# 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:** 99
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1962 "2025-07-11T02:44:10Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I’ve had a feeling that “Tariffs 101” was the only class he attended at the Wharton School. You probably wouldn’t be able to take a hypothetical “Tariffs 101” without taking Macro 101. And I recall Ricardian Comparative Advantage is taught by like the 2nd class. Maybe the 1st. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1963 "2025-07-11T05:48:03Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I have a cantaloupe in the fridge that’s brighter than he is. But probably not as orange. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1964 "2025-07-11T12:33:48Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I see no reason to insult his education or intelligence, only his methods and goals. The man’s a moron. We see it every day. That’s what makes his ‘methods’ and ‘goals’ so ridiculous. #1 Do something incredibly stupid, that everyone knows is stupid. #2 ? #3 Profit! Add that he is losing what little mind he had, and ya got a problem. ---
**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:** [July 11, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1965 "2025-07-11T13:50:34Z")
ISTM there are a lot of ways trump & his cronies profit personally from all the bad stuff they’re doing to the USA and the world. Like Putin, they view their own country as simply something to plunder, not to improve. A lot of it starts with petulant chaos as a motive. But a lot of it also turns into market rigging just before the Xit is sent. One could make insane amounts of money with small investments in puts & calls hours or minutes before the release of a chaos Xit you already know is coming. It being Friday morning right now, the odds are decent of a surprise before the markets close. But in which direction? Aye, there’s the rub. And it becomes a source of protection racket behavior: e.g. “Hey Brazil, did you see what we just did to Mexico? Pay $1B in Bitcoin to this account or it’ll happen to you too.” ---
**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:** [July 11, 2025, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1966 "2025-07-11T13:55:29Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I have a cantaloupe in the fridge that’s brighter than he is. Any chance you refer to it as ‘Melonia?’ ---
**Author:** ![betonbill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b782af/32.png) [@betonbill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betonbill)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1967 "2025-07-11T13:59:46Z")
Re Trump’s corruption: At least he has the money to pay E. Jean Carroll what he owes. He can’t whimper about how he can’t afford it or doesn’t have enough money. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2025, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1968 "2025-07-15T03:36:13Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I’ve had a feeling that “Tariffs 101” was the only class he attended at the Wharton School. And he cut out early from that one. I forget the details but I’m reminded of a story I read decades ago where a couple kids were caught doing some crime that was a copy cat of one in a TV-movie shown the night before. “Didn’t you see that they got caught?” “No, we had to go to bed before the end of the movie.” Speaking of Wharton, have they taken any steps to distance themselves from their esteemed graduate? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1969 "2025-07-15T13:28:57Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Speaking of Wharton, have they taken any steps to distance themselves from their esteemed graduate? They mostly ignore him, although there are mentions [deep into their web site](https://global.upenn.edu/penn-washington/2025/02/13/a-dysfunctional-congress-is-to-blame-for-the-unfolding-constitutional-crisis/).. Other schools that have presidential alumni put prominent statements on their web site like “[we are proud to count five U.S. presidents among our alumni!](https://salovey.yale.edu/writings-and-speeches/notes-woodbridge-hall/legacy-public-service)” (Yale). Even though, before Trump, the generally acknowledged worst president was James Buchanan, I find that his alma mater, Dickinson College, has a Buchanan Hall. Eureka College puts Reagan scholarships on the home page. Nothing like that for Trump. When [Columbia](https://worldprojects.columbia.edu/about-obama-foundation-scholars-program) starts ignoring Obama, and Wharton scrubs its site of [deserved, if understated, insults like this](https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2025/7/8/president-trump-signed-reconciliation-bill-budget-economic-and-distributional-effects), instead proclaiming their MAGA pride, we’ll know Trump is a real dictator, wannabe no more. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2025, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1970 "2025-07-15T15:25:05Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > When [Columbia](https://worldprojects.columbia.edu/about-obama-foundation-scholars-program) starts ignoring Obama Oh, is _that_ why they have been going after Columbia so hard? ---
**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:** [July 15, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1971 "2025-07-15T20:19:05Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Speaking of Wharton, have they taken any steps to distance themselves from their esteemed graduate? In fairness, doing that would put them in danger of some sort of retaliation from Trump. ---
**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:** [July 16, 2025, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1972 "2025-07-16T05:25:10Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > In fairness, doing that would put them in danger of some sort of retaliation from Trump. As it is, Michael Cohen had, in 2019, testified to Congress that, under Trump’s direction, he (Cohen) had sent letters to Penn/Wharton, as well as the other schools which Trump had attended, and the company which administers the SAT, threatening them with legal action if they ever released his academic records. Cohen showed a copy of the letter sent to Fordham (which Trump attended for two years before transferring to Pen), and the high school which Trump attended acknowledged that they had received a similar letter. > **[Here's Why Donald Trump Doesn't Want Anyone To Know His Grades Or SAT Scores](https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherrim/2019/02/28/heres-why-donald-trump-doesnt-want-anyone-to-know-his-grades-or-sat-scores/)** > > Trump has a reputation for projection, so it’s possible his vocal criticisms of Obama’s academic record are more similar to his own record than he’d admit. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1973 "2025-07-17T15:00:30Z")
The utter crapola bullshit never stops. The pile just grows higher and higher. _BTW, WaPo, these aren’t “falsehoods” they’re **LIES** , so let’s call them that! No more euphemisms!_ Bold and formatting in the original. Gift link. > # Trump’s assertion that 10,000 of 300,000 ‘missing’ children have been found > > _The president undercuts his claims of progress by repeating a ginned-up figure from the 2024 campaign._ > > [https://wapo.st/44Mvos7](https://wapo.st/44Mvos7) > > _“Something that you should have that you haven’t reported. As you know, 300,000 children are missing, right, 300,000 under Biden. We’ve already gotten back 10,000 of those children, and we have a lot more planned to come back. We’re getting them back by the thousands, but 300,000 and as of this morning, over 10,000, we’ve gotten back.”_ > > **— President Trump,** [**speaking to reporters at the White House**](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-press-gaggle-before-marine-one-departure-july-11-2025/#14) **, July 11** > > … > > Running for president again in 2024, Trump turned the tables on Biden. He first accused the Biden administration of losing 88,000 unaccompanied migrant children, [claiming](https://www.c-span.org/video/?536217-1/president-trump-speaks-turning-point-action-town-hall-arizona) that “many of those children are dead.” Then, the Trump campaign boosted the figure to 320,000 — a number that JD Vance used (“effectively lost”) in the vice-presidential debate. > > … > > # The Facts > > Let’s start with the complicated system of laws and court cases that govern the treatment of children who arrive at the border without an accompanying adult. > … Long, informative article about an absolutely **infuriating** situation! ---
**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:** [July 17, 2025, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1974 "2025-07-17T17:39:28Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > BTW, WaPo, these aren’t “falsehoods” they’re **LIES** , Just as a tangent, do you read “falsehood” as a euphemism for “lie”? To me, “falsehood” is just a more formal register, but they mean the same thing and have the same connotations. It’s only because more formal registers are used for politeness, and more informal for rude, that “lie” is a bit stronger, but “falsehood” is perfectly appropriate in a journalistic context. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1975 "2025-07-17T17:50:17Z")
Calling something a falsehood is just saying it isn’t true. Calling it a lie implies the speaker knows it to be false and is being intentionally misleading. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1976 "2025-07-17T17:53:26Z")
One of the infuriating aspects of the Trump return is the way that previously respectable media outlets tiptoe around the fact that Trump blatantly lies through his teeth. “The pres. lies to the American people? Oh, we can’t just _say_ 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:** [July 17, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1977 "2025-07-17T18:02:41Z")
Thanks. I’ll have to think about this distinction: I don’t think it’s how I use the two words, but it makes sense. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1978 "2025-07-17T18:35:15Z")
When one is mistaken about the truth, one might carelessly spread falsehoods. When one is deliberately disregarding the truth, one is lying. When one has a mental defect that cannot distinguish truth from lie and furthermore does not care, one is trump. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1979 "2025-07-17T20:07:19Z")
That ain’t a lie. There is no good word for what he is doing. Let’s try these - - **Falsify** - **Deceive** - **Fabricate** - **Distort** - **Perjure** - **Defraud** ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2025, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1980 "2025-07-17T20:33:43Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Let’s try these I think ‘Deceive’ is the most appropriate for the BS he spews continually. ---
**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:** [July 17, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774/1981 "2025-07-17T20:42:20Z")
Yeah. The story is conceived from whole cloth for the purpose of eliciting a particular result. Given there are a million possible falsehoods for any given topic and only one truth, any such story is only true by coincidence, and only very, very, _very_ rarely to boot. IOW … > **[On Bullshit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Bullshit)** > > On Bullshit is a 1986 essay and 2005 book by the American philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt which presents a theory of bullshit that defines the concept and analyzes the applications of bullshit in the context of communication. Frankfurt determines that bullshit is speech intended to persuade without regard for truth. The liar cares about the truth and attempts to hide it; the bullshitter doesn't care whether what they say is true or false. Frankfurt's philosophical analysis of bullshit has bee [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=98) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-current-second-trump-administration-a-compendium-of-horrors/1009774.md?page=100)