Trump

[Sara Nilsson]

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/05/trump-term-mueller-1302643

Yeah..

“I now support reparations — Trump should have 2 yrs added to his 1st term as pay back for time stolen by this corrupt failed coup,” Jerry Falwell Jr., a conservative religious leader and Trump ally, tweeted in a message reposted by the president.

Trump retweeted and added

“Despite the tremendous success that I have had as President, including perhaps the greatest ECONOMY and most successful first two years of any President in history, they have stollen two years of my (our) Presidency (Collusion Delusion) that we will never be able to get back.”

how dare we.. we "stollen" two years.

[Oniya]

how dare we.. we "stollen" two years.

Well, the fruitcake has been in office for two years, so it's not inaccurate.

[gaggedLouise]

Well, the fruitcake has been in office for two years, so it's not inaccurate.

Mum always buys a stollen for Christmas.  :P

[TheGlyphstone]

The NYT has gotten a hold of 10 years worth of Trump's state tax returns, showing just how much financial pain he was in for a while:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/07/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html

[Regina Minx]

The NYT has gotten a hold of 10 years worth of Trump's state tax returns, showing just how much financial pain he was in for a while:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/07/us/politics/donald-trump-taxes.html

To quote Rachel Maddow, "If I had bales of cash and a warehouse full of matches, I could not manage to lose a billion dollars in ten years."

[Oniya]

Well, you could always use an Inverted Jenny to mail a postcard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRWyQELLODg

[Regina Minx]

Well, you could always use an Inverted Jenny to mail a postcard.

The fact that I got the reference without googling or watching the video...

[Oniya]

Hey, a good movie is a good movie.

[Sara Nilsson]

Fox news to the rescue.

https://splinternews.com/fox-news-if-trump-is-so-bad-at-business-how-come-he-st-1834607700

"He's a bold businessman, which is chronicled here. ... I can't imagine having that much money, spending that much money, and being in debt. For him, it makes sense."

"Donald Trump still is a billionaire, has a 757, a lot of big buildings, a lot of economic success. I'm sorry Atlantic City - it didn't work out for anybody"

"If anything, you read this and you're like 'wow, it's pretty impressive, all the things that he's done in his life.' It's beyond what most of us could ever achieve."

The guy could eat a live baby on TV and they would praise him for it, and his followers would go "well THAT is a president we want. someone who dares to try new things." it doesn't matter if he lies, or if he does things that hurt them, as long as it hurts those they don't like they will go for it (ie anyone who isn't straight, cis, white and christian).

[Regina Minx]

Hey, a good movie is a good movie.

No no, I mean, I know what an inverted Jenny is.

[Kurogane]

The guy could eat a live baby on TV and they would praise him for it, and his followers would go "well THAT is a president we want. someone who dares to try new things." it doesn't matter if he lies, or if he does things that hurt them, as long as it hurts those they don't like they will go for it (ie anyone who isn't straight, cis, white and christian).

So sad, but so true, Sara!  Even if Trump ate Meghan and Harry's new baby on tv, his supporters would say, "Well, that foreign baby did have some black in him, so Trump is once again saving our race!"

[gaggedLouise]

To quote Rachel Maddow, "If I had bales of cash and a warehouse full of matches, I could not manage to lose a billion dollars in ten years."

I just read a book (concerning Frank Sinatra and the Mob) where somebody had established by experiment that a 15" attaché briefcase could hold about 2 million dollars in bank notes...  :P

But yes, the story of Trump's losses is jaw-dropping - and it once again raises the question: just what kind of people saved him from bankruptcy in those years?

[Kurogane]

But yes, the story of Trump's losses is jaw-dropping - and it once again raises the question: just what kind of people saved him from bankruptcy in those years?

It was the proverbial "too big to fail" mentality. That is, he owed banks so much money that if he actually failed and stopped paying them, they would lose out on so much interest revenue. So he bullied them into extending his credit and giving him more money. It's ridiculous, but he had enough star power and clout to warrant such arrangements.

[Sara Nilsson]

If you the bank $300, you have a problem. If you owe the bank $300,000,000, the bank has a problem.

[gaggedLouise]

If you the bank $300, you have a problem. If you owe the bank $300,000,000, the bank has a problem.

Exactly. :) Or as Brecht put it: "What's the point of robbing the bank if you can make the bank obey you instead?"

[legomaster00156]

I'm legitimately fearful that we are witnessing, day by day, the end of American democracy. It's not just Trump, it's the entire party that stands behind his every authoritarian impulse, however blatantly unlawful. If he actually tried to seize dictatorial power, I don't think they would stop him.

[Mathim]

I'm legitimately fearful that we are witnessing, day by day, the end of American democracy. It's not just Trump, it's the entire party that stands behind his every authoritarian impulse, however blatantly unlawful. If he actually tried to seize dictatorial power, I don't think they would stop him.

It truly is becoming difficult to not think this is all some kind of sick Matrix-like illusion put on by aliens and we're in the part where someone has to finally say enough is enough and call bullshit on the whole experiment so it ends. But reality is a much harsher bitch than that.

[gaggedLouise]

So, Trump is using an executive order to assert his right not to release the full (unredacted) Mueller report to Congress. I'm a bit puzzled - wouldn't this mean that if his EO gets shot down in court (and it is certain to get challenged in courts!) he would have overplayed his hand and the DOJ would be obliged to release the full report at once?

https://edition.cnn.com/politics/live-news/barr-contempt-mueller-report/index.html

Meanwhile, Barr is deemed to be in Contempt of Congress, meaning that the Attorney General - the highest political overseer of justice in the US - is being charged with offences, and could eventually be impeached...  ::)

[Various]

It's entirely possible even in that case that he'll try to pull an Andrew Jackson "John Roberts has made his decision; now let him enforce it!"

Also from from what I understand, the House Judiciary Committee has voted to find him in contempt which would then needed to be voted on by the full body.

Incidentally, Holder was also found in contempt of Congress but the Justice Department did not act on it. To quote the Press Secretary "It is an established principle, dating back to the administration of President Ronald Reagan, that the Justice Department does not pursue prosecution in a contempt case when the President has asserted executive privilege [which President Obama had done]."

It would be interesting to see the reaction from both parties (praise from the GOP and gnashing of teeth from the Dems) and compare it to their reaction to Holder's fate given the same privilege assertion. I'm sure each and every person will be remarkably consistent.

[Sara Nilsson]

So Trump tweets (I know shocking) and then deltes (I know even more shocking).

    Their is no reason for the U.S. Consumer to pay the Tariffs, which take effect on China today. This has been proven recently when only 4 points were paid by the U.S., 21 points by China because China subsidizes product to such a large degree. Also, the Tariffs can be.....
    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019

oO

Eh.. no reason.. to.. buy American you mean?

The way tariffs work is that American businesses pay the fees for bringing in goods manufactured in China, which they then pass on to consumers. The president reasons, however, that Americans can easily avoid these increased costs.

    Trump said there is “no reason” for U.S. consumers to pay the tariffs, before claiming that companies inside China would soon move to other countries. In the meantime, Trump said people should just buy products from inside the United States.

    Tariffs can still have an impact on the cost of a product, even if you buy it from inside the United States.

    And avoiding products manufactured in China could be a lot more challenging than Trump realizes. Countless American companies have factories in China that will be impacted by the broad list of targeted products. A variety of Trump-branded products are even manufactured in China and could be impacted.

https://www.theroot.com/trump-just-told-americans-not-to-buy-american-products-1834723019

And this is hurting American farmers even more as now their farm equipment is getting hit, John Deer, Caterpillar and Ford. Oh. and those are the companies Trump has said will be used to build his wall.

[Kurogane]

CBS News this morning interviewed a farmer who, among many other farmers, was hit badly by these tariffs. He looked clinically depressed and upset over his president's actions, and yet would not say an unkind word about the Idiot. It's all very sad. What Trump likes to stress is China's retaliations, pointing at them (China) as the bad guys. Trade imbalance is a true and delicate act of negotiations, and the American people are still waiting on when we will become great again, when this Master in the Art of the Deal will really give it to us.

[Kitteredge]

There's not even a good reason for a trade war. The trade imbalance is there because the U.S. is an extremely wealthy country that can afford to have other countries make the cheap stuff we want to buy. Getting cheap clothes, electronics, and so on, leaves us money and resources to spend on other things. Trump looks at this imbalance and thinks there's something wrong but it's actually very advantageous to us (and China both).

The whole trade war idea is complete nonsense.

And... It's not even the President's call to levy tariffs other than national emergencies. It's Congress, but they just let him do whatever.

[TheGlyphstone]

If you missed it, pretty much anything Trump wants to do is a 'National Emergency' at this point.

Also he's an idiot who thinks tariffs generate revenue.

[Kitteredge]

Sure, but the point is that Republicans in Congress are the ones letting this happen. And true to form the press and media are failing to explain the situation to anybody.

[Various]

Every time I hear this idiot speak, he sounds like a fifth grader trying to bullshit his way through a book report.