# 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:** 135
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2686 "2025-12-18T22:06:10Z")
The fucker just issued an executive order giving all employees off and closing offices both 12/24 AND 12/26. I’m sitting on plenty of use or lose I have to burn - as well as plenty of work to do such that I wasn’t planning on taking 2 full days off next week in addition to xmas. But given the fucker’s consistent war against the bureaucracy, why on earth is he showing such largesse? Given what lazy fuckups we government employees are, why do we merit 2 more days off? How does this fit into budgetary efficiency? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2687 "2025-12-19T01:17:12Z")
Re last post, sorry you do not have a boss who handles such leave situations informally. Before I retired, I was a federal software developer. This would have created emergency work for me to make sure we could handle an unprecedented holiday pattern. I mostly liked emergency work – less paperwork and approvals. But that’s me. As to why Trump gives you guys so much time off, obviously he doesn’t generally think what feds do is of value. He also doesn’t care that this will cost the government money for paid overtime to complete essential work after Christmas. Trump believes in debt. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2025, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2688 "2025-12-19T01:24:54Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > He also doesn’t care that this will cost the government money for paid overtime to complete essential work after Christmas. Trump believes in debt. Also, it’s not _his_ money. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2689 "2025-12-19T06:15:09Z")
I would refine that, actually. Where money is moving _toward_ Trump, he considers it his. In any case where money is moving _away from_ Trump, he makes sure it’s someone else’s. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2025, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2690 "2025-12-19T10:42:42Z")
It doesn’t. It’s intended to burnish his credentials as being favorable towards Christians. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2691 "2025-12-19T15:10:45Z")
I missed this news from last Sunday: [Trump says building DC triumphal arch is domestic policy chief’s ‘primary thing’](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/14/trump-arch-washington-dc-policy-chief) > [@](#): > > “But to be honest with you,” Trump said, the new arch Haley will be in charge of constructing will be much better than the one Napoleon Bonaparte ordered up. “It blows it away. Blows it away in every way.” I’m no expert, but expect stone arches are tough to tear down. That one in Rome, commemorating victory over the Jews, is still standing strong some 1,944 years later. And Trump’s will be bigger. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2692 "2025-12-19T15:26:09Z")
“Trump-Kennedy Center” On a positive note, I have the feeling there are quite a few “T’s,” "R’s, “U’s,” “M’s,” and “P’s” sitting idle in storage spaces across the country/continent/world, so … low-cost to the benighted US taxpayer: [**Trump’s Name Will Be Removed From Apartment Buildings After Residents Demand It - NPR**](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/15/502201761/trumps-name-will-be-removed-from-apartment-buildings-after-residents-demand-it) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2693 "2025-12-19T15:28:34Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I’m no expert, but expect stone arches are tough to tear down. That one in Rome, commemorating victory over the Jews, is still standing strong some 1,944 years later. And Trump’s will be bigger. That’s because people are dedicated to preserving those. If you’re not committed to keeping it, a stone arch ought to be as easy to take down as it is to put up. If you’re in a hurry, there are nitrate-based alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2694 "2025-12-19T15:35:51Z")
Not that I expect there to be any sensible rationale behind it, but what exact triumph is this arch boondoggle intended to commemorate? ---
**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 19, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2695 "2025-12-19T16:04:52Z")
Perhaps the new documentary coming out: [Triumph of the Will](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_Will) Part 2: Electric Boogaloo ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2696 "2025-12-19T16:42:52Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Not that I expect there to be any sensible rationale behind it, but what exact triumph is this arch boondoggle intended to commemorate? Maybe they could build it upside-down like David Macauley’s _l’Arc de Defeat_ > **[Guest Column](https://www.sacurrent.com/news/guest-column-2277938/)** > > Macaulay’s “L’Arc De Defeat. (A project designed for Paris, Maine, in 1783 and almost immediately abandoned.)” Two artistic plates ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2697 "2025-12-20T00:00:55Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Not that I expect there to be any sensible rationale behind it, but what exact triumph is this arch boondoggle intended to commemorate? That Trump exists among us in all his glory! ---
**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:** [December 20, 2025, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2698 "2025-12-20T00:18:35Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > If you’re in a hurry, there are nitrate-based alternatives. It’s been [done before](https://youtu.be/FTodK24KG6E?t=42). With great satisfaction. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2699 "2025-12-20T00:33:11Z")
Oh, yeh, before clicking in I suspected it was that. Neatly done, to take out the swastika without taking down the building it sat on. Probably had to patch some spalling, but otherwise… ---
**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:** [December 20, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2700 "2025-12-20T00:56:20Z")
It’s [Zeppelinfeld, Nuremburg](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Zeppelinfeld/@49.431303,11.1243186,435m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x479f59cf8f301e23:0x6822e36a25f4bccc!8m2!3d49.4317147!4d11.1249948!16s%252Fg%252F1vk6y6h5?authuser=0&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%253D%253D) and still there, but a little worse for wear. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2701 "2025-12-20T01:07:59Z")
Well, yeh, all those rambunctious rock & roll fans must trash the place during the concerts held there now. Speer must be spinning slowly in his grave. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2702 "2025-12-20T15:14:51Z")
Trump is actually stealing Venezuela’s oil: “We have a lot of oil there. As you know, they threw our companies out, and we want it back.” [The Atlantic: After pretending the attacks on Venezuela were about drugs, Trump confirms it’s about the oil](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2025/12/iraq-venezuela-trump-oil-drugs/685342/) > [@](#): > > Given Venezuela’s slight role in the supply chain of illicit drugs to the United States, and President Donald Trump’s otherwise fairly lax approach to the narcotics trade—he has pardoned or granted clemency to more than 90 drug criminals across both terms—whispers began circulating recently that the true motive was pecuniary, that Trump was really interested in Venezuela’s oil. “This is a shakedown—a financial shakedown, being done primarily for profit,” one official told my colleagues Vivian Salama and Sarah Fitzpatrick last week. > > This secret motive didn’t stay secret very long. Last week the president told reporters that the U.S. had seized a “very large” oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela “for a very good reason.” Asked what would happen to the oil, he responded: “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.” Trump then demanded this week that Venezuela pay for the oil assets the country had apparently stolen from the U.S. Speaking to reporters, he framed the conflict as retribution: “They took our oil rights. We have a lot of oil there. As you know, they threw our companies out, and we want it back.” Trump has ordered a naval “blockade” aimed at Venezuela’s oil industry. . . . > > Trump’s main complaint about Bush was that he squandered an opportunity to enrich the U.S. by caring too much about international law and the dignity of the Iraqi people. For all their arrogant blundering, neoconservatives were at least motivated by ideals about promoting American values around the world. Trump seems eager to replace this doctrine with an old and naked form of imperialism. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2703 "2025-12-20T19:47:34Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Trump is actually stealing Venezuela’s oil: [Lubricate the Red, White and Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ahqyugZu78) - Dana Lyons _Oh, I’d go anywhere to fight for oil_ _Be it olive, safflower or crude_ _For cooking, for cars_ _Take a rocket to the stars_ _For a back rub, romantic rendezvous_ _In your engine, on your face_ _Or almost any place_ _A little dab of oil will get you through_ _Oh, I’d go anywhere to fight for oil_ _To lubricate the red, white and blue_ ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2704 "2025-12-20T22:43:12Z")
I debated over whether to put this in the Clusterfuck thread. But this has not yet had the chance to become a clusterfuck. It is, however, horrific; so it seems to belong here. Basically, US Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced a bill that will allow privateering. Yep, letters of marque to private operators. The idea is that they can help stop drug smuggling in the Caribbean: > **[Patriots of the Caribbean: Lee Bill Authorizes American Privateers to Seize...](https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patriots-of-the-caribbean-lee-bill-authorizes-american-privateers-to-seize-cartel-assets-with-president-s-approval)** > > U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced legislation today that would allow private entities to stop drug cartel smuggling and violence. The Cartel Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act authorizes President Trump, as provided under the Constitution,... If this bill passes, and I’m not prepared to guess as to whether it will or won’t, I cannot see any possible good coming of it. What I can see are a whole lot of vessels _not_ involved in any way with drug smuggling being stopped, searched, or simply blown out of the water by a bunch of private people who are looking to stir stuff up in international waters, under the guise of “protecting the United States” and “patriotism.” And Trump being responsible for these Letters of Marque? I’m having flashbacks to January 6, 2021. ---
**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:** [December 20, 2025, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2705 "2025-12-20T23:07:06Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > What I can see are a whole lot of vessels _not_ involved in any way with drug smuggling being stopped, searched, or simply blown out of the water by a bunch of private people who are looking to stir stuff up in international waters, under the guise of “protecting the United States” and “patriotism.” And for personal profit. Basically, Mike Lee thinks American organized crime needs a boost. More! More! We need more! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=134) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=136)