# The current second Trump administration: a compendium of horrors **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 6, 2024, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774 "2024-11-06T09:17:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 120
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2386 "2025-10-16T13:43:18Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > When I read the lead, I thought Trump would go after the reporters on grounds they were publishing secrets. But then Trump turned out to be a named source! > > Covert actions are, well, secret. It seems to me that Trump personally leaked a significant secret to the Times. Bush II did the same as I recall; I think it’s a symptom of the utter disdain modern Republicans have for rules, laws, the national interest, and other people. Avoiding leaking important national secrets only matters if you’re worried about legal consequences, the repercussions to the nation, or danger to people you’ve just exposed as US assets. Modern Republicans don’t care about any of that, especially Trump. So _why not_ leak a secret if he thinks it’ll give him an advantage or some momentary pleasure? He’s above the law, and the consequences to anyone and anything outside himself are utterly unimportant to him. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2387 "2025-10-16T16:59:49Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Hamas is now a central party to the success of this peace plan, that Trump has hung so much of his ego on. He needs them in order to succeed, so of course they’re now Good Guys, and can do no wrong. Jonathan Chait yesterday released an article essentially saying that your explanation is a factor, but that there is a [“more disturbing”](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/why-trump-making-excuses-hamas-164500959.html) explanation dating back to Trump’s 1990 endorsement of the Tiananmen Square massacre.-- putting aside the conflict with Israel, DJT likes how Hamas operates. > [@](#): > > Trump has long praised autocrats who suppress dissent, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. At a press event on Monday, he praised the dictatorship of Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for its supposed tough-on-crime stance: “It’s about leadership, and it’s really nice when you say, ‘How is your crime situation?,’ and they don’t even know what you’re talking about. ‘What do you mean crime? We don’t have crime.’ Because if he has crime, he puts it out very quickly.” Rather than recoil at the sight of masked goons carrying out street justice without due process, Trump seems similarly inclined to praise Hamas for being tough on crime. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2388 "2025-10-16T23:43:39Z")
Criminal trump’s wet dream is “death squads” roaming America shooting “suspicious” looking characters on sight. It’d sure be different if instead the death squads went after inside traders, tax cheats, businesses who short-pay their workers, violate OSHA or EPA regs, or keep slave labor locked inside their factories. And folks who obtain loans based on faked books. You know, the criminals who actually victimize everyone, at scale, every day. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2389 "2025-10-17T02:09:54Z")
I’m waiting for some billionaire’s yacht getting mistaken for being a drug dealer, and gets blown out if the water. Oops! Or intentional? ---
**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:** [October 17, 2025, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2390 "2025-10-17T05:36:04Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > All he wants is the result, and the attendant glory for himself that comes with it. If he has to throw everybody under the bus tomorrow for his own glorification, then so be it. Don’t forget the money. Somehow money has to wind up in his pocket as well. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2391 "2025-10-17T11:26:16Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > I’m waiting for some billionaire’s yacht getting mistaken for being a drug dealer, and gets blown out if the water. Oops! Or intentional? Trump’s idol Putin has a habit of having oligarchs he dislikes thrown out of windows, so it might well _be_ on purpose. It’s not like Trump cares about the lives of billionaires; they aren’t _him._ ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2392 "2025-10-18T03:06:49Z")
Did we miss this one? > **[What we know about White House plans for an 'Arc de Trump'](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7e8lv176go)** > > The Paris-inspired proposed monument in Washington DC is meant to commemorate the US 250th anniversary. Scroll down in link above to see how the arch is out of proportion to the Lincoln Memorial (as the ballroom is out of proportion to the White House). ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2393 "2025-10-18T03:36:02Z")
[![](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/32b8/live/4e219160-aa25-11f0-911a-2bfa776d066a.jpg.webp) ](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/32b8/live/4e219160-aa25-11f0-911a-2bfa776d066a.jpg.webp) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2394 "2025-10-18T11:31:35Z")
Jesus Christ. Well, it’s not his money… ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2395 "2025-10-18T11:41:40Z")
from The NY Times: When asked on Wednesday who the arch was for, Mr. Trump said, “Me.” ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2396 "2025-10-18T12:06:51Z")
Congratulations, US. You got your own Mobutu Sese Seko. Or Kamuzu Banda. Mugabe, Pinochet. Castro… You have achieved… Banana Republic! 🍌🍌🍌🍌 ---
**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:** [October 18, 2025, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2397 "2025-10-18T12:16:57Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Scroll down in link above to see how the arch is out of proportion to the Lincoln Memorial (as the ballroom is out of proportion to the White House). Oh, but that first picture of him holding up the model makes me think we’ve got huge potential for a Spinal Tap Stonehenge-type screw up! [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qAXzzHM8zLw/hqdefault.jpg "Spinal Tap - Stonehenge") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAXzzHM8zLw&t=126) ---
**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:** [October 18, 2025, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2398 "2025-10-18T12:28:58Z")
> But building a new memorial typically takes years and is unlikely to be ready before the nation’s semiquincentennial. > > “You have to look at the environmental impact of anything as well as all of these concerns about the aesthetics and the engineering so it usually takes several years to go through a process of designing a new memorial,” Dr Henry said. God, I love when they quote “experts” who forget that this is Trump we’re talking about. “Environmental impact”? “Who cares? What do you want, a Manly Arch, or some subterranean amphibious woodpeckers, you pansies?” And years to do engineering? Who cares if it falls down the next day, Trump will have his glory! And the utter lunacy of believing that the thinking anything about “aesthetics” will extend to anything other than “How many pounds of gold will we slather on it?” and “How many statues of Trump\* will we include?”… \*Arc-de-Tri-Trump. The fat one balances out the two skinny ones! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2399 "2025-10-18T14:03:37Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > But building a new memorial typically takes years and is unlikely to be ready before the nation’s semiquincentennial. Not if you build it from foam out of spray cans. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2400 "2025-10-18T14:38:59Z")
It’s disgusting in many ways, but my mind is somewhat eased by Trump’s shitty for shit record for “building” things. Look at his beautiful wall, for example. Even with private funding and maga border rednecks building their own sections, it never got done. So far, he’s had a patio poured in the rose garden. Much easier to just slap your name on something that’s already there. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2401 "2025-10-18T14:52:34Z")
🤔 Is there some big monument in Russia that no one is using and Donnie can get Vlad to ~~dump it on us~~ make a gift of it to the American people? It can be airlifted in pieces to some Navy ship and delivered right to Washington then epoxied (a pox on it!) back together. An excuse for another ceremony or something. Yeah, that’s the ticket. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2402 "2025-10-18T15:24:31Z")
I’m sure there are a few statues of Stalin left someplace in a warehouse. Send one over here, bolt a bad combover on top, paint the face orange, and Donnie’s your dictator as the Brits don’t quite say. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2403 "2025-10-18T15:45:57Z")
I thought there were already memorial arches to him all over the world [![](https://ychef.files.bbci.co.uk/1280x720/p0469fmz.jpg) ](https://ychef.files.bbci.co.uk/1280x720/p0469fmz.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2404 "2025-10-18T18:09:04Z")
Heh, that was Colbert’s joke last night. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2405 "2025-10-18T18:22:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Not if you build it from foam out of spray cans. Too optimistic. Web search says the Arch of Titus took 2-3 years to construct in 80-82 AD. It is still there. Slave labor? That would lower cost, but not time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=119) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=121)