# Is Trump confused? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 24, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589 "2024-01-24T13:53:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 182
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3654 "2025-01-31T16:46:28Z")
Behold, probably the best thing Dubya ever did: > **[President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Emergency_Plan_for_AIDS_Relief)** > > The United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the global health funding by the United States to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and help save the lives of those suffering from the disease. The U.S. allocation of over $110 billion marks the largest investment by any country has ever made towards combating a single disease. As of 2023, PEPFAR has saved over 25 million lives, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. > Launched by U.S. President George W. Bush in 2003, as of ... ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3655 "2025-02-01T00:59:57Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > [President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Emergency_Plan_for_AIDS_Relief) Well, but those are all African lives! Why should we be saving lives of gay degenerates in that country? /trump ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3656 "2025-02-01T04:05:28Z")
I’ve repeatedly posted in this thread, answering the title question with a solid No. But this has me flummoxed: [Trump: Nothing Canada, Mexico or China can do to delay Feb 1 tariffs](https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/north-america-braces-new-trump-tariffs-saturday-deadline-nears-2025-01-31/) As I understand the plan, Trump wants to lower income taxes, replacing lost revenue with tariffs. Americans would theoretically pay about the same amount of tax, but much would now be hidden in a few inflation points (while, for this to work, keeping under the Biden inflation peak). This would be long run bad, but not confused. However, to make this possibly work politically, wouldn’t he have to reduce taxes BEFORE the tariff inflation and goods shortages hit? I’m thinking Trump 45 would have known better – or listened to aides warning him away from an unpopular policy. If the 25 percent tariff rate triggers the supply chain disaster some are predicting, it still could be that confusion isn’t the problem. The problem may be that he selected all yes men (and women) who don’t dare contradict him. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3657 "2025-02-01T04:16:40Z")
I wonder about that myself. Even the most bootlicking of Trump’s toadies must at some point have at least tried to tell Trump that tariffs do not work the way he thinks they do. It’s not an infinite money cheat code. They must realize that. Trump must realize that. I’ll repeat my speculation from years past: I think Trump has somehow found a way to steal some of this tariff money. It makes a lot more sense if he is personally profiting from it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3658 "2025-02-01T04:26:05Z")
Trump says “people will understand” why prices have to skyrocket. > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lh2yl6se5c2q)** > > REPORTER: You promised to reduce costs, and so many of the products that would be tariffed, the outgoing country is not paying the tariff, the buyers in the US pay that and it's passed on to consumers > > TRUMP: There could be some temporary short-term... ---
**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:** [February 1, 2025, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3659 "2025-02-01T04:35:35Z")
They won’t, until it hits them personally. “Whaaaa? Gas is $6 a gallon?” “Yeah, we’re really sticking it to those Canadians, aren’t we?” “But Trump said they’d be the ones who would be hurting. They seem to be just fine.” “Do you think he might have been wrong?” ---
**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:** [February 1, 2025, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3660 "2025-02-01T04:51:23Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > “Do you think he might have been wrong?” Let me correct the last line for you: ‘_Thank you, Biden!_’ ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3661 "2025-02-01T04:59:15Z")
Time to invest in a set of stickers; [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvnAExNlD0HW3K2YXMlQswFHDg214B0DkC-Q&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvnAExNlD0HW3K2YXMlQswFHDg214B0DkC-Q&s) [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712HLSECE2L.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/712HLSECE2L.jpg) ---
**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:** [February 1, 2025, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3662 "2025-02-01T05:48:26Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Let me correct the last line for you: ‘_Thank you, Biden!_’ Either that, said sarcastically, or “It’s Biden’s fault!”, said simultaneously. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3663 "2025-02-01T06:08:54Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > "Whaaaa? Gas is $6 a gallon?” Hey, It’s okay!..Trump is saving the country! The army has to use huge amounts of gas rounding up all those illegals, and driving them to the airport. So there’s less gas for the rest of us, so the price per gallon has gone up. But don’t worry! it’s just temporary. The price at the pump is Biden’s fault! He let in all those illegals. Trump will bring the price down for us! [/sarcasm] ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3664 "2025-02-01T06:19:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Trump says “people will understand” why prices have to skyrocket. Damn, I wish Kamala Harris had thought of that one. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3665 "2025-02-01T22:02:41Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > The army has to use huge amounts of gas rounding up all those illegals, and driving them to the airport. But that’s just the first step [sarcasm acknowledged]. I was watching a video where it was pointed out that using military planes to fly immigrants out of the country and to, say, Colombia, is vastly more expensive than chartering a commercial plane. IIRC, besides all the other costs involved, the C-17 burns fuel 6x faster than a commercial jet like a 737 (I believe that was the comparison). [Trump’s Reliance on Military Planes for Deportations Is Costing Taxpayers](https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-reliance-military-planes-deportations-costing-taxpayers-2023882) > New figures show that the recent deportation flights from the U.S. to Colombia and Guatemala have far exceeded the price of a chartered or even first-class seat on a commercial flight, making the Trump administration’s approach to returning illegal immigrants more than eight times more expensive than previous administrations’ efforts. > … > In the first week of [Trump](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/donald-trump)’s second term, the [Department of Homeland Security](https://www.newsweek.com/topic/department-of-homeland-security) reported deporting about 7,300 people of various nationalities. > > To carry out some of these deportations, the U.S. has deployed C-17 Globemaster III transport planes, which cost an estimated $28,500 per flight hour, a senior U.S. defense official told _Newsweek_. > … > The four deportation flights to Guatemala came at a steep cost. The Guatemalan government confirmed that a C-17 military transport plane landed on Monday with 64 deportees on board. > > Accounting for the per-hour operating cost, those expenses reached around $4,675 per person—far exceeding the roughly $850 price of a first-class commercial ticket from El Paso to Guatemala City. > > In contrast, deportation flights operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which use Boeing 737 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft, cost about $630 per deported. If Trump wants to deport millions of undocumented immigrants using military planes like the C-17, that’s a lot of expensive jet fuel. I don’t know much about the different fuel type processing. Is aviation fuel refined from a different type of crude than the gas for cars? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3666 "2025-02-02T03:20:41Z")
Which do you think is more savagely satisfying for 45/47: Herding deportees into cargo planes with minimal comforts, or letting them loll about in all the luxury of a commercial plane’s amenities intended for real Americans? ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3667 "2025-02-02T03:49:10Z")
Well, I wouldn’t say herding. The article reports 64 deportees. Apparently, hundreds can be crammed into a C-17: [Kabul Evacuation Flight Sets C-17 Record With 823 On Board](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/kabul-evacuation-flight-c-17-record/#:~:text=Kabul%20Evacuation%20Flight%20Sets%20C,Air%20Mobility%20Command%20Twitter.) > The flight broke the previous C-17 record, set in November 2012 when 670 residents of Tacloban, Philippines, boarded an evacuation flight to Manila following Super Typhoon Haiyan. That flight was flown by a C-17 aircrew from the 535th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. > > The C-17 typically flies with a maximum of about 300 people when outfitted for large passenger loads using pallets with seats. I get that the number of actual passenger seats depends on how the plane is configured, but maybe Musk and DOGE need to look into increasing deportation efficiency and passenger discomfort. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3668 "2025-02-02T03:51:08Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > maybe Musk and DOGE need to look into increasing deportation efficiency and passenger discomfort. Don’t give them any ideas. But I doubt they’ll get around to it right away; they’re too busy setting up the systems to loot the Treasury. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3669 "2025-02-02T03:57:52Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > But I doubt they’ll get around to it right away; they’re too busy setting up the systems to loot the Treasury. I’m waiting for the announcement that the Treasury will start buying Dogecoin and Trump’s meme coin to stockpile. Take out real money and put fake money in. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2025, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3670 "2025-02-02T06:01:03Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > But I doubt they’ll get around to it right away; they’re too busy setting up the systems to loot the Treasury. Musk has talked about turning Twitter into a financial platform in the past. Now he can just privatize the government payment function, move all info to his DOGEx system and make a fee off all transactions. ---
**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:** [February 2, 2025, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3671 "2025-02-02T10:37:33Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Musk and DOGE need to look into increasing deportation efficiency and passenger discomfort. They just need to do a little research. [![](https://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_large/public/2023-11/Slave_ship_diagram.jpg.webp?itok=h0eWpPln) ](https://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_large/public/2023-11/Slave_ship_diagram.jpg.webp?itok=h0eWpPln) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2025, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3672 "2025-02-03T20:54:31Z")
Honestly, I’m starting to think there’s some degree of elder abuse going on here. > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lhc6lr44wn24)** > > Trump is again doing that weird thing where he signs executive orders that need to be explained to him just before he signs them ---
**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:** [February 3, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3673 "2025-02-03T23:23:26Z")
I don’t know how to quote from another thread, other than to copy and paste the quote. Anyway, this is from the US Dopers/Threats to Canada thread. > [@US Dopers - how do you feel about Trump's threats to Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-how-do-you-feel-about-trumps-threats-to-canada/1013348/219): > > Honestly, I’d say it’s 50/50 that Trump is even still president 30 days from now. > [@US Dopers - how do you feel about Trump's threats to Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-how-do-you-feel-about-trumps-threats-to-canada/1013348/220): > > Based on what? > [@US Dopers - how do you feel about Trump's threats to Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-how-do-you-feel-about-trumps-threats-to-canada/1013348/223): > > Have you seen him lately? He’s clearly so out of it that he has no idea what he’s doing. His handlers have to explain to him what they’re giving him to sign. He’s barely coherent when he speaks. He’s not even dying his hair anymore. Multiple Republican senators are now coming out against his “policies”. > > Either he dies, suffers a debilitating medical incident, the Republicans turn on him, or the Vance/Musk cabal decides they don’t need a figurehead anymore. So here’s what I wanted to say, without hijacking the other thread. > [@US Dopers - how do you feel about Trump's threats to Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-how-do-you-feel-about-trumps-threats-to-canada/1013348/223): > > Either he dies, suffers a debilitating medical incident… We’re not that lucky. > [@US Dopers - how do you feel about Trump's threats to Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-how-do-you-feel-about-trumps-threats-to-canada/1013348/223): > > the Republicans turn on him… Not a chance. > [@US Dopers - how do you feel about Trump's threats to Canada?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-how-do-you-feel-about-trumps-threats-to-canada/1013348/223): > > or the Vance/Musk cabal decides they don’t need a figurehead anymore. I think this is the most likely. They push him out, and take over power for themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=181) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=183)