As I’m the one who asked, I do apologize.
I appreciate the apology, but the comment was moddable even without your request for a cite.
He’s just trolling and loving every second it pisses people off that he’s getting away with it.
Reading just that, I was thinking – you have some real evidence of confusion this time.
But then I checked and found a bit more context::
“Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question,”
So it sounds like he knew what he was doing, and did it, and intentionally cut off further questioning on why he goes back and forth on insulting Zelensky. No confusion.
I’m seeing here a hard-working autocrat consolidating power. He’s learned from his first term how to keep the normie set from dominating him.
Dismantling a democracy as well-established as the U.S. is not going to go smoothly, no matter how sharp you are. But he is making great progress, and I believe it is because he is focused on the task.
I don’t think Trump has ever worked hard at anything.
He’s talked to the press a lot so far.
Not only is he doing governance, he also is also doing work for his business:
He is said to have fathered 13 children though…
Recall that the election-interference Jack Smith case can be re-brought, should Trump leave office.
That gives him a pretty powerful incentive to, you know, not leave office.
Well, Trump did say everyone was getting transgender operations.
Re yesterday with Zelenskyy, Vance and Trump, after seeing it (text here), among my many thoughts was that we have a final answer to the thread title question. Answer: NO. Trump is a sharp autocrat.
DJT obviously (to me) went to Vance, a guy he doesn’t usually hang with, and told him to find an opportunity to berate Zelenskyy in order to scuttle the signing of a worthless agreement where Ukraine would have given the U.S. rights to minerals that Ukraine probably doesn’t have.
So I agree with Susan Rice in a MSNBC interview:
Moderating:
Did you miss the mod note I gave Smapti for making an unfounded assertion in P&E about Elon Musk’s penis? The mod note applies to Pit-like responses to his comment such as yours.
I’m sorry. I will do better.
It was definitely a setup. I haven’t seen it, but my dad had been following closely and telling me about it. He’s an article.
The first thing started when Trump commented on Zelenskyy’s attire. That’s the black shirt and military pants he typically wears. Trump made a sarcastic comment about his well he was dressed. Apparently, knowing how Zelenskyy always dresses, the White House advised him ahead of time to wear a suit.
Later, a reporter followed up with a question about Zelenskyy’s attire and why he didn’t wear a suit, and accused him of a lack of respect for America. Zelenskyy explained it is because his country is at war, it’s a sign of solidarity.
That reporter, by the way, is Marjorie Taylor Greene’s boyfriend. You think maybe there’s a connection?
That helped set the tone for Vance’s run on how Zelenskyy was supposedly being disrespectful.
Nobody mentioned Trump’s tirade about his dumb Biden and Obama and Shumer and everybody were. He was far more disrespectful to America than anything Zelenskyy said or did.
It’s been pointed out that they didn’t have any complaints when Elon Musk wears a T- shirt and jeans and a baseball cap in the Oval Office.
It was all theater.
It terms of the thread topic, the only question then is who did the setting up. Allegedly confused old man Donald Trump, JD Vance, or some behind-the-scenes villain?
I go with the planner being Trump for reasons already given.
I’ve realised what this whole brouhaha was reminding me of:
It’s possible Trump is the archetect, but it’s more likely Trump said they needed a way to blow up the deal and make Zelenskyy look bad, and then Vance or Musk conceived the details. I lean toward Vance. Getting Marjorie Taylor-Greene’s boyfriend into it was too cute.
To say nothing about bringing his sprog to wipe boogers on the Resolute desk.
i heard Trump sent the Resolute Desk out for ‘light refinishing’. I hope it doesn’t come back covered in gold leaf.
Moderating:
Yet again, this thread has devolved into Pit-like discussion. We tried to leave it in P&E, but now I’m closing it. @Dr_Paprika, please let me know if you want it reopened in the Pit. It probably should have been moved there long ago.