing. Jesus H. Christ these people are out of their minds.

[Azadina]

Watching The Cult literally claiming the Nobel Committee told Machado that they made a mistake and the award was supposed to go to Trump is now a thing. Jesus H. Christ these people are out of their minds.

Now I'm just surprised, that none of his cultists have given him the Medal of Honor too. For his heroism of course.

[zorkuus]

Now I'm just surprised, that none of his cultists have given him the Medal of Honor too. For his heroism of course.

One pathetic senile old fuck gave him a purple heart.

This fucking bizarro world we live in... why do people keep indulging this whiny loser is beyond me.

Btw, now that he has the peas price, he will not care one iota of being peaceful (not that he did before). Looking forward to WWIII boys!

[Muzjhath]

"He was joking, can't you take a joke?" - MAGA response.

My response is that a President shouldn't make those jokes when people are concerned he may actually do it. At best, it shows that he is not aware of how he is viewed and at worst, he is doing it on purpose to test the waters if he should actually do it.

Meanwhile, in reality:
Every time Trump has "joked", he's been honest.

[zorkuus]

Meanwhile, in reality:
Every time Trump has "joked", he's been honest.

I don't think he knows what a joke is. Have you ever seen him laughing? You have not. That stupid smirk he does doesn't count. I mean actual laughing. He never laughs because he's a fullblown psychopath.

[btlcryct]

One pathetic senile old fuck gave him a purple heart.

This fucking bizarro world we live in... why do people keep indulging this whiny loser is beyond me.

Btw, now that he has the peas price, he will not care one iota of being peaceful (not that he did before). Looking forward to WWIII boys!

One word. Bribery. They think by giving him what he wants, he'll do them favors. Or worst case, leave them alone and not go after them like Greenland, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, etc. I'm sure Machado gave it to him and said how great he is, thinking he'll back her to take over Venezuela.

[Captain N]

One word. Bribery. They think by giving him what he wants, he'll do them favors. Or worst case, leave them alone and not go after them like Greenland, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, etc. I'm sure Machado gave it to him and said how great he is, thinking he'll back her to take over Venezuela.

This is like the kid who steals money from his parents to buy pizza for everyone in the hopes he won't get bullied. He'll buy the pizza...everyone will eat the pizza....the bully will still kick the shit out of him tomorrow. Anyone who has ever experienced middle school has seen how this plays out.

[btlcryct]

This is like the kid who steals money from his parents to buy pizza for everyone in the hopes he won't get bullied. He'll buy the pizza...everyone will eat the pizza....the bully will still kick the shit out of him tomorrow. Anyone who has ever experienced middle school has seen how this plays out.

Exactly. And then they'll all have the shocked Pikachu face when he doesn't follow through.

[zorkuus]

One word. Bribery. They think by giving him what he wants, he'll do them favors. Or worst case, leave them alone and not go after them like Greenland, Panama, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Cuba, etc. I'm sure Machado gave it to him and said how great he is, thinking he'll back her to take over Venezuela.

My point stands. He'll just screw them over at the earliest convenience. Which makes this even more perplexing. Have these people been living under a rock and not seen he's done this same shtick over and over again to other people?

[btlcryct]

My point stands. He'll just screw them over at the earliest convenience. Which makes this even more perplexing. Have these people been living under a rock and not seen he's done this same shtick over and over again to other people?

It's the whole leopard face eating thing. They all think "Surely he's only going to hurt the other guy, not me. He's my friend."

[Mayhem]

U.S. Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries Shut Down Indefinitely

On that list are now Brazil and Morocco.

The first game in Group C is between Brazil and Morocco.

Apart from Scotland, all of Group C is banned.

Actually, most group phases are reduced to one game to determine the winner of the group.

[Kiria]

[alach]

U.S. Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries Shut Down Indefinitely

On that list are now Brazil and Morocco.

The first game in Group C is between Brazil and Morocco.

Apart from Scotland, all of Group C is banned.

Actually, most group phases are reduced to one game to determine the winner of the group.

So let me get this straight. The World Cup starts in six months. If you are a fan of soccer and want to watch and cheer on your national team, you first paid a wildly-inflated ticket price so high it made international headlines to watch a game your country is playing in. Then you book expensive accommodations and flights with elevated prices due to demand. And now, you are told you cant enter the States to watch the match your country is playing in, because the president of America says your country is a shithole.
Gianni Infantino must be so proud of himself right about now.
And yeah, that map is full of soccer-enthusiast countries.

[Mayhem]

So let me get this straight. The World Cup starts in six months. If you are a fan of soccer and want to watch and cheer on your national team, you first paid a wildly-inflated ticket price so high it made international headlines to watch a game your country is playing in. Then you book expensive accommodations and flights with elevated prices due to demand. And now, you are told you cant enter the States to watch the match your country is playing in, because the president of America says your country is a shithole.
Gianni Infantino must be so proud of himself right about now.
And yeah, that map is full of soccer-enthusiast countries.

Apparently, it doesn't include visitor visas, but I wonder who would risk going, considering what is asked of visitors to provide, on top of being charged extra.

All of these countries require 5 years of social media activity as part of the visa application process.

And then they could still be denied entry upon arrival because fuck you that's why.

[Twdft]

All of these countries require 5 years of social media activity as part of the visa application process.

What exactly counts as "social media activity" for them? I don't have an account on anything Facebook/Meta related. I don't have a Twitter/Bluesky account.

[Trifle]

What exactly counts as "social media activity" for them? I don't have an account on anything Facebook/Meta related. I don't have a Twitter/Bluesky account.

If you don't have accounts to present or have accounts with very little activity there's a non-zero chance they won't believe you and won't let you in to the country.

[Darththeo]

U.S. Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries Shut Down Indefinitely

On that list are now Brazil and Morocco.

The first game in Group C is between Brazil and Morocco.

Apart from Scotland, all of Group C is banned.

Actually, most group phases are reduced to one game to determine the winner of the group.

Honestly, I am not surprised.

[Draco-Onis]

Apparently, it doesn't include visitor visas, but I wonder who would risk going, considering what is asked of visitors to provide, on top of being charged extra.

All of these countries require 5 years of social media activity as part of the visa application process.

And then they could still be denied entry upon arrival because fuck you that's why.

Whatever is left of American reputation will be flushed down the toilet when videos and pictures of ICE gestapo thugs brutalizing FIFA fans are viewed around the world. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if one of those idiots murders a few FIFA fans.

[Dontrike]

Guys, Trump just stopped another war. This time the "war on protein." What? You didn't know it? Well RFK says he's finally "stopping the lies" and other garbage. Pretty sure the actual war on protein is how expensive meat is.

In a somewhat baffling directive, US Health Secretary RFK Jr. claims he’s “ending the war on protein.”

The announcement, posted to White House’s X account on January 11 alongside an ominously lit photo of Kennedy, came as part of the federal government’s 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines, which now prioritize protein “at every meal.” Some of the advice—particularly the avoidance of ultra-processed foods and added sugars—has been well received by dietary experts and health organizations like the American Heart Association. But other aspects of it represent shake-ups that defy scientific consensus. For example, the recommendation of consuming saturated fats found in full-fat milk, butter, and beef tallow contradicts previous nutritional guidance, which generally advised limiting saturated fats.

But one of the biggest takeaways from the new food guide—which will influence everything from SNAP to school lunches—is that Americans should be consuming more protein, ideally from animals.

“Today the lies stop,” Kennedy, leader of MAGA’s brawnier and crunchier offshoot, the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, said in an announcement about the new guidance on January 7. “ Protein and healthy fats are essential and were wrongly discouraged in prior dietary guidelines.”

The thing is, there is no war on protein. If ever there was one, it was lost long ago. Americans have quite literally never been as obsessed with protein as they are today, with consumption levels in the United States reaching record highs, even as protein deficiency is nearly nonexistent.

Still, Kennedy’s screed makes sense in the context of a MAGA movement that has made body image, fitness, and masculinity central tenets.

"They're trying to tie it into the war on masculinity, the war on warrior culture. All of this stuff is connected,” said Colin Davis, a personal trainer and political commentator who has been critical of MAGA’s encroachment into the fitness space.

In August, Kennedy and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted videos online of themselves doing push-ups and pull-ups as part of what they called the “Pete and Bobby Fitness Challenge.” Hegseth also convened an unprecedented meeting of US generals in Quantico, Virginia, in September to accost them over the military’s fitness and grooming standards. “It’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon,” Hegseth said to the hundreds of generals in attendance.

President Trump himself has connected his movement to fitness through his friendship with UFC CEO Dana White, orchestrating a number of campaign appearances at UFC events in 2024. These de facto rallies put the then-presidential candidate in close proximity to young, physically fit men who would sometimes launch into post-fight rants supporting him; Trump would go on to flip the young male vote by a nearly 30-point margin in his favor during the 2024 election. In June, the White House is hosting a UFC cage fight as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, Trump has said.

Some experts say Kennedy’s reworking of the dietary guidelines is a continuation of that project, in particular the emphasis on animal proteins, projecting a form of idealized masculinity by playing into long-held and well-researched cultural perceptions around food and gender.

“ There's a long-standing association of men with meat, fire, cooking outdoors,” said Charlotte Biltekoff, professor of food, wine and culture at the University of California, Davis. “And women with lighter food, dieting for weight loss, vegetables, fruits and salads.”

All of this serves to put the president and his broader political movement into the proximity of a kind of aspirational masculinity that is high agency, strong, physically attractive, and neatly situated within traditional gender roles.

Though red meat and whole milk have become central to the MAGA brand, high-protein diets are hardly new. Psychologist and self-help author Jordan Peterson, once a darling in right-wing media circles, has expounded on the virtues of his all-beef “carnivore” diet, while online fitness influencer Brian Johnson, known as “The Liver King,” advocated for an all-meat diet that included the consumption of raw animal organs. (In 2022, Johnson admitted to using steroids to achieve his bulging physique). And before any of that, the low-carb/high-protein Atkins and South Beach diets achieved massive mainstream popularity.

The reality is, Americans have long been consuming more than enough protein.

“Most American men are eating twice as much [protein] as they need, even with the new guidelines,” said Samantha King, director of sociocultural studies of sport, health, and the body at Queens University, and coauthor of Protein: The Making of a Nutritional Superstar. “And women on average are also exceeding.”

Food and beverage companies are responding to this meteoric demand. Starbucks began offering a protein cold foam in September, while Khloe Kardashian has launched her own brand of protein popcorn. Meanwhile, Chipotle debuted its “high protein menu” in December that includes, among other things, a bunch of straight-up chicken in a cup.

Experts say this surge in popularity has been driven by a number of factors, including the rising popularity of weightlifting for both men and women and, most significantly, marketing from food and beverage companies designed to equate general health with higher protein consumption.

“ So [protein] is sort of this magical thing, right? You eat something with enhanced protein and you've done something,” said King about the message being sold to consumers. “You don't need to go to the gym. You don't need to eat your fruits and vegetables. Just buy that protein-fueled latte.” (It's worth noting that having too much protein in your diet does come with potential health risks.)

But if there’s no war on protein, why act like there is? As is so often the case with this administration, it boils down to optics.

“They wanna seem cool and tough and aggressive," Davis said. "What's cooler, tougher, and more aggressive than raw steak to these guys?”

[Nymrohd]

THere are far more harmful morons in this administration but something about RFK Jr threatens to give me an aneurysm every time I read one of his policies.