# 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:** 181
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3606 "2026-06-24T12:58:00Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Headline writers, especially for youtube videos, need to cut that out. I can’t possibly count the number of headlines I’ve seen about Trump panicking. Medias Touch is especially bad about it. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3607 "2026-06-24T13:15:28Z")
Of course the traditional R position has always been that a disabled individual is entitled to as much access to a normal life as they (or their extended family) have the ability to pay for. What they have no specific right to, is public money for their personal benefit. The traditional Rs have fought any and every effort at public provision of disabled services since before I was born. Now what trump is doing, rolling back 50 years of hard-fought D-driven progress at the stroke of a crooked pen, is undoubtedly utterly evil. But totally on-brand for all Rs of all eras; not just MAGA, and not just the raging crazies in the current criminal regime. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3608 "2026-06-24T14:10:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > …a disabled individual is entitled to as much access to a normal life as they (or their extended family) have the ability to pay for. Actually, this applies to everyone, disabled or not-- if you want food, medical care, education, clothes, housing, you are entitled to whatever you can afford. This applies across the board, regardless of age, race, ethnic background, gender, physical ability/disability, general health-- no one is entitled to anything they can’t pay for. Except for two groups: educated straight white men who are the descendants of white immigrants. And, of course, fetuses (but not babies or children). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3609 "2026-06-24T17:39:50Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > educated straight white men who are the descendants of white immigrants Are there American white men who are NOT descended from white immigrants? Actually, now that I’ve typed that, I suppose a lot of the 19th-century Catholic immigrants were not fully white at the time; they weren’t NOT white, but a lot of privilege was denied them, but by now their descendents are fully white as boundaries have shifted. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3610 "2026-06-25T01:52:24Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Are there American white men who are NOT descended from white immigrants? Most obviously: some of them _are_ white immigrants. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3611 "2026-06-25T03:13:50Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Actually, this applies to everyone, disabled or not-- if you want food, medical care, education, clothes, housing, you are entitled to whatever you can afford. I’ve said before, US health-care system is the finest in the world _that money can buy_. I can totally understand why somebody with Big Bux would vote for Republicans and support their policies. What I don’t understand is why a family of four that never earned more than $50,000 annually does. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3612 "2026-06-25T09:30:29Z")
For the usual reasons: scary immigrants, scary minorities, scary trans people, scary non-Christian people. They live in a threatening world, and Trump alone can fix it. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3613 "2026-06-25T13:25:58Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I can totally understand why somebody with Big Bux would vote for Republicans and support their policies. What I don’t understand is why a family of four that never earned more than $50,000 annually does. I’ve found a lot of people don’t think about healthcare until it becomes a problem for them. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3614 "2026-06-25T15:02:35Z")
Or else they have good cheap health care (work for a hospital, or some government entity) and don’t understand or care how other people and families have to manage. They may not even believe that reliable, reasonably priced healthcare isn’t available to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3615 "2026-06-25T15:08:01Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > They may not even believe that reliable, reasonably priced healthcare isn’t available to everyone. Most people feel in their core that if something is true for them, it must be true for everyone else. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3616 "2026-06-25T15:18:01Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > if something is true for them, it must be true for everyone else. This is Trumplican logic; If I did not know something, then NOBODY every knew it. The word “dumb” has a “b” in it. Nobody knew that before today. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3617 "2026-06-25T15:18:22Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I’ve found a lot of people don’t think about healthcare until it becomes a problem for them. Exactly. A lot of people don’t have great health insurance: they have an OK/lower-tier policy from their employer, or they bought a (relatively) inexpensive bronze-tier plan from a smaller company on the Marketplace. If they’ve never really had to stress-test their insurance coverage (i.e., they just use it for routine stuff), they might still say, “I have great health insurance,” because they have not _ **yet** _ run into a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3618 "2026-06-25T15:41:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Or else they have good cheap health care (work for a hospital, or some government entity) and don’t understand or care how other people and families have to manage. They may not even believe that reliable, reasonably priced healthcare isn’t available to everyone. That’s part of it, no doubt. Because my father was in the military, my MAGA mother has had government insurance for a little over fifty years now, so she kind of assumes everyone has access to affordable insurance if they want it. ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3619 "2026-06-25T15:47:12Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > For the usual reasons: scary immigrants, scary minorities, scary trans people, scary non-Christian people. They live in a threatening world, and Trump alone can fix it. Except - Trump hasn’t fixed it, just pissed them off. - It’s cost them their country. - “The swamp” is bigger than ever. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > they might still say, “I have great health insurance,” because they have not _ **yet** _ run into a problem. As the guy who fell off the Empire State building was heard to remark as he passed the 82nd floor, “So far, so good.” ---
**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:** [June 25, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3620 "2026-06-25T18:54:33Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Or else they have good cheap health care Or they’ve got _bad_ cheap health insurance that they’ve been lied to about how good it is. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2026, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3621 "2026-06-26T08:02:25Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I’ve said before, US health-care system is the finest in the world _that money can buy_. > > I can totally understand why somebody with Big Bux would vote for Republicans and support their policies. What I don’t understand is why a family of four that never earned more than $50,000 annually does. “When _I’m_ rich, I don’t want high taxes.” ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3622 "2026-06-26T08:48:52Z")
As John Steinbeck once observed: the US has never had a self-admitted proletariat, only temporarily embarrassed capitalists. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3623 "2026-06-26T12:10:30Z")
I’m currently in rehearsal for a production of the musical _1776_, and there’s a line that’s very resonant even today: “Remember that most men with nothing would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich than face the reality of being poor.” ---
**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:** [June 26, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3624 "2026-06-26T12:43:20Z")
Hence the impressive sales of Powerball tickets. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3625 "2026-06-26T13:02:46Z")
Forgive the hyperbole/melodrama, but, to me, the nub of ‘**[temporarily embarrassed millionaires](https://www.recordonline.com/story/news/2011/10/28/tina-dupuy-americans-blame-themselves/49854447007/)**’ isn’t all that dramatically different from “_[**Arbeit Macht Frei**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbeit_macht_frei)_.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=180) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=182)