# 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:** 187
**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 11, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3754 "2025-02-11T23:09:45Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > But I don’t think he’s enjoying that all eyes are on Elon. Ant it _really_ pissed him off when President Musk admitted a mistake. You could practically _see_ the daggers shooting out of his eyes! ‘Sad! Weak!’ ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3755 "2025-02-11T23:14:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Ant it _really_ pissed him off when President Musk admitted a mistake. You could practically _see_ the daggers shooting out of his eyes! ‘Sad! Weak!’ . Yes, Elon was violating one of Donald’s most sacred bedrock principles. (If and when Donald DOES expel Elon, that might well be one of his “reasons.”) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3756 "2025-02-11T23:29:11Z")
I’m waiting for when donald says “you’re fired” and musk replies, “No, _you’re_ fired.”. Depending on who else is waiting behind the curtains to make it stick, musk might well win that one. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3757 "2025-02-12T02:47:33Z")
So, even though it wasn’t _condoms so Gazans can make bombs_ it’s still ‘’‘waste, fraud, and abuse’‘’ and sending condoms to stop the spread of AIDS is also ‘’‘waste, fraud, and abuse’‘’? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3758 "2025-02-12T04:34:33Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > and sending condoms to stop the spread of AIDS is also ‘’‘waste, fraud, and abuse’‘’? It’s not directly benefiting Americans – particularly Trump’s patrons – and, thus, “wasteful.” ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3759 "2025-02-12T04:41:38Z")
And, in the end, [AIDS is caused by recreational drug use (particularly amyl nitrite AKA “poppers”), and lifestyle stressors](https://glaad.org/gap/robert-f-kennedy-jr/) so how are condoms gonna stop that? ‘Stupid libs and there imaginary virises, am I write!’ ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3760 "2025-02-12T15:19:54Z")
i only caught a bit of the musk/trump thing? yest… bloomberg (thankfully muted) was on in the elevator. the bit i saw had musk pontificating, and trump looking at a wee kid like he had never seen one before. trump looked at the kid, then tilted his head and looked very puzzled. what was that??!! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3761 "2025-02-12T19:13:30Z")
That was part of it. And that 5 seconds was not nearly the most weird thing elmo, trump, or the kid did. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3762 "2025-02-12T19:40:32Z")
Said kid is four years old. I have grandchildren aged 4, 6, and 8. 4 is not 6 or 8. This was, in a good way, exceptional for 4: [The moment that gained the most traction online came when he interrupted Trump with an innocent yet unexpected request: “Please forgive me, I need to pee.”](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/grimes-rages-as-elon-musks-son-x-a-xii-charms-oval-office-says-hes-not-a-prop/articleshow/118185764.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst) I’m posting this because, eight or ten years from now, Lil X will be looking through a whole bunch of criticisms on the Wayback Machine. Kid, everyone criticizing your younger self is just plain wrong. That Trump guy may have been confused, but you were just as you should be. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3763 "2025-02-12T23:40:01Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > i only caught a bit of the musk/trump thing? yest… bloomberg (thankfully muted) was on in the elevator. the bit i saw had musk pontificating, and trump looking at a wee kid like he had never seen one before. trump looked at the kid, then tilted his head and looked very puzzled. > > what was that??!! Supposedly the kid said to Trump ‘you’re not the President, you need to go away’ (and more): > **[Michael McWhorter on Instagram: "During Elon's press conference in the oval...](https://www.instagram.com/tizzyent/reel/DF-wjbyOoX4/)** > > 101K likes, 5,961 comments - tizzyent on February 12, 2025: "During Elon's press conference in the oval office his son had some choice words for Donald Trump.". ---
**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 12, 2025, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3764 "2025-02-12T23:55:06Z")
Out of the mouths of babes! ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3765 "2025-02-15T23:00:53Z")
Every image I see from that 11 February Oval Office press event leads me to think that Donald HAS lost something. Some have speculated that he called the event in response to the Time Magazine cover of Elon behind the Resolute Desk. Donald, the theory goes, wanted to be there behind that desk himself and have Elon standing there like a mere staff member. Donald would be perceived by all as Large and In Charge! But of course that was not the impression made on…anyone, so far as I can see from all the reactions. It was Elon holding forth on HIS plans and HIS decisions, while Donald just sat there looking sour—and irrelevant. (The addition of the kid didn’t really change that dynamic.) I guess it’s subjective. But the one thing Donald has been known for is his ability to create an image and a story that puts himself at the center; that makes him the Powerful One. And with this Oval Office event, he just utterly failed to do that. He ended up looking weaker, not stronger. He ended up making the Time Magazine cover look even more accurate than it had on the day it was issued. > **[Rounding up what happened with Elon Musk and DOGE this week](https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/nx-s1-5297172/doge-elon-musk-donald-trump)** > > Elon Musk has emerged as a key figure in President Trump's plans to reshape the government. Here's a recap of this week with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team he leads. ---
**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 22, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3766 "2025-02-22T20:57:17Z")
“We were the richest relatively – think of this – from 1870 to 1913. That was our richest. Because we collected tariffs … we had so much wealth. Of course, now we give it away to transgender … everybody gets a transgender operation.” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lis6kysrl227)** > > Trump: "We were the richest relatively -- think of this -- from 1870 to 1913. That was our richest. Because we collected tariffs ... we had so much wealth. Of course, now we give it away to transgender ... everybody gets a transgender operation." “We are also going to Ft Knox. I’m going to go with Elon. Because we want to see if the gold is still there. Wouldn’t that be terrible? … we open the door, we’ll say, ‘There’s nothing here! They stole this too!’” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lis5wfazrg2g)** > > Trump: "We are also going to Ft Knox. I'm going to go with Elon. Because we want to see if the gold is still there. Wouldn't that be terrible? ... we open the door, we'll say, 'There's nothing here! They stole this too!'" “What do we like better – Crooked Joe or Sleepy Joe? Ready? Crooked Joe! Sleepy Joe!” > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lis4yz6bdm2h)** > > Trump on February 22, 2025: "What do we like better -- Crooked Joe or Sleepy Joe? Ready? Crooked Joe! Sleepy Joe!" “Rachel Maddow, what does she have? She took a sabbatical. They paid her a lot of money. She gets no ratings. I should go against her in the ratings” > **[Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lis4zpfew52l)** > > Rachel Maddow, what does she have? She took a sabbatical. They paid her a lot of money. She gets no ratings. I should go against her in the ratings ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3767 "2025-02-23T14:21:35Z")
I just read a Feb. 15 Nicholas Kristoff column that inadvertently gives a good summary of the problem with thinking Trump is confused. As authoritarian leaders go, DJT is normie. [An Alarming Pattern](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/opinion/trump-authoritarian-china.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zE4.2bgw.Uwr3RcOUm08Q&smid=url-share) > [@](#): > > There are other characteristics of authoritarians that are evident in Washington today. The sycophantic praise directed at Trump by his aides is familiar to anyone who has seen personality cults from Turkmenistan to Bangladesh. Assertions that God has anointed a ruler or “spared my life for a reason,” as Trump put it, have been a dime a dozen. > > Some Americans are puzzled by Trump’s fondness for ludicrous statements that are manifestly false, such as that his 2017 inauguration had record crowds or that he won the 2020 election. But authoritarians often issue torrents of nonsense not so much in hopes that people will believe it as to obscure reality in a blizzard of confusion. Officials are then summoned to publicly assert the official line — what in Chinese is called biaotai _—_ not so much to persuade anyone as to pass a loyalty test and prove the regime’s power. Lack of confusion of course does not mean invincible: > [@](#): > > I’ve covered lots of dictatorships employing this authoritarian tool kit, but I’ve also seen many of them collapse eventually, from Eastern Europe to South Korea. Determined citizens who understand the stakes can — eventually, inconsistently — defeat those who manipulate opinion and laws. We saw that most recently in Poland. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3768 "2025-02-24T11:54:47Z")
Quoting Trump: > [@Smapti](#): > > everybody gets a transgender operation. Worst Oprah show _ever_. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2025, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3769 "2025-02-24T14:34:11Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Worst Oprah show _ever_. Some got new keys; some got new locks. ---
**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 27, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3770 "2025-02-27T20:35:36Z")
Reporter: Do you still think Zelenskyy is a dictator? Trump: Umm did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. > **[Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lj6lcxf4bi2w)** > > Reporter: Do you still think Zelenskyy is a dictator? > > Trump: Umm did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question Reporter: Less than 1% of all fentanyl that comes into the U.S. Is apprehended at the Canadian border. So why use fentanyl as a reason? Trump: They should be apprehending much more. They’re only apprehending 1%. > **[Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lj6labbtg72w)** > > Reporter: Less than 1% of all fentanyl that comes into the U.S. Is apprehended at the Canadian border. So why use fentanyl as a reason? > > Trump: They should be apprehending much more. They're only apprehending 1%. Reporter: Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce? Are you tracking how many veterans have been fired so far? Trump: Yes we are. We take good care of our veterans > **[Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lj6kepvvwj2w)** > > Reporter: Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce? Are you tracking how many veterans have been fired so far? > > Trump: Yes we are. We take good care of our veterans Reporter: Andrew and Tristan Tate landed in Florida today after being released from custody in Romania. They are accused rapists, human traffickers… Did your administration pressure the Romanian government to release them? Trump: I know nothing about that. > **[Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lj6kbuevvi2y)** > > Reporter: Andrew and Tristan Tate landed in Florida today after being released from custody in Romania. They are accused rapists, human traffickers.. Did your administration pressure the Romanian government to release them? > > Trump: I know nothing... His brain is mush. He can’t even remember the things he said yesterday. He’s just blathering and soaking up adulation while he lets a zonked-out drug fiend with a broken dick run the country for him. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3771 "2025-02-27T20:55:01Z")
I’ve heard other comments about “Elon’s broken dick” 🤮 but really don’t want to google. Brief explanation, por favor? ---
**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 27, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3772 "2025-02-27T20:56:03Z")
It’s not confirmed, but Azalea Banks tweeted a few weeks back that she was told by Grimes that Elon had gotten a penis implant surgery that failed and rendered him impotent. It would certainly explain a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/3773 "2025-02-27T20:56:51Z")
Moderating: > [@Smapti](#): > > He’s just blathering and soaking up adulation while he lets a zonked-out drug fiend with a broken dick run the country for him. Look, I dislike Musk as much as the next person, but could we save the uncited rude assertions for the Pit? I’m having more and more trouble distinguishing between P&E and the Pit. Let’s use a little more decorum in P&E. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=186) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=188)