# A Perfectly Reasonable Amount of Schadenfreude about Things Happening to Trump & His Enablers (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 14, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537 "2020-11-14T00:09:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 147
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2925 "2021-09-22T15:55:28Z")
I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2926 "2021-09-22T17:23:44Z")
Again, I’m enjoying the sweet, sweet schadenfreude. This thread is a spot of sunshine in a dark world. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2927 "2021-09-22T18:04:03Z")
I agree. Seeing people reap what the sow is therapy for me. I’m so disgusted with these people, It’s nice to see them get what’s coming to them. What a bunch of babies. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2928 "2021-09-22T20:30:54Z")
Has this been mentioned? " NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday sued his estranged niece and The New York Times over a 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices that was partly based on confidential documents she provided to the newspaper’s reporters. Trump’s lawsuit, [filed in state court in New York](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21067078-donald-trump-lawsuit-against-mary-trump-and-the-new-york-times), accuses Mary Trump of breaching a settlement agreement by disclosing tax records she received in a dispute over family patriarch Fred Trump’s estate." > **[Trump sues niece, NY Times over records behind '18 tax story](https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-lawsuits-business-newspapers-da4689bcce1e58c15fc909377fa3a450)** > > NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday sued his estranged niece and The New York Times over a 2018 story about his family’s wealth and tax practices that was partly based on confidential documents she provided to the newspaper’s... ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2929 "2021-09-22T20:41:48Z")
If the tax records contain evidence of a crime or crimes, then I don’t think a non-disclosure agreement is valid or enforceable. (IANAL.) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2021, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2930 "2021-09-22T23:53:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If the tax records contain evidence of a crime or crimes, then I don’t think a non-disclosure agreement is valid or enforceable. (IANAL.) - And someone will have told Donald that, over and over again, to the point that he probably actually knows it. Note that the suit is about actions that took place _ **over a year ago** _. Speculation is that Donald is desperately trying to change the subject away from…something. The new Woodward/Costa book? Or something even more damaging? I enjoy wondering about that. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2931 "2021-09-23T01:30:30Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Speculation is that Donald is desperately trying to change the subject away from…something. Donald doesn’t think that far ahead. You’re giving him too much credit for brains. He’s suing because he’s butthurt that a family member doesn’t think the world revolves around him. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2932 "2021-09-23T02:12:22Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Note that the suit is about actions that took place _ **over a year ago** _ . Speculation is that Donald is desperately trying to change the subject away from…something. The new Woodward/Costa book? Or something even more damaging? “…over a year ago…” It’s taken that long to find a lawyer willing to work for free. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2933 "2021-09-23T02:38:24Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Note that the suit is about actions that took place _ **over a year ago** _ . Speculation is that Donald is desperately trying to change the subject away from…something. The new Woodward/Costa book? Or something even more damaging? My guess would be this. Trump can’t stand not being the center of attention if it isn’t fawning and the Eastman memo is incredibly damning regarding the insurrection. Not that anyone will ever hold him accountable but gaslighting and distraction is in his DNA. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2934 "2021-09-23T07:34:14Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If the tax records contain evidence of a crime or crimes, then I don’t think a non-disclosure agreement is valid or enforceable. (IANAL.) It could be worse than that. I saw a Raw Story article today, reporting that Trump biographer David Cay Johnston suggests that Trump had better be more careful what he wishes. He suggests that, just as @Johnny_L.A suggests, courts may find the NDA cannot be enforced to hide incriminating evidence – which may in turn render ALL of Trump’s multitudinous NDAs unenforceable. Oops. > **[Trump’s lawsuit against his niece could be a huge mistake that may make all...](https://www.rawstory.com/mary-trump-non-disclosure-agreement-lawsuit/)** > > Former President Donald Trump's latest lawsuit may blow up in his face, Trump biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston explained on MSNBC on Wednesday."NBC News confirm Donald Trump sued The New York Times as well as his... > [@](#): > > “NBC News confirm Donald Trump sued The New York Times as well as his own niece, Mary Trump, over a 2018 report that shattered him as a self made billionaire,” anchor Joy Reid reported. > > “Legal experts also say Trump should be careful what he’s wishing for — he’s staking the claim on a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that may not hold up under scrutiny,” she noted. “And that scrutiny is sure to entail multiple depositions under oath, which he might want to avoid.” > > [. . .] > > Johnston described the two problems Trump created with his lawsuit. > > “One is discovery and being questioned under oath, but the second one is the courts have held basically that Mary Trump can’t be stopped by the non-disclosure agreement,” he explained. “She may suffer civil penalties if Donald Trump wants to sue her over it, but we could end up with a court decision that says all your NDAs are worthless.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2935 "2021-09-23T16:16:39Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Sure, ever since the Gingrich’s Contract ~~with~~ on America, and continuing through Tom Delay’s permanent Republican Majority, the GOP has been putting party over country. But prior to McConnell they included some active legislation. As compared to McConnell’s all obstruction all the time. Perhaps McConnell is simply trying a different tack; seeing that neither Gingrich nor Delay managed to achieve long-term success, McTurtle thought: _hmmm, crafting legislation didn’t work for them. Let’s try just blocking everything. Once that gets us to political hegemony, we can go to town and start creating the reactionary utopia Mr. Koch and Mr. Scaiffe and all their buddies have been paying for._ See? Old Mitch won’t feel that he’s _EARNED_ the money until he’s delivered the goods. What an honest, upstanding guy! He’s exactly like Abraham Lincoln walking fifty miles to repay a three-cent debt! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2936 "2021-09-23T17:20:34Z")
Not a major occurrence, but it should be noted in this thread: [Trump Unity Bridge involved in multi-vehicle Flint crash - mlive.com](https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2021/09/trump-unity-bridge-involved-in-multi-vehicle-flint-crash.html?utm_campaign=mlivedotcom_sf&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0TvJ7RUmPPXdHWECSOShSSeOeKBhhNY-nV6qnuHWp5fssQXkY-4oGBZGQ) > [@](#): > > The Trump Unity Bridge, complete with signs reading “All Lives Matter,” “Build The Wall,” and “Make America Great Again” has become a familiar sight at events across the state of Michigan, including protests at the state capitol and rallies. > > Cortis, of Livonia, said the crash occurred as he was driving home from a stop in Gaylord where he attended an event opposing high school mask mandates. > > He said he was driving south on on Dort Highway through a green light when a car ran a red light. Cortis attempted to brake but hit the side of the vehicle. > > The ambulance then spun and hit a telephone pole, he said. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2937 "2021-09-23T20:39:15Z")
I heard speculation that Trump is pursuing this suit in order to intimidate other people with NDAs who might be thinking about cooperating with law enforcement; for example, employees of the Trump organization. This seems plausible to me. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2938 "2021-09-23T21:00:45Z")
Perhaps but if he loses and the NDAs are declared legally unenforceable, that puts him up the creek. Then again, giving him credit for strategic thought even to the level of a game of checkers is a rather silly thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2939 "2021-09-23T21:13:39Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > He suggests that, just as @Johnny_L.A suggests, courts may find the NDA cannot be enforced to hide incriminating evidence – which may in turn render ALL of Trump’s multitudinous NDAs unenforceable. Oops. Kind of reminds me of the Monty Python sketch where a council housing building existed only because people _believed_ it was there. One guy expressed doubt and the whole thing came tumbling down, ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2940 "2021-09-23T21:49:56Z")
I think it’s a tactic that he has used before. I think he just doesn’t have the imagination to do anything other than suing someone. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2941 "2021-09-24T00:25:26Z")
He probably won a lawsuit years ago, and is hoping lightning will strike twice. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2942 "2021-09-24T00:33:54Z")
Did you know Trump once sued comedian Bill Maher for suggesting that he (Trump) was fathered by an orangutan? Trump ended up dropping the case. > **[Trump sues Maher for $5 million for orangutan sex joke | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/06/showbiz/trump-bill-maher-suit/index.html)** > > The billionaire real estate mogul is suing millionaire comedian Bill Maher for $5 million. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2943 "2021-09-24T01:27:16Z")
Did the orangutan sue too? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/2944 "2021-09-24T02:53:19Z")
He’s used to using legal threats against small time contractors and suppliers for his hotels. It never got through to his (presumably existing) gray matter that such threats don’t work against people who can also afford lawyers rather than folks who can’t spare the money or time for a protracted legal battle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537.md?page=146) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537.md?page=148)