# 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:** 38
**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:** [May 27, 2024, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/741 "2024-05-27T07:52:53Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Tie-wrapped-around-his-forehead I thought underpants was more traditional in his case. ---
**Author:** ![RatBike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c37758/32.png) [@RatBike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RatBike)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/742 "2024-05-27T11:05:20Z")
That was his “take the guns 1st, due process 2nd” insanity. There is a link to the video in my post above yours. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/743 "2024-05-27T13:33:28Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > He also saluted an airplane today. > > [https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1794872778270859625](https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1794872778270859625) And while we’re at it, aren’t you supposed to be at attention when saluting? Not just kind of looking all over the place, distracted by whatever shows up? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/744 "2024-05-27T13:59:16Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > […] someone who wishes to show respect to the fallen. You mean the losers who got dead, right? And everybody knows that is even worse than being prisoneer’d by the enema – very bad people those enemas! but dead, a lot of people say, that is forever. A horrible thing. Just horrible, I tell you. (cue farting sound) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/745 "2024-05-27T19:51:07Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > He’s not a moron in the real sense. He is average intelligence\* with a healthy helping of sociopathy that makes him look stupid. He is a fairly clever and successful con man- whose cons have finally caught up with him. > [@RatBike](#): > > Every time Trump tells us that he will fight for 2nd Amendment rights, is he forgetting about his gun grab and proposal to eliminate due process prior to gun confiscation? Or does he think his sheep are just that stupid? > > Trump opposes due process on gun grabs Yep, for all the “Clinton/Obama/Biden is gonna take away our guns”, trump has actually done more "gun grabbing’. So far Bidens gun laws/etc have only made it more difficult for crooks, not honest gun owners. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/746 "2024-05-27T19:54:51Z")
And remember that it was Saint Ronnie who said no one needs an AK-47. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/747 "2024-05-27T22:12:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A civilian shouldn’t be saluting anyone or anything in the first place anyway. It’s a show of respect for a senior officer, not a handwave to your bro. … As you say, a civilian shouldn’t be saluting. Even Lloyd Austin, a career military man, knows it would be improper for him to salute: > **[On Memorial Day, Biden recognizes son, war dead in Arlington National Cemetery...](https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/05/27/Joe-Biden-Arlington-Memorial-Day-Lloyd-Austin-Donald-Trump/8671716832704/)** > > President Joe Biden on Monday laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, then remembered the fallen troops and his son who served in the military before dying from cancer. As for the ‘salute during Amazing Grace’ thing, this post is likely to have nailed it, I think: > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Saluting to the song _Amazing Grace_ looks to me like a good example of a [Saving Appearances Response (SAR)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29791460/), where a dementia patient will pretend to know answers to keep up appearances. > > Trump heard a song and could not remember what it was. His addled brain decided to salute, just in case this was the appropriate response for the song. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/748 "2024-05-28T00:54:19Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A civilian shouldn’t be saluting anyone or anything in the first place anyway. It’s a show of respect for a senior officer, not a handwave to your bro. I think the President can _return_ a salute given him as Commander in Chief. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/749 "2024-05-28T00:58:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I think the President can _return_ a salute given him as Commander in Chief. I believe that’s correct. A few examples, and an article on the practice, which claims that Reagan initiated it. [![](https://www.reviewjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/16819000_web1_16819000-556f95e1b42248f38c2b1295e29f6cfb.jpg) ](https://www.reviewjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/16819000_web1_16819000-556f95e1b42248f38c2b1295e29f6cfb.jpg) [![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/08/09/obama_fallen_soldiers_8296943_custom-eb9d1858b556e2a303498b152fb7bb9331183ac6.jpg) ](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/08/09/obama_fallen_soldiers_8296943_custom-eb9d1858b556e2a303498b152fb7bb9331183ac6.jpg) [![](https://i0.wp.com/thedrillmaster.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Reagan-Salute.jpeg?fit=600%2C402&ssl=1) ](https://i0.wp.com/thedrillmaster.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Reagan-Salute.jpeg?fit=600%2C402&ssl=1) [https://thedrillmaster.org/2020/06/09/the-presidential-return-salute/](https://thedrillmaster.org/2020/06/09/the-presidential-return-salute/) ---
**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:** [May 28, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/750 "2024-05-28T01:10:41Z")
Can, but not required to. And depending on service branch you shouldn’t be saluting unless you have a hat on anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/751 "2024-05-28T01:47:42Z")
Several former officers who went on to hold office, including Eisenhower, very deliberately did not salute as they were no longer in uniform. While it is more or less expected now, in some cases, it’s very much performative patriotism on the part of people who only care about veterans to the extent they provide photo ops. ---
**Author:** ![RatBike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c37758/32.png) [@RatBike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RatBike)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/752 "2024-05-28T04:41:21Z")
I’m a retired Sailor, I would not mind if a civilian had saluted me while I was in uniform. ---
**Author:** ![RatBike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c37758/32.png) [@RatBike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RatBike)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/753 "2024-05-28T04:44:00Z")
Biden did have his own gun grab. He took advantage of Reagan’s closure of the civilian machine gun register in 1986 to ban forced reset triggers by telling the ATF to classify them as machine guns. Since they cannot be registered anymore, they’re contraband. [https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/open-letter/all-ffls-mar-2022-open-letter-forced-reset-triggers-frts/download](https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/open-letter/all-ffls-mar-2022-open-letter-forced-reset-triggers-frts/download) > **[Firearm Owners Protection Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act)** > > The Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 is a United States federal law that revised many provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968. > Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) was given wide latitude on the enforcement of regulations pertaining to holders of Federal Firearms Licenses (FFL) (which enable an individual or a company to engage in a business pertaining to the manufacture or importation of firearms and ammunition, or the interstate an... ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/754 "2024-05-28T13:56:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > He is a fairly clever and successful con man I’d use the term “cunning” rather than “clever”. But I’m a word nerd. Clever makes me imagine someone smart. Cunning makes me think of someone sneaky and manipulative. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/755 "2024-05-28T18:55:57Z")
Speaking before a donor roundtable, one which reports are calling a ‘pitch to Jewish voters’, Trump constructs a Holocaust analogy where he (Trump) is Hitler: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53752124472_e4607ebc3b_b.jpg "Trump, Hitler comparison") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/68782016@N08/53752124472/) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/756 "2024-05-28T18:58:59Z")
Is it possible that he’s unaware that almost everyone thinks of Hitler as the bad guy in WWII stories? ---
**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:** [May 28, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/757 "2024-05-28T20:45:16Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Trump constructs a Holocaust analogy where he (Trump) is Hitler: While that’s funny that doesn’t look at all like what he’s saying. He’s saying that Hitler comes about because the president is weak, and he’d be a strong president who would prevent Hitler. It’s a stupid argument and it’s full of irony but in no way is presenting **himself** as Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/758 "2024-05-28T20:49:43Z")
Joe Biden is the weak President, anti-semitism is the “it” in the allegory, and Hitler was the result. Who is Trump trying to replace again, and who is he in this analogy: Joe Biden or the guy who replaces him? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/759 "2024-05-28T20:49:57Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > While that’s funny that doesn’t look at all like what he’s saying. He’s saying that Hitler comes about because the president is weak, and he’d be a strong president who would prevent Hitler. > > It’s a stupid argument and it’s full of irony but in no way is presenting **himself** as Hitler I don’t think JohnT was saying that trump did it intentionally. ETA: but I could be wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589/760 "2024-05-28T21:07:41Z")
Whether or not Trump was stupid enough to compare himself to Hitler, (wouldn’t put it past him and I think his supporters would appreciate a dog whistle), let me just say he needs to stay away from historical analogies cuz he’s sucks at them. Paraphrased from JohnT’s link: “You have a weak president and then things build and build, and then you get Hitler!” I mean like it’s a f\*\*\*\*\*\* “Hitler in a box”. You wind enough and he just pops out? Really? And it really sounds like he’s trying to blame FDR for the rise of Hitler. This might be the most assinine thing I’ve seen from him in a while and that’s saying something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trump-confused/996589.md?page=39)