The Trump Presidency

[Bryanpoprobson]

The reason you are having so many heatwaves in the US, is because you have so many thermometers. If you stopped looking at your thermometers, you would have many more cool days and no heatwaves. 😂

[Britmax]

The reason you are having so many heatwaves in the US, is because you have so many thermometers. If you stopped looking at your thermometers, you would have many more cool days and no heatwaves. 😂

It wouldn't be as cold in Alaska either! Who says Donald has no great ideas?

[ineluki]

It wouldn't be as cold in Alaska either! Who says Donald has no great ideas?
[/quote]

And more important, it could completely solve illegal immigration... much cheaper than his wall.

[Ranb]

Russians paying bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers?
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawmakers-want-answers-on-russia-paying-taliban-to-attack-us-troops?fbclid=IwAR2X55lbO-RZuwVdjI_PXkvswy1N4r5BTvkLbB4O1sKoFC4KvMVzYZcNuuM

The White House, however, said Saturday that Trump was not briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence, but didn't confirm or deny the underlying reporting that Russia was giving out rewards to attack U.S. soldiers.

It has been two days now.  I guess Trump is trying to decide if he likes his military as much as he does Putin.

Perhaps Trump cares as little for his military as he does POW's.

[Peter B]

Russians paying bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers?
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawmakers-want-answers-on-russia-paying-taliban-to-attack-us-troops?fbclid=IwAR2X55lbO-RZuwVdjI_PXkvswy1N4r5BTvkLbB4O1sKoFC4KvMVzYZcNuuM

The White House, however, said Saturday that Trump was not briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence, but didn't confirm or deny the underlying reporting that Russia was giving out rewards to attack U.S. soldiers.

It has been two days now.  I guess Trump is trying to decide if he likes his military as much as he does Putin.

Perhaps Trump cares as little for his military as he does POW's.

A few weeks ago and a couple of pages up I speculated about which Republican critics of Trump might be listened to by Trump supporters over at UM. Following this story, I can see they've crossed John McCain and John Bolton off the list (yes I realise McCain is dead!).

Thanks to this article we can see if they'll listen to Lindsey Graham or Mike McCaul.

My other concern is that some of these UM Trump supporters are now so wound up in their certainty of a Trump victory in the election that I'm starting to wonder that they'll think that any Biden victory short of a landslide must somehow have been obtained by voter fraud.

[grmcdorman]

I've read three different versions of the bounty presentation attributed to the White House now:
* He wasn't presented with anything. No other comment.
* He was presented, but it was said to be not credible.
* They didn't present it to him because it wasn't credible.

While I would accept that it might not be credible, I would not be surprised at all if he discounted it primarily because he likes Putin.

[Peter B]

A few weeks ago and a couple of pages up I speculated about which Republican critics of Trump might be listened to by Trump supporters over at UM. Following this story, I can see they've crossed John McCain and John Bolton off the list (yes I realise McCain is dead!).

Thanks to this article we can see if they'll listen to Lindsey Graham or Mike McCaul.

My other concern is that some of these UM Trump supporters are now so wound up in their certainty of a Trump victory in the election that I'm starting to wonder that they'll think that any Biden victory short of a landslide must somehow have been obtained by voter fraud.

And here's a curious thing - maybe they'll listen to Trump himself...

There's a thread over at UM about why Trump would want to slow down the testing. It's coming up on six pages long, but most of the posts are by Trump critics. The usual Trump supporters rock up, post a message along the lines that Trump was joking when he made that comment about slowing down the testing. Then someone replies by posting a link to some video of Trump from the day or so after saying he wasn't joking about slowing the testing down.

So far three or four Trump supporters have posted "Trump was joking in Tulsa" comments, and after the "I wasn't joking" comment is posted in reply the Trump supporters either say nothing more, or reluctantly accept that he meant what he said and that he's wrong.

Perhaps this may be the way to detach a few rusted-on Trump supporters...

[JayUtah]

Perhaps this may be the way to detach a few rusted-on Trump supporters...

Sure.  Now all we have to do is convince Donald Trump himself to do the right thing.

[Jeff Raven]

I've read three different versions of the bounty presentation attributed to the White House now:
* He wasn't presented with anything. No other comment.
* He was presented, but it was said to be not credible.
* They didn't present it to him because it wasn't credible.

While I would accept that it might not be credible, I would not be surprised at all if he discounted it primarily because he likes Putin.

I've been thinking that there's a 4th option, and it relates to the way you phrased things here. I think that they may well be playing word games, parsing the meaning of the word briefing. For example, if the information were presented to him, but not in an "official briefing" (however that is actually defined) then even if later it is shown that the information was given to him, they will be able to claim that their statement was still factually correct - he was never briefed on the topic. It's double-speak, of course, but i could see it happening.

[Ranb]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/politics/former-intelligence-scoff-white-house-denials-trump-briefed-russia-bounty/index.html

But a US official familiar with the latest information told CNN on Monday that intelligence about the Russian bounty was included in the President's Daily Briefing (PDB) sometime in the spring. The written document includes the intelligence communities' most important and urgent information. On Monday night, the New York Times reported that the information was included in a written briefing to the President in late February.
Trump is not known to read his daily briefing, and instead prefers an oral briefing a few times a week.

The President receives a copy of the PDB every day, as does Vice President Mike Pence, but Trump is notorious for not reading it. Even after intelligence analysts added more photos and charts to make it more appealing, the document often goes unread, according to people familiar with the matter.

[gillianren]

I'm sure his supporters have some defense for why that's okay.  Now, personally, I believe he's functionally illiterate and simply can't read it, but still.

[Ranb]

I'm sure his supporters have some defense for why that's okay.  Now, personally, I believe he's functionally illiterate and simply can't read it, but still.

You should see the gymnastics they go through to justify his gun grab and other anti-gun stuff.

1.  No one needs a bump stock. (exactly what the gun control zealots say)
2.  Bump stocks aren't guns (Trump and the ATF say they are)
3.  Trump did not follow through on his desire to take away guns without due process.
4.  No one needs a silencer.
5.  C-Span is fake news.

[ineluki]

I'm sure his supporters have some defense for why that's okay. 

First line of defense : It's FAAAKE NEEEEWS

Second line of defense:  "They got shot. True american heros dont get shot. A hero like Trump would not of been shot. Must have ben Democrrats. Would of voted for Biden. I do not like people who get shot"   

[raven]

To quote President Arnie from The Simpsons Movie: "I was elected to lead, not to read."*
*I would say he fails in both roles, but I digress

[Obviousman]

It's quite something. I watched the collapse of the USSR, and now I am watching the USA descend into civil war and, I suspect, collapse.

It's circumstances that I'd rather not happen at all.