I’m sure Trump’s also worried about a small turnout at the Rotunda as well. Even that won’t get filled to capacity, but at least it won’t be as embarrassing for him as the dearth of folks if it had been outside.
More and more the entire drama looks as though it was stage-directed.
As you note, TikTok shut down at 12:01am Eastern time, with a notice calling on “President Trump” to save us all.
Then a few hours later:
Just a flat-out fake “crisis,” designed to inspire Trump fans with fervor for the Great Man who is the Only One Who Can Fix…anything!!!1!!!
No doubt TikTok and Trump have a deal. They will give him some additional control over the propaganda—or at least assure him that they will push ‘Trump is great!’ and algorithmically hide anything that could make him look bad.
In return, Trump’s Administration will use all the powers at its disposal to fend off any potential competitors to TikTok.
Cozy! (though schadenfreudy only for the TT users who FREAKED out during those hours the app was down).
We’re still in negative Scaramucci territory here.
Did we ever learn whether Trump planned to give Vivek and Elon office space, salaries, funding for staff, etc.? I realize that Elon DOES get an office in the White House, but that’s apparently so he can be Trump’s, er, advisor–not so that he can do DOGE stuff.
And of course Elon doesn’t need a salary or staff. Maybe Vivek did.
And apparently Elon was treating Vivek with something less than respect:
Of course he wasn’t there, he was busy pwning noobs in Diablo 4 or whatever.
I believe everything you tell me!
Doubtless playing a team game with his children and Mr. Dittman.
So when did Trump voters get so fastidious about barging into the Capitol without permission?
Hey, we did say two heads of the Department was an inefficiency.
See, they’re already cutting waste and saving money.
We watch NBC affiliates KING and KONG for local news. At 07:00 it went to NBC’s inauguration coverage. I switched over to Antenna TV (a station we never watch) for a The Jeffersons marathon.
Thanks for the reminder. I just turned on a Law & Order marathon.
Heh. I’m about 10 miles or so north of the Capital Beltway. It’s 25 F and cloudy but no wind, so it’s not that bad outside, especially if you dress for it. [11:15 am 1/20]
Trump Voters FLIP OUT over DISASTER INAUGURATION
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Trump voters who showed up for the inauguration demanding refunds after Trump canceled the outdoor speech and events claiming “it was too cold.”
Yet the story will be, if it wasn’t for that dangerously cold weather, a couple million people would have been there. And not those weird rednecks and losers but the classy folks Trump desperately wants to impress.
Yeah, that’s the ticket. They actually love him but it was unsafe for them to be there, yeah. It wasn’t just an excuse to avoid the embarrassing photos of a mostly empty National Mall.
Is the inauguration coverage over? Still have The Jeffersons on…
Yeah, 26F really isn’t that cold. It’s 22 here and I’m out and about in a sweatshirt. Granted, if I were standing around I’d dress warmer, but this is not a big deal.
I guess it’s all relative. It’s 26F here in Little Rock and I couldn’t just sit outside comfortably in a sweatshirt. I’d need my winter coat, hat, and I’d probably be rocking some gloves unless I wanted to keep my hands in my pocket. I can weather the cold so long as it isn’t windy.
Exactly. There’s a huge difference between doing work or otherwise being active out in such weather, and sitting or standing for hours. And, it’s also a matter of whether you know how to dress for it (many people don’t, or don’t even have the appropriate clothing), and whether you are accustomed to being in cold temperatures.
I just happened to catch some reporter on a right-wing channel say how the the inaugration HAD to be held inside because of the dangerously low temps in DC. It was for the safety of the supporters, you see. Although the temp in DC is in mid-20s with no wind.
Here’s a page on the National Weather Service site, about Inauguration Day weather. The weather in DC today is comparable (from a temperature/wind standpoint) to what it was in 2009 (Obama), 1977 (Carter), and 1961 (Kennedy).