# 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:** 186
**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 25, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3706 "2026-09-25T21:39:57Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > From August 2016, mind you. A fully-accurate prediction. To our regret. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3707 "2026-09-25T23:50:29Z")
Pretty sure he can “I am the code” all day with not too many architects flocking to him, now, to design any deathtrapish Corinthian ballroom. I’m sure when and _if_ the Arc de Trump nonsense ever gets under way it’ll advance along as smoothly as the reflecting pool and ballroom have. ---
**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 26, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3708 "2026-09-26T20:22:12Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > I’m sure when and _if_ the Arc de Trump nonsense ever gets under way it’ll advance along as smoothly as the reflecting pool and ballroom have. Giant slabs of marble falling onto the cars in the roundabout are likely an inevitable news story in coming months. ---
**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:** [September 26, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3709 "2026-09-26T21:32:52Z")
… well that could arguably be better than wildcat drone and sniper strikes from parapet. ---
**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 27, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3710 "2026-09-27T21:11:25Z")
Yeah, if those are our two choices, the first one is better. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3711 "2026-09-28T02:26:59Z")
When it comes to the question of whether Trump is a real dictator, here’s some evidence: [AP: Trump admin begins airing 2024 campaign ad in latest taxpayer-funded messaging](https://www.wavy.com/news/national/trump-admin-begins-airing-2024-campaign-ad-in-latest-taxpayer-funded-messaging/) > [@](#): > > The Trump administration is using taxpayer funds to air a television advertisement from Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign in the [latest in a series of ads](https://apnews.com/article/paid-for-us-government-ad-trump-political-60c020f7ecb7a071c4c604f659388949) promoting the president ahead of the midterms that the White House maintains are “public service announcements.” > > The 30-second video, which is virtually identical to one that aired in 2024, shows Trump walking down a hallway as his voice can be heard warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers.” The black-and-white video ends with Trump staring straight into the camera lens with a message that says: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” ---
**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 28, 2026, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3712 "2026-09-28T13:41:20Z")
Yeah, Trump really hates warmongers. 🤔 I saw that taxpayer funded propaganda while watching an NFL game. How did that bullshit end up on my tv? There is no one with the guts to tell that asshole “no”. This country is a shadow of its former self. ---
**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:** [September 28, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3713 "2026-09-28T14:43:07Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Yeah, Trump really hates warmongers. 🤔 The jury is still out on “globalists”, depending on whose definition you’re using. ---
**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 28, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3714 "2026-09-28T21:42:58Z")
Kash Patel has found a scapegoat for ALL the negative press he’s been getting: his FBI “co-deputy,” Andrew Bailey. > [@](#): > > An internal FBI email said Bailey was leaving for family reasons, the two people familiar with the matter said. Bailey had been the attorney general of Missouri before resigning his position to join the FBI last year. Yuhuh, “family.” Bailey’s departure is unlikely to be mourned by career FBI people. He’s full-on MAGA, working to end rights, promote censorship, etc. Whether people will really buy the idea that all Kash’s scandals were down to Bailey remains to be seen. > **[Andrew Bailey, who joined FBI in unusual ‘co-deputy’ position, to leave bureau](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/andrew-bailey-joined-fbi-co-deputy-position-leave-bureau-rcna600270)** > > The former Missouri attorney general joined the bureau in a newly created “co-deputy director” position last year before the departure of Dan Bongino. ---
**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 29, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3715 "2026-09-29T01:59:22Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Whether people will really buy the idea that all Kash’s scandals were down to Bailey remains to be seen. Kash has repeatedly demonstrated his own incompetence, so I don’t think anyone will buy the idea that his scandals were the fault of Bailey or anyone else. ---
**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:** [September 29, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3716 "2026-09-29T18:46:29Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > This country is a shadow of its former self. Something has to be standing in order to cast a shadow. A pile of rubble is more apt. ---
**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 29, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3717 "2026-09-29T23:02:57Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Kash has repeatedly demonstrated his own incompetence, so I don’t think anyone will buy the idea that his scandals were the fault of Bailey or anyone else. I agree, but we may see FoxNews and associated media-types trying to sell the idea. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3718 "2026-09-30T00:02:36Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Whether people will really buy the idea that all Kash’s scandals were down to Bailey remains to be seen. You can drink to someone, but you can’t drink for them. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3719 "2026-09-30T01:04:43Z")
[Homeland Security taps $20M in taxpayer funds for pro-Trump ads](https://apnews.com/article/trump-ads-taxpayer-money-homeland-security-b869294503c8454db4109ae175ee9e5c) > [@](#): > > House Democrats said Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, moved $20 million from Homeland Security resources to the ad campaign on Sept. 19. . . . When government officials spend taxpayer money for purposes not appropriated by congress, they are stealing. It’s like highway robbery, except for it being a lot more money. Here is the law: [Antideficiency Act](https://www.gao.gov/legal/appropriations-law/resources) Here is the criminal penalty: [knowingly and willfully violating section 1341(a) or 1342 of this title shall be fined not more than $5,000, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/1350) I don’t believe in long sentences. A few months, fine. Just letting him get away with it – no. Vought is supposedly implementing Project 2025 – but this is a great example of how much worse the Trump administration is than anything in the admittedly illiberal Project 2025. > [@](#): > > Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said it “shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.” So what’s he going to do about it? Nothing. ---
**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:** [September 30, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3720 "2026-09-30T01:32:51Z")
Is that a federal crime? Trump would pardon him anyway. ---
**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 30, 2026, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3721 "2026-09-30T01:59:34Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I agree, but we may see FoxNews and associated media-types trying to sell the idea. Deep down inside, I suspect most Trump supporters realize he’s not a good president and his appointees aren’t good at their jobs either. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3722 "2026-09-30T02:42:23Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Is that a federal crime? Trump would pardon him anyway. Yes. Federal crime. The current Justice Department will not prosecute. As for the next administration possibly indicting Vought, I haven’t looked at the statute of limitations but it would be too late in terms of stopping the Trump administration from putting taxpayer paid propaganda ads on network TV. If 2/3 of Congress, including Majority Leader John Thune, was jealous of its constitutional power of the purse, Vought would be impeached and removed (and Trump if Vought was acting under his orders, as seems to me likely). Vought does have a job where impeachment is possible: > **[Kamlager-Dove Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against OMB Director Russell...](https://kamlager-dove.house.gov/media/press-releases/kamlager-dove-introduces-articles-impeachment-against-omb-director-russell)** > > WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37)introduced articles of impeachment against Office of Management and Budget (OMB)Director Russell Vought after the administration ---
**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 30, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3723 "2026-09-30T22:03:34Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Deep down inside, I suspect most Trump supporters realize he’s not a good president and his appointees aren’t good at their jobs either. Yeah. But they can deal with it so long as 5-year-old Hispanic kids are being locked up. > [@Gatopescado](#): > > You can drink to someone, but you can’t drink for them. That’s probably on a plaque hanging over a bar somewhere… ---
**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 30, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3724 "2026-09-30T23:50:37Z")
And somebody is claiming to stop catboxes and sex change surgery in elementary schools. Oh yeah, and stopping vaccination. The stupid; it burns. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/3725 "2026-10-01T00:15:58Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Deep down inside, I suspect most Trump supporters realize he’s not a good president and his appointees aren’t good at their jobs either. Agreed. But they often are also deep down convinced, by having watched right-wing media, that the Biden administration was worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=185) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=187)