Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

Expect an announcement today about Trump officially withdrawing from Syria

Whoops, change of plans! Someone reminded Trump that ISIS wasn't defeated yet.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, the Pentagon is looking at ways it can run a support role for DHS on the border, because, again, they can't arrest people. Even illegal border crossers.

If the Pentagon announces "we're just going to hold Trump's parade along the border" I will quit my job and work for them.

[Paranoid Android]

When you’re already $500 Billion DOWN, you can’t lose!

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...079146499?s=19

Spoken like a person who has filled for multiple bankruptcies.

I'm sure he is kidding Trumpkins right? Tell that to the people who will be affected like farmers exports to China.

[Breccia]

Reuters has an article detailing how Putin's choice of going "all in" on Trump is failing, and how switching to one of his few remaining options is getting harder to do.

Russia long saw Donald Trump as the wild card in its strategy to improve relations with the United States.

But 14 months after he became U.S. president, Moscow is close to viewing him as a busted flush, unable to enact his pledge for better ties.

Trump reluctantly signed off on new sanctions against Moscow last summer over allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Last week he backed the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and the closure of Russia’s Seattle consulate over the poisoning of an ex-Russian agent in Britain.

After betting the farm on Trump, Russia has seen relations with the West sink so low that there is talk of a new Cold War. President Vladimir Putin’s options for a change of strategy, banking less on Trump and his ability to sway those around him on Russia, is severely limited as he prepares for a new term.

One option being explored is to try to widen splits in the West by courting France and Germany. Another is to draw closer to China and India. But the relationship with Washington is still seen in Moscow as central to Russian foreign policy.

“Washington has become fixated with the fight against a non-existent, so-called Russian threat,” Sergei Naryshkin, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency chief, said on Wednesday.

“This has reached such proportions and acquired such absurd characteristics that it’s possible to speak of a return to the dark times of the Cold War.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this week that the standoff was worse than during the Cold War between East and West after World War Two.

“...Then some kind of rules and appearances were kept up. Now, as I see it, our Western partners ... have cast aside all proprieties,” Lavrov said.

Trump’s appointment of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, whom Moscow regards as arch Russia hawks, to key foreign policy posts last month has further soured the mood in Moscow, say analysts and people close to Russian decision makers.

When it comes to the United States, these sources say Moscow is not willing to change course, make concessions or launch new initiatives.

Russia will therefore continue to engage only if and when the United States is ready to do so, and, if faced with more hostile action - such as further diplomatic expulsions - will respond in kind, the people close to decision makers say.

“All we can do is keep the doors open for negotiation and wait and see what will happen. That’s the predominant view,” said Andrey Kortunov, head of a think-tank close to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

In particular, Moscow is keeping the door open to a possible summit between Trump and Putin, an idea floated by Trump, and is also keen for U.S.-Russia talks on strategic nuclear stability to avoid a costly arms race.

But its baseline scenario is a downward spiral in ties.

“Washington is the standard bearer of a new Cold War,” Fyodor Lukyanov, a foreign policy expert close to the Kremlin, wrote in government daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta after last week’s U.S. diplomatic expulsions.

“There’s no point in hoping for an improvement in ties or any progress in any area for the foreseeable future,” said Lukyanov, who has warned the Russian elite to brace for sweeping Iran-style financial sanctions.

Bolded for emphasis.

To be fair, Russia's brought all of this on itself. However, this is yet another campaign promise Trump as recently as this week still seems fixated on -- somehow improving relations with Russia despite all that stuff Russia did and keeps doing -- that he just can't deliver.

Are we tired of winning yet?

[Kujako]

Reuters has an article detailing how Putin's choice of going "all in" on Trump is failing, and how switching to one of his few remaining options is getting harder to do.



Bolded for emphasis.

To be fair, Russia's brought all of this on itself. However, this is yet another campaign promise Trump as recently as this week still seems fixated on -- somehow improving relations with Russia despite all that stuff Russia did and keeps doing -- that he just can't deliver.

Are we tired of winning yet?

Thing is, I doubt Putins goal was closer relations with the US. It was to destabilize western democracies, which is what happened and continues to happen. To further this goal, I expect Russia to turn against Trump and support whomever the opposition party puts forward next election cycle.

[Breccia]

Thing is, I doubt Putins goal was closer relations with the US.

No, but Trump's stated goal was better relations with Russia -- either because he corrupt and wanted to trade that for business deals, or because Russia said nice things about him that one time. Either way, Trump is finding it impossible to deliver.

See also: crying like a bitch.

EDIT: P.S. We get four times as much steel from Russia as China, 8% of our imports. Russia's losing that, too.

[Kiri]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...079146499?s=19

Spoken like a person who has filled for multiple bankruptcies.

I'm sure he is kidding Trumpkins right? Tell that to the people who will be affected like farmers exports to China.

They don't actually care about those farmers. And the farmers who are Trump supporters will still believe it would have been worse under Hillary.

There is a point after which you just have to acknowledge the sheer power of ignorance for facts these people have and give up. It is not just that Trump could shoot a Trump supporter on Fifth Avenue and get away with it, that victim would somehow manage to blame Hillary for it.

[Breccia]

Head of the USDA Sonny Perdue tells American farmers that the trade war Trump's chosen to fight won't hurt American farmers because Trump said so that's why.

Speaking at a town hall discussion in Ohio, Perdue said that the recently announced Chinese tariffs on $50 billion worth of U.S. products could be concerning to farmers but noted that the president said they shouldn’t worry.

"I talked to the president as recently as last night," Perdue said. "And he said, 'Sonny, you can assure your farmers out there that we're not going to allow them to be the casualties if this trade dispute escalates. We're going to take care of our American farmers. You can tell them that directly.'"


The new tariffs target a number of U.S. goods, including whiskey and soybeans.

China’s latest tariffs come after Trump announced $50 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese goods in an attempt to make them reconsider how they handle intellectual property.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) warned that Chinese tariffs could greatly hurt farmers.

"The United States should take action to defend its interests when any foreign nation isn’t playing by the rules or refuses to police itself. But farmers and ranchers shouldn’t be expected to bear the brunt of retaliation for the entire country," Grassley said in a statement.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that Illinois farmers — the largest producer of soybeans — will be heavily hurt by China’s retaliation to Trump’s tariffs.

"Illinois’ farmers now join DACA recipients as the latest victims of President Trump’s temper," Durbin said in a tweet. "Illinois is our nation's’ largest producer of soybeans, and a top producer of pork, and will feel China’s retaliation to threats of a trade war more than most. America cannot move forward in a blizzard of tweets and wild threats form this president."

Now, for this to be true, that means Trump will find money to give to farmers whose products aren't sold, due to the trade war. I don't have the breakdown of soybeans, pork, etc. that China imports, but with China putting tariffs on $53 billion in goods, agriculture could be $10 billion easy.

[Redwyrm]

Now, for this to be true, that means Trump will find money to give to farmers whose products aren't sold, due to the trade war. I don't have the breakdown of soybeans, pork, etc. that China imports, but with China putting tariffs on $53 billion in goods, agriculture could be $10 billion easy.

Is this like his promise to "take care of" the coal miners?

[Breccia]

Is this like his promise to "take care of" the coal miners?

In letter, maybe. In spirit, yes.

Sonny Perdue has long been described as favoring industry over the public good, doing such things as removing pesticide bans and rolling back nutritional standards. It's clear he's in favor of business over people. Whether or not he can actually get results is, of course, undetermined -- the tariffs just started, after all.

[FeedsOnDevTears]

Head of the USDA Sonny Perdue tells American farmers that the trade war Trump's chosen to fight won't hurt American farmers because Trump said so that's why.



Now, for this to be true, that means Trump will find money to give to farmers whose products aren't sold, due to the trade war. I don't have the breakdown of soybeans, pork, etc. that China imports, but with China putting tariffs on $53 billion in goods, agriculture could be $10 billion easy.

When a guy called 'Sonny' says that his boss, 'Don' from New York is going to 'take care' of some people, it's not about giving them money.

[Elegiac]

When a guy called 'Sonny' says that a guy called 'Don' from New York is going to 'take care' of some people, it's not about giving them money.

What I'm getting from this is that the US government only sounds like a mafia drama at present. :P

[Breccia]

Hey, did anyone else know the Pentagon is looking for a new cloud network and is looking for bidders?

And that Amazon is currently favored in the bidding process so far?

Seems kind of odd for Trump to attack the company looking to help the Pentagon store and access data...

But fear not! CEO of Oracle, yes a competitor in this contract bid, has been talking to Trump personally while dining with him. Riiiiiiiiight about the time these tweets started.

When the American Technology Council Trump put together last year was asked to comment, they replied "We do exist, but we haven't done shit since we formed. No, really. We met once in June and that's it."

[Elegiac]

Hey, did anyone else know the Pentagon is looking for a new cloud network and is looking for bidders?

And that Amazon is currently favored in the bidding process so far?

Seems kind of odd for Trump to attack the company looking to help the Pentagon store and access data...

But fear not! CEO of Oracle, yes a competitor in this contract bid, has been talking to Trump personally while dining with him. Riiiiiiiiight about the time these tweets started.

When the American Technology Council Trump put together last year was asked to comment, they replied "We do exist, but we haven't done shit since we formed. No, really. We met once in June and that's it."

Well, that would explain Trump's sudden need to start bitching about Amazon.

I'm also fairly sure that is illegal.

[Breccia]

DHS officially confirms that, yes, it will be the National Guard that goes to the border. Where they will not make any arrests, because they legally can't.

Speaking at the White House, [DHS Sec] Nielsen framed the move as a way to toughen an immigration system that “rewards bad behavior,” including illegal drug smuggling and border crossings.

“Border security is homeland security, which is national security,” Nielsen told reporters. “It’s not a partisan issue.”

At this point, a reporter asked "If this was homeland security, why aren't DHS employees doing it? I mean, you have a quarter million of them."

Before she could answer, another reporter asked "Also, if sending the military was so important because we don't have The Wall, why didn't Trump do this on Day One? This is over a year later. The prototypes haven't even been voted on yet. Why suddenly now?"

A third reporter chimed in. "Didn't it cost half a billion dollars when Obama did the same thing? Where's the money coming from?"

The first reporter responded, "No, Obama only sent 1200 people. Trump's going to send more. This will cost more."

A fourth reporter spoke up. "How does this fit into Trump's foreign policy? Surely he has a plan that this is part of."

The room erupted in laughter. Nielsen stared at the podium.

The first reporter, when able to speak clearly, said, "No, no new legislation is proposed before November."

A fifth reporter then asked Nielsen, "Hey, didn't Mexico ask you to clarify what the role of these troops is?"

Nielsen answered "Yes."

"Well, have you done so?"

"Um...no."

"Shouldn't you get on that? I mean, when Obama did this in 2010, he talked to Mexico and arranged joint information sharing about the drug trade. And Mexico still wasn't thrilled about it. This just sounds provocatory and one-sided."

"Maybe it's about the caravan? You know, the once-a-year thing?" the second reporter asked.

"No," said the fifth, "they just kind of split and spread out in Mexico. Same as every year."

The conversation continued until someone noticed that Nielsen had left the room.

[Poopymonster]

What I'm getting from this is that the US government only sounds like a mafia drama at present. :P

Mafia drama?

This administration is so absurd and idiotic, I thought The Asylum was writing the script.

- - - Updated - - -

DHS officially confirms that, yes, it will be the National Guard that goes to the border. Where they will not make any arrests, because they legally can't.



At this point, a reporter asked "If this was homeland security, why aren't DHS employees doing it? I mean, you have a quarter million of them."

Before she could answer, another reporter asked "Also, if sending the military was so important because we don't have The Wall, why didn't Trump do this on Day One? This is over a year later. The prototypes haven't even been voted on yet. Why suddenly now?"

A third reporter chimed in. "Didn't it cost half a billion dollars when Obama did the same thing? Where's the money coming from?"

The first reporter responded, "No, Obama only sent 1200 people. Trump's going to send more. This will cost more."

A fourth reporter spoke up. "How does this fit into Trump's foreign policy? Surely he has a plan that this is part of."

The room erupted in laughter. Nielsen stared at the podium.

The first reporter, when able to speak clearly, said, "No, no new legislation is proposed before November."

A fifth reporter then asked Nielsen, "Hey, didn't Mexico ask you to clarify what the role of these troops is?"

Nielsen answered "Yes."

"Well, have you done so?"

"Um...no."

"Shouldn't you get on that? I mean, when Obama did this in 2010, he talked to Mexico and arranged joint information sharing about the drug trade. And Mexico still wasn't thrilled about it. This just sounds provocatory and one-sided."

"Maybe it's about the caravan? You know, the once-a-year thing?" the second reporter asked.

"No," said the fifth, "they just kind of split and spread out in Mexico. Same as every year."

The conversation continued until someone noticed that Nielsen had left the room.

My gast has been flabbered. FLABBERED I TELL YOU!

They found someone that exists!

[Sormine]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...079146499?s=19

Spoken like a person who has filled for multiple bankruptcies.

I'm sure he is kidding Trumpkins right? Tell that to the people who will be affected like farmers exports to China.

Who the fuck is Francis Wegner and how many hot memes is he gonna hit Trump with before the tweeting ends?

[Dontrike]

"I talked to the president as recently as last night," Perdue said. "And he said, 'Sonny, you can assure your farmers out there that we're not going to allow them to be the casualties if this trade dispute escalates. We're going to take care of our American farmers. You can tell them that directly.'"

You know Trump didn't say this because those sentences are coherent and not at all stupid in any way....well minus the fact that farmers won't be hurt by this, that's still stupid.

[Kiri]

What is the "Strong action" that Trump wanted to take on immigration today, anyway? Saw that in a tweet earlier.

[Paranoid Android]

GOP lawmaker to introduce legislation to mandate picture of president, VP at post offices

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-wa...mpression=true

Another snowflake Republican Congressman triggered that we don't worship the Orange Turd.

[Dontrike]

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-wa...mpression=true

Another snowflake Republican Congressman triggered that we don't worship the Orange Turd.

This is probably the most worrying thing I've ever heard of. That's like....well I don't know, but in no way does it feel right.