A review of the Trump Presidency

[gorfias]

Statements on the Outright Muslim Ban

December 7, 2015: In a statement shortly after the San Bernardino terrorist attack Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population. . . . Mr. Trump stated, "Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again."
December 8, 2015: On MSNBC:
Geist: Donald, a customs agent would then ask a person their religion?

Trump: That would be probably—they would say, “Are you Muslim?”

Geist: And if they said, “Yes,” they would not be allowed in the country?

Trump: That’s correct.
December 12, 2015: On Fox News:

It’s a temporary ban, not on everyone, but on many. . . . We're not insulting. This is about security. It's not about religion. This is about security. We can't allow people to come into this country that have horrible thoughts in their mind.

March 9, 2016: On CNN:I think Islam hates us. There is something -- there is something there that is a tremendous hatred there. There's a tremendous hatred. We have to get to the bottom of it. There's an unbelievable hatred of us. . . . we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States and of people who are not Muslim.May 11, 2016: On Fox News Radio (at 7:30):We have a serious problem, it's a temporary ban, it hasn't been called for yet, nobody's done it, this is just a suggestion until we find out what's going on.
The Twelve Instances of Trump Equating the Muslim Ban and the Travel Ban
[1] 1. May 11, 2016: On Fox News:
I’m looking at it very strongly with Rudy Giuliani heading it. I’ve spoken to him a little while ago. We’re going to put together a group of five or six people. Very, very highly thought of people, and I think Rudy will head it up, and we’ll look at the Muslim ban or the ‘temporary ban’ as we call it . . . He will head it up and he’s agreed to do so.

A Dozen Times Trump Equated his Travel Ban with a Muslim Ban

www.cato.org

That isn't the text of what actually did take place: a ban on some Muslim majority nations, which a POTUS has the lawful power to do, that would allow, explicitly in writing, even Muslims into the USA were they a persecuted minority. (I hear this is happening in China) The Muslim ban did not happen.

EDIT: I will write that Trump appears to legit fear Islam and its followers. And he appeals to people who feel likewise.

Imagine if those trillions of dollars went to the working class instead of the rich

Agema recently started a new thread in which he sites a study that reports that we a have a ruling elite that basically want the rest of us to have enough to survive, profit them and not have a revolution and that's about it. Trump, Biden, Clinton... we aren't the priority.

In 2008, I thought Obama would increase the debt by 1-2 Trillion and have shovel ready jobs. Instead, $ went mostly to people that maybe should have gone to jail for banking and loan recklessness.

 

[Bartholen]

EDIT: I will write that Trump appears to legit fear Islam and its followers. And he appeals to people who feel likewise.

I have no idea how after 4 years anyone could legitimately give Trump even this much credit. "Fear Islam and its followers"... remember this? Like his every predecessor, Trump's just fine being all buddy-buddy with the saudis, who by any metrics should be on the list of the most monstrous regimes in the world, and represent the very hardcore end of fundamentalist islam. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Trump didn't even know they're muslim, because to him and his supporters muslim = terrorist. Whatever few scatterbrained ideas he may have about islam come 99,9% from propagandists and fearmongerers on Fox News, and not anything deeper than that.

 

[gorfias]

I have no idea how after 4 years anyone could legitimately give Trump even this much credit. "Fear Islam and its followers"... remember this? Like his every predecessor, Trump's just fine being all buddy-buddy with the saudis, who by any metrics should be on the list of the most monstrous regimes in the world, and represent the very hardcore end of fundamentalist islam. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Trump didn't even know they're muslim, because to him and his supporters muslim = terrorist. Whatever few scatterbrained ideas he may have about islam come 99,9% from propagandists and fearmongerers on Fox News, and not anything deeper than that.

Saudi is a living example of some of our problems. Our relationship to them, for some reason, is extremely important to our 1%, even if they and Wahabi were arguably a driving force behind 911. And I write for some reason. We don't get oil from them anymore. They're rich and can offer alternatives to the US 1%? Honestly? I don't know.

I don't know if I posted this: https://nypost.com/2020/09/23/trump-expands-ban-on-critical-race-theory-to-federal-contractors/

“A few weeks ago, I BANNED efforts to indoctrinate government employees with divisive and harmful sex and race-based ideologies,” the president announced on Twitter on Tuesday.

 

[Agema]

Saudi is a living example of some of our problems. Our relationship to them, for some reason, is extremely important to our 1%, even if they and Wahabi were arguably a driving force behind 911. And I write for some reason. We don't get oil from them anymore. They're rich and can offer alternatives to the US 1%? Honestly? I don't know.

Arabia doesn't need to sell oil to the USA to affect it. Oil is a global market, if the Saudis stop producing oil, supply goes down whilst demand remains the same so everyone's oil price goes up - including the USA's.

However, a president who can't be bought by extravagant spending at his business properties by Saudi royals would probably be a plus in order to dissociate the risk of undue influence.

 

[Gordon_4]

I saw this post and immediately saw this on a discord server after.

View attachment 1565

I just don't know

At the risk of asking the obvious question, does the cosplayer in question know that Homelander is a sociopathic, narcissistic, murdering racist and sex offender? Or is this some kind of multi-layered irony thing?

 

[ObsidianJones]

Trump team looks to box in Biden on foreign policy by lighting too many fires to put out

President Donald Trump's order of a further withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq is the latest foreign policy move on a growing list in his final weeks in office that are meant to limit President-elect Joe Biden's options before he takes office in January.

www.cnn.com

If true, this is the underlying thing that should define Trump's Presidency.

Not interested in the Benefit of the country. In fact, more than willing to place America in a precarious position for pettiness and personal profit.

 

[gorfias]

Arabia doesn't need to sell oil to the USA to affect it. Oil is a global market, if the Saudis stop producing oil, supply goes down whilst demand remains the same so everyone's oil price goes up - including the USA's.

However, a president who can't be bought by extravagant spending at his business properties by Saudi royals would probably be a plus in order to dissociate the risk of undue influence.

If they drive up the oil market by refusing to produce, the US, which is now a net exporter, actually benefits.
I think Russian gas becomes more valuable if that happens as well. For some reason, our elite want to keep Russia down though I hear their economy is about the size of Italy's. They are essentially a very small economy with nukes.

 

[Cheetodust]

At the risk of asking the obvious question, does the cosplayer in question know that Homelander is a sociopathic, narcissistic, murdering racist and sex offender? Or is this some kind of multi-layered irony thing?

You know how people misinterpreted rorschach as the good guy in Watchmen? Apparently you could have made him fucking eat people and certain audiences would still think everything he does is justified because he's unwavering and strong.

 

[Silvanus]

Saudi is a living example of some of our problems. Our relationship to them, for some reason, is extremely important to our 1%, even if they and Wahabi were arguably a driving force behind 911. And I write for some reason. We don't get oil from them anymore. They're rich and can offer alternatives to the US 1%? Honestly? I don't know.

Officially, the US's support for Saudi Arabia is supposed to act as a counterbalance to other regional powers like Iran.

In reality, of course, it's about making money. Trump signed deals to sell about $460 billion's worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, including arms used for invasion rather than defence. I don't believe for a second that the enormous piles of money didn't factor into the corporatist-in-chief's thought process.

 

[happyninja42]

You know how people misinterpreted rorschach as the good guy in Watchmen? Apparently you could have made him fucking eat people and certain audiences would still think everything he does is justified because he's unwavering and strong.

Eh, to be fair, in the FILM at least, they seriously watered down the douchebaggery of Rorscharch (however you spell it), to make him seem way more just "troubled loner" instead of "unhinged psycopathic homophobic/bigot"

 

[gorfias]

Officially, the US's support for Saudi Arabia is supposed to act as a counterbalance to other regional powers like Iran.

In reality, of course, it's about making money. Trump signed deals to sell about $460 billion's worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, including arms used for invasion rather than defence. I don't believe for a second that the enormous piles of money didn't factor into the corporatist-in-chief's thought process.

So, with $460 in weapons, can we with draw and let them defend themselves?
I recall when helping Kuwait (which I was against early 1990) we were assured they had their own forces to do most of it. Others joked that the Kuwait forces were "speed bumps"... only get in the way of the real fighting. Likely same with Sauds.

 

[Silvanus]

So, with $460 in weapons, can we with draw and let them defend themselves?

Withdraw from where? The US doesn't have troops defending Saudi Arabia.

I recall when helping Kuwait (which I was against early 1990) we were assured they had their own forces to do most of it. Others joked that the Kuwait forces were "speed bumps"... only get in the way of the real fighting. Likely same with Sauds.

I'm not really sure what conflict you're talking about here. The largest conflict that Saudi Arabia is involved in is the invasion of Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is the aggressor and the US is only really assisting with logistics (and a small special forces presence, which the US lied about).

 

[Adam Jensen]

Two words describe his presidency the best, I believe - criminal shitshow.

Trump will be remembered as one of the worst, if not THE worst US president. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why, either. Which is precisely why it's a waste of time trying to explain it to anyone who still thinks that Trump was a good president.

 

[Kyrian007]

What I won't miss, the ridiculous level of narcissism in the White House. NOTHING was ever just status quo or average for that guy. Every single thing was "the biggest ever," "better than ever before," "the likes of which no one has ever seen before." And when he didn't like something it was, "like no President has ever faced before," "worse than it ever has been in history," "the biggest ______ (whatever) of ALL TIME." Usually scream tweeted in all caps.

And it was never true or genuine. But I heard language like that so much over the last 5 or 6 years (since the campaign began) I actually think he believes those things. Making overly hyperbolic into something like actual delusion. Its actually kind of hard to go back to audio from one of his rallies and NOT find examples. You can expect talk like that during a campaign, but to hear it continue throughout an actual Presidency... was just weird.

I was a journalist throughout most of the Bush Jr. Presidency and all of the Obama years. And looking back it seems like a kind of fairy tale dream. When whole weeks might go by without much of note happening in Washington D.C. Where we might schedule an interview with a D.C. correspondent and actually ask, "So what's new on Capitol Hill." Instead of having some recent Twitter meltdown and reaction to talk about every single day. Where you might have to look up who is filling a cabinet position because you genuinely forgot, as opposed to because it is a revolving door of appointments, troubled confirmations, and abrupt firings and you just lost track or took a couple of days off. I've had plenty of Make America Great Again. I'd appreciate at 4 years of Make Government Kinda Boring Again, just for a bit of a break.

I miss having to scrounge for a special interest story to fill time. Having the time to pursue a story that's interesting to me. Giving more air time to something interesting but wouldn't make headline news unless it was a slow news day. It will be a nice change of pace from having a President who demanded every second of the public's attention and adoration.

 

[Agema]

Two words describe his presidency the best, I believe - criminal shitshow.

Trump will be remembered as one of the worst, if not THE worst US president. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why, either. Which is precisely why it's a waste of time trying to explain it to anyone who still thinks that Trump was a good president.

I think it takes a superTrumpian level of incompetence to beat James Buchanan, who severely fluffed the job of preventing his country disintegrating. Although perhaps Buchanan had the disadvantage of inheriting an extremely difficult situation to begin with.

 

[ObsidianJones]

So, we've now reached a quarter of a million deaths due to Covid.

And as CNN puts it, it is now killed more Americans than Strokes, Suicides, and Car accidents combined.

And speaking of Combined. The Coronavirus has killed more than World War 1 (116,516), Korea (36,574), and Vietnam (58,220) combined (211,310).

In over ten years of armed conflict, where the enemy combatants were trained to kill us, where American soldiers were trained to get home in one piece, who were given every tool they could to keep them alive... 9 months of a virus, misinformation, and downplaying did more to kill Americans than three major military conflicts combined.

And when we hit that milestone, what is Trump doing with his final months? Rallying Americans? Putting stringent measures to make sure that more Americans don't die needlessly? Recanting his position because he understands the amount of death inaction created?

Nope. Challenging the election because of his bruised ego.

If any president that I revered did this, they would be as hated as I hate Trump now.

 

[Avnger]

So, we've now reached a quarter of a million deaths due to Covid.

And as CNN puts it, it is now killed more Americans than Strokes, Suicides, and Car accidents combined.

And speaking of Combined. The Coronavirus has killed more than World War 1 (116,516), Korea (36,574), and Vietnam (58,220) combined (211,310).

Thanks, I hate it.

 

[gorfias]

Withdraw from where? The US doesn't have troops defending Saudi Arabia.

I'm not really sure what conflict you're talking about here. The largest conflict that Saudi Arabia is involved in is the invasion of Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is the aggressor and the US is only really assisting with logistics (and a small special forces presence, which the US lied about).

I think they still want to use the US military like their own private mercenary army, to which I object. John Kerry was in front of some televised hearing saying something to the effect of, "if we do to [Iran? Syria?] like we did to Iraq, the Sauds might be interested in paying for the action. " A disappointment I have with "The Donald": he doesn't just object, like Tulsi Gabbard, to "forever wars". He has stated aggravation that wealth oil nations in the region that want these wars are not footing the bill for it. I don't want them to foot the bill for oil wars: I want the US out.


"We make possible to sell their oil. Why aren't they paying 25%"

So, we've now reached a quarter of a million deaths due to Covid.

And as CNN puts it, it is now killed more Americans than Strokes, Suicides, and Car accidents combined.

And speaking of Combined. The Coronavirus has killed more than World War 1 (116,516), Korea (36,574), and Vietnam (58,220) combined (211,310).

In over ten years of armed conflict, where the enemy combatants were trained to kill us, where American soldiers were trained to get home in one piece, who were given every tool they could to keep them alive... 9 months of a virus, misinformation, and downplaying did more to kill Americans than three major military conflicts combined.

And when we hit that milestone, what is Trump doing with his final months? Rallying Americans? Putting stringent measures to make sure that more Americans don't die needlessly? Recanting his position because he understands the amount of death inaction created?

Nope. Challenging the election because of his bruised ego.

If any president that I revered did this, they would be as hated as I hate Trump now.

The US is doing OK with regards to COVID. Per capita, it's about on par with most of Europe. Median age of death is around 80. New York, in which Democrat Cuomo put COVID patients into vulnerable nursing homes is still not doing appreciably worse or better than Sweden, which is not doing lockdowns or masks but trying to protect the elderly and particularly vulnerable. I think this was politicized as the Democratic party has nothing else. Under normal circumstances, Trump was delivering.
ITMT: Partisans like myself are convinced that the election was stolen. I expect POTUS to fight for me and retain office. Though, if he wins... and he may, the next 4 years are going to make the last 4 years look like an EST seminar. I might be better off if he loses and goes off into the sunset.

 

[ObsidianJones]

The US is doing OK with regards to COVID. Per capita, it's about on par with most of Europe. Median age of death is around 80. New York, in which Democrat Cuomo put COVID patients into vulnerable nursing homes is still not doing appreciably worse or better than Sweden, which is not doing lockdowns or masks but trying to protect the elderly and particularly vulnerable. I think this was politicized as the Democratic party has nothing else. Under normal circumstances, Trump was delivering.
ITMT: Partisans like myself are convinced that the election was stolen. I expect POTUS to fight for me and retain office. Though, if he wins... and he may, the next 4 years are going to make the last 4 years look like an EST seminar. I might be better off if he loses and goes off into the sunset.

I'm going to insist you stop telling a person who lost four family members to Covid and contracted it himself because this country allowed his industry to continue working in small, cramped spaces that this country handled Covid well.

We are at the top of the world of cases and deaths.

Coronavirus Update (Live): 133,149,947 Cases and 2,889,350 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer

Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...

www.worldometers.info

The next closest country is India. The country that is 4 times bigger than Texas.

A country that is 3 times bigger in population than the United States (India's 1,385,197,188 compared to our 331,748,637). Whose cases are 8,993,423 compared to our 11,943,770. And their deaths are 131,978 compared to our 257,072.

I don't think you understand that that comparing a country the size of America to countries like Sweden (that is roughly just a bit bigger than California) is not a positive description. We are doing horribly. This is the one time in the world where being number one isn't a sign of achieving something good.

In your head, Trump is fighting for you. Good for you. I'm glad you believe that. I'm actually tired of listing his failings, because you constantly ignore it because you were ok.

Then understand why nothing you can say to me will make me think Trump was nothing but an extreme failure because of his actions and his administration, my family will never be whole again. Your extra hundred or so dollars from Taxes and/or your paycheck will not make that better.

 

[gorfias]

Snip due to errors posting:
Then understand why nothing you can say to me will make me think Trump was nothing but an extreme failure because of his actions and his administration, my family will never be whole again. Your extra hundred or so dollars from Taxes and/or your paycheck will not make that better.

We're doing better than single payer health care UK, worse than, no mask, no lock down Sweden. Case fatality rate per infection is among the lowest in the world.

I do try to keep an open mind. Much of what you post does not jibe with my recollection of actual things that have happened (example: Gore wanted all Florida votes re-counted: no he did not... and not your fault. Someone posted that and you simply read and linked it). Others are difficult to assess, such as your charge about Trump not being EPA friendly. If/when he is not, is it because he thinks they are over doing it?

And this 2020 election is about much more than extra pocket money but about the leadership of our nation. We have reason to believe our governing elite hate us. A lot. They see us as a problem that must be kept down, frightened, cowed, and obedient. Trump is a thumb in their eye.

Of course, if I'm mistaken about our leadership, that they're really trying to keep us free and prosperous? There is no need for a Trump. I don't think I'm mistaken.

COVID-19 pandemic death rates by country - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org