# Smart Trump Idea Of The Day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 11, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444 "2016-11-11T02:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/62 "2016-12-06T18:16:07Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Does the president unilaterally decide when a new Air Force One is built? Or does the Air Force, Secret Service, whoever get together and decide it needs to be replaced and Congress approves the funds? > > I haven’t the foggiest idea if $4B is a reasonable cost, or even if that _is_ what it costs. The $4B number may have come from the same place most of Trump’s facts and figures come from. > > Also, I wonder if Trump plans to announce all his decisions via Twitter. Yes, all decisions will be announced via Twitter, which is the perfect medium for someone with a 2 volt 1 watt brain. The hard part is that for the next four years, we have to listen about this buffoon’s tweets. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2016, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/63 "2016-12-06T18:22:08Z")
The [article](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/boeing-to-build-air-force-one-replacement-with-bids-for-systems) I found said they’re buying three of this plane. And the Wikipedia article says that the cost of a regular 747-8 is about $400 million. So three times ($3.2 billion divided by three gives a per unit cost of almost $1.2 billion for each plane) that price for a highly customized version with lots of countermeasures, communications technology and so forth? Not so crazy. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/64 "2016-12-06T18:54:53Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > In Soviet Russia, Trump stares back into _you!_ [In post-Soviet Russia, Putin stares back at you.](http://www.latimes.com/opinion/topoftheticket/la-dhorsey-1478199007-snap-photo-photo.html) > [@ricksummon](#): > > Well, here’s a least a somewhat smart Trump-related news item. Dr. Ben “My Luggage” Carson won’t take a Cabinet position because he says he’s not qualified. > > [Ben Carson Declines Role in Trump Administration - Business Insider](http://www.businessinsider.com/ben-carson-donald-trump-administration-2016-11) Posted too soon. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/65 "2016-12-06T18:58:53Z")
There’s no need to fly a president about when twitter can be used instead. ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/66 "2016-12-06T19:14:01Z")
This Air Force One thing is where the Democrats should start holding his feet to the fire when he says things like “Cancel Order!”. He’s soon to be the President of the United States and if he says he wants to cancel the order then it’s entirely within his prerogative to do so (I assume). You know he won’t cancel anything and, if the left keeps this in the public eye, maybe a few more people will see that he’s all talk, no action. Otherwise, he gets to keep throwing steaks to the dogs without the dogs realizing the steaks are actually rubber. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/67 "2016-12-06T19:18:28Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > This Air Force One thing is where the Democrats should start holding his feet to the fire when he says things like “Cancel Order!”. He’s soon to be the President of the United States and if he says he wants to cancel the order then it’s entirely within his prerogative to do so (I assume). You know he won’t cancel anything and, if the left keeps this in the public eye, maybe a few more people will see that he’s all talk, no action. Otherwise, he gets to keep throwing steaks to the dogs without the dogs realizing the steaks are actually rubber. As is his usual habit, he will take delivery but won’t pay for them. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/68 "2016-12-06T19:18:44Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > This Air Force One thing is where the Democrats should start holding his feet to the fire when he says things like “Cancel Order!”. He’s soon to be the President of the United States and if he says he wants to cancel the order then it’s entirely within his prerogative to do so (I assume). You know he won’t cancel anything and, if the left keeps this in the public eye, maybe a few more people will see that he’s all talk, no action. Otherwise, he gets to keep throwing steaks to the dogs without the dogs realizing the steaks are actually rubber. Nah-Those planes are actually needed, and it would be a waste to cancel the order just to make a political point. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/69 "2016-12-06T19:43:12Z")
If it were not for the lives of the crews and other passengers, it would not be such a bad thing for Trump to fly about in planes well past their due dates. His life, his decision, and no loss to the world. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/70 "2016-12-06T19:45:01Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Anyway, $3.2B is still a crazy amount of money, but it’s not an upfront check for a single airplane, as Trump’s tweet would seem to suggest to the casual observer, or originator. And it’s not “more than $4 billion.” Did he think people would be outraged enough at the actual $3.2 billion price tag? ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/71 "2016-12-06T19:56:43Z")
Right. There’s no way he would actually cancel the order but by tweeting stuff like this, he makes his base think he magically saved 3.2 billion dollars when all he really did was blow hot air. Ask him, if he really wants it cancelled then why doesn’t he just cancel it himself? It’s the same as telling a kid “You say you want to jump from the highest ledge? OK. Go ahead.” ---
**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:** [December 6, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/72 "2016-12-06T20:07:23Z")
My theory about the AirForce one tweet by the Trumpster is that you have to look at everything from Trump’s point of view… If a new Airforce one plane (planes) are built, how will the Donald profit? Not at all. There is no profit in it for Trump personally. On the other hand, if Trump flys everywhere on his own airplane, he can bill the government at a (very) premium rate. Plus charge the government a tidy sum for every single other person who flys on board. Cha ching! Profit for Trump! Every decision Trump makes will be done with an eye for how much money Trump will make personally. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/73 "2016-12-06T20:07:59Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > And it’s not “more than $4 billion.” Did he think people would be outraged enough at the actual $3.2 billion price tag? He always rounds way up to the nearest big number. Remember his claims of being worth $5 billion? I can’t help but wonder if he used the same type of lie when getting with his many “hot” wives - “It’s 10 inches! I promise you. It’s YUGE!” (Yes, I just made you envision Trump’s small…um, fortune?..small hands?..) 😃 ---
**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:** [December 6, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/74 "2016-12-06T20:11:26Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > If a new Airforce one plane (planes) are built, how will the Donald profit? Not at all. There is no profit in it for Trump personally. > > On the other hand, if Trump flys everywhere on his own airplane, he can bill the government at a (very) premium rate. Plus charge the government a tidy sum for every single other person who flys on board. There’s no way that the Secret Service and other agencies will allow him to fly on his own plane as president. He’ll still be flying Air Force One, but it will be the same one already in use. The new plane (the one he supposedly cancelled) isn’t scheduled for delivery until 2022 or so. So if he serves only one term, cancelling this contract won’t affect him. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/75 "2016-12-06T20:30:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > There’s no way that the Secret Service and other agencies will allow him to fly on his own plane as president. He’ll still be flying Air Force One, but it will be the same one already in use. The new plane (the one he supposedly cancelled) isn’t scheduled for delivery until 2022 or so. So if he serves only one term, cancelling this contract won’t affect him. You’ve thought this through too much. (and you are correct, of course) But we’re talking Trump here. I’m quite confident that his thought process is along the lines of my previous post. He thinks his word is now law. ---
**Author:** ![mtomm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@mtomm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mtomm)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2016, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/76 "2016-12-06T22:12:02Z")
Since Boeing stock tanked for a bit then rose I’m thinking he’s using Twitter to help make a bit of money in the stock market. If you can’t have a conflict of interest maybe you can’t have any insider trading issues either. ---
**Author:** ![HeweyLogan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heweylogan/32/547_2.png) [@HeweyLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeweyLogan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/77 "2016-12-07T00:23:36Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > My theory about the AirForce one tweet by the Trumpster is that you have to look at everything from Trump’s point of view… > > If a new Airforce one plane (planes) are built, how will the Donald profit? Not at all. There is no profit in it for Trump personally. > > On the other hand, if Trump flys everywhere on his own airplane, he can bill the government at a (very) premium rate. Plus charge the government a tidy sum for every single other person who flys on board. > > Cha ching! Profit for Trump! Every decision Trump makes will be done with an eye for how much money Trump will make personally. What a myopic cynical view to take. It not only lacks imagination, it lacks sense - since he’s won the election anything he does from now on will be worth millions, if not billions. He doesn’t need to sell shit, or gain shit by promoting himself or only looking for a profit and a reason anywhere he goes. It’s in the bag and moot. Just because he’s President now. The same way Clinton was and has profited prodigiously. Once you’re at that level, you’re done . At any rate when Obama said the same thing about refreshing Helicopter one or whatever they call it, I doubt you said a word. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2016, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/78 "2016-12-07T00:28:21Z")
> [@HeweyLogan](#): > > What a myopic cynical view to take. It not only lacks imagination, it lacks sense - since he’s won the election anything he does from now on will be worth millions, if not billions. He doesn’t need to sell shit, or gain shit by promoting himself or only looking for a profit and a reason anywhere he goes. It’s in the bag and moot. Just because he’s President now. The same way Clinton was and has profited prodigiously. > > Once you’re at that level, you’re done . > > At any rate when Obama said the same thing about refreshing Helicopter one or whatever they call it, I doubt you said a word. Clinton did not profit from her office. If you think she did, prove it. She’s released her tax returns. Show where she got money during her time as Senator and SecState. ---
**Author:** ![HeweyLogan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heweylogan/32/547_2.png) [@HeweyLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeweyLogan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/79 "2016-12-07T00:39:01Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Clinton did not profit from her office. If you think she did, prove it. > She’s released her tax returns. Show where she got money during her time as Senator and SecState. You’re kidding, right? How did she go from being “broke” coming out of the White House to being worth over a hundred a fifty million (and loose change) now? ---
**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:** [December 7, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/80 "2016-12-07T00:49:28Z")
> [@HeweyLogan](#): > > You’re kidding, right? > > How did she go from being “broke” coming out of the White House to being worth over a hundred a fifty million (and loose change) now? [How the Clintons went from ‘dead broke’ to rich: Bill earned $104.9 million for speeches](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-clintons-went-from-dead-broke-to-rich-bill-earned-1049-million-for-speeches/2014/06/26/8fa0b372-fd3a-11e3-8176-f2c941cf35f1_story.html?utm_term=.4cd31e735376) > [@](#): > > That lucrative week in May 2012 offers a glimpse into the way Clinton has leveraged his global popularity into a personal fortune. Starting just two weeks after exiting the Oval Office, Clinton has delivered hundreds of paid speeches, lifting a family that was “dead broke,” as wife Hillary Rodham Clinton phrased it earlier this month, to a point of such extraordinary wealth that it is now seen as a potential political liability if she runs for president in 2016. [How have Clinton and Trump earned their money over the years?](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/how-trump-clinton-are-wealthy-and-how-they-spend-money/) > [@](#): > > CLINTON: > > Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, left the White House in 2000, a year that she later described as so financially perilous they were “dead broke.” The Clintons cited legal bills and other liabilities between $2 million and nearly $11 million. But within just one year, according to tax and disclosure records, they had wiped out all that debt, earning nearly $12 million. It was the start of an infusion of wealth that enriched the couple by more than $200 million over 15 years – and nearly $140 million since 2007. > > The Clintons leveraged public service, celebrity status, book-writing, consulting and a whirlwind of lucrative speeches that took them across the country and around the world on behalf of corporations, foundations, trade groups and even some foreign governments. if you have proof of otherwise, cough it up. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444/81 "2016-12-07T00:57:28Z")
> [@mtomm](#): > > Since Boeing stock tanked for a bit then rose I’m thinking he’s using Twitter to help make a bit of money in the stock market. If you can’t have a conflict of interest maybe you can’t have any insider trading issues either. This may open The Fool to litigation. I’m serious… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smart-trump-idea-of-the-day/771444.md?page=5)