The Trump Presidency 2.0

[Edward64]

This will be nice!

I don't believe it'll happen but can dream.

Trump Floats Giving DOGE Savings to Public, Defending Cost Cuts

“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens, and 20% goes to paying down debt, because the numbers are incredible,” Trump said referring to his Department of Government Efficiency effort

Musk responded this week to a post on his social media platform X suggesting that Trump announce a “DOGE Dividend” with a $5,000 tax refund check sent to taxpaying households, saying he would “check with the President.”

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Edward64

This will be nice!

I don't believe it'll happen but can dream.

Trump Floats Giving DOGE Savings to Public, Defending Cost Cuts

Addressed earlier in the thread. Not happening. They're not saving anywhere near as much as they're reporting and to hit enough savings to get to 5k per adult you're looking at something in excess of 5 trillion in savings. We're currently at about 6 billion and that's probably being kind. Take 20% of that and we're sitting at about $6 per US adult.

[Ghost Econ]

I find the best way to fight inflation is to give people money that doesn't exist.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Addressed earlier in the thread. Not happening. They're not saving anywhere near as much as they're reporting and to hit enough savings to get to 5k per adult you're looking at something in excess of 5 trillion in savings. We're currently at about 6 billion and that's probably being kind. Take 20% of that and we're sitting at about $6 per US adult.

Thanks, I missed the earlier post. It's supposedly by "households that pay tax". Rough swag. 127M households, about 60% pay tax so say 76M

76M x target of $5k = $380B

The $380B is supposedly 20%, so that comes out to finding savings of $1.9T.

But yeah. I don't believe we'll find $1.9T in savings for a single fiscal year. So all hopium right now. But a guy can dream.

[JPhillips]

Dems just don't understand the way modern communication works. Why aren't there two-hundred elected Dems screaming on social media about Trump saying he's a king? This one is so easy and literally no risk.

[PilotMan]

If any Dem had stated that they were giving a 5k check, tomorrow, there would be post upon post, asking where 'their' money is, and when it never shows up it would be a never ending litany of screaming about where's the money (Dem) promised us?!

[kingfc22]

Dems need to go younger and hire folks who understand how communication works in 2025. The telegram lost its effectiveness some time ago

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Dems just don't understand the way modern communication works. Why aren't there two-hundred elected Dems screaming on social media about Trump saying he's a king? This one is so easy and literally no risk.

They spent the last few decades going with people who could raise the most money instead of people who could communicate with voters. So they're left with Hakeem Jeffries and other people who have no clue what to do.

There's a handful of Dems who can actually go on a podcast or something and seem normal talking politics. Obama, Bernie, Biden 15 years ago. Walz has a bit of it but they were scared to let him speak during the campaign. Pritzker is really good too but he'll never be part of the establishment since he doesn't care about raising money.

You'd think all this would cause them to change course but they aren't. They passed up on the guy who actually wins elections for DNC chair. Same group of losers lead the party. At this point I think they prefer being out of power because it's easier to raise money. God knows they aren't quiet about that part.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Dems just don't understand the way modern communication works. Why aren't there two-hundred elected Dems screaming on social media about Trump saying he's a king? This one is so easy and literally no risk.

Would this strategy be more effective than when the Dems were screaming on social media that Trump was saying he would be a dictator on day one?

“We love this guy,” Trump said of Hannity. “He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’”

And then have his team come on the back and say this.

Trump campaign aides said Thursday that the former president was simply trying to trigger the left and the media with his dictator comment, while also seeking to focus attention on the influx of migrants at the border and stubborn inflation, two vulnerabilities for President Joe Biden heading into the 2024 general election.

That was December 2023. We have seen this over and over and over. Criticism of the Dems's communication strategy are always welcome based on their general incompetence in this area. But it seems silly to blame them for not doing the things they have done in the past that a significant portion of their party chose then and still choose to reject. We know that if the Dems did as you ask, the right would say that Trump was obviously joking and just trolling the Dems. The Dems will be accuse of elitism and of being out of touch and we will move on to the next thing.

It reminds me of the recent conversations of the differences between how NFL fans and media speak about the NFL and how NBA fans and media speak on the NBA.

[JPhillips]

Does anyone know what's going on with MAGA and Fort Knox? Why is Trump talking about going to Fort Knox to make sure the gold is still there?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Does anyone know what's going on with MAGA and Fort Knox? Why is Trump talking about going to Fort Knox to make sure the gold is still there?

Despite some stories that support the claim of an annual audit, it's interesting that USA Today goes with 1974 being the last reported audit.
Elon Musk urges US check that gold isn't missing from Fort Knox


There's some thought that an actual audit, likely involving members of Congress being inside the vault(s) (as they were in '74) might be a precursor to changing the official valuation of the reserves. That would put several hundred million onto the Treasury books ... and isn't unprecedented. Same thing occurred in 1972.

[Ghost Econ]

I thought Jeremy Irons stole it all in Die Hard 3?

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

I thought Jeremy Irons stole it all in Die Hard 3?

Nah, that was the Reserve Bank of New York, and it has gold reserves from multiple countries. They'd need to get Raylen Givens for a Justified movie to use Fort Knox

[PilotMan]

The amount of supposed savings is roughly worth a 75¢ coupon on a $100 grocery bill. So all the illegal shenanigans, and the goal to tear down these programs and let Musk have control via his AI algorithm with access to literal trillions of dollars worth of information for basically nothing, was sure worth it. I can't wait until that 4.5 trillion dollar tax cut is fully funded with more money from the bottom 95%. It should be the other way. Let's fund the government by taxing these guys and actually use it to lift people up instead of constantly beating them up.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Would this strategy be more effective than when the Dems were screaming on social media that Trump was saying he would be a dictator on day one?



And then have his team come on the back and say this.



That was December 2023. We have seen this over and over and over. Criticism of the Dems's communication strategy are always welcome based on their general incompetence in this area. But it seems silly to blame them for not doing the things they have done in the past that a significant portion of their party chose then and still choose to reject. We know that if the Dems did as you ask, the right would say that Trump was obviously joking and just trolling the Dems. The Dems will be accuse of elitism and of being out of touch and we will move on to the next thing.

It reminds me of the recent conversations of the differences between how NFL fans and media speak about the NFL and how NBA fans and media speak on the NBA.

A few things.

One we're in a different time. The 2024 election was a contest of Trump or Harris, maybe even a referendum on Biden, and Dems were never able to put the focus on Trump. In 2026, as with all midterms, the election will be a referendum on Trump. Defining him as the villain is about the only thing Dems should focus on for the next 18 months.

Two, Dems give up on messaging too quickly. They need to find something and repeat it for months or even years. That's what the GOP does, I mean we're still talking about Hillary and Obama. They never let anything go and that tells voters that those attacks must be important. Dems switch back and forth and that tells voters the attacks must not be as important.

Three, This is so simple for voters. Trump said it. He included a picture of himself wearing a crown. King is easier to understand for low-information voters than dictator on day one.

Finally, Dems just need to go on the attack in the social media age. They tend to wait to test for the best message, but by the time they have something the country has moved on to the next outrage. They need to attack at the same speed as the GOP. Throw out everything and then see what gains traction. I think this can, but if something else does instead, so be it.

[Atocep]

A lot of that is because Schumer and Jeffries need to pushed out of leadership positions and Pelosi still has too much influence. They're all operating as if it's still politics from a different era. They have no idea how to operate as an opposition party and how to effectively message. There are plenty of candidates that could step up and get messages out that resonates with voters but the current group wants to maintain status quo.

[Edward64]

Buh bye

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Buh bye

That's why he's suddenly shown something resembling a spine lately. With this plus his upcoming book we're going to hear a lot from Mitch about how dangerous Trump is.

[Mota]

If everybody who disagrees with him leaves, it will give Trump a chance to replace these people with more cult members, making him more powerful.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Let me guess what is happening here. They are going to cut vital services for the military by 8% while increasing the budget by 10% to spend the money saved and the increases on imprisonment and deportation of illegals. People have been wondering where they planned on getting this money, and here is the answer.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Something like this is looking very likely. It sounds like there's going to be a shift in some spending priorities and some firings that will be sold as savings but the budget will get increased.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by bronconick

Nah, that was the Reserve Bank of New York, and it has gold reserves from multiple countries. They'd need to get Raylen Givens for a Justified movie to use Fort Knox

wrong thread but wild horses couldn't keep me from watching that

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Would this strategy be more effective than when the Dems were screaming on social media that Trump was saying he would be a dictator on day one?

The problem is that no one took the Dems seriously on that because the party doesn't actually believe and/or doesn't care. Everything they said was empty.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Something like this is looking very likely. It sounds like there's going to be a shift in some spending priorities and some firings that will be sold as savings but the budget will get increased.

Yeah, they aren't cutting the military budget it seems. Just an 8% cut to things they don't like and then taking that money and giving it to things they do like (going to guess Elon's companies get more welfare).

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Finally, Dems just need to go on the attack in the social media age. They tend to wait to test for the best message, but by the time they have something the country has moved on to the next outrage. They need to attack at the same speed as the GOP. Throw out everything and then see what gains traction. I think this can, but if something else does instead, so be it.

There are so many easy openings. I'd first say that going after Trump directly might be a waste of time. People have made up their minds on him. He also seems to be an afterthought in the administration this time around. I wonder if his mental state is worse than we thought. Almost everything is running through Elon and all the releases from Trump seem like they're written by some 25 year old groyper and not him. The guy is like 80 years old.

Elon is incredibly unpopular according to new polls. So is what he's doing. They should be absolutely hammering that point every chance they get. They should have a calculator online showing all the government handouts he's received over the years (it's in the hundreds of billions by now).

An unlikable rich guy who got rich off taxpayer handouts is an enormous gift that they will just flounder.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by bronconick

Nah, that was the Reserve Bank of New York, and it has gold reserves from multiple countries. They'd need to get Raylen Givens for a Justified movie to use Fort Knox

Fort Knox would be right off of Tate's Creek Road.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Thanks, I missed the earlier post. It's supposedly by "households that pay tax". Rough swag. 127M households, about 60% pay tax so say 76M

76M x target of $5k = $380B

The $380B is supposedly 20%, so that comes out to finding savings of $1.9T.

But yeah. I don't believe we'll find $1.9T in savings for a single fiscal year. So all hopium right now. But a guy can dream.

How about we start paying off the debt first? How can they claim they are concerned about massive deficits and the huge debt when all want to do is keep spending?

[RainMaker]

New polls out. Dems are still really unlikable but no longer being tied to Biden will help a lot.





[Atocep]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

How about we start paying off the debt first? How can they claim they are concerned about massive deficits and the huge debt when all want to do is keep spending?

Considering Bush and Trump tax cuts are responsible for about 1/3 of the debt and they're pushing through more tax cuts, they don't actually care.

I've yet to see a single person that claims to care about the debt, actually care about the debt when it comes down to it.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

How about we start paying off the debt first? How can they claim they are concerned about massive deficits and the huge debt when all want to do is keep spending?

Can't get to Mars w/o massive spending!

(I swear, it's like we've turned into a game of Civ where everything is going to go to achieving a space victory, all else be damned.)

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

New polls out. Dems are still really unlikable but no longer being tied to Biden will help a lot.





Polls today plus anecdotal evidence point to Trump losing support, which would be record breakingly early for an administration. An administration usually gets a pass for the first 100 days or so.

[Passacaglia]

Is there any good to finding out about the gold in Fort Knox? Let's say they check and all the gold is gone. Doesn't the shit just completely hit the fan? What if 10% is gone, or 1%?

My first thought, of course, is that it's stupid based on who it's coming from. But thinking about it more, it seems actually interesting.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

How about we start paying off the debt first? How can they claim they are concerned about massive deficits and the huge debt when all want to do is keep spending?

To me, stop the bleeding first by eliminating the Deficit (aka cut up our/kids' credit cards). And worry about Debt later.

Theoretically, this is what DOGE is trying to do with the target of $2T savings (that's approx our annual deficit number). If (and it's a big if) DOGE can do this, then IMO sure, let's celebrate and do a one-time reward for tax paying households.

But yeah, like I said ...

So all hopium right now. But a guy can dream.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Polls today plus anecdotal evidence point to Trump losing support, which would be record breakingly early for an administration. An administration usually gets a pass for the first 100 days or so.

Well that idiot did claim he would fix everything within a week, soooooo that's a high bar

[RainMaker]

I know it's a running joke but watching Elon do that interview at CPAC is pretty surprising. He's so fucking high during the whole thing. Even wore sunglasses to cover up the ketamine eyes. Wonder if turning the federal government over to a junkie will work out.

[Danny]

I think 25% or so of the country would support him even if he came into their home and personally raped them and their whole families but i it seems likely he will lose most of the other support within a year once his promises dont come true.

[JPhillips]

WaPo is reporting that Trump is going to fire the members of the postal board and take direct control of the postal service. This should be a huge conflict with Congress, but I expect the GOP will roll over yet again.

[miked]

The Dems should have that picture of Elon holding a chainsaw while the IRS cans 6k people during tax time all over their feeds.

[miked]

[Danny]

I wonder if Trump will increase the canadian tariffs in retaliation for them winning the 4 nations hockey tournament

[Ryche]

Originally Posted by Edward64

To me, stop the bleeding first by eliminating the Deficit (aka cut up our/kids' credit cards). And worry about Debt later.

Theoretically, this is what DOGE is trying to do with the target of $2T savings (that's approx our annual deficit number). If (and it's a big if) DOGE can do this, then IMO sure, let's celebrate and do a one-time reward for tax paying households.

But yeah, like I said ...

And then you have the Republican budget proposal that cuts two trillion while providing 4.5 trillion in tax breaks and that will surely reduce the deficit...

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ryche

And then you have the Republican budget proposal that cuts two trillion while providing 4.5 trillion in tax breaks and that will surely reduce the deficit...

Specifically, about tax cut extension vs DOGE (not tariffs etc.) ...

For the Trump tax cut extension, it's still in flux as the House & Senate are trying to figure it out, but from what I've read it is $4.6T over 10 years ... or simple rough est. of $460B per year.

For DOGE, the theoretical $2T in savings is a combination of multiple years (like Politico subscriptions) + also current fiscal year (payroll from terminations).

I don't know how the CBO or accountants will score it, but I believe to compare apples-to-apples, the $2T in savings will be "more" when extrapolated over 10 years.


FWIW, I know Musk has lowered expectations from $2T to $1T. I've not actually read that Trump agrees with that. So that's still a wide variance for now.

[Lathum]

"savings"

[Edward64]

Damn you Mikey ... go ahead and crush my dreams for a new RTX 5090 (and desktop)

Access to this page has been denied

“Well, look. I mean, politically that would be great for us, you know, it gives everybody a check,” Johnson said.

“But if you think about our core principles, right, fiscal responsibility is what we do as conservatives. That’s our brand. And we have a $36 trillion federal debt, we have a giant deficit that we’re contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card, right?” Johnson said.

The crowd responded with applause.

[Mota]

Justin Trudeau made the best tweet after the game last night:

"You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game."

[JPhillips]

The plan is to add trillions to the debt through tax cuts, so there's no paying down anything.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Does anyone know what's going on with MAGA and Fort Knox? Why is Trump talking about going to Fort Knox to make sure the gold is still there?

They did this during his last term as well, and the Secretary of Commerce along with Mitch McConnell went to inspect and verify it was there. It is just an easy target for conspiracy because they are so secretive about everything connected to the gold depository for security reasons.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Fort Knox trip photos released | CNN Politics

[JPhillips]

I'm so old I remember when the idea of one big bill was enough to shut down the government. Oh, well.

[Passacaglia]

I'm wondering if an upcoming corporate giveaway/cost cutting measure is to weaken "Original Medicare" in order to push more people to Medicare Advantage. They can say they are cutting costs on Medicare, thus "saving money", and they can say if people don't like it, it's not really being taken away, they can move to an MA plan -- thus actually giving more money to corporations as more people move to them (and actually increasing overall spending, since the government spends more per person on MA plans).

Too nuanced?

[JPhillips]

dola

When even the leader of the French far-right objects to Bannon's Nazi salute...

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

dola

When even the leader of the French far-right objects to Bannon's Nazi salute...

Bannon is desperately trying to stay relevant within a movement he largely started. He's been constantly attacking Musk and the oligarchs Trump has surrounded himself with.