Trump dies of a massive heart attack after struggling to put up a wall.
I think you have put your finger exactly on it.
Definitely both. And probably a few other options, too.
hijack hidden, don't reply
That’s a myth. The Easter Islanders cut down most of their trees to free up land for agriculture, same as most people everywhere else on the globe. Their civilization collapsed mostly post-Contact due to waves of epidemics of novel diseases, same as many indigenous peoples elsewhere. See the excellent Fall of Civilizations Podcast for a great many more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j08gxUcBgc
There are things that he needs the cooperation of Congress to accomplish. There are other things that have no such external dependence.
He has no excuse when it comes to things like releasing his tax returns, divesting from his business interests, playing golf instead of doing his presidential duties, charging the American people for his private vacations, etc. Community service for every hour of golf is something that no one can say he didn’t earn; likewise paying us back for the vacations.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-obama-golf-235217
hijack post
I’ll need to see something more substantial than a YouTube video. I mean Thor Heyerdahl made a film about his Kon Tiki expedition, but his hypothesis was proven wrong.
huge hijack
I’m not about to dig for the primary sources (largely accounts from the European sailors who landed on the island in the 18th century) recounted in the video to make a small point about Rapa Nui in a thread about Trump’s legal woes, sorry. You may, however, peruse for yourself the sources used by the podcast listed in the video description.
Bahn, Paul, and John Flenley. Easter Island, Earth Island. United Kingdom, Thames and Hudson, 1992.
Barthel, Thomas S. The Eighth Land: The Polynesian Discovery and Settlement of Easter Island. Trans. Trans. Anneliese Martin. Honolulu, University Press of Hawaii, 1978.
Behrens, Carl Friedrich. ‘Another Narrative of Jacob Roggeveen’s Visit.’ In: The Voyage of Captain Don Felipe Gonzalez. Trans. Bolton Glanvill Corney. Cambridge, The Hakluyt Society, 1908, pp. 131–137.
Bendrups, Dan. Singing and Survival: The Music of Easter Island. United States, Oxford University Press, 2019.
Boersema, Jan J. The Survival of Easter Island: Dwindling Resources and Cultural Resilience. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Capek, Michael. Easter Island. United States, Twenty-First Century Books, 2008.
Corney, Bolton Glanvill, editor. The Voyage of Captain Don Felipe Gonzalez. Cambridge, The Hakluyt Society, 1908.
Cook, Captain James. The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery. Ed. J. C. Beaglehole . United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2017.
Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive. United Kingdom, Penguin Books, 2013.
Emory, Kenneth P. ‘Easter Island’s Position in the Prehistory of Polynesia.’ The Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. 81, no. 1, 1972, pp. 57–69.
Esen-Baur, Heide-Margaret. ‘Towards an Understanding of “Rongorongo.”’ Anthropos, vol. 106, no. 2, 2011, pp. 439–461.
Fischer, Steven Roger. Island at the End of the World: The Turbulent History of Easter Island. United Kingdom, Reaktion Books, 2006.
Gill, George W. and Vincent H. Stefan, editors. Skeletal Biology of the Ancient Rapanui (Easter Islanders). United Kingdom Cambridge University Press, 2016.
Heyerdahl, Thor. Easter Island: The Mystery Solved. New York, Random House, 1989.
—————, and Edwin N. Ferdon Jr, editors. Reports of the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island and the East Pacific. United States, Rand McNally & Company, 1961.
Hiatt, Alfred, et al., editors. European Perceptions of Terra Australis. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2016.
Hunt, Terry and Carl Lipo. The Statues that Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island. United Kingdom, Free Press, 2011.
—————. ‘Rethinking the Fall of Easter Island: New Evidence Points to an Alternative Explanation for a Civilization’s Collapse.’ American Scientist, vol. 94, no. 5, 2006, pp. 412–419.
Langdon, Robert, et al. ‘The Settlement of Easter Island.’ The Journal of the Polynesian Society, vol. 110, no. 3, 2001, pp. 329–333.
Middleton, Guy D. Understanding Collapse: Ancient History and Modern Myths. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Roggeveen, Jacob. ‘Extract From the Official Log of Mr Jacob Roggeveen, Relating to His Discovery of Easter Island.’ 1722. In: The Voyage of Captain Don Felipe Gonzalez. Trans. Bolton Glanville Corney. Cambridge, The Hakluyt Society, 1908, pp. 1–24.
Routledge, Katherine. The Mystery of Easter Island. United Kingdom, Hazell, Watson, and Viney Ltd, 1919.
Trachtman, Paul. ‘The Secrets of Easter Island.’ Smithsonian, 1 Mar. 2002. Online.
Van Tilburg, Jo Anne and Ted Ralston. ‘Engineers of Easter Island.’ Archaeology, vol. 52, no. 6, 1999, pp. 40–45.
He got about 74 million votes the last time, so that’s about 71 cents per voter.
At $5 per donation, that’s only about 10 million people who cared enough to donate.
Did any of us think that this guilty verdict wouldn’t inflame his most fanatical base? Of course it was going to do that.
The real question is what it does to people who aren’t fanatical. 10 million idiots all donating five buck on one day doesn’t mean squat until we see how many come out to vote.
Actually I think that there is a reasonable chance he will try to say all the right things even if it makes him appear weak. He knows that this is all highly confidential so it isn’t going to get out where real people can see it, and he’s gone through his entire life telling whatever lies that gives him the best advantage at the time. So if he has to say that deep down he’s very sorry and a hurt little child he’ll do it and then march out of the office to rant to the TV cameras about how probation officer was out to get him but he showed him a thing or two.
I also just want to say that in addition to this court case providing endless supplies of schadenfreude, it has been very educational as we see every piece of how a trial works its way through the courts from indictment into the trial and now towards sentencing and possible appeal, particularly with such helpful guides as @rocking_chair and @Aspenglow to light the way.
And they say comedy is dead. 
Seriously, though, Convict Donald is constitutionally incapable of apologizing or feeling sorry for anything, because that would mean admitting he was wrong, and in his tiny little mind he has never been wrong about ANYTHING.
Now why would I doubt Trump’s bookkeeping numbers? Especially bookkeeping numbers about election stuff?
But I guess that is the question, does he never apologize because he wants to project a public image of toughness, or is he actually incapable of apologizing even if it could keep him out of jail. Since all we ever see is his public face its hard to know.
All you have to do is get him talking to find out how he really feels. He’s certainly capable of deception but he’s not capable of maintaining it. An experienced interviewer will know which questions to ask and how to ask them to get at the real Donald Trump. It is going to be the worst day of his life whether he realizes it or not.
This is a good point. Whether Trump realizes it or not, the interviewer does pre-sentence interviews for a living, and has a lot of experience with them. Trump doesn’t and hasn’t.
Add in Trump’s absolute conviction that he’s right about everything and his unassailable belief that nobody can tell when he’s lying (which I think I mentioned upthread - he has the mindset of a 4-year-old who’s just realized that it’s possible to not tell the truth and is utterly baffled when his parents can tell) and you’ve got a good picture of what’s likely to happen in that interview - he’s going to deny everything and say that the judge, prosecutors, jury, and legal system were all rigged and out to get him, just like he always does, because in his mind the interviewer is supposed to believe him wholeheartedly and help him out of his predicament.
And when the interviewer can tell he’s full of shit and makes their recommendation to the judge accordingly, why, that’ll just be proof that the interviewer was UNFAIR and in on the vast conspiracy against him.
Just checked out the 5.31.24 ep. and it appears this is indeed the case - the verdict came out after the taping.
During his presidency, I was happy for Trump to go golfing as often as possible. That’s where he can do the least damage to the country.
Will he be under oath for this interview, or will his allergy to the truth be allowed, and expected?
I don’t imagine that he will be under oath, but as always, things can vary by jurisdiction.
I’ve read a few pre-sentence reports, and they’re not prepared to get to the truth of the matter. That’s what the court case is for. No, rather, they are there to inform both sides and the judge of the convicted defendant’s (for brevity, let’s call him “D”) state of mind about what’s happened. That’s the easy way to put it anyway, it can be a lot more complicated.
Does D understand what he did? Does he understand that what he did was wrong, and why it was wrong? Does he show any remorse? Is D attempting to rehabilitate? If so, in what way?
Those, and other things, are what that interview will be all about. It won’t be about whether the verdicts are correct or not (though Trump undoubtedly wishes it was and will undoubtedly bring it up a lot); rather, it will be about Trump’s character in relation to the crimes he is convicted of.
Like I said, the interviewer is very experienced at this sort of thing and will be able to tell if Trump is bullshitting or not. And if he is—well, that will make its way into the pre-sentence report too.
A fool and his money are soon parted comes to mind.
This is a ridiculous hijack.
Moderating
Drop it now, you can start a new thread but seriously?