# How has the disgraced, CONVICTED FELON, former but once again President Trump pissed you off today? (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [May 15, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178 "2021-05-15T18:35:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 119
**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:** [October 19, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2361 "2022-10-19T01:06:58Z")
Dammit! I should’ve gone with that, especially since I started the bit about the 2020 electing being “Schrödinger’s election” thanks to the way the pubbies who got elected on those ballots swear those same ballots are invalid for the presidential election. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2362 "2022-10-19T01:39:49Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > But I suppose we’ll never know for sure what the actual content of that meeting was… There was an interpreter there, right? So at least one other person knows what was said at the meeting. If I’m remembering correctly, it was the only time a president met with a foreign leader without disclosing anything that was talked about. What kind of rules is the interpreter under as far as sharing that information? Will they ever be able to? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2363 "2022-10-19T01:47:24Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > There was an interpreter there, right? Maybe only Putin’s interpreter. In which case, I think we’ll never know,unless Putin wants us to know. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2364 "2022-10-19T01:54:15Z")
Don’t you think Vlad has already had that guy killed? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2365 "2022-10-19T01:57:46Z")
And/or Trump ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2366 "2022-10-19T02:49:05Z")
I should have done some research before asking my question. Sorry, I was cooking dinner and distracted. 😁 Marina Gross was Trump’s interpreter at the meeting. > [@](#): > > …she was the only other American in the room for Trump’s two-hour long meeting with Putin and his own interpreter… the U.S. government has no internal notes of that meeting and that Trump seized the notes taken by his interpreter. > [@](#): > > Harry Obst, the former director of the Office of Language Services who interpreted for seven American presidents, said that if he was placed in a similar situation, “I would not divulge any information. That’s because of the oath that you swear to not divulge any classified information on any level,” he said. “Because you have a top secret clearance.” According to the article, her notes wouldn’t be of much use as they aren’t verbatim quotes of what was said. But she still _knows_ what they talked about. She just can’t divulge it because it’s classified and since she’s not Trump, she would probably go to prison if she did. I wonder if those notes are among the documents Trump still has? > **[Who is interpreter Marina Gross and will her notes of Trump's Putin meeting...](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/interpreter-marina-gross-notes-trumps-putin-meeting/story?id=60374126)** > > Who's Marina Gross, the State Department interpreter who was the only other American with President Donald Trump during a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Putin? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2367 "2022-10-19T03:01:55Z")
I wonder if she still works at the state department, and if so whether Biden has asked her by his office to have a little chat. Even if everything that Trump and Putin discussed was legit, Biden should know about it given that with the war in Ukraine, any information about Putin’s mindset and intentions is important. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2368 "2022-10-19T03:07:02Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Even if everything that Trump and Putin discussed was legit, Biden should know about it given that with the war in Ukraine, any information about Putin’s mindset and intentions is important. This is called ‘Need To Know’. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2369 "2022-10-19T04:22:54Z")
I can’t keep track of all of the threads. > **[Trump boasted that he was much tougher than Clinton and Nixon when they faced...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-boasted-much-tougher-clinton-031625747.html)** > > "Nixon was in a corner with his thumb in his mouth. Bill Clinton took it very, very hard. I just do things, okay?" Trump told journalist Bob Woodward. > “There’s nobody that’s tougher than me. Nobody’s tougher than me,” Trump said in an undated clip aired on CNN on Tuesday. This isn’t the first time Trump has repeated something he’d just said. I want to call him [‘Donny Two Times’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfW-MPUjC_0). ---
**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:** [October 19, 2022, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2370 "2022-10-19T05:55:57Z")
“I speak redundantly. Redundantly! Nobody is more redundant than I am. One time a man, a strong man, a Marine, he came up to me, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Sir, sir, thank you for being redundant, and I also wanted to thank you for being redundant.’ I am bigly redundant.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2371 "2022-10-19T06:40:03Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I wonder if she still works at the state department, and if so whether Biden has asked her by his office to have a little chat. I doubt it. I’m sure that interpreters at that level are under the same professional obligation as doctors and lawyers and priests–that is, you don’t mention it, outside of “Yes, as you can see on TV, I did represent Mr. Smith. No, I cannot tell you what we discussed in private.” I’m a lawyer, so that would be my response. But I can easily see an interpreter adopting it. In fact, if I was a world leader, I would expect an interpreter to. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2372 "2022-10-19T10:54:41Z")
But even though the interpreter wouldn’t be free to talk about it publicly, wouldn’t any meeting a president had with a foreign leader be treated like official documents, and therefore “property” of the government? Shouldn’t the current president be able to ask the interpreter for an account of the conversation? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2373 "2022-10-19T11:09:13Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > But even though the interpreter wouldn’t be free to talk about it publicly, wouldn’t any meeting a president had with a foreign leader be treated like official documents, and therefore I honestly thought you were going for _“at Mar-a-Lago.”_ ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2374 "2022-10-19T11:28:46Z")
Yes, TFG is secretly keeping interpreters in boxes in store rooms at Mar a Lago! NARA has been trying to get them back for years, but he claims they’re his property. There’s a good chance he’s keeping some in Trump Tower and Bedminster, too. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2375 "2022-10-19T14:08:46Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > Marina Gross was Trump’s interpreter at the meeting. If she gets an umbrella for Christmas, in a box with a Russian postmark, I would advise her to dispose of it asap, preferably without touching it. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2376 "2022-10-19T14:44:38Z")
I assume Marina can divulge the conversation to Biden, and I hope he has already had a conversation with her. ETA. What Buck Godot said. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2377 "2022-10-19T16:53:27Z")
A court order could make her more talkative, too. I am aware of no “speaker-interpreter” legal privilege, even if the person speaking is POTUS. ---
**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:** [October 19, 2022, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2378 "2022-10-19T17:02:58Z")
I agree with Buck\_Godot. The President has Need To Know because of National Security. There should be no need for a court order. The translator was working for the government in a secure environment. There is no reason for her to withhold any information upon the request of the President. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2379 "2022-10-19T18:09:25Z")
I find it analogous to the office of White House Counsel. As I understand things, the White House Counsel works for the office of the presidency, not for the individual who happens to hold that office at a given time. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2022, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178/2380 "2022-10-19T18:53:20Z")
After Woodward was shown Kim’s love letters, and Trump told Woodward to not tell anyone… Trump asked him > During his visits to the White House, Trump asked Woodward about the documents, and if he had made “a Photostat of them or something”. Woodward replied that he had dictated them into his recorder. A photostat? A PHOTOSTAT? This particular technology was superseded by xerography in the 1950’s. Trump is burbling on about 70 year old “Photostat” Jesus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178.md?page=118) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-the-disgraced-convicted-felon-former-but-once-again-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today-part-1/942178.md?page=120)