Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Tenris]

Well it has finally happened, how long until they are leaked and we all see them?

Supreme Court allows release of Trump's tax returns to House Democrats

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...rats-rcna56644

[Zinstorm]

Well it has finally happened, how long until they are leaked and we all see them?

Supreme Court allows release of Trump's tax returns to House Democrats

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...rats-rcna56644

Wow.... after all this time they have finally been released. I remember it being a talking point sense 2015 trump's election was gaining traction. Well when they are finally leaked sooner or later we'll finally see what he was hiding.... but at this point I think everyone at both sides have made it clear that no one truly cares about the returns.... at least they don't care enough for it to even be a factor in if they will vote for him or not.

[The Stormbringer]

Wow.... after all this time they have finally been released. I remember it being a talking point sense 2015 trump's election was gaining traction. Well when they are finally leaked sooner or later we'll finally see what he was hiding.... but at this point I think everyone at both sides have made it clear that no one truly cares about the returns.... at least they don't care enough for it to even be a factor in if they will vote for him or not.

I mean, I'm a little curious, if only to see how much bullshit he's slinging around. We know it's a lot, but not how much.

[Breccia]

Expect more stories like this to keep coming out.

Trump reported losses on his tax returns every year for a decade, including nearly $700 million in 2009 and $200 million in 2010, his longtime accountant testified Tuesday, confirming long-held suspicions about Trump’s tax practices.

Oh yeah, before going further I will remind everyone, this is testimony in a criminal trial under oath. His testimony, under oath, cannot be handwaved, and will be considered the truth until contradicting evidence exists. Which it does not.

Donald Bender, a partner at Mazars USA LLP who spent years preparing Trump’s personal tax returns, said Trump’s reported losses from 2009 to 2018 included net operating losses from some of the many businesses he owns through his Trump Organization.

“There are losses for all these years,” said Bender, who was granted immunity to testify at the company’s criminal tax fraud trial in Manhattan.

The short exchange amounted to a rare public discussion of Trump’s taxes — which the Republican has fought to keep secret — even if there was no obvious connection to the case at hand.

A prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, questioned Bender briefly about Trump’s taxes on cross examination, at one point showing him copies of Trump tax paperwork that the Manhattan district attorney’s office fought for three years to obtain, before moving on to other topics.

Bender’s testimony came on a day full of Trump-related legal drama, including the U.S. Supreme Court clearing the way for Congress to get six years worth of tax returns for Trump and some of his businesses.

Bender’s tax loss testimony echoed what The New York Times reported in 2020, when it obtained a trove of Trump’s tax returns. Many of the records reflected massive losses and little or no taxes paid, the newspaper reported at the time.

The Times reported Trump paid no income tax in 11 of the 18 years whose records it reviewed, and that he paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2017, the year he became president. Citing other Trump tax records, The Times previously reported that in 1995 he claimed $915.7 million in losses, which he could have used to avoid future taxes under the law at the time.

Manhattan prosecutors subpoenaed Bender’s firm in 2019, seeking access to eight years of Trump’s tax returns and related documents, finally getting them after a protracted legal fight that included two trips to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bender handled tax returns and other financial matters for Trump, the Trump Organization and hundreds of Trump entities starting in the 1980s. He also prepared taxes for members of Trump’s family and other company executives, including Weisselberg and Weisselberg’s son, who managed a company-run ice rink in Central Park.

Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty in August to dodging taxes on $1.7 million in extras in exchange for a five-month jail sentence, testified that he hid company-paid extras such as Manhattan apartments and Mercedes-Benz cars from his taxable income by having the company’s comptroller, Jeffrey McConney, reduce his salary by the cost of those perks.

Bender testified that Weisselberg kept him the dark on that arrangement — and that he only found out about it from prosecutors last year.

But emails shown in court Tuesday suggested that McConney tried to loop him in as early as 2013, with attached spreadsheets listing Weisselberg’s pay and reductions for extras, including Trump-paid tuition for his grandchildren’s private schooling.

Bender, who testified that he got numerous emails from Trump executives daily, said he didn’t recall seeing those messages. If he had, he said: “We would have had a serious conversation about continuing with the client.”

Bender testified that he put the onus on Weisselberg to fix any problems as scrutiny of the Trump Organization intensified after Trump’s election in 2016 and advised him to stop one dubious practice: the company’s longstanding, tax-saving habit of paying executive bonuses as freelance income.

The accountant said he told Weisselberg: “If there is anything bothering you, even if there’s the slightest chance, we have to set the highest standards so the company should be, effectively, squeaky clean.”

Worth pointing out: Trump knew this was coming and pre-emptively blamed Bender, and others, trying to shove responsibility for his company onto them. Which (a) would be admission he was duped and (b) goes against not just common knowledge that Trump had final word on everything, but also sworn testimony from people who are not Trump. Trump, of course, has not been under oath. Yet.

Let's be honest, none of these people are paragons of virtue or squeaky clean. It's like those logic puzzles where you most of them are lying. I will admit, it is technically possible for Trump to, somehow, run a large company that is making money while accountants he hired break the law for him and claimed he was losing money for years and years....behind his back. Like, at no point did he look at his returns to the line where it says "I lost money this year again" ever in the lifespan of a German Shepherd. But I, for one, don't believe that's the case. I don't believe the NY AG believes it either, or they would not have given both Bender and Weasleberg immunity.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Rather than being mad that an alleged billionaire paid less taxes than them, I'm certain working class Republicans would actually be impressed at the idea Trump managed to game the system and not pay taxes.

After all, once all those working class Republicans stop being temporarily embarrassed millionaires, they too want to pay no taxes.

[Breccia]

It was not a good day to be Donald Trump.

1) All available indications suggest that Cannon's order for a "special master" is going to be removed.

1 Again) No really, it was a fucking train wreck.

2) Trump raged at his own DA Barr.

Trump posted on his Truth Social account: “Sloppy Bill Barr was a weak and ineffective Attorney General who was fired (he didn’t quit!), and now he’s nothing more than a disgruntled former ‘employee’.”

He raged on: “Barr was a ‘Bushie’ who was petrified of being impeached, which the Dems were going to do until he changed course on the rigged election.”

Wait, he was fired? He didn't say so at the time.

Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family.

Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, an outstanding person, will become Acting Attorney General. Highly respected Richard Donoghue will be taking over the duties of Deputy Attorney General. Thank you to all!

Well gee. I guess there's something else we need to ask Trump supporters about. Was Trump telling the truth when he said Barr was a great DA who did a great job and resigned to spend time with his family, or was Barr a weak/ineffective DA who was fired? Perhaps this is yet another question that no Trump supporter on these forums should be allowed to avoid? Since this is a new topic, Trump just brought it up, any Trump supporter, by virtue of being a Trump supporter, would therefore reasonably believed to have positive interest in? And they should be questioned on this topic, rather than anything else they post?

Yeah, sounds good to me. Let's do that.

3) Trump's lawyers told the judge in the NY case "you are biased".

Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, implored the judge to consider for "at least a moment" the defense arguments on their merits.

"We filed the same arguments, your honor, because for a year and a half I've stood behind them. This is why we shouldn't be before you," said Habba, who earlier this year sought unsuccessfully to have the case moved to a different judge.

"You have a clear bias against our client. You have for a year and a half," Habba said. "Every time we come to court, you're prepared to rule against us."

"You've already tried to take the case away from me," Engoron responded. "I've followed the facts, the law, and I've been upheld."

Burn.

4) Some pollster took a valid risk to his own life by challenging Trump voters directly on their willful ignorance.

Republican pollster Frank Luntz recently conducted a focus group of one-time Trump voters and found many of them appear ready to move on.

Speaking to a group of voters who at one time supported Donald Trump, he asked them about their attitudes toward the former president, and they weren't positive. The small group of voters from mostly red states said words like "narcissist," "tired" "unsettling," and "mistake." There were still a few who viewed Trump with words like "high hopes," "fighter" and "a leader."

Meanwhile, when the group was asked about Trump rival Ron DeSantis, they had more positive things to say, calling him "a leader," or saying they were "hopeful," "fighter," and "visionary."

"They're tired," concluded Luntz. "They still appreciate him. They still think he was a great president. That hasn't changed, but they now look at him and see why all this chaos? Why all this fussing and fighting? Isn't there a better way?"

At the same time, Luntz said that Republican voters are "angry at him for the candidates he supported and his lack of support for them when they needed it most."

One of the controversies throughout the election was that Trump was raising money for other candidates by using their lists and then having the funds go through his website. Then Trump would take a percentage and give a percentage to the candidate he was supporting.

It turns out he was giving as little as 10 percent or 15 percent to the candidates and keeping the rest for himself. That, along with other money problems, made things worse for Republican congressional candidates. It comes after there were fundraising scams from Trump's campaign in 2020.

When the Trump voters are told about that fact, "they get angry," Luntz said.

"Trump voters are fed up with all the Trump-focused hysteria and they want someone different. And they see Ron DeSantis at this point as being different," he explained.

5) Murkowski won re-election.

[gondrin]

So, how should the crow be prepared for Trump so he can eat it?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...5abc25555c1976

Trump rips the Supreme Court as 'nothing more than a political body' after they ruled against him, even though he appointed 3 justices of the conservative majority

Former President Donald Trump criticized the Supreme Court in a series of Truth Social posts after the high court on Tuesday rejected his request to block Congress from obtaining his tax records.

"Why would anybody be surprised that the Supreme Court has ruled against me, they always do! It is unprecedented to be handing over Tax Returns, & it creates a terrible precedent for future Presidents," Trump said in a post early Wednesday morning. "The Supreme Court has lost its honor, prestige, and standing, & has become nothing more than a political body, with our Country paying the price."

In follow-up posts, Trump rehashed complaints over the court's handling of the 2020 election and referenced reports of leaked opinions. In addition to the leak of the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, a former anti-abortion leader recently alleged that the 2014 Hobby Lobby decision involving contraception was also leaked.

He also accused the court of being "petrified" of Democrats and trying to be "politically correct" instead of "doing what is BEST for the USA."

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed Trump's bid to block his tax returns from being released to Congress. The move opened the door for House Democrats, who have been seeking the returns since 2019, to access the documents just as the party is set to lose its House majority in January.

Breaking tradition, Trump declined to release his tax returns publicly when running for president in 2016. The House Ways and Means Committee asked the IRS to release his returns to them in April 2019 as it investigated the agency's auditing process.

Trump appealed to the Supreme Court to block the IRS from releasing his tax records to the House. The court gave no explanation for turning down the request and did not note any dissents.

Recent polling suggests trust in the Supreme Court has reached record lows. However, the court is often held up by many on the right as one of Trump's greatest accomplishments. In his one term as president, Trump appointed three justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — cementing the court's 6-3 conservative majority likely for years to come.

The new makeup of the court has resulted in significant decisions that were celebrated by Republicans and decried by Democrats. Most notably, the court overturned nearly 50 years of precedent by axing federal abortion rights, delivering on one of Trump's central promises.

Representatives for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Chief Justice John Roberts and other members of the high court have continued to defend its legitimacy despite the rising criticisms.

[Breccia]

"Trump rips the Supreme Court as 'nothing more than a political body' after they ruled against him, even though he appointed 3 justices of the conservative majority"

This is hardly the first time Trump has complained about people he hired being against him. I don't know which is worse:

1) Trump is fully aware of the situation, but is playing a full deck of nothing but victim cards because he knows his rabid fanbase will believe it

or

2) Trump was such a sheltered, protected walking sack of privilege, and is also a narcisist to the point of being insane, that he literally lacks the self-awareness to see the problem in what he just wrote -- to him, literally everything that doesn't instantly go his way is rigged.

It could be a mix of both of course, but we are talking about someone who has a list of people in whose field of expertise Trump still claims to know more than.

- - - Updated - - -

We wish Ye a Merry Christmas...what? It's after Thanksgiving, this is steet legal.

Kanye West went on Twi...(checks source)...okay, went on Twitter to give his Donald Trump debriefing. Link if that's your thing.

In this...let's say semihinged semirant, he:
1) Says he asked Trump if he could be Trump's running mate
2) Says Trump yelled at him and called him a loser

When Trump started basically screaming at me at the table telling me I was going to lose, I mean has that ever worked for anyone in history?

I'm like whoa hold on, hold on, hold on. You're talking to Ye

3) Says Trump made a nasty comment about Kim that even Ye wouldn't repeat
4) Says he demanded Trump follow the Bible¹
5) Basically announced he was running for President in the Birthday Party again, but hasn't filed any official paperwork.

Kanye's likely last meeting ever with Trump was Tuesday. Funny story: Nick Fuentes was also there. I'm sure they had lots to talk about.

---

¹ I mean, this doesn't seem likey. Why start now? Did Kanye know where he was and who he was talking to?

[Paranoid Android]

In a new video tonight, Kanye West says that Trump began "screaming" at him during their Mar-a-Lago dinner, telling the rapper he will "lose" his 2024 presidential run.

So I just read this. idk is there a video? Anyways funny Trump went off on Kanye.

Kanye further claimed that Trump was "impressed" with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. The rapper additionally said Trump was attempting to relate to him by sounding like a mob boss.

Posted in Nick Fuentes thread. To other threads thinking white supremacy and racism is not the platform of the Republican party...yeah right! This is Kanye's word here so hearsay if you want. I don't give Kanye credit going next level of trying to tie Trump and Fuentes together, so I believe Trump like Fuentes.

Donald Trump issued a comment through a spokesperson: “Kanye West very much wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago. Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about.”

I believe this statement and Trump is clueless to much, likely why he like Fuentes.

In the end I just love this funny soap opera dumb shit. Trump supposedly called his ex Kim K. a name and Kanye got mad. Haha, just funny.

[Clone]

Rather than being mad that an alleged billionaire paid less taxes than them, I'm certain working class Republicans would actually be impressed at the idea Trump managed to game the system and not pay taxes.

After all, once all those working class Republicans stop being temporarily embarrassed millionaires, they too want to pay no taxes.

Pretty sure they want to pay no taxes now.

[Breccia]

idk is there a video?

It's just Kanye saying stuff. In any event, it's yet more evidence of Trump moving away from Republican and even Christian ideals and buddying up with his friend, Holocause denier, white supremacist, and unless Trump supporters specifically and directly refute him someone they agree with, Fuentes.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Gonna guess that Kanye wanted Trump to be his VP in his presidential run and Trump got upset at having to play second fiddle to anyone. Kanye probably recognized that Trump was going to lose if he was the primary name on the ticket. Not realizing that anyone would probably lose with Trump anywhere on their ticket.

[Breccia]

Gonna guess that Kanye wanted Trump to be his VP in his presidential run and Trump got upset at having to play second fiddle to anyone.

Huh. I watched the video, I thought it was the other way around. But I'll be honest, I was paying as much attention as it deserved, and there's no way either ticket ordering deserves more than mockery and handwaving.

- - - Updated - - -

This sounds fair, doesn’t it? The 'Justice' Department is CORRUPT. Offered Christopher Steele $1,000,000 to lie about me, paid Russian a fortune to 'get Trump,' told Facebook not to mention the Hunter Biden Laptop before the Election, 'it was Russian disinformation,' when the KNEW it was not. Is Trump Hater Jack Smith going to investigate that? Will his Trump Hating boss, Lisa M, allow him to investigate the reason for January 6th, the corrupt 2020 Election, or the troops I recommended be sent?

Jack Smith (nice, soft name, isn’t it?), is a political hit man, who is totally compromised, and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near our already highly WEAPONIZED & CORRUPT 'Justice' Department and FBI, which are stuffed with, and listening to, Radical Left 'MONSTERS,' who will cause difficulties for our Country the likes of which we have not seen before. By the way, OBAMA SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN (and got caught!), & what about the MASSIVE Joe & Hunter BIDEN CORRUPTION (Evidence already in!)?

THE FAKE NEWS IS THE MOST CORRUPT OF ALL. THEY ARE TRULY THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE - THE ENEMY OF THE USA. TURN IN THE SUPREME COURT LEAKER!

-- a stable genius

Naturally, Trump said all this on the social media platform he controlled, which means he could lie all he wanted without fear of being kicked off.

[Shadowferal]

Kanye Launches 2024 Presidential Run, Taps White Supremacist for Campaign Manager

Let the games jokes begin.

[Edge-]

Kanye Launches 2024 Presidential Run, Taps White Supremacist for Campaign Manager

Let the games jokes begin.

Lol, Milo "Actually it's ebophilia" Yianopoly gonna manage that dumpster fire.

Why do conservative/Republican politics keep attracting Nazi's and white nationalists and antisemites and shit? You know, alongside absolute clowns of unserious human beings detached from any semblance of reality and all.

[Shadowferal]

...a white nationalist and anti-semite...and color blind apparently, which I should applaud in that regard.

[Breccia]

Walking contradiction Mike Pence says Trump should apologize for willfully inviting Holocaust denier and white nationalist Fuentes to dinner...but not for trying to murder him.

[Shadowferal]

A Letter to the DeSantis Fan-Boys From a Real Never Trumper

Rupert has dubbed him DeFuture. Republican hedge fund donors have taken their Trump tax cut and run. National Review is indistinguishable from a DeSantis Fanzine, lavishly extolling his virtues and wagging their finger at anyone who dares challenge their precious. Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire is not any less effusive and is already cashing in on the new bell cow.

To be honest, I understand this calculation. DeSantis is the golden ticket. He’s the one weird trick that will make all their Trump Troubles go away without their having to suffer any additional political pain or consequences from having made a deal with the devil. DeSantis 2024 will let them be members in good standing on the team again. He will eradicate any nagging doubts about whether they were empowering a man who might bring the constitutional republic they claim to love to its knees.

For most of them, the desire for this trick to succeed is a refreshing change from the last 7 years, because it’s completely authentic. It’s in their bones. The sight and sound of a cherubic, nasal-voiced Ivy Leaguer giving local journalist “elites” the what-for gives them a Matthewsian thrill up the leg. For them, the highlight of 2022 was seeing the triggered libs complain about how Ron had tricked desperate Andres into getting on a plane to Massachusetts as part of an Andover-style prep school prank at the expense of the haughty Martha’s Vineyard librarian who canceled Alan Dershowitz.

That is their shit. Reagan’s revolutionaries had the air traffic controllers, Ron controls his human trafficking by air.

--------------

Article is longer than this...
But my sarcasm-meter kept spiking hard...I think I need another.

[Belize]

Walking contradiction Mike Pence says Trump should apologize for willfully inviting Holocaust denier and white nationalist Fuentes to dinner...but not for trying to murder him.

Don't kink shame Pence, he got excited when he saw the rioters with zip ties and rope

[gondrin]

...a white nationalist and anti-semite...and color blind apparently, which I should applaud in that regard.

A gay white nationalist and a black anti-semite at that. Sounds like an 80s sitcom that lasted for 1 season.