# 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:** 243
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4858 "2020-10-13T02:19:50Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Too close to the election for anything likely to be done, but it still does my heart good to see this: What was that 'Bout Fuckin Time acronym you and **ThelmaLou** were developing? So I have to get the apostrophe in _before_ the BFT, aight? ergo - 'BFT? (tried to bold the apostrophe so I could be all edgy and say “bolding mine”, but - no luck 🙁) ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4859 "2020-10-13T02:32:02Z")
LOL, you’ve got it exactly right and you were plenty edgy. 🙂 I agree, this one definitely falls under the 'BFT heading!! ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4860 "2020-10-13T05:26:27Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > > I would vote for your dog for president. > > I voting you dog! > > Of course, since the Air Bud Amendment there’s nothing in the Constitution that says a dog can’t be president. (Although if your dog is 35 years old or older, that’d be pretty damn impressive. Sadly, my dog was not born in the US. The Founders, in their wisdom, wrote in the Constitution that this disqualifies him from being president, due to the possibility of having foreign loyalties, in this case, to Canada or to his ancestral Switzerland, or to any supplier of beef bones or squeaky toys. Far better to have a native-born American criminal and malignant congenital imbecile under the direct control of the Kremlin. That way nothing could possibly go wrong. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4861 "2020-10-13T14:51:19Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Sadly, my dog was not born in the US. The Founders, in their wisdom, wrote in the Constitution that this disqualifies him from being president, due to the possibility of having foreign loyalties, in this case, to Canada or to his ancestral Switzerland Those sound like perfect qualifications to BE president. > [@wolfpup](#): > > or to any supplier of beef bones or squeaky toys. Bribing him would certainly be cheaper than bribing/offering favors to human\* presidents. \*Or whatever species trump turns out to be when his inert (some day soon?) tissues are finally subjected to laboratory examination. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4862 "2020-10-13T15:04:32Z")
Well, he never did produce a birth certificate stating that he was not, in fact, a shaved orangutan. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4863 "2020-10-13T16:29:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Bribing him would certainly be cheaper than bribing/offering favors to human\* presidents. And a lot cuter. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4864 "2020-10-13T16:52:05Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Well, he never did produce a birth certificate stating that he was not, in fact, a shaved orangutan. Whoever shaved him was not paid 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:** [October 13, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4865 "2020-10-13T17:10:52Z")
It’s people like Barr who really do the dirty work that Trump needs in order to break the rule of law and democracy. As we’ve all agreed, Trump himself has no understanding of the bureaucracy’s machinery. He’s like a kid trying to fly a 787. But people around Trump know a lot about how it all works and which levers to pull and buttons to push. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4866 "2020-10-13T17:20:19Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > He’s like a kid trying to fly a 787.- Hey, how hard can it be? [![](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170323175836-trump-truck-2-exlarge-169.jpg) ](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170323175836-trump-truck-2-exlarge-169.jpg) ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4867 "2020-10-13T17:27:28Z")
I guess he learned from Dukakis not to ride in a tank. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4868 "2020-10-13T17:37:23Z")
Would he even fit through the hatch? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4869 "2020-10-13T18:11:01Z")
I am in a house now where from time to time I can’t help but overhear what they are saying on Fox News (I think I will start running past the living room with my ears plugged). They are confidently telling voters Trump will win and that the polls are being manipulated by the Democrats to discourage them from voting, and about how high enthusiasm is for Trump. And the latter is true for a lot of voters, but it seems to be higher for Democrats, not necessarily for Biden but against Trump. …_.the GOP’s fundraising woes may be a lagging indicator of what party leaders can see from current national and state-level polling: the President and the Republican party are losing ground – and running out of time to gain it back._ _Anxiety is coursing through the ranks of Republicans, particularly across the key Senate races that are critical to holding the party’s majority. The alarm hit a crescendo on the night of the first presidential debate, as several top Republican strategists watched Trump’s performance in “astonished horror,” in the words of one senior adviser to a top-tier Senate race._ “Astonished horror.” Sorry Thelma Lou, that is even better than clusterfuck. > **[McConnell warns Democrats are 'on fire' as GOP falls behind on fundraising...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/12/politics/republican-senate-fears-election/index.html)** > > Republican candidates are increasingly worried about President Donald Trump's unpopularity and the drag it might be having on races down the ballot, as Democratic candidates rack up stunning fundraising numbers in the final weeks of the campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4870 "2020-10-13T19:04:39Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > “Astonished horror.” Sorry Thelma Lou, that is even better than clusterfuck. “Astonished” implies that people were surprised. That debate was many things, but a surprise wasn’t one of them. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4871 "2020-10-13T19:15:18Z")
Orangutans have longer fingers. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4872 "2020-10-13T19:40:56Z")
Must be nice to have your own personal DOJ: > **[U.S. accuses author of Melania Trump tell-all book of breaking nondisclosure...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-melania/u-s-justice-department-accuses-melania-trump-book-author-of-breaking-nondisclosure-pact-idUSKBN26Y2VV?il=0)** > > The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday accused Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, author of a tell-all book about first lady Melania Trump, of breaking their nondisclosure agreement and asked a court to set aside profits from the book in a government trust. Fuck me, I hate these people. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4873 "2020-10-13T19:48:35Z")
Legit question, EK. Legit question. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4874 "2020-10-13T19:58:26Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Must be nice to have your own personal DOJ: > > [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-melania/u-s-justice-department-accuses-melania-trump-book-author-of-breaking-nondisclosure-pact-idUSKBN26Y2VV?il=0](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-melania/u-s-justice-department-accuses-melania-trump-book-author-of-breaking-nondisclosure-pact-idUSKBN26Y2VV?il=0) > > Fuck me, I hate these people. From the article (bolding mine): > The complaint says Wolkoff and Mrs. Trump in August 2017 sealed a “Gratuitous Services Agreement” related to “nonpublic, privileged and/or confidential information” that she might obtain during her service under the agreement. > > “ **This was a contract with the United States and therefore enforceable by the United States** ,” said Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec. IANAL, but wouldn’t any judge not in Trump’s pocket instantly rule that this was not a “contract with the United States” and therefore none of the DOJ’s business? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4875 "2020-10-13T20:00:38Z")
IANAL either, but I think you are correct. It’s just more strong-arm bullying tactics by Trump via his DOJ henchman, Bill Barr. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4876 "2020-10-13T20:03:25Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > IANAL either, but I think you are correct. It’s just more strong-arm bullying tactics by Trump via his DOJ henchman, Bill Barr… Every mob boss has gotta have a pit-bull lawyer on retainer. Barr is basically [Frank Ragano](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Ragano) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/4877 "2020-10-13T20:05:37Z")
So, if it was a contract with the US, then it should be ruled as public domain. She can’t make any money off it, but they cannot constrain it either. _Not a legal opinion, but a preferred outcome._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=242) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=244)