# 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:** 184
**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:** [September 11, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3666 "2026-09-11T22:07:22Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > New low? A new type of low I suppose. I’m not surprised and I’m sure his followers will brush this off as an example of Trump’s fine sense of humor. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3667 "2026-09-11T22:23:54Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > New low? > > > [@](#): > > > > Please raise your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States that loves us so much he can’t even breathe that I will go out with my family, my friends, I will do it any way — I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try and cheat like hell, like they do. > > [Donald J. Trump, September 10, 2026](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-remarks-closing-remarks-rnc-convention-dallas-september-10-2026/) I’d guess that the appeal of this for the MAGA folks is that Donald is asserting that Laws Don’t Apply To Us. In the “laws for thee but not for me” sense. ‘_Of course WE can cheat----WE can do ANYTHING_’ – that’s the basic claim. MAGA finds that to be empowering and inspirational. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2026, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3668 "2026-09-11T22:27:41Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try and cheat like hell, like they do. Reminds me of the “fight like hell” speech in which the Orange Traitor instigated an insurrection on January 6, 2021. There also this: > It was bad, but now it’s good. The intellect and eloquence of the Orange One are just stunning, the sheer poetic power rivaling that of John F Kennedy or maybe even Shakespeare himself! ---
**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:** [September 11, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3669 "2026-09-11T22:29:33Z")
Trump urging people to cheat could be Trump at his most honest. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3670 "2026-09-11T22:30:04Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > New low? Trump: “I am America. You pledge your allegiance to me, not to the country.” MAGA: “He’s just joking!” or “That sounds great! Donald Trump died for my sins!” Everyone else: “He’s not joking.” I’m going to call this foreshadowing. This is where Trump is going and has been going for a very long time. A couple of weeks ago I was having trouble articulating an idea concerning the Trump’s desire to subsume political support for him specifically with American identity. I said at the time this is why he’s renaming everything for America. He wants everyone to think America=Trump. This is yet another example of that. Probably an escalation. Another poster linked the following wiki page which perfectly encapsulated what I was thinking. > **[L'État, c'est moi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'%C3%89tat%2C_c'est_moi?wprov=sfla1)** > > L'État, c'est moi (English: "I am the state", lit. 'the state, it is I') is an apocryphal saying attributed to King Louis XIV. It was allegedly said on 13 April 1655 before the Parlement of Paris. It is supposed to assert the primacy of the royal authority in a context of defiance with the Parlement, which contests royal edicts taken in lit de justice on 20 March 1655. The phrase symbolizes absolute monarchy and absolutism. Historians contest whether this sentence, which does not appear in the re... See also “Absolutism”… > **[Absolutism (European history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolutism_(European_history)?wprov=sfla1)** > > Absolutism or the Age of Absolutism (c. 1610 – c. 1789) is a historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites. The term 'absolutism' is typically used in conjunction with some European monarchs during the transition from feudalism to capitalism, and monarchs described as absolute can especially be found in the 16th century through the 19th century with several notable and importa H... (I wanted to give proper attribution to the previous poster who pointed that out for me. Unfortunately I cannot find the original post nor do I remember who that was. So sorry! If that was you please feel free to speak up!) ETA: And yes, he’s telling people to directly engage in voter fraud in support of him and the Republican party. I’m sure the hypocrisy is intentional. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3671 "2026-09-11T23:01:36Z")
The Right has been trumpeting about widespread Leftist voter fraud for so long that most rightists totally believe it to be true. Despite the fact that even when Rightists in authority go looking, the only fraud they can find is small scale _Rightist_ fraud. “Every accusation is an admission” totally applies here. It’s entry number one in the Reactionary playbook. Accuse your enemy of what you intend to do. That justifies to your followers doing it yourself as restoring a level playing field, not tilting it. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3672 "2026-09-19T00:20:38Z")
This from three days ago is an above-average size horror: [ABC News: Trump claims Butler assassination attempt was a 'Democrat Plot](https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-claims-butler-assassination-attempt-democrat-plot-showing/story?id=136468084) > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump alleged on Tuesday that the 2024 assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania – which killed one person and wounded two others – was a “Democratic Plot” aimed at removing him from the election. . . . > > Trump did not offer any evidence to back up his extraordinary claim of the assassination attempt being part of a broader plot. He claimed that “most of the information” on the investigation was missing when he took office but new documents had recently been found, without elaborating. > > “Why wasn’t it seen long ago?” Trump asked. > > "This was all a Democrat Plot, to get me out of the Election, that failed. If DJT and Vance steal the 2028 presidential election, this false belief will be front and center when future generations of Trump biographers try to explain the fall of American democracy. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3673 "2026-09-20T12:26:08Z")
Trump says he’ll be “demanding” that drug companies split vaccines into five doses, six months apart, claiming it will lead to a “massive reduction” in autism. My God, he’ll kill thousands of children with this. > ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3674 "2026-09-20T13:54:05Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Trump says he’ll be “demanding” that drug companies split vaccines into five doses, six months apart, claiming it will lead to a “massive reduction” in autism. > My God, he’ll kill thousands of children with this. And the parents will be real happy to have to make 4 more doc visits. And we all know that kids just love getting shots. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3675 "2026-09-20T13:54:13Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Trump says he’ll be “demanding” that drug companies split vaccines into five doses, six months apart, claiming it will lead to a “massive reduction” in autism. But they won’t have autism!! ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3676 "2026-09-20T13:58:07Z")
They’ll probably start faking autism to get out of the shots. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3677 "2026-09-20T14:15:56Z")
Of course the point is to make vaccination so inconvenient that many parents won’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3678 "2026-09-20T14:16:52Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Trump says he’ll be “demanding” that drug companies split vaccines into five doses, six months apart, claiming it will lead to a “massive reduction” in autism. I’ve many times posted that DJT is a clever man, batting down claims of low intelligence. However, my thesis faces a pretty strong challenge here. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3679 "2026-09-20T14:19:46Z")
What ever made you think he was clever in the first place? ---
**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:** [September 20, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3680 "2026-09-20T14:21:11Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > But they won’t have autism!! Well, some of them will. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3681 "2026-09-20T14:35:00Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Of course the point is to make vaccination so inconvenient that many parents won’t bother. But, why? ---
**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:** [September 20, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3682 "2026-09-20T14:39:18Z")
From an anti-vaxxer’s perspective, because vaccines are a harmful practice that hurts children. From a normal person’s perspective, because anti-vaxxers are nuts. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3683 "2026-09-20T14:42:24Z")
Soon as I see one infinitesimal amount of evidence that they care about children (or anyone but themselves), I might buy that. ---
**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:** [September 20, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3684 "2026-09-20T14:53:41Z")
My theory was always that it _ **was** _ selfish: for a parent, taking your child to get vaccinated is an unpleasant hassle that costs money, even if just a co-pay. What if you could be a hero and take a stand against (whatever) merely by avoiding an unpleasant task? The consequences are so far removed from the action that if your child should fall seriously ill or die, you can shift your cognition to blame something else. Certainly not you, you hero. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3685 "2026-09-20T14:58:49Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > What ever made you think he was clever in the first place? He did get elected President twice. And it can’t be attributed to his doing what expert Republican handlers advised because he defied them. I could have defended the intelligence of his recent vaccine statements because he came up with something outrageous enough to please the anti-vaxxers without slamming the parts of his base who do get the shots. However, Donald is down in the polls, and that where there’s a political case that the nonsense instinct is getting outside rational control. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=183) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=185)