# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 216
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4301 "2026-05-10T14:06:37Z")
My mind is stunned each time I am reminded of the insane number of people who are simply fucking dumb enough to be conned by Trump. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4302 "2026-05-10T14:22:37Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > My mind is stunned each time I am reminded of the insane number of people who are simply fucking dumb enough to be conned by Trump. And they will continue to defend him. Vote for him if they could. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Not sure if it belongs in this thread, but regarding the Trump Phone, they’ve updated their TOS to say that the deposit people put down on them isn’t a deposit but rather gives the person the opportunity to buy the phone if it’s ever released. That sounds VERY illegal, but par for the course. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4303 "2026-05-10T14:27:08Z")
Probably the only remedy would be for them to return the deposits of anyone who complained. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4304 "2026-05-10T14:41:58Z")
And the Trump team will make it so onerous that few people follow through with the battle they might lose. That’s his MO. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4305 "2026-05-10T14:50:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Probably the only remedy would be for them to return the deposits of anyone who complained. The new TOS (no idea about the old one) specifically says you can get your money returned if requested and it’ll automatically be returned if the phones are never delivered. However, I don’t see a deadline so presumably they could just keep kicking the can down the road, two weeks at a time. With that in mind, as far as legality, is it all that different than kickstarter or any other crowdfunding platform? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4306 "2026-05-10T15:17:04Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > That sounds VERY illegal, but par for the course. I’m sure the FBI’s commercial fraud division will be on the case by the seventh of never. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4307 "2026-05-10T19:32:25Z")
Regarding the pastor Burns and the 22 foot gold Orangeman statue. > Burns claimed to have held a Bachelor of Science degree from North Greenville University and claimed to have served six years in the U.S. Army Reserve. In August 2016, those claims were disproved by CNN. Burns attended North Greenville University for one semester and did not receive a degree. Burns served from 2001 to 2005 in the South Carolina Army National Guard, rather than the Army Reserve. Burns said the false claims about his life on his website were the result of the website being hacked. Later, he admitted that he had lied about his education, but said he was attacked because he is “a black man supporting Donald Trump for president.” > **[Mark Burns (pastor)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Burns_(pastor))** > > John Mark Burns (born September 21, 1979) is an American evangelical minister, televangelist and politician who is the pastor of the Harvest Praise & Worship Center in South Carolina. He was an early supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 United States presidential election and by 2023 was a board member of Pastors for Trump. > Burns unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in South Carolina's 4th congressional district in 2018 and 2022. He unsuccessfully ran to repr... ---
**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 10, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4308 "2026-05-10T19:40:38Z")
Well, he fits right in the Republican mold then. Lie, get caught, lie some more blaming it on Them. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > regarding the Trump Phone, they’ve updated their TOS to say that the deposit people put down on them isn’t a deposit but rather gives the person the opportunity to buy the phone if it’s ever released. Any bets the phone will also “be available” to any schlub who didn’t pony up first – for the same price? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4309 "2026-05-10T21:05:58Z")
Next TOS update: Paying the “deposit” constitutes agreement to a contract to later buy the phone at the price yet to be decided by the company, with a penalty clause for violating the contract equal to twice the eventually-decided price. ---
**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 10, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4310 "2026-05-10T22:15:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Paying the “deposit” constitutes agreement to a contract to later buy the phone at the price yet to be decided by the company, with a penalty clause for violating the contract equal to twice the eventually-decided price. I’m wondering if that’s an enforceable contract in any state in this nation. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4311 "2026-05-10T22:49:47Z")
> “When I use a ~~word~~ contract,” ~~Humpty Dumpty~~ Trump said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.‘’ In other words, when has enforceability (legal or otherwise) concerned Napoleon Bone-aspurs? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4312 "2026-05-10T23:14:32Z")
Back to the GREAT UFO RELEASE regarding contact ᴱᵖˢᵗᵉᶦⁿ ᵈᶦˢᵗʳᵃᶜᵗᶦᵒⁿ ᵉᵈᶦᵗᶦᵒⁿ [![](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/d81128pvyazilgp1m4yk) ](https://images.spot.im/image/upload/v200/d81128pvyazilgp1m4yk) ---
**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 11, 2026, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4313 "2026-05-11T06:22:38Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m wondering if that’s an enforceable contract in any state in this nation. In the past, no. In today’s bizzaro-courts, who can tell? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4314 "2026-05-11T15:29:14Z")
Is this real? ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4315 "2026-05-11T15:52:02Z")
Who the hell knows anymore? (If there’s any sort of overarching plan to what’s going on these days, one goal seems to be to blur the line between reality and fiction to the point where the “them behind all that” can get a majority of the populace to believe that two plus two does, indeed, equal five. Or three. Or both at the same time.) ---
**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 11, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4316 "2026-05-11T16:12:56Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Is this real? No. The TOS changes are embarrassingly bad, but they don’t include any language like that. Here is an article: > **['The worst experience I've ever faced buying a consumer electronic product':...](https://www.techradar.com/phones/trump-mobiles-terms-and-conditions-have-been-updated-to-suggest-the-t1-phone-might-never-ship-surprising-almost-no-one)** > > The Trump Mobile T1 Phone now looks even less like a real product than it used to, thanks to changes to the terms and conditions. > As spotted by [International Business Times UK](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-mobile-preorder-terms-1795469), an update to the T1’s terms and conditions on April 6 specifies that paying a deposit “is not a purchase, does not constitute acceptance of an order, does not create a contract for sale, does not transfer ownership or title interest, does not allocate or reserve specific inventory, and does not guarantee that a device will be produced or made available for purchase.” > > It also includes the telling addition that this payment “provides only a conditional opportunity if Trump Mobile later elects, in its sole discretion, to offer the device for sale.” Here is a link to the actual TOS: [https://trumpmobile.com/device-preorder-deposit](https://trumpmobile.com/device-preorder-deposit) It explicitly allows someone to back out if they don’t want to pay the final price. > Final pricing and offers will be disclosed at the time of purchase, and you will have the opportunity to accept or reject the final terms before completing your purchase. And they at least claim to honor refunds. > If you cancel your deposit before completing a purchase, you may request a full refund. Refund requests must be submitted through Trump Mobile customer support prior to completion of a final sale. If Trump Mobile cancels or discontinues the Device offering prior to sale, Trump Mobile will issue a full refund of the deposit amount paid. I think the clue that Chronos wasn’t declaring it the current language is that he said it was the “next” update to the TOS; indicating that this was speculation. ---
**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 11, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4317 "2026-05-11T16:37:35Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > If Trump Mobile cancels or discontinues the Device offering prior to sale, Trump Mobile will issue a full refund of the deposit amount paid. But this is also a classic scam. They’ve had $60million in other people’s money sitting in their accounts for a long time now, and will have most of it for the foreseeable future. You think they’re just sitting on that pile of cash? Not a chance. They’re rolling this over into all their insider-trading scams, and collecting the profits for that. ---
**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 11, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4318 "2026-05-11T16:49:04Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > You think they’re just sitting on that pile of cash? Not a chance. They’re rolling this over into all their insider-trading scams, and collecting the profits for that. Agreed. And would you be shocked if they file for bankruptcy and say there’s nothing left to give out to people demanding refunds? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4319 "2026-05-11T17:55:39Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > If you cancel your deposit before completing a purchase, you may request a full refund. You may _request_ a full refund. You can request anything you want from criminals. Not likely to get it. And by the way, we have a bridge to sell you. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4320 "2026-05-11T18:27:17Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > They’ve had $60million in other people’s money sitting in their accounts for a long time now, and will have most of it for the foreseeable future. They also state that you only get back the amount you deposited, no interest (for you) accrues on it. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if that (and some/all of the other wording) is standard for putting down a deposit, especially on a product that doesn’t even exist yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=215) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=217)