# 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:** 308
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6147 "2022-07-28T03:21:15Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > [https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3576663-trump-threatens-cnn-with-lawsuit-over-defamatory-reporting/](https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3576663-trump-threatens-cnn-with-lawsuit-over-defamatory-reporting/) > Former President Trump on Wednesday said he planned to file a lawsuit against CNN, alleging the network has repeatedly defamed him … The thing about Trump invariably losing these lawsuits is that it’s not really about winning them in the legal sense; the real purpose in his petty little mind is to harass those people and organizations he doesn’t like because they’ve been mean to him, which turns out to be just about everyone except his abject sycophants and boot-lickers. If they can also be used to keep him in the news and siphon more money from the rubes, that’s a bonus. Since judges are well aware of Trump’s _modus operandi_, and I’m sure resent their courtrooms being used to stage his petty vendettas, I’m guessing that judges are probably not kindly inclined to his cases even aside from the utter nonsense that they usually represent. And so it is that, as we’ve so often seen, the lawyers who represent him tend to be of the same moral fiber and grifting inclination as Trump himself – not exactly the cream of the profession. One of my favourite examples of Trump’s harassment lawsuits is the one detailed below. Bill Maher once claimed that since the colour of an orange orangutan’s fur and Trump’s hair are the only two things in nature of the same colour, that Trump’s father must have been an orangutan. Maher offered Trump $5 million to prove that he was not the love-child of an orangutan. From the link below: > The very next day, demonstrating the sense of humor for which he has become legendary, Trump had his attorney write to Maher, formally accepting Maher’s “offer” and attaching a copy of Mr. Trump’s birth certificate, demonstrating that Trump is indeed “the son of Fred Trump, not an orangutan.” (Can you imagine being the poor lawyer who got that “urgent” assignment at midnight?) Trump demanded a $5 million payout, and when Maher ignored the demand letter, Trump actually filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court demanding $5 million in damages. Let me be clear: this is not actually a joke. This is a lawsuit that has seriously been filed. > > This prompted Maher to assert that Trump needs to understand two basic concepts: “what a joke is and what a contract is.” Several weeks later, Trump withdrew the lawsuit, but threatened to file a “revised” one “some time in the future”. As long as the vindictive harassment continues in some form, his petty little toddler-brain is satisfied. > **[Donald Trump Sues Bill Maher for Monkeying Around on Late-Night Talk Show |...](https://www.jdsupra.com/post/contentViewerEmbed.aspx?fid=57845e98-8e31-40cb-9b06-6f9a6e134193)** > > Here at Law Law Land, there are a few pearls of wisdom we like to repeat — perhaps to a fault — just because they are so helpful and right. Copyright ... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6148 "2022-07-28T04:02:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Since judges are well aware of Trump’s _modus operandi_, and I’m sure resent their courtrooms being used to stage his petty vendettas, I’m guessing that judges are probably not kindly inclined to his cases even aside from the utter nonsense that they usually represent. Even judges he (or other Republicans) appointed. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6149 "2022-07-28T05:13:20Z")
> **[RNC warning to Trump: If you run for president, we stop paying your legal...](https://abcnews.go.com/US/rnc-warning-trump-run-president-stop-paying-legal/story?id=87486985)** > > Some GOP leaders are hoping the prospect of losing massive legal payments would dissuade Donald Trump from announcing a presidential run too soon. > [@](#): > > According to the book “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show,” by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, in the final days of Trump’s presidency, Trump told McDaniel he was leaving the GOP and creating his own political party – only to back down after McDaniel made it clear to Trump that the party would [stop paying his legal bills](https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-told-rnc-chair-leaving-gop-create-party/story?id=80979889) for his post-election challenges and take other steps that would cost him financially. Sounds like this is a major OOF for him if he announces running before the midterms. Not his only source, but a vital one. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6150 "2022-07-28T06:17:36Z")
Trump probably thinks that announcing his candidacy will be a get-out-of-indictment card. Possibly it will, but I certainly hope not. Otherwise all kinds of criminals will declare candidacy for president/governor/senator/etc. just to avoid justice. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6151 "2022-07-28T07:03:01Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Trump probably thinks that announcing his candidacy will be a get-out-of-indictment card. Possibly it will, but I certainly hope not. It might even accelerate an indictment. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6152 "2022-07-28T07:35:17Z")
On that note, Garland was recently asked about possibly indicting a former president or a presidential candidate. His response – transcribed from a video – was perhaps the clearest indication yet that Trump may face indictment: > We pursue justice without fear or favor. We intend to hold everyone – anyone – who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding Jan 6 or attempting to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. To any sane observer, it could hardly be more obvious that manufacturing a blatant lie about the presidential election being “stolen” and then inciting a mob to violence on that pretext exactly fits what Garland was describing. If he now fails to indict, it will be equally obvious that Garland was just spouting hot air. Is that in character for someone of his reputation? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6153 "2022-07-28T08:37:39Z")
I believe we have [footage](https://youtu.be/_nTpsv9PNqo) of Mike Lindell’s “war room.” ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6154 "2022-07-28T11:02:59Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > attaching a copy of Mr. Trump’s birth certificate, demonstrating that Trump is indeed “the son of Fred Trump, not an orangutan.” Was it the _long form_ birth certificate? It has to be the long form birth certificate or it doesn’t count… > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > RNC warning to Trump: If you run for president, we stop paying your legal bills If he holds off on his big announcement somebody (Lincoln Project or Meidas Touch, perhaps) ought to run an ad congratulating the RNC for finally “bringing Trump to heel”. 😏 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6155 "2022-07-28T13:20:12Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > …Trump withdrew the lawsuit, but threatened to file a “revised” one “some time in the future”… In two weeks, tops. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6156 "2022-07-28T13:30:18Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Written in a new, very special, font called, “Trump Sharpie”. That goes along with his other font called, “Seismograph” specific to family signatures. Trump signature > **[File:Donald J. Trump signature.svg](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_J._Trump_signature.svg)** > > Original file ‎(SVG file, nominally 539 × 332 pixels, file size: 6 KB) > Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. > You cannot overwrite this file. The following 2 pages use this file: > **[Donald Trump’s signature makes Twitter go LOL: ‘It looks like an annoying...](https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/donald-trump-s-signature-is-nothing-less-than-an-earthquake-reading-on-a-richter-scale/story-55lICxv4RRzYJJ0mZ8liFP.html)** > > President Donald Trump signed his first official documents as the 45th president of the United States after being sworn in on Friday, January 20, and people across the globe watching the ceremony take place also noticed something interesting: his... Tenctonese/Tengo from **Alien Nation** > **[Tengo](https://omniglot.com/conscripts/tengo.php)** > > Details of Tengo, an alternative alphabet for English inspired by Tenctonese and invented by Bob Weiland. > **[Tenctonese alphabets](https://omniglot.com/conscripts/tencton.htm)** > > The Tenctonese alphabets were created by Joe Hawthorne for use in the Alian Nation movies, books and TV shows. [https://www.shipbrook.net/jeff/tencton/index.html](https://www.shipbrook.net/jeff/tencton/index.html) “Goon” speech balloon from Popeye [https://www.reddit.com/r/comicstriphistory/comments/fcn1ml/panel\_from\_popeye\_1933\_the\_word\_goon\_in\_the\_sense/](https://www.reddit.com/r/comicstriphistory/comments/fcn1ml/panel_from_popeye_1933_the_word_goon_in_the_sense/) > **[POPEYE THE SAILOR AND ALICE THE GOON](https://www.retrokimmer.com/2009/02/my-first-heroine.html)** > > News/Crime/Music/Entertainment and more.... Ventricular fibrillation trace > ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6157 "2022-07-28T13:51:08Z")
Donald J. Trump, the personification of a cardiac rhythm disturbance. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6158 "2022-07-28T15:26:28Z")
The best description of Trump’s signature that I have seen is that it looks like a KKK rally. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6159 "2022-07-28T16:32:27Z")
It reminds me of a lie detector response. ---
**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:** [July 28, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6160 "2022-07-28T17:02:55Z")
The first thing that occurred to me looking at the scrawl was the introduction to “The Outer Limits” (from the 60’s) with the wavy lines. Having watched it again, I could see Trump pretending he’s the Control Voice and frankly…that’s not a comfortable thought. For those who never saw the opening or have forgotten it, it was (IMHO) one of the best and most compelling ever made (no derailing-I think there is a thread somewhere in Cafe Society about opening credits). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FCcdr4O-3gE/maxresdefault.jpg "The Outer Limits - 1963 Seasons - Intro - HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCcdr4O-3gE) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6161 "2022-07-28T23:44:43Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > The first thing that occurred to me looking at the scrawl was the introduction to “The Outer Limits” (from the 60’s) with the wavy lines. Having watched it again, I could see Trump pretending he’s the Control Voice and frankly…that’s not a comfortable thought. Well, the opening of The Outer Limits is an oscilloscope tracing of a sine wave. Bud Sagendorff ( who took over the strip after Elzie C. Segar died, and four other guys had done it) called the Goon’s language “oscilloscope language”, so it all fits. But to me, Goon speech, Tenctonese, and Trump signatures aren’t as smooth as a sine wave. They’re more like a Triangle Wave, or a Sawtooth. [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_wave#/media/File:Triangle-td_and_fd.png) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_wave#/media/File:Triangle-td_and_fd.png) [![](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawtooth_wave#/media/File:Sawtooth-td_and_fd.png) ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawtooth_wave#/media/File:Sawtooth-td_and_fd.png) Which makes sense, when you think about it. _Ia! Ia! Yog-Sawtooth!_ ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6162 "2022-07-28T23:58:53Z")
I loved that show as a kid (and I still love most of the episodes today). I also remembered (I thought) the opening sequence exactly, but I don’t remember the rolling/fluttering bit with the Indian face at all. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6163 "2022-07-29T01:12:46Z")
There was more than one opening sequence over the seasons. All the same basic idea, but some changes in the visuals and maybe some slight changes in the wording. I have seen a shorter form of the opening as well, but that was probably in reruns. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6164 "2022-07-29T01:40:57Z")
Around the turn of the millennia, I had a boss whose signature was very much like Trump’s. Starting with the initial of his first name, followed by merely up and down strokes. You couldn’t even determine where his last named started. I counted the peaks once and there were more than letters in his name, but I compared two and they both had the same number of peaks, suggesting that it was very deliberate. This was in Texas, and this guy was a staunch conservative Republican. Every election, he would take a vacation day so he could perform poll watcher duties for the Republican party. I know for at least one GOP convention, he took time off to attend. He was only my boss for a few months, and I didn’t really like him or his management style, so, no, we haven’t kept in touch. I truly doubt he was trying to emulate the Orange One, since this was prior to even The Apprentice, and Trump was not a political entity back then, as far a I know. I left long before Trump’s rise to political power, but I don’t doubt he would be a Trumper. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6165 "2022-07-29T02:20:19Z")
That’s a great opening; however, I think “We are controlling transmission” should have been “We are controlling reception”. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-perfectly-reasonable-amount-of-schadenfreude-about-things-happening-to-trump-his-enablers-part-1/925537/6166 "2022-07-29T02:59:43Z")
> [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](#): > > Around the turn of the millennia, […] > > I truly doubt he was trying to emulate the Orange One, since this was prior to even The Apprentice, and Trump was not a political entity back then, as far a I know. Trump tried to get the Reform Party nomination for President in 2000, so he was a political entity by then. [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=307) [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=309)