# Is Donald Trump really THAT bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 6, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135 "2017-02-06T00:58:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [February 7, 2017, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/61 "2017-02-07T06:38:04Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Now that they’ve attacked The Twit(terer), don’t be surprised when he tries to defund or close NPR down. > **[Public Radio Finances](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/178660742/public-radio-finances)** > > An overview of the funding story at NPR and at our Member stations. While NPR shares a mission with our stations, we are funded in significantly different ways. NPR only gets about 11% of their budget from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If Trump yanked federal funding, that could be made up in minutes from private donations. This is encouraging: > [@](#): > > [The big lesson of Trump’s first 2 weeks: resistance works](http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/6/14473482/resistance-works-anti-trump-protests) > Trump is getting things done, but all presidents do that. Look at what he’s not getting done. A Republican-controlled Congress bowed to public outrage over an attempt to water down an ethics office. Trump dramatically downscaled his own executive order barring entry to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries. He’s having unprecedented difficulty getting his Cabinet nominees confirmed, even though the Senate’s rules have changed to make confirmations easier than ever. Conservatives in Congress have put their big plans to privatize Medicare and public lands on hold. And the drive to repeal the Affordable Care Act is running into very big trouble. > > None of this is based on the discipline and self-restraint on the part of the White House. It’s thanks to bold acts of resistance. The result is lives have been saved, many more lives have been demonstrably improved, and the proven template for future success has been created… ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2017, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/62 "2017-02-07T11:41:35Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > [President Trump is now speculating that the media is covering up terrorist attacks](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/02/06/president-trump-is-now-speculating-that-the-media-is-covering-up-terrorist-attacks/?utm_term=.7cf6b53167c0#comments) The cover-up of attacks by immigrants in Germany was indeed true. But a quick Google shows that terror attacks are not being covered up, at least over here and reported in the American press [(example)](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/02/03/soldier-louvre-paris/97436606/). Are they being covered on American TV? ---
**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:** [February 8, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/63 "2017-02-08T15:12:09Z")
Department of Defense looks to rent space in Trump Tower > **[Department of Defense looks to rent space in Trump Tower](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/department-of-defense-looks-to-rent-space-in-trump-tower/2017/02/07/6dec7252-edb0-11e6-9662-6eedf1627882_story.html)** > > The move could directly funnel government money into the president’s business interests. :smack: Hell, let’s just move the whole fucking capital there. After all, NYC **was** the capital at one time. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/64 "2017-02-08T15:22:31Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > The cover-up of attacks by immigrants in Germany was indeed true. But a quick Google shows that terror attacks are not being covered up, at least over here and reported in the American press [(example)](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/02/03/soldier-louvre-paris/97436606/). Are they being covered on American TV? What makes you think Google isn’t a part of the conspiracy? How would you find out about the other 75% of the attacks if Google is filtering them out of the results? What if it is Fake News all the way down? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/65 "2017-02-08T15:40:08Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > **The cover-up of attacks by immigrants in Germany was indeed true.** But a quick Google shows that terror attacks are not being covered up, at least over here and reported in the American press [(example)](http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/02/03/soldier-louvre-paris/97436606/). Are they being covered on American TV? Some reason you couldn’t manage a few links? [Was it this?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve_sexual_assaults_in_Germany) ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/66 "2017-02-08T17:47:54Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Re: Alex Jones > > Didn’t he go off on chemicals in the water making frogs gay? (Yes, this is real) > > Where were these chemicals coming from? It’s the contrails. Evil reptilian government guys are secretly using commercial air planes to spew experimental goo (the contrails) on all of us, to turn us all into gay frogs :eek: ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/67 "2017-02-08T21:26:31Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > He’s acting exactly as we imagined he would. The best you can say about him is that his behaviour and actions come as no surprise. > His personal and business dealings over the last decades showed us exactly what sort of a person he is. He is, and always has been, in it for Donald Trump. Winning, profiting and glorification, that’s all he wants. He will run the presidency in order to make himself richer. That is it. > > The hollowest joke is that he intends to help the little guys, that he’ll turf out the Washington insiders and elite. Interesting words words from billionaire Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies. He’ll allow a degree of prosperity for the little guys right up until the point that it starts to pick his pocket or inconvenience him in any way. > > Look at his disdain for an independent judiciary. A key safeguard against tyranny and he attacks it barely two weeks in. That tells you everything about his character and confirms that no, the role isn’t changing him and yes he is that bad. He is under a small amount of pressure now and is already reverting to type. And the pressure is only going to get greater as he has to deal with actual, real world events not of his own making. > > Harold Macmillan is reputed to have replied when asked what politicians fear most “Events, dear boy, events” I suspect Trump has none of that self-awareness or humility > > So, Trump remains a dreadful human being and the best anyone can hope for is that the constitutional and legal protections built into the system prevent him from doing too much damage. So the old saw about the presidency making the man has been proven false. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/68 "2017-02-09T00:41:14Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > So the old saw about the presidency making the man has been proven false. It might hold true, for someone who cares, someone who has some shred of decency, someone who wants to do the right thing. But that is not THS guy, this fascist, loofa-faced shit-gibbon. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/69 "2017-02-09T01:58:17Z")
From The Onion…one of the only things keeping me sane: [Secret Service Adds Emotional Protection Division To Safeguard Trump’s Psyche](http://www.theonion.com/article/secret-service-adds-emotional-protection-division--55263) > [@](#): > > “His psyche could be put in grave danger from unfavorable poll numbers or suddenly come under attack from a White House press corps heavily armed with uncomfortable questions.” > “All of our agents stand ready to lay down their lives to ensure nothing can hurt President Trump’s feelings,” he added. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/70 "2017-02-09T12:13:24Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > So the old saw about the presidency making the man has been proven false. I think that more accurately, adversity and pressure reveals the true character of the man. In some cases it can be a side of them we weren’t aware of but in others it merely confirms what we all suspected. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/71 "2017-02-09T18:16:59Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Why would he quit? Maybe the constant criticism, stress and long work hours will be too much for him. Right, because he’s never been able to handle criticism, stress and long work hours. Seriously I suggest you read a book on Trump’s life or at least watch a documentary on it. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/72 "2017-02-09T18:38:39Z")
Already saw _Goldfinger_. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/73 "2017-02-09T19:17:01Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Right, because he’s never been able to handle criticism, stress and long work hours. He doesn’t seem to be handling those [long hours](http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/politics/malcolm-turnbull-donald-trump-pena-nieto/) very well at all: > [@](#): > > One person familiar with the circumstances on Saturday notes that President Trump’s phone call with Turnbull came after a long day of conversations with other foreign leaders – Turnbull was the fifth call after conversations with Japanese Prime Minister Abe, French President Hollande, German Chancellor Merkel, and Russian President Putin, each of which lasted close to an hour. > Trump, this source said, was feeling some fatigue after his first major bout of diplomacy… The stress seems to be [keeping him up late](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-gday-mate-on-call-with-australian-pm-trump-badgers-and-brags/2017/02/01/88a3bfb0-e8bf-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html): > [@](#): > > Trump made the call to Turnbull about 5 p.m. Saturday from his desk in the Oval Office… ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/74 "2017-02-09T19:18:30Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Already saw _Goldfinger_. clap clap That said, Auric was a far superior and far less banal leader of men. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/75 "2017-02-09T19:19:59Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Right, because he’s never been able to handle criticism, stress and long work hours. Seriously I suggest you read a book on Trump’s life or at least watch a documentary on it. I grew up in New York. I know how he is and has always been. People from HIS home town think he is a lying, conniving scumbag. Even the real author of “his” book thinks he is a scumbag. ---
**Author:** ![Debillw3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Debillw3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debillw3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/76 "2017-02-09T19:38:14Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > To be fair to the guy, and while I have no idea what he _really_ meant, it’s not that utterly insane from an actual economics’ point of view. The truth is that markets are bonkers and reflect a lot more of their participants’ emotions and fears than their dry, cold, calculated best interests. When people \*feel \*the market’s fine, they spend and invest and loan which, short term at least, drives the economy up - regardless of the actual state of the market before that feeling spread. > Similarly, even if the market’s absolutely fine, if most people feel it’s shit for one reason or another they’ll keep their money under their mattress which quickly turns the market to actual shit. > > And I’m not even talking about Joe “Uninformed” Sixpack. That’s also true of serious banks and whatnot. Even if _those_ think they know about it and how to play that game - they’re still trapped in the game. Exactly. It’s pretty much established fact at this point that one of the major causes of the Great Depression was fear of the Great Depression, right? The stock market fell because people thought the stock market was going to fall and the banks all went under because people thought the banks would all go under. It wouldn’t have been anywhere near as bad as it was if people didn’t turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy by unloading all their stock before the market crashed and running on the banks before they went under. When enough people think the economy is about to do something & act accordingly, they can make the economy do that thing. Heck, that’s basically a simplified explanation of the stock market–fluctuations are generally caused by people anticipating fluctuations and acting accordingly. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/77 "2017-02-09T20:29:40Z")
He will not quit unless he can do it in a way that does not lable him a loser. IOW, it will have to be someone else’s fault, and that someone else will have to be someone WEAKER. He will quit if he can make quitting seem like a personal victory. Like he is so strong, smart, capable, and brilliant that he had to leave to accomplish some greater \<_whatever_\>. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/78 "2017-02-09T20:56:51Z")
Or something happens “medically” that forces him to step down. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/79 "2017-02-09T21:15:53Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > He will not quit unless he can do it in a way that does not lable him a loser. IOW, it will have to be someone else’s fault, and that someone else will have to be someone WEAKER. He will quit if he can make quitting seem like a personal victory. Like he is so strong, smart, capable, and brilliant that he had to leave to accomplish some greater \<_whatever_\>. Hmm, is it possible to resign the presidency with “no admission of wrongdoing”? ---
**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:** [February 9, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135/80 "2017-02-09T22:29:22Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > He will not quit unless he can do it in a way that does not lable him a loser. IOW, it will have to be someone else’s fault, and that someone else will have to be someone WEAKER. He will quit if he can make quitting seem like a personal victory. Like he is so strong, smart, capable, and brilliant that he had to leave to accomplish some greater \<_whatever_\>. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Hmm, is it possible to resign the presidency with “no admission of wrongdoing”? (That should have been “label.” Posting on kindle while eating lunch… :rolleyes:) If people can settle lawsuits where one side is clearly at fault, even with loss of lives, with “no admission of wrongdoing,” I don’t see why not. I believe this is the only way it can happen. He will never permit himself to be driven out of office-- not that the Republicans would ever banish their organ-grinder’s monkey. When attacked, he attacks back twice as hard. He is a bully who will not be bullied. But if he could find an escape clause where he comes out, if not lily-white, then at least some kind of hero, I think in about a year, he’d be more than ready to bail. Maybe if Congress decides to award him the Medal of Honor or something. Or maybe Putin will give him some kind of Russian Legion of Whatever Emeritus Blahblahblah. If he can go out in a blaze of glory, I believe he might do it, but short of that, he will go down with the ship (of state). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-donald-trump-really-that-bad/779135.md?page=5)