The Trump Presidency 2.0

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Rep. Crockett's shot at Gov. Abbott as Gov. Hotwheels is really ugly and counterproductive.

Look where taking the high road has gotten the dems. How long should they sit around getting shit on before they fight fire with fire?

[JPhillips]

It has nothing to do with high or low road. This causes ore problems than it gains votes. Who do you attract that isn't already a solid Dem? Who do you lose?

I like Rep. Crockett's desire to fight, but she's just way too undisciplined currently.

[Lathum]

Because the status quo has been working so well...It isn't like they are gaining votes by letting themselves get walked all over.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Because the status quo has been working so well...It isn't like they are gaining votes by letting themselves get walked all over.

Mocking a persons disability is really going to help a bunch. That's what the electorate is craving. Not actually doing anything, just make fun of people/

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Mocking a persons disability is really going to help a bunch. That's what the electorate is craving. Not actually doing anything, just make fun of people/

Worked pretty well for Trump in 2016 and 2024.

In case you haven't paid attention the electorate doesn't exactly pay attention to policy or what government can do for you but they sure as hell love being entertained.

Keep letting yourself get bullied and people will keep looking at you like you are weak and ineffective.

[RainMaker]

Favorability rating in recent YouGov/Economist polls:

Bernie Sanders: +7
Elissa Slotkin: +1
JB Pritzker: Even
AOC: -3
Pete Buttigieg: -3
Donald Trump: -5
JD Vance: -8
Elon Musk: -12
Gavin Newsom: -15
Rep. Party: -12
Chuck Schumer: -33
Dem. Party: -35 pic.twitter.com/R5h2ndMUHz
— G Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) March 25, 2025

[HerRealName]

I love that Newsom likely nuked his own political career.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

I love that Newsom likely nuked his own political career.

For the best. He wasnt winning the election for president. Hes not even that popular in a heavy blue state.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Waltz is likely forced to resign. No one else will see any consequences. Hegseth is still saying it didn't happen and attacking the reporter's credibility despite everyone else admitting it happened. Tulsi is trying to run with "no classified information was shared" but won't release anything from the chat because it's classified.

Is the media not going to report on Hegseth being wasted during that interview?

Also, since they came out and said it was not classified, why isn't the reporter releasing the unredacted chat?

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Let me get this straight. The exact time, units, targets and source to be used to determine damage of a military attack is not classified. The time a deportation plane took off is. Make it make sense!

If anyone is looking at this administration or politics in general in 2025 in any other lens than "things we do - good, things they do - bad" then it's going to be a hell of a long 4+ years.

Forget about any norm, standard or lawful procedure from before. It literally doesn't make a damn bit of difference anymore. Honestly not sure I see a way back from here outside really, really uncomfortable historical comparisons.

[JPhillips]

The best-known member of Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service team of technologists once provided support to a cybercrime gang that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent, according to digital records reviewed by Reuters.

Sure would be nice if a few GOPers cared about giving Big Balls access to all the government data.

[JPhillips]

The best-known member of Elon Musk's U.S. DOGE Service team of technologists once provided support to a cybercrime gang that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent, according to digital records reviewed by Reuters.

Sure would be nice if a few GOPers cared about giving Big Balls access to all the government data.

[Atocep]

"See, they were attack plans, not war plans" is one hell of a hill to die on.

[JPhillips]

[Nate Bargatze as George Washington.jpg]

How did a journalist get added to the national security group chat?

Nobody knows.

[Atocep]

Trump said they are considering reparations for pardoned capital rioters. He didn't use the word reparations, of course, but it's what it would be.

[Lathum]

This latest debacle is just further proof there is literally nothing that can happen that MAGA or the GOP will hold Trump or this administration accountable for.

[miami_fan]

Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard: Private Data and Passwords of Senior U.S. Security Officials Found Online - DER SPIEGEL

Anyone familiar with European club soccer, Der Spigel is the publication that published the hacked emails from Manchester City execs that led to the 100 plus charges of rule breaking in the Premier League.

Ignoring that this is related to SECDEF, this is probably a good reminder for all of us.

It was particularly easy for DER SPIEGEL reporters to discover Hegseth’s mobile number and email address. They turned to a commercial provider of contact information that is primarily used by companies for sales, marketing and recruitment.

DER SPIEGEL sent the provider a link to Hegseth’s LinkedIn profile and received a Gmail address and a mobile phone number in return, in addition to other information. A search of leaked user data revealed that the email address and, in some cases, even the password associated with it, could be found in over 20 publicly accessible leaks. Using publicly available information, it was possible to verify that the email address was used just a few days ago.

[JPhillips]

Seems like half or more of Trump cabinet members think their job is primarily about being on TV. When does Pam Bondi actually do any work?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Lathum

This latest debacle is just further proof there is literally nothing that can happen that MAGA or the GOP will hold Trump or this administration accountable for.

If this had been us collecting this on an adversary it would have gone out as what's called a CRITIC. This would have been the holy grail of CRITICs. Literally a career defining collection and report for some organization. There's immeasurable value in learning how the top of the chain communicates, who's involved in the communication, how these events are planned, and how they're executed. It's very likely the most damaging intelligence leak of our lifetimes and that's not exaggeration.

This administration has tried to downplay it and, by claiming it's not classified or didn't happen, they pushed The Atlantic to go public with the chat. So in the very unlikely event this wasn't collected by China and Russia when it happened, it's now out there for everyone to learn about our communication, leadership, and operations.

If we were living in sane times every single person involved in this would be fired, not even given the opportunity to resign, and we'd have hearings to determine who else knew these group chats were happening in Signal so they could be fired as well rather than hearings just to get Tulsi and others to admit they might have messed up a little bit.

I know this is the political climate of exaggeration and hyperbole, but this is actually a colossal fuckup of the highest degree.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Seems like half or more of Trump cabinet members think their job is primarily about being on TV. When does Pam Bondi actually do any work?

Weren't most of them poached from Fox News already? I think it actually WAS their job before.

[Mota]

The biggest employer in my town is an auto parts manufacturer. They build parts for many companies. This 25% tariff is almost certainly going to shut them down and cause many layoffs. I'm fine, but my son who is 21 is having a hell of a time finding a job. I can only imagine that it's going to be even harder with a lot more people competing for the same jobs. Thanks Trump.

[Atocep]

4 soldiers died during training in Lithuania. It was in the news. Trump was asked about it and had no idea.

Sleepy Don? Who's really running the country?

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Atocep

4 soldiers died during training in Lithuania. It was in the news. Trump was asked about it and had no idea.

Sleepy Don? Who's really running the country?

Who was going to tell him? He’d either threaten to black list their grandkids from something or he would tell them it isn’t true and publicly ridicule them. This is the shit that falls through when you have a wannabe strongman running things instead of a leader.

Also it’s entirely possible that the Belarus military crossed the border and killed American troops. I’m not saying it happened but they did find the vechicle they were in very close to the border and it is destroyed. It’s the type of thing that the president has to know about immediately.

[JPhillips]

The GOP is starting to run scared. There are reports that Stefanik is going to back out of the UN position because the GOP is afraid they could lose her House seat in a special election.

She won 62-38 in 2024.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The GOP is starting to run scared. There are reports that Stefanik is going to back out of the UN position because the GOP is afraid they could lose her House seat in a special election.

She won 62-38 in 2024.

They just lost a +15 Trump state senate seat in PA. At this point we can just assume the GOP is going to get trounced in any election that doesn't have a president on the ticket.

[JPhillips]

This missing soldier story is getting weird. Initially they were missing and then the NATO Sec said they were dead but not recovered. There was supposedly a vehicle found in water waiting to be recovered with the bodies presumably inside. Now we're back to saying they are missing and a search is ongoing.

[Fidatelo]

Even if the dems take control of congress does it matter? Trump is running everything off executive orders anyways.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

This missing soldier story is getting weird. Initially they were missing and then the NATO Sec said they were dead but not recovered. There was supposedly a vehicle found in water waiting to be recovered with the bodies presumably inside. Now we're back to saying they are missing and a search is ongoing.

And now it is being changed from a rescue to a recovery mission at least according to Lithuania's minister of defense.

https://abcnews.go.com/International...y?id=120213394

Hopefully the families on Fort Stewart are getting the information they are supposed to get and are not just getting the news like the rest of us.

[GrantDawg]

Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be United Nations ambassador has been pulled because they are afraid that they would lose her seat in a special election. It is a near certainty they would.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

And now it is being changed from a rescue to a recovery mission at least according to Lithuania's minister of defense.

https://abcnews.go.com/International...y?id=120213394

Hopefully the families on Fort Stewart are getting the information they are supposed to get and are not just getting the news like the rest of us.

That had to be horrific. They think they basically got swallowed by the swamp.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be United Nations ambassador has been pulled because they are afraid that they would lose her seat in a special election. It is a near certainty they would.

If it weren't for deaths on the Democrats side, I think they would be within 1-2 seats. Kind of fascinating and maybe another reason to run younger candidates who don't have terminal illnesses.

[Ksyrup]

The entire GOP is infected with an apparently terminal illness and it doesn't seem to matter.

[JPhillips]

Advance bookings for flights from Canada to the US are down 70% from this time last year. International tourism is going to collapse this summer.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Advance bookings for flights from Canada to the US are down 70% from this time last year. International tourism is going to collapse this summer.

I saw stories about how dead Spring Break was in Florida this year.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I saw stories about how dead Spring Break was in Florida this year.

With children working the fields and working 3rd shifts they'll have more pocket money to spend to make up for it.

[JPhillips]

"The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over."

This is from the Canadian PM. What exactly have we gotten for blowing up this alliance?

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

This is from the Canadian PM. What exactly have we gotten for blowing up this alliance?

This is what confuses me as a Canadian. I get that the ultimate goal will be to own our land and resources, but I feel like the US was well on their way to eventually doing that just by continuing on the path we were both on. Every decade I've been alive has seen Canada continue to become more and more dependent upon, and socially alike, the USA. Why rock that boat? Eventually some external threat would have arrived, be it economically or militarily, and we'd need to team up to take it on. We'd start off in some kind of EU-like union and eventually it would have just been a natural absorption into the US.


Instead, we have... whatever this situation is. A nation of people feeling betrayed and reflexively going into defense mode. Going from singing the US anthem alongside you guys to booing it to show our frustration. Who knows what will happen as this progresses, but it certainly won't be a smooth graceful North American union in any way.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Advance bookings for flights from Canada to the US are down 70% from this time last year. International tourism is going to collapse this summer.

Anecdotal but I belong to a few cruise and disney facebook groups and there have been several post by people asking if it is safe to come to the US.

[JPhillips]

Buried in Trump's EO on the Smithsonian is the statement that race is a biological fact. That's certainly something.

[HerRealName]

Is Stephen Miller the person actually running the country?

[NobodyHere]

Baecause rich people can't be held accountable for anything.

Nikola founder Trevor Milton pardoned by Trump | TechCrunch

[Mota]

I'm sure that Elon will get a pardon on Trump's way out as well.

[Mota]

Interesting change in tone from Trump regarding meeting with Canada's Prime Minister. No references to 51st state or "Governor".

“I just finished speaking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, of Canada. It was an extremely productive call, we agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada,”

[RainMaker]

One of the takeaways from the DOGE stuff is that the government is actually a lot less corrupt than almost everyone thought. I knew it was a cynical way to justify tax cuts for the rich, but I did expect them to find some low hanging fruit to make an example out of.

So far it's been a dud. For all the "fraud", not a single arrest or investigation. The fact that they're just making shit up that gets debunked minutes later tells you how much they're stretching. I think their biggest success was cancelling a service that watered plants in some buildings.

It was always meant as a way to just eliminate stuff they don't like but I'm really surprised they couldn't find any legitimate fraud to make an example out of. And yes, I understand that a lot of it would likely be in the defense department which they are not going to touch.

[Ksyrup]

You mean, like the election fraud successes?

[JPhillips]

We really are the baddies. Absolutely appalling stuff said by Vance in Greenland.

[Ksyrup]

I feel like this is an attempt to continue the Trump playbook - repeat things over and over enough that they happen (or become "the truth") by sheer force of will. But he's got no particular spell cast over people in other countries, especially when flat-out saying we're going to own you one way or another.

The whole thing just makes no sense, other than Trump thinks he can take whatever he wants.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

One of the takeaways from the DOGE stuff is that the government is actually a lot less corrupt than almost everyone thought. I knew it was a cynical way to justify tax cuts for the rich, but I did expect them to find some low hanging fruit to make an example out of.

So far it's been a dud. For all the "fraud", not a single arrest or investigation. The fact that they're just making shit up that gets debunked minutes later tells you how much they're stretching. I think their biggest success was cancelling a service that watered plants in some buildings.

It was always meant as a way to just eliminate stuff they don't like but I'm really surprised they couldn't find any legitimate fraud to make an example out of. And yes, I understand that a lot of it would likely be in the defense department which they are not going to touch.

I've said on here multiple times the waste really isn't where people assume it is. It's also cleaned up a great deal since the 80s and early 90s.

Considering the understaffed agencies, antiquated software systems, etc. It's honestly somewhat of a miracle we operate as efficiently as we do.

[GrantDawg]

On Trump's change in demeanor toward Canada, I think we are going to see much softer rhetoric until after the elections there. The Conservative party poll numbers have completely ranked since Trump started his trade war and I fully expect him to play nice in hopes of allowing a more favorable government to take power.

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[Flasch186]

I think that there’s very little chance of a presidential election in four years


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