# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making Part Deux (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083 "2020-06-22T03:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/305 "2020-06-28T00:12:06Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > > [@smithsb](#): > > > > " Trump sent [an audacious letter](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trumps-letter-governor-illinois-mayor-chicago/)to Illinois Governor J.P. Pritzker and Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot on Friday, calling them out for putting their “own political interests ahead of the lives, safety, and fortunes of your own citizens.” > > Once again Trump proves the only job he is fit for is working in a movie theater as a projectionist.  I know! I thought it was an Onion story at first. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/306 "2020-06-28T00:19:43Z")
There is no way _The Onion_ can keep ahead of Trump. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/307 "2020-06-28T00:28:24Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > This is a good article about how Trump is dealing with the virus, attempting to understand why he is so callous about the pain and suffering it is causing. And, of course, it comes down to winners and losers. > > [Trump believes anyone who dies from Covid-19 is a 'loser'](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/6/25/1955974/-Trump-believes-anyone-who-dies-from-Covid-19-is-a-loser?utm_campaign=trending) > > > [@](#): > > > > In _How to Get Rich_ , Trump links his own germaphobia to the idea that some people are born losers. Winners are people who think positively—and positivity repels germs. “To me, germs are just another kind of negativity.” He then goes on to tell the story of an unnamed acquaintance who is driven home from the hospital in an ambulance after being treated for injuries sustained in a crash. The ambulance crashes and he has to be taken back to the hospital: “Maybe he’s just a really unlucky guy. Or maybe he’s a loser. I know that sounds harsh, but let’s face it—some people _are_ losers.” The train of thought here is typically meandering, but the logic is clear enough. **Losers are inevitably doomed by their own negativity, of which germs are a physical form. Infection happens to some people because they are natural losers**. Trump, like many people with pro-authoritarian tendencies, believes in the Just World Hypothesis (without being aware of it, of course). > [@](#): > > …the _Just World Hypothesis_ . According to the hypothesis, people have a strong desire or need to believe that the world is an orderly, predictable, and just place, where people get what they deserve. > > …Zick Rubin of Harvard University and Letitia Anne Peplau of UCLA have conducted surveys to examine the characteristics of people with strong beliefs in a just world. They found that people who have a strong tendency to believe in a just world also tend to be more religious, more authoritarian, more conservative … > **[The Just World Theory](https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/the-just-world-theory/)** > > The need to see victims as the recipients of their just deserts can be explained by what psychologists call the Just World Hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, people have a strong desire or need to believe that the world is an orderly,... Trump’s reaction as described here makes sense to a lot of his followers, because they, too, believe that lottery winners are by definition virtuous and deserving, and those who buy lottery tickets without winning are bad people (and similarly crazy things). ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/308 "2020-06-28T00:52:32Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > > [@aurora\_maire](#): > > > > This is a good article about how Trump is dealing with the virus, attempting to understand why he is so callous about the pain and suffering it is causing. And, of course, it comes down to winners and losers. > > > > [Trump believes anyone who dies from Covid-19 is a 'loser'](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/6/25/1955974/-Trump-believes-anyone-who-dies-from-Covid-19-is-a-loser?utm_campaign=trending) > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > In _How to Get Rich_ , Trump links his own germaphobia to the idea that some people are born losers. Winners are people who think positively—and positivity repels germs. “To me, germs are just another kind of negativity.” He then goes on to tell the story of an unnamed acquaintance who is driven home from the hospital in an ambulance after being treated for injuries sustained in a crash. The ambulance crashes and he has to be taken back to the hospital: “Maybe he’s just a really unlucky guy. Or maybe he’s a loser. I know that sounds harsh, but let’s face it—some people _are_ losers.” The train of thought here is typically meandering, but the logic is clear enough. **Losers are inevitably doomed by their own negativity, of which germs are a physical form. Infection happens to some people because they are natural losers**. > > Curious to see his response to his own voters getting it… It won’t matter to him. They don’t matter to him. They are just a means to an end to benefit only him. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/309 "2020-06-28T01:08:31Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > So I expect Trump and his ass-lickers will stop at nothing to undermine an election where he might possibly lose. They have all the money and zero shame. It is very likely that they will find some way to do this. Trump and his followers qualify as having zero shame. But they don’t have money and they certainly don’t understand how things work. I’ve said before that Trump couldn’t successfully carry off a liquor store hold up if you drove him to the store, handed him the pre-loaded gun, and pointed to where the door into the store was. He still manage to screw it up. And Trump’s followers are dumber than Trump is. So we don’t have to worry about Trump and his followers stealing the election. They have no idea how to even try to steal an election. The issue is whether the Republican Party will decide to steal the election for Trump and his followers. They might. But I wouldn’t call it a sure thing. The Republicans may decide it’s time to cut loose from Trump and let him fall. They might feel that four more years of letting Trump be President will do more harm to the Republican party than just sitting back and letting Biden win. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/310 "2020-06-28T01:10:45Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > Curious to see his response to his own voters getting it… > > It won’t matter to him. They don’t matter to him. They are just a means to an end to benefit only him. He’ll probably change his stance on mail-in voting and tell his supporters to make sure they send in their votes for him before they die. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/311 "2020-06-28T01:15:12Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > In _How to Get Rich_ , Trump links his own germaphobia to the idea that some people are born losers. Winners are people who think positively—and positivity repels germs. “To me, germs are just another kind of negativity.” … The train of thought here is typically meandering, but the logic is clear enough. **Losers are inevitably doomed by their own negativity, of which germs are a physical form. Infection happens to some people because they are natural losers**. The logic is clear but it’s not saying what Trump thinks. He says he believes germs only affect “losers”. And he acknowledges that he’s afraid of germs. Isn’t that Trump admitting he sees himself as a loser? If he saw himself as a winner, he wouldn’t worry about germs because he’d be immune to them. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/312 "2020-06-28T01:17:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Trump and his followers qualify as having zero shame. But they don’t have money and they certainly don’t understand how things work. I was referring to the Trump re-election campaign fund. They have [TONS of money](https://www.npr.org/2020/05/20/858347477/money-tracker-how-much-trump-and-biden-have-raised-in-the-2020-election), and they have an extensive and well-developed social media outreach. We know that at least they are going to get almost all of the base out. They subvert an election with misinformation. ---
**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 28, 2020, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/313 "2020-06-28T01:20:41Z")
> **[Hoist with his own petard](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoist_with_his_own_petard)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > "Hoist with his own petard" is a phrase from a speech in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet that has become proverbial. The phrase's meaning is that a bomb-maker is blown ("hoist") off the ground by his own bomb (a "petard" is a small explosive device), and indicates an ironic reversal, or poetic justice. > The phrase occurs in Hamlet Act 3, Scene 4, as a part of one of Hamlet's speeches in the Closet Scene.\[a\] Hamlet has been acting mad to throw off ... ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/314 "2020-06-28T01:27:13Z")
I can’t remember the senator who said that if the impeacement vote were held in secret, Trump would be gone. Moscow Mitch and Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins, I am sure, would be glad to get rid of this moron. Because in the long term, he is the destruction of the Republican Party. There are only so many MAGA-hatters out there. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/315 "2020-06-28T01:36:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So we don’t have to worry about Trump and his followers stealing the election. They have no idea how to even try to steal an election. I never said “steal.” I said _undermine_. They will exploit Trump’s incumbent advantage as well as the stupidity of the people with propaganda as much as they can, with tools like Facebook, etc., and who knows what else. That’s what I meant. His campaign has the money to hire the people who know how to do this, and they won’t pay any attention to election laws (as Trump didn’t in 2016) because those don’t even get investigated until after the candidate is already sworn into office. I don’t know if they will succeed, but they are desperate, and they DO have the resources. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/316 "2020-06-28T01:38:46Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I suspect that becoming president really ended up warping his mind, in such a way that every aspect of his perception of external reality is infused with a teleological conceit that anything he does is correct simply because he is the one who does it, (and therefore, he can do anything he wants). That didn’t start when he was elected. He’s always been like that. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/317 "2020-06-28T01:40:05Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > That didn’t start when he was elected. He’s always been like that. True, but I think becoming the most powerful person in the world was the straw the broke the camel’s back–that makes him really think he should be able to do whatever he wants with impunity. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/318 "2020-06-28T04:00:29Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > I never said “steal.” I said _undermine_ . They will exploit Trump’s incumbent advantage as well as the stupidity of the people with propaganda as much as they can, with tools like Facebook, etc., and who knows what else. That’s what I meant. His campaign has the money to hire the people who know how to do this, and they won’t pay any attention to election laws (as Trump didn’t in 2016) because those don’t even get investigated until after the candidate is already sworn into office. I don’t know if they will succeed, but they are desperate, and they DO have the resources. When people talk about stealing an election, they don’t mean you’re literally going to steal it. An election’s not a car. When somebody says “steal an election” they mean alter the outcome of the election by illegal means. Or by enacting laws to predetermine the outcome of the election in favor of the organization that enacted the laws (which is technically not stealing only because they have the power to make it legal). Stealing an election is not easy. It requires literally hundreds of people working all over the country, all of them working off of an overall plan. This is way beyond anything Trump and his base could pull off. That’s why I said they need the Republicans to buy in if they’re planning on stealing the election. The Republicans are a professional political organization. They have the knowledge and the personnel to steal an election if they choose. As for propaganda, yes, I’m sure that will be used. Trump’s been spouting propaganda since 2105. But I’m not worried about that. He maxed out on the amount of people who were dumb enough to believe him back in 2016 and that number’s been falling ever since. I’m not worried about the possibility that Trump will actually win the election. The only thing we need to worry about is the possibility that the Republicans will adjust the outcome of the actual votes so they can declare Trump won. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/319 "2020-06-28T04:04:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The only thing we need to worry about is the possibility that the Republicans will adjust the outcome of the actual votes so they can declare Trump won. And this only works if the election is a close one. You could maybe pull it off in 2016, when the margins were small. They’d really struggle to pull it off with a Biden win of anything over about 6-7% in any state. That’s why this election must be decisive. I hope _no one_ takes the importance of their individual vote for granted in 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/320 "2020-06-28T04:19:49Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > And this only works if the election is a close one. You could maybe pull it off in 2016, when the margins were small. They’d really struggle to pull it off with a Biden win of anything over about 6-7% in any state. That’s why this election must be decisive. > > I hope _no one_ takes the importance of their individual vote for granted in 2020. Yes, if the Republicans try to steal this election, it will have to be the biggest stolen election in history. I was just running the numbers. If the election were held today based on the most recent polls, Biden would win with 412 Electoral Votes to Trump’s 126. I don’t feel low turnout will help Trump. I think after 2016 nobody is going to take his defeat for granted. And I feel that after his disastrous performance in office, people _want_ to vote against him - even in states which are safely Biden’s. This is just my opinion but I feel we’re going to see more Republicans staying home than Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/321 "2020-06-28T04:26:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Stealing an election is not easy. It requires literally hundreds of people working all over the country, all of them working off of an overall plan. This is way beyond anything Trump and his base could pull off. > > That’s why I said they need the Republicans to buy in if they’re planning on stealing the election. The Republicans are a professional political organization. They have the knowledge and the personnel to steal an election if they choose. Well, obviously that is an all together different issue. And indeed, they only need to do it in certain places if all they want is the presidency. They certainly could easily try it where they have partisans holding Secretary of State positions. However, the more people it involves, the greater the risk that it may be exposed. And really, they’re putting up with Trump because they want Congress, so it would really have to be more widespread than just that. Most of the people who work in electoral systems seem to be principled, and it will be hard to keep it under wraps. It would definitely be an audacious undertaking. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/322 "2020-06-28T04:36:12Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t feel low turnout will help Trump. I think after 2016 nobody is going to take his defeat for granted. And I feel that after his disastrous performance in office, people _want_ to vote against him - even in states which are safely Biden’s. This is just my opinion but I feel we’re going to see more Republicans staying home than Democrats. I think this is right, though I won’t take it for granted. I know many people who were apathetic in 2016. No more. Everyone I know would crawl nekkid through shattered glass in a cold, heavy thunderstorm to vote against this fucker in 2020. They’ve been waiting in excruciating agony for 4 years to have their chance to help get rid of him. The high energy has held since the “oops” 2016 election. Record turnout in every election since, all favoring Dems. Again, no one should take this for granted. But I think with high turnout, nothing Republicans attempt will allow them to steal it. And honestly, I think quite a number of them are pretty sick of him, too – though they won’t say so out loud. Still, it was mealy-mouthed Lindsey Graham who singlehandedly saved the SDNY from Barr’s machinations. (At least, for now.) Fascinating how he found his balls right after he won his primary. There’s even some speculation that if Trump thinks he’s going to lose, he’ll maybe pull a flounce sometime along about August. “I gave you assholes the best economy!! The best military!! The best people!! You don’t deserve me!! I’m outta here!!” That would be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/323 "2020-06-28T05:26:21Z")
Who was it that recently said that if you spout rheteric to fire up the base to vote for you, that you will also inspire an equal number to vote against you? It was in the news a week or two ago. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2020, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/324 "2020-06-28T05:34:32Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > There’s even some speculation that if Trump thinks he’s going to lose, he’ll maybe pull a flounce sometime along about August. “I gave you assholes the best economy!! The best military!! The best people!! You don’t deserve me!! I’m outta here!!” > > That would be interesting. I’m thinking after the election. Orange-man doesn’t have the balls to fire anyone, he lets his drudges do it. I can see him resigning with Pence doing lame duck service and pardoning covidiot one. Then it’s NY attorney time with state charges. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=17)