# 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:** 170
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3398 "2020-09-10T04:45:16Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Hey, he was busy, dealing with the grave threats posed by antifa and the violent anarchist left. Not to mention caravans full of Central American thugs and gangsters. And he needed to address those problems in a way that would avoid panicking people. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3399 "2020-09-10T05:26:56Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Hopefully in November, we’ll launch a sequel: The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Undoing. Seriously, it’s going to take a LOT of time (years!) and a LOT of work for a future administration to repair the damage (what damage can be repaired), and we will certainly want to have a thread where we follow the progress of that. It’s going to be a big thread. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3400 "2020-09-10T05:46:20Z")
Let’s not kid ourselves… This is going to take multiple administrations to fix. It a lot harder to build things than it is to tear them down, after all. And unless the opposition has a sudden attack of morality, they will be busy shaking the scaffolding while we try to fix it, slowing down progress even more. So that will DEFINITELY be a mega-thread. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3401 "2020-09-10T05:57:51Z")
Is there another thread around here, where we are specifically discussing Trump’s interviews with Woodward? I’m still trying to figure out: Why in the world did Trump admit all those things he admitted to Woodward, apparently in interviews over a period of several months? Why to Woodward in particular? Even if he didn’t know about Woodward and Nixon, he must certainly know (?) that Woodward is an op-edder for the Fake News Lamestream Bezos Amazon Washington Post, mustn’t he? Why did Trump ever choose to even talk to Woodward? ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3402 "2020-09-10T06:47:43Z")
Most likely because Woodward is famous. And popular. That’s all Trump needs to know, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3403 "2020-09-10T07:21:30Z")
I agree. And I do remember that when the early book came out, Trump complained to Woodward, not for the revelations; but because he felt sour that Woodward had not interviewed him. He must had thought that if that had taken place he would had countered a lot of what was revealed. So he must had asked Woodward for the interviews for a future book. Trump was never careful about what he wishes. He got it. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3404 "2020-09-10T08:37:47Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I’m still trying to figure out: Why in the world did Trump admit all those things he admitted to Woodward, apparently in interviews over a period of several months? Why to Woodward in particular? Even if he didn’t know about Woodward and Nixon, he must certainly know (?) that Woodward is an op-edder for the Fake News Lamestream Bezos Amazon Washington Post, mustn’t he? Why did Trump ever choose to even talk to Woodward? That’s easy - Loser Donald believes that he can bullshit anyone and that his inherent greatness is so self-evident that anyone who’s honest with themselves has no choice but to acknowledge it. He told Woodward these things because he thought it would impress him and convince him that he’s a great leader who wanted to reassure the American people in a time of crisis. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3405 "2020-09-10T10:40:05Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > You know what else would instill confidence and reduce panic? Competent leadership. Guess he didn’t think of that. You have to act within your skill set however. Lying is the one thing DT is good at (at least the one thing he does a lot). Evidence of competent leadership is thin to non-existent (he didn’t fuck up the Israel-UAE agreement, so he gets a point there). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3406 "2020-09-10T11:29:44Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > He speaks not to convey information, but to cultivate an impression within the mind of the listener So well said! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3407 "2020-09-10T11:32:09Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Religion requires a lot of faith. Democracy demands twice as much. Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3408 "2020-09-10T11:37:22Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Again, we have known that for five years (“lying evil bastard”). Five? Try forty-five. (At least New Yorkers have known this, since the Central Park Five ad.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3409 "2020-09-10T11:49:39Z")
Here’s a choice piece of news that has been overshadowed by the Woodward tapes: > [@](#): > > White House orders end to COVID-19 airport screenings for international travelers > > The U.S. government on Monday will stop conducting enhanced screening of passengers on inbound international flights for [COVID-19](https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus), Yahoo News has learned. > > The screening operations have been held at select airports since January, when the first cases of the disease began to emerge from Wuhan, China. Since March, incoming international flights from select high-risk countries, including much of Europe, China and Iran, among other regions, have been funneled through 15 designated airports in the United States. > > As of Monday, however, international flights will no longer be funneled into select airports for screening purposes and all screenings will come to a halt, according to communications and sources. All screenings and rerouting of select international flights will cease at exactly 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 14. > > Currently, travelers upon arrival to the United States are sent to health screeners who take their temperatures and conduct a basic health screening with questions about typical COVID-19 symptoms. After the health screening, passengers proceed through passport control and customs. > > One aspect of the screening is that travelers provide contact information, which can be used to perform contact tracing for infections. Without that information, it likely won’t be possible to contact passengers on a flight who may have potentially been exposed to someone infected with COVID-19. > > The orders to cease prescreening operations came from the White House, with strict orders to keep the information secret until a public announcement is made. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the various agencies — and contractors — involved in the airport screening operations are working frantically to prepare for Monday’s shutdown. > **[Exclusive: White House orders end to COVID-19 airport screenings for...](https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-the-white-house-orders-end-to-covid-19-airport-screenings-for-international-travelers-172713942.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9yLnNlYXJjaC55YWhvby5jb20vX3lsdD1Bd3JFMXhFellsbGZNamdBYkc4ZzdZbFE7X3lsdT1ZMjlzYndOaVpqRUVjRzl6QXpFRWRuUnBaQU1FYzJWakEzTmovUlY9Mi9SRT0xNTk5NzIyMTYzL1JPPTEwL1JVPWh0dHBzJTNhJTJmJTJmbmV3cy55YWhvby5jb20lMmZleGNsdXNpdmUtdGhlLXdoaXRlLWhvdXNlLW9yZGVycy1lbmQtdG8tY292aWQtMTktYWlycG9ydC1zY3JlZW5pbmdzLWZvci1pbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLXRyYXZlbGVycy0xNzI3MTM5NDIuaHRtbC9SSz0yL1JTPVhaaGc2aEF6WVIzVjVsSldGRGdmeV82amdhMC0&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAI9Ih1kC21XZO_uNmSVKa-Zas3I84krzcEerf5vL90keF8nTvlfKjSOfOiRwH8XWmMESDCI1vXGWvnol5EhwTxX1Mkc2fBjmF-LwrPIXXWGv2bzxndh79wc6lQTvvqN_qWQm9Hg4JaZSNb_ur8hhEeelSHdY9felBlcWhdzrkohv)** > > The screening operations have been held at select airports since January. see also > **[Trump canceling all international airport virus screening](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/9/9/1976254/-Trump-canceling-all-international-airport-virus-screening?utm_campaign=trending)** > > The hits keep on coming. On the same day that the bombshell Woodward recordings dropped, this: White House orders end to Covid-19 airport screenings for international travelers The U.S. government on Monday will stop conducting enhanced screening... ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3410 "2020-09-10T11:50:45Z")
I meant thirty-five. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3411 "2020-09-10T11:56:28Z")
He just can’t kill us all fast enough. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3412 "2020-09-10T12:25:38Z")
I’ll give you the royalties when I sell this quote on a bumper sticker - I promise. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3413 "2020-09-10T12:27:08Z")
Sometimes there’s a method to Trump’s madness; other times, it’s just sheer madness. I imagine that his aides, not to mention Repubs on the Hill, are starting to pull whatever hairs they have left, out. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3414 "2020-09-10T14:45:18Z")
I want the GOP HQ booze and antacid concessions. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3415 "2020-09-10T15:05:42Z")
There was a recent CNN article about this (sorry no link) that basically matches what the posters above said. Most of Trumps advisors thought the interviews were a bad idea, but Trump insisted. He wanted to do it because an interview by Woodward is something that all recent presidents have done and it proves that you are the real deal (sort of like getting your face on the cover of Time). Also he thought he could charm Woodward just like he did tabloid journalists back when he was a player in New York. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3416 "2020-09-10T15:25:56Z")
Is this the article, Buck\_Godot? It’s a pretty good assessment of how trump’s overweening narcissism led him to think he could talk Woodward into writing a favorable book, even after the ‘Fear’ book had come out in 2018. To quote Bugs Bunny, what a maroon! > **[Here's \*exactly\* why Donald Trump talked to Bob Woodward so much | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/09/politics/why-trump-talked-to-woodward/index.html)** > > The news is stunning: President Donald Trump told longtime reporter Bob Woodward that he "wanted to always play \[the threat posed by the coronavirus\] down" and "still like\[d\] playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic" even as the virus... ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/3417 "2020-09-10T15:31:52Z")
That’s it. I just haven’t mastered copying links on my tablet [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=169) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=171)