# 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:** 144
**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:** [January 14, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2866 "2026-01-14T17:11:08Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > 'Ashley Babit! '~ MAGA Oh, but she was a _Patriot_, not a criminal. Can’t you lefty losers see the difference? [/s] ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2867 "2026-01-14T18:36:43Z")
There’s at least one account on Twitter that posts a daily update, saying something like “it’s been 1836 days since Ashli Babbitt was murdered, and her murderer is still walking around free.” I keep pointing out that she was a traitor to the country who betrayed her military oath, and was killed by a heroic cop while committing crimes and ignoring law enforcement orders. They never respond. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2868 "2026-01-15T12:29:33Z")
I know there is some dislike of the Washington Post but having the FBI just randomly search a reporter’s home for “reasons” is rather concerning: [https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/g-s1-106103/fbi-search-washington-post-reporter-home](https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/g-s1-106103/fbi-search-washington-post-reporter-home) > “Physical searches of reporters’ devices, homes, and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take,” Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press president Bruce Brown said. “While we won’t know the government’s arguments about overcoming these very steep hurdles until the affidavit is made public, this is a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.” `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2869 "2026-01-15T14:13:21Z")
Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland allegedly “joked” that it would become the 52nd state with him as governor. Iceland is not amused. > **[Iceland Seeks Clarification Over Reported US Ambassador Remarks](https://www.icelandreview.com/news/iceland-seeks-clarification-over-reported-us-ambassador-remarks/?srsltid=AfmBOoqI-UW1D4A1MOr6YGk-Mon5RU8Rm0E7xu6cDnXXTi3D3g3doAo-)** > > Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted the United States Embassy in Reykjavík seeking clarification over remarks attributed to a potential US ambassador. The request follows a report by Politico, which stated that Billy Long, nominated... ---
**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 15, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2870 "2026-01-15T22:24:54Z")
> [@icon](#): > > I know there is some dislike of the Washington Post but having the FBI just randomly search a reporter’s home for “reasons” is rather concerning: Yes, that reporter is NOT Jeff Bezos and the evidence seems to be that she was working as a journalist, not as a shill for the Trump Regime (as Bezos might prefer). The Trumpites hate above all things whistleblowers on their own foul doings, and that’s what she was collecting. Testimony from Trump Admin. whistleblowers. Naturally the Trumpites would like to punish all those people, so getting their names would be a priority----Constitution be damned. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2871 "2026-01-15T23:18:52Z")
Media control is what determines if MAGA lasts long term So this is important: > **[Pentagon says it will ‘refocus’ Stars and Stripes content](https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-01-15/pentagon-refocus-stars-and-stripes-content-20415816.html)** > > The Pentagon suggested it would take over editorial decision making for Stars and Stripes, which has long retained independence under a congressional mandate. Read in my link about the effective new employee Trump loyalty oath. The other significance concerns Trump being able to issue illegal orders without being questioned in media soldiers read. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2872 "2026-01-16T00:14:15Z")
I think this is a really important story. Let’s hear from some active duty and retired military on this subject. > # Pentagon to overhaul independent military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’ > > _Plans for more Defense Department control surface after job applicants were asked about their commitment to President Donald Trump’s policies._ > > [https://wapo.st/49oSc4R](https://wapo.st/49oSc4R) > The Defense Department said it plans to overhaul Stars and Stripes, the storied military newspaper that has long enjoyed editorial independence, to rid it of “woke distractions” and refocus coverage on “ **warfighting**.” > > Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, announced the plan in a Thursday morning [post on X](https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/2011802849903009991). > > … > > On Thursday, the conservative news site the Daily Wire [reported](https://www.dailywire.com/news/pentagon-refocuses-stars-stripes-on-reporting-for-our-warfighters) that “Fifty percent of the website’s content will be composed of **War** Department-generated materials, including digital or print materials made by **War** Department writers and images captured by **combat** cameras.” > … My bold. What’s with the **WAR** obsession? > Jacqueline Smith, the newspaper’s ombudsman, a congressionally mandated position tasked with defending the newspaper’s editorial independence, said the Daily Wire’s reporting is “ **disturbing**.” > > … > > Parnell’s announcement came a day after The Washington Post first reported that [applicants for jobs at Stars and Stripes](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/14/stars-and-stripes-trump-loyalty-test/) are being asked to lay out their commitment to the policy initiatives of President Donald Trump, prompting **condemnation** from the paper’s top brass. > > … My bold. “_Disturbing_”..“_condemnation_”…whoo-hoo, pretty strong language! Be careful, you might draw some attention to yourself. > … > Kathy Kiely, a professor at the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, lambasted the Pentagon’s plan to take over the Stripes. > > “They are basically blowing apart the legacy of Stars and Stripes, and **unless Congress asserts itself** , there will be no more independent newspaper for the nation’s troops, because it’ll just be a mouthpiece for the Department of Defense,” Kiely said. “It’s going to be a zombie news outlet.” > … My bold. Yeah, right. 🥱 ---
**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 16, 2026, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2873 "2026-01-16T05:36:55Z")
They should rename it “Truth”. Maybe give it a fancy foreign sounding twist. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2874 "2026-01-16T08:08:22Z")
“Truth” would be a good name, because as we all know, any publication with “Truth” in its name would never lie. (For proof, look no further than that unceasing bastion of factual honesty, “Truth Social”.) If they want a bit of an exotic twist while paying homage to their heroic masters, they could call it “Pravda” or “Izvestia”. > “They are basically blowing apart the legacy of Stars and Stripes, and **unless Congress asserts itself** , there will be no more independent newspaper for the nation’s troops, because it’ll just be a mouthpiece for the Department of Defense,” Kiely said. “It’s going to be a zombie news outlet.” “Department of Defense”? Please. Get with the times. It’s now the Department of War. And I think it’s about time they renamed the whole damn country, maybe something like “the Democratic Christian Republic of America”. Because we know that any country with “democratic” in its name is undoubtedly a democracy, like the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, both of which the USA increasingly resembles. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2875 "2026-01-16T15:17:46Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > If they want a bit of an exotic twist while paying homage to their heroic masters, they could call it “Pravda” or “Izvestia”. Which mean “Truth” and “News” - and the old Soviet joke was “There is no news in Pravda and no truth in Izvestia” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2876 "2026-01-16T17:40:41Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > “Truth” would be a good name, because as we all know, any publication with “Truth” in its name would never lie. (For proof, look no further than that unceasing bastion of factual honesty, “Truth Social”.) If they want a bit of an exotic twist while paying homage to their heroic masters, they could call it “Pravda” or “Izvestia”. See also: Project Veritas. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2877 "2026-01-17T13:34:03Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What’s with the **WAR** obsession? Because that’s the only possible way that Trump can remain in office. That and the inserection act. It’s all about preventing elections. Otherwise, he’s going to prison 🤞 ---
**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:** [January 17, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2878 "2026-01-17T14:29:33Z")
The headline says it all, but reading the story is even better: [Stephen Miller Begs William Shatner To Save ‘Star Trek’ From Wokeness | HuffPost Latest News](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stephen-miller-william-shatner-wokeness_n_696a67c8e4b018dc941d87c9?origin=home-whats-happening-unit) BTW, Shatner is Canadien, you dipshit. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2879 "2026-01-17T15:53:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > BTW, Shatner is Canadien, you dipshit. Also, Jewish. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2880 "2026-01-17T16:17:26Z")
Kosher Poutine? ---
**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:** [January 17, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2881 "2026-01-17T19:29:15Z")
Has Stephen Miller ever watched Star Trek??? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2882 "2026-01-17T19:32:47Z")
Sure, he’s a big fan of Frank Gorshin as the racist Bele in the episode “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield.” 😉 [![](https://images.prismic.io/star-trek-untold/YjVlMTQzYjAtYTBiNC00N2E1LWI2YTMtY2M0ZGM3ZTYwZWJl_31784d9fc1fa0d25d04eae50ac9bf787.jpg?auto=compress,format&rect=0,0,2800,1178&w=2800&h=1178) ](https://images.prismic.io/star-trek-untold/YjVlMTQzYjAtYTBiNC00N2E1LWI2YTMtY2M0ZGM3ZTYwZWJl_31784d9fc1fa0d25d04eae50ac9bf787.jpg?auto=compress,format&rect=0,0,2800,1178&w=2800&h=1178) ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2883 "2026-01-17T19:33:14Z")
Precisely my thoughts. Star Trek was the original “woke.” It’s been woke since 1966 practically. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2884 "2026-01-17T20:49:49Z")
> [@Jihi](#): > > Star Trek was the original “woke.” It’s been woke since 1966 practically. It’s not surprising that the kind of people who think the Confederacy were the Good Guys will look as a _“progressive for the 1960s”_ show and consider it full of wild leftest ideas. They want to drag us back to the 50s; the _1850s._ ---
**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:** [January 17, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/2885 "2026-01-17T23:08:25Z")
[Donald Trump announces tariffs for eight countries](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-18/trump-tariffs-eight-nations-greenland-standoff/106241574) as Greenland stand-off continues Which I would assume via 45/47 logic would mean that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will pay the US to annexe Greenland. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=143) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=145)