# Most Explosive Thing to happen right when Trump Assumes Office? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 20, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619 "2017-01-20T13:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/41 "2017-01-20T18:01:36Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Most colleges receive federal money directly or indirectly through grants or student loans or non-profit status. I say anyone who wants to attend Occidental not get loans subsidized by the Federal government until Obama’s records are made public. Ohhhh, yeah. That’ll get Obama out of office! As your dear leader won’t even release tax returns like every other modern president has, how are you harping on this? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/42 "2017-01-20T18:02:32Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I am ignorant of the process to be followed, but similar to Bill Clinton and MLewinsky, if the opposing party has a legally-plausible way to tangle up, let alone impeach, the President, don’t you think they would pursue it? > > ETA: that’s not to say your basic point, that it could be a whole lot worse, is out there. Unlikely we would get to impeachment, but your OP said “right when Trump assumes office”. Absolutely zero chance that’s going to take place today. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/43 "2017-01-20T18:05:53Z")
Today is the high point of the Trump admin. In six months, half the guys gloating at us will be too embarrassed to show their faces. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/44 "2017-01-20T18:06:54Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Most colleges receive federal money directly or indirectly through grants or student loans or non-profit status. **I say anyone who wants to attend Occidental not get loans subsidized by the Federal government until Obama’s records are made public.** And a new political correctness takes hold. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/45 "2017-01-20T18:07:14Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Most colleges receive federal money directly or indirectly through grants or student loans or non-profit status. I say anyone who wants to attend Occidental not get loans subsidized by the Federal government until Obama’s records are made public. This is based on what issue of public policy, again? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/46 "2017-01-20T18:20:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Unlikely we would get to impeachment, but your OP said “right when Trump assumes office”. Absolutely zero chance that’s going to take place today. Yes, probably. The NYTimes had an article this morning stating that a key next step is for the G.S.A. to declare the Trump Organization to be in breach. Apparently the G.S.A. has stated that is won’t have an update until “Friday after the inauguration.” If / when they declare the T.O. to be in breach, it begins a process that is unclear but also unprecedented. If it happens this same day as the inauguration - well, that’s a big deal to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/47 "2017-01-20T18:28:03Z")
Not today, but very soon, I think there will be an absolutely breathtaking use of executive orders. The nature of which has never been seen before and which all press right up against the ragged fringes of legal. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/48 "2017-01-20T18:29:10Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Today is the high point of the Trump admin. In six months, half the guys gloating at us will be too embarrassed to show their faces. I still remember the crowd who insisted, prior to the Iraq War, that Iraq was filled to the brim with WMDs. Many of them vanished when it became apparent nothing of the sort was true. Brutus, remember him? There was another guy, too, who claimed he was in the service and knew the proof was there. I don’t recall his name offhand but he vanished without a trace. Anyway, yes, that may happen. Six months is too short, though - Trump can do awful things in six months but the results won’t always be apparent that quickly. And when the shit hits the fan, and it will, the Trumpists will run away. Or will they? The thing that’s different now from 2003 is now people don’t just choose what facts they want to believe. Now people - especially Trumpists - simply don’t care about truth. They operate with belief; their beliefs ARE truth to them. When you encounter a Trumpist, try this; ask them if Trump was lying about seeing “thousand of Muslims” in Jersey City cheering as the World Trade Center collapsed. They will say of course not, that happened. Many will tell you THEY saw it on TV. (They didn’t; it did not happen; it’s the most egregious Trump lie I can think of, so it’s a good test.) Explain to the Trumpist that it did not happen and provide proof (it’s easily found.) Be polite, but insist they look at the proof, the articles, the works. What will happen is they’ll simply refuse to see the proof. If you send links, or show them proof, they will say it’s a media conspiracy, or the article is wrong, or (I’ve had _two_ Trumpists do this) you’ll provide them links to multiple news sources and they’ll say “I can’t see any of those links, maybe they’re broken.” If you ask for proof it did happen they’ll either say “it just did, I saw it” or, in rare cases, will provide links to articles or videos that claim to prove it but don’t actually have any evidence in them. In 2003 the war supporters mostly ran away because back then proof positive they were wrong was embarrassing. Today truth doesn’t matter, especially for Trumpists - well, it’s a growing cancer across all political viewpoints, but Trumpists are the worst you’ll see around you right now. If you don’t like the truth, it doesn’t matter; they choose lies and just roll along. Here’s what I predict; no matter what happens, no matter how badly Trump screws up, the Trumpists will either say it didn’t happen or will say a failure is a success. Heck, I can predict right now how it will go on any number of files. Unemployment, for example. Unemployment in the USA is going to rise, a lot, under a Trump presidency, largely because his economic and trade policies are stupid and self-serving, and to a lesser but significant extent just because it’s low right now and usually goes up from here. \*\*PROTIP: This is something you absolutely should bet on if someone will take your wager. \*\* It’ll take at least a year and probably two for this to take hold but it’s going to happen. Trumpists will absolutely deny it. It will not matter what numbers you show them. It won’t matter what authoritative source you use, and it won’t matter what the truth is. If the BLS says unemployment has doubled they will say the BLS numbers are published by lying liberal elites. Or they’ll claim the unemployment rate is inaccurate, or compare two different numbers (e.g. they will compare the U6 now to the U3 in 2019.) Or they will simply deny they can see the evidence. “Here is the link to the Department of Labor.” “It doesn’t work for me. You must be lying.” Or Russian expansion. Trump is in debt to Russia and dances to their tune. There is a fairly good chance, I’d say one in three, that Russia will invade a former USSR state that is now a NATO country - probably a Baltic state. (The invasion might be of the sort now in the eastern Ukraine, where they claim they’re not doing it while they’re doing it.) Trump will of course be told to allow this to happen, and will let it happen. Trumpists will either claim this is fantastic news and everything is fine with Russia invading Lithuania (if Russia formally annexes the country) or will say it didn’t happen at all (if Russia only takes part of it.) Name any Trump idiocy you want. The Trumpists might just pretend it’s great. If in 2018 unemployment is 10 percent, Russia has conquered the Baltics in a geyser of fire and blood, and nothing has been done about illegal immigration, they will look you straight in the eye and say unemployment has not risen, the Baltics were really always rightfully part of the Russian Empire, and there is a wall on the Mexican border and illegal immigration has stopped. And on some level, they’ll believe it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/49 "2017-01-20T18:31:16Z")
Anyone who thinks Trump will launch nukes on Day 1 is deluded. At most, rescind some Obama executive orders, maybe announce the new SCOTUS nominee by next week. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/50 "2017-01-20T18:46:54Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Anyone who thinks Trump will launch nukes on Day 1 is deluded. At most, rescind some Obama executive orders, maybe announce the new SCOTUS nominee by next week. Yeah, that’s pretty delusional to think he’ll start a nuclear exchange on day 1. Obviously, he will wait until Monday to get started. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/51 "2017-01-20T18:58:34Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Not today, but very soon, I think there will be an absolutely breathtaking use of executive orders. The nature of which has never been seen before and which all press right up against the ragged fringes of legal. He’d be learning from his predecessor… [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/us/politics/obama-era-legacy-regulation.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/us/politics/obama-era-legacy-regulation.html) > [@](#): > > Once a presidential candidate with deep misgivings about executive power, Mr. Obama will leave the White House as one of the most prolific authors of major regulations in presidential history. > > Blocked for most of his presidency by Congress, Mr. Obama has sought to act however he could. In the process he created the kind of government neither he nor the Republicans wanted — one that depended on bureaucratic bulldozing rather than legislative transparency. But once Mr. Obama got the taste for it, he pursued his executive power without apology, and in ways that will shape the presidency for decades to come. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/52 "2017-01-20T19:26:25Z")
We will issue Executive Orderses, we will. Big, Fat, Executive Orderses, preciousssss!! ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/53 "2017-01-20T20:21:16Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I have heard Obama’s and GWBush’s ethics lawyers state that the minute he assumes office, he could be sued because of the terms of that contract. Are people just waiting for the ceremony to end? > > - The Bushie Ethics Lawyers who OKed torture, and of whom Obama kept some on — _those_ Ethics Lawyers ? Woo ! Woo ! > [@foolsguinea](#): > > His go-to move for decades has been stiffing his investors, and he owes some somebodies in Russia a _lot_ of money. I’m sure you have evidence of this debt, other than ‘it came to me in a dream’, and can substantiate it. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/54 "2017-01-20T21:38:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I still remember the crowd who insisted, prior to the Iraq War, that Iraq was filled to the brim with WMDs. Many of them vanished when it became apparent nothing of the sort was true. Brutus, remember him? There was another guy, too, who claimed he was in the service and knew the proof was there. I don’t recall his name offhand but he vanished without a trace. > > Anyway, yes, that may happen. Six months is too short, though - Trump can do awful things in six months but the results won’t always be apparent that quickly. And when the shit hits the fan, and it will, the Trumpists will run away. > > Or will they? > > The thing that’s different now from 2003 is now people don’t just choose what facts they want to believe. Now people - especially Trumpists - simply don’t care about truth. They operate with belief; their beliefs ARE truth to them. When you encounter a Trumpist, try this; ask them if Trump was lying about seeing “thousand of Muslims” in Jersey City cheering as the World Trade Center collapsed. They will say of course not, that happened. Many will tell you THEY saw it on TV. (They didn’t; it did not happen; it’s the most egregious Trump lie I can think of, so it’s a good test.) > > Explain to the Trumpist that it did not happen and provide proof (it’s easily found.) Be polite, but insist they look at the proof, the articles, the works. What will happen is they’ll simply refuse to see the proof. If you send links, or show them proof, they will say it’s a media conspiracy, or the article is wrong, or (I’ve had _two_ Trumpists do this) you’ll provide them links to multiple news sources and they’ll say “I can’t see any of those links, maybe they’re broken.” If you ask for proof it did happen they’ll either say “it just did, I saw it” or, in rare cases, will provide links to articles or videos that claim to prove it but don’t actually have any evidence in them. > > In 2003 the war supporters mostly ran away because back then proof positive they were wrong was embarrassing. Today truth doesn’t matter, especially for Trumpists - well, it’s a growing cancer across all political viewpoints, but Trumpists are the worst you’ll see around you right now. If you don’t like the truth, it doesn’t matter; they choose lies and just roll along. > > Here’s what I predict; no matter what happens, no matter how badly Trump screws up, the Trumpists will either say it didn’t happen or will say a failure is a success. Heck, I can predict right now how it will go on any number of files. > > Unemployment, for example. Unemployment in the USA is going to rise, a lot, under a Trump presidency, largely because his economic and trade policies are stupid and self-serving, and to a lesser but significant extent just because it’s low right now and usually goes up from here. \*\*PROTIP: This is something you absolutely should bet on if someone will take your wager. \*\* It’ll take at least a year and probably two for this to take hold but it’s going to happen. Trumpists will absolutely deny it. It will not matter what numbers you show them. It won’t matter what authoritative source you use, and it won’t matter what the truth is. If the BLS says unemployment has doubled they will say the BLS numbers are published by lying liberal elites. Or they’ll claim the unemployment rate is inaccurate, or compare two different numbers (e.g. they will compare the U6 now to the U3 in 2019.) Or they will simply deny they can see the evidence. “Here is the link to the Department of Labor.” “It doesn’t work for me. You must be lying.” > > Or Russian expansion. Trump is in debt to Russia and dances to their tune. There is a fairly good chance, I’d say one in three, that Russia will invade a former USSR state that is now a NATO country - probably a Baltic state. (The invasion might be of the sort now in the eastern Ukraine, where they claim they’re not doing it while they’re doing it.) Trump will of course be told to allow this to happen, and will let it happen. Trumpists will either claim this is fantastic news and everything is fine with Russia invading Lithuania (if Russia formally annexes the country) or will say it didn’t happen at all (if Russia only takes part of it.) > > Name any Trump idiocy you want. The Trumpists might just pretend it’s great. If in 2018 unemployment is 10 percent, Russia has conquered the Baltics in a geyser of fire and blood, and nothing has been done about illegal immigration, they will look you straight in the eye and say unemployment has not risen, the Baltics were really always rightfully part of the Russian Empire, and there is a wall on the Mexican border and illegal immigration has stopped. And on some level, they’ll believe it. The Kurds gas themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/55 "2017-01-20T22:03:08Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > The Kurds gas themselves? non se·qui·tur /ˌnän ˈsekwədər/ noun a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/56 "2017-01-20T22:04:34Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > non se·qui·tur > /ˌnän ˈsekwədər/ > noun > > a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement. And? ---
**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:** [January 20, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/57 "2017-01-20T22:34:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > … The thing that’s different now from 2003 is now people don’t just choose what facts they want to believe. Now people - especially Trumpists - simply don’t care about truth. They operate with belief; their beliefs ARE truth to them. When you encounter a Trumpist, try this; ask them if Trump was lying about seeing “thousand of Muslims” in Jersey City cheering as the World Trade Center collapsed. They will say of course not, that happened. Many will tell you THEY saw it on TV. (They didn’t; it did not happen; it’s the most egregious Trump lie I can think of, so it’s a good test.) > > Explain to the Trumpist that it did not happen and provide proof (it’s easily found.) Be polite, but insist they look at the proof, the articles, the works. What will happen is they’ll simply refuse to see the proof. … > > Name any Trump idiocy you want. The Trumpists might just pretend it’s great. If in 2018 unemployment is 10 percent, Russia has conquered the Baltics in a geyser of fire and blood, and nothing has been done about illegal immigration, they will look you straight in the eye and say unemployment has not risen, the Baltics were really always rightfully part of the Russian Empire, and there is a wall on the Mexican border and illegal immigration has stopped. And on some level, they’ll believe it. > [@](#): > > Medically, I believe, this manner of thinking is called schizophrenia: at any rate, it is the power of holding simultaneously two beliefs which cancel out. Closely allied to it is the power of igniting facts which are obvious and unalterable, and which will have to be faced sooner or later. … > > … The point is that we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield. George Orwell, “In Front of Your Nose,” 1946. Found online at [George Orwell: In Front of Your Nose](http://orwell.ru/library/articles/nose/english/e_nose) Orwell may have been overly optimistic, here, in suggesting that reality would eventually provide a check on unrestrained refusal-to-see-facts. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/58 "2017-01-20T22:46:36Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > The Kurds gas themselves? What happened between 1988 and 2003? Here’s a hint, it’s somewhere in the range of a ton. Like a shit-ton. Also, a war and subsequent inspections. Also, UN weapons inspectors: [QUOTE=Scott Ritter, UN Weapons Inspector] When you ask the question, ‘Does Iraq possess militarily viable biological or chemical weapons?’ the answer is no! It is a resounding NO. Can Iraq produce today chemical weapons on a meaningful scale? No! Can Iraq produce biological weapons on a meaningful scale? No! Ballistic missiles? No! It is ‘no’ across the board. So from a qualitative standpoint, Iraq has been disarmed. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/59 "2017-01-20T23:55:02Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I still remember the crowd who insisted, prior to the Iraq War, that Iraq was filled to the brim with WMDs. Many of them vanished when it became apparent nothing of the sort was true. Brutus, remember him? There was another guy, too, who claimed he was in the service and knew the proof was there. I don’t recall his name offhand but he vanished without a trace. > > Anyway, yes, that may happen. Six months is too short, though - Trump can do awful things in six months but the results won’t always be apparent that quickly. And when the shit hits the fan, and it will, the Trumpists will run away. > > Or will they? > > The thing that’s different now from 2003 is now people don’t just choose what facts they want to believe. Now people - especially Trumpists - simply don’t care about truth. They operate with belief; their beliefs ARE truth to them. When you encounter a Trumpist, try this; ask them if Trump was lying about seeing “thousand of Muslims” in Jersey City cheering as the World Trade Center collapsed. They will say of course not, that happened. Many will tell you THEY saw it on TV. (They didn’t; it did not happen; it’s the most egregious Trump lie I can think of, so it’s a good test.) > > Explain to the Trumpist that it did not happen and provide proof (it’s easily found.) Be polite, but insist they look at the proof, the articles, the works. What will happen is they’ll simply refuse to see the proof. If you send links, or show them proof, they will say it’s a media conspiracy, or the article is wrong, or (I’ve had _two_ Trumpists do this) you’ll provide them links to multiple news sources and they’ll say “I can’t see any of those links, maybe they’re broken.” If you ask for proof it did happen they’ll either say “it just did, I saw it” or, in rare cases, will provide links to articles or videos that claim to prove it but don’t actually have any evidence in them. > > In 2003 the war supporters mostly ran away because back then proof positive they were wrong was embarrassing. Today truth doesn’t matter, especially for Trumpists - well, it’s a growing cancer across all political viewpoints, but Trumpists are the worst you’ll see around you right now. If you don’t like the truth, it doesn’t matter; they choose lies and just roll along. > > Here’s what I predict; no matter what happens, no matter how badly Trump screws up, the Trumpists will either say it didn’t happen or will say a failure is a success. Heck, I can predict right now how it will go on any number of files. > > Unemployment, for example. Unemployment in the USA is going to rise, a lot, under a Trump presidency, largely because his economic and trade policies are stupid and self-serving, and to a lesser but significant extent just because it’s low right now and usually goes up from here. \*\*PROTIP: This is something you absolutely should bet on if someone will take your wager. \*\* It’ll take at least a year and probably two for this to take hold but it’s going to happen. Trumpists will absolutely deny it. It will not matter what numbers you show them. It won’t matter what authoritative source you use, and it won’t matter what the truth is. If the BLS says unemployment has doubled they will say the BLS numbers are published by lying liberal elites. Or they’ll claim the unemployment rate is inaccurate, or compare two different numbers (e.g. they will compare the U6 now to the U3 in 2019.) Or they will simply deny they can see the evidence. “Here is the link to the Department of Labor.” “It doesn’t work for me. You must be lying.” > > Or Russian expansion. Trump is in debt to Russia and dances to their tune. There is a fairly good chance, I’d say one in three, that Russia will invade a former USSR state that is now a NATO country - probably a Baltic state. (The invasion might be of the sort now in the eastern Ukraine, where they claim they’re not doing it while they’re doing it.) Trump will of course be told to allow this to happen, and will let it happen. Trumpists will either claim this is fantastic news and everything is fine with Russia invading Lithuania (if Russia formally annexes the country) or will say it didn’t happen at all (if Russia only takes part of it.) > > Name any Trump idiocy you want. The Trumpists might just pretend it’s great. If in 2018 unemployment is 10 percent, Russia has conquered the Baltics in a geyser of fire and blood, and nothing has been done about illegal immigration, they will look you straight in the eye and say unemployment has not risen, the Baltics were really always rightfully part of the Russian Empire, and there is a wall on the Mexican border and illegal immigration has stopped. And on some level, they’ll believe it. He’s also set up a number of scapegoats, that he and his Trumpists can use to pass the buck any time something bad happens and they can’t deny it: liberal media, Muslims, immigrants, Democrats/Obama, intelligence agencies. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619/60 "2017-01-21T02:16:26Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > What happened between 1988 and 2003? Here’s a hint, it’s somewhere in the range of a ton. Like a shit-ton. Also, a war and subsequent inspections. Also, UN weapons inspectors: > [@Scott Ritter](#): > > When you ask the question, ‘Does Iraq possess militarily viable biological or chemical weapons?’ the answer is no! It is a resounding NO. Can Iraq produce today chemical weapons on a meaningful scale? No! Can Iraq produce biological weapons on a meaningful scale? No! Ballistic missiles? No! It is ‘no’ across the board. So from a qualitative standpoint, Iraq has been disarmed. What does he know? He’s not even an American! German last name, Scottish first name, he’s some kind of European elite! You can’t trust these German-Scots hybrids! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-explosive-thing-to-happen-right-when-trump-assumes-office/777619.md?page=4)