# 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:** 55
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1082 "2025-03-16T14:25:07Z")
Lol, it looks like the grail scene from _The Last Crusade_ (and Trump’s probably drunk from all of them) ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1083 "2025-03-16T14:25:54Z")
He chose…poorly… ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1084 "2025-03-16T14:28:42Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Lol, it looks like the grail scene from _The Last Crusade_ That thing in the middle on the fireplace mantle might be the Holy Grail (from _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, that is)! 😀 ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1085 "2025-03-16T14:58:28Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > That CNN article isn’t paywalled for me. If you can’t access it maybe it has something to do with article view count. It says “For subscribers only.” (I NEVER go to CNN, so no article count.) [![](https://i.imgur.com/n01qFwV.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/n01qFwV.jpeg) WAAHHH! But I wanna see the gold and gilded shit! 😦 ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1086 "2025-03-16T15:27:42Z")
Erik Prince the mercenary from Holland Mi has remerged eager to help speed up mass deportations. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/16/erik-prince-trump-immigration-enforcement?CMP=Share\_iOSApp\_Other](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/16/erik-prince-trump-immigration-enforcement?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other) Anyone hear of _Unplugged_ his encrypted cell phone company? ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1087 "2025-03-16T18:32:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The only upside of it is that world leaders meeting with him there are immediately aware that they’re dealing with an ignorant, tasteless boor. As if they hadn’t figured it out before they got there? > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > WAAHHH! But I wanna see the gold and gilded shit! CNN, however accidentally, is doing you a favor. You must trust me on this. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1088 "2025-03-16T18:36:06Z")
ThelmaLou sulks. A little. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1089 "2025-03-16T19:00:40Z")
I did find a few pictures. And yes, I threw up in my mouth a little. Donnie moved back in the flags of the armed forces. 'Cause he loves the military so much, ~~including~~ except veterans. I’m an Air Force brat and an Army widow, and I can be moved by the sight of battle ribbons attached to the tops of those flags (colors). But what’s up with this phony Space-X flag? That’s an insult to the REAL flags of the REAL services that have REAL history and REAL veterans/active duty. (Not that Donnie would give a fuck about it…) [![](https://i.imgur.com/HLg1nRU.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/HLg1nRU.jpeg) ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1090 "2025-03-16T19:01:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > But what’s up with this Space-X flag? That’s actually a flag for the U.S. Space Force, not SpaceX: [![](https://www.militarytimes.com/resizer/oYFXWDN8bhaCR8-UsuYW34F0z9s=/arc-photo-archetype/arc3-prod/public/G2QFIG5CBFC2VFKNE46SL5GM7A.jpg) ](https://www.militarytimes.com/resizer/oYFXWDN8bhaCR8-UsuYW34F0z9s=/arc-photo-archetype/arc3-prod/public/G2QFIG5CBFC2VFKNE46SL5GM7A.jpg) ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1091 "2025-03-16T19:07:37Z")
Not sure about the fabric, but the hardware is eerily reminiscent of that used to attack the Capitol Police on January 6th. Or, to Mr. Trump, a “souvenir to remind him of happier times.” ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1092 "2025-03-16T19:09:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That’s actually a flag for the U.S. Space Force, not SpaceX: Yeah - but what is with the ribbons at the top (in ThelmaLou’s pic)? Have we seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion? ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1093 "2025-03-16T19:20:56Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That’s actually a flag for the U.S. Space Force, not SpaceX: Sorry, I stand corrected. But is that an actual branch of the military? With the Star-Trek-knockoff insignia? And where were those battle ribbons acquired? (Ninja’d by @Dinsdale.) ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1094 "2025-03-16T19:31:14Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Sorry, I stand corrected. But is that an actual branch of the military? With the Star-Trek-knockoff insignia? Yes, despite the silly name and logo, it really is an actual (if new) U.S. military branch. It, along with the U.S. Air Force, is part of the Department of the Air Force. It was created in 2019, by the Trump administration. > **[United States Space Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Space_Force)** > > As U.S. Space Force > The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space force branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six armed forces of the United States and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is also one of two independent space forces in the world. > The United States Space Force traces its origins to the Air Force, Army, and Navy's military space programs created during the beginning of the Cold War. US military space forces first partic... ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1095 "2025-03-16T23:19:31Z")
To boldly go where no trans has gone before. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1096 "2025-03-16T23:22:39Z")
This is a cousin of mine. I do _not_ know her current employment status, however: > **[Bree Fram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bree_Fram)** > > Colonel Bree Fram is an American military officer, astronautical engineer, and transgender activist. She served in the United States Air Force during the Iraq War and was deployed to Iraq and Qatar as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Fram is as an officer in the United States Space Force and, as the first transgender person to be promoted to the rank of colonel, she is the highest-ranking transgender officer in the United States Armed Forces. She came out as a transgender woman in 2016, while s... ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1097 "2025-03-17T01:05:23Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > transforming the formerly tasteful Oval Office into something resembling his gilded chintzy Mar-a-Lago I’d have hoped Melania, despite her fashion (“I don’t really care do U”) and decorative skills (the dead forest Xmas White House decor) would slap him down. As little as I like her, she’s around 3000 times better than trump ---
**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:** [March 17, 2025, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1098 "2025-03-17T01:51:23Z")
I wish she had decorated it all in black. With a gold spotlight shining down on Donnie. And the Resolute desk on a two-foot high platform. Edged with black fur. Yeah. Cool. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2025, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1099 "2025-03-17T05:27:00Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > This is a cousin of mine. Trump & Co. just haven’t gotten around to discharging her yet. Can’t have one in _his_ military force. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Resolute desk on a two-foot high platform. Come to think of it, what did he replace the Resolute Desk with after Elmo’s sprog wiped a booger on it, and it was sent out to be refurbished? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1100 "2025-03-17T08:02:45Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Today’s closure of the Voice of America is under discussion in another thread, Could you point me in that direction, please? There’s such a swirling miasma of semi-related stuff in different threads these days, but that topic is one I have specific interest in following. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1101 "2025-03-17T08:43:56Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > During Trump 1.0, there were inexplicable entry denials to Canadian citizens who happened to have brown-ish skin colouring and had names that might have been Muslim. Now, in keeping with everything being 100x worse, it’s become completely arbitrary: > > [B.C. woman detained at U.S. border, sent to Arizona facility in chains | Vancouver Sun](https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-woman-detained-at-us-border-sent-to-arizona-detention-facility) With reference to people detained by US Customs and Border Protection (there have been a few German nationals too lately), what would be the reason for people being detained for days or weeks by CBP? I can imagine the following choices for US Customs and Border Protection at ports of entry: **(1)** Person not in possession of necessary visa or ESTA, or suspected of intentions not covered by the visa or ESTA (e.g. intending to work in tourist status) → Person denied entry, at land border: just turned back; an an airport: possibly detained for a few hours pending the next available flight back. Possibly with prejudice to future visa or ESTA applications. **(2)** Person with active arrest warrant → Person arrested and fed into the US criminal justice system, with the rights of an arrested person. **(3)** Person caught smuggling → Person arrested and fed into the US criminal justice system, with the rights of an arrested person **(4)** None of the above → Person admitted to the US What I cannot get my head around is what seems to happen sometimes: **(5)** Person detained for days or weeks but not charged with an offence. What would be the legal and procedural reason for (5)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=54) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=56)