# 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:** 36
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/707 "2020-07-08T21:45:44Z")
[Today’s Lincoln Project video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZp3FAQZvU) is outstanding. It delivers a message that must be hammered home and not forgotten in the efforts to dump Trump. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/708 "2020-07-08T21:50:16Z")
Yep. Complicit motherfuckers. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/709 "2020-07-08T22:10:18Z")
Training them up for Space Force!!! are we? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/710 "2020-07-09T04:12:31Z")
I figure intersted parties will at least be able to get their eyes on this story if I post it in this thread: [U.S. first lady Melania Trump statue set on fire in Slovenia](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovenia-melania-trump-sculpture-idUSKBN24933K) I remember when this was created, and I think most people will agree that this is not a big loss for humanity after seeing the picture at the link (that thing was an abomination, IMO). > [@](#): > > Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, told Reuters he had the life-sized blackened, disfigured sculpture removed as soon as police informed him on July 5th of the incident. > > “I want to know why they did it,” said Downey, who had hoped the statue would foster a dialogue about the political situation in the United States, highlighting Melania Trump’s status as an immigrant married to a president sworn to reduce immigration. > > In Washington, the office of Melania Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/711 "2020-07-09T12:05:28Z")
The Lincoln Project has been cranking out the anti-trump videos, but here’s one from Republican Voters Against trump that’s pretty damn good. It uses Reagan’s words against trump: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/v0wSQre2qXU/maxresdefault.jpg "Ronald Reagan: Has Your Party Left You?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0wSQre2qXU) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/712 "2020-07-09T12:23:16Z")
Now THAT is the kind of ad I’ve been wanting to see! Is this where we want to be as a country? Imagine where we will be with for more years of this… The reality of our situation needs to be hammered on; it cannot be ignored. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/713 "2020-07-09T12:25:21Z")
Maybe burning up the statue _was_ the dialogue. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/714 "2020-07-09T12:47:50Z")
[MeidasTouch.com](http://MeidasTouch.com) has also been putting out some effective anti-trump videos. Here’s an amusing one that’s caused #CreepyTrump to trend to number 1 on Twitter in the US. It uses KellyyAnne Conway as a narrator, making it sound like she’s talking about what a creepy perv trump is, though I’m sure they took footage of her talking abut Biden. Usually I don’t approve of that kind of misdirection in a political ad, but in this case I’ll allow it: [Creepy Trump - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K7sa7EeUGc) ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/715 "2020-07-09T12:59:32Z")
I agree: at a time when people are unemployed by the millions, their financial futures in doubt, with unaffordable (or no) healthcare, this example illustrates how privilege works, and how most of us (even those who voted for him) aren’t like him. Trump is not a self-made man but a family-made man-baby. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/716 "2020-07-09T15:20:18Z")
Supreme Court rules 7-2 Trump has to turn over his financial records to NY prosecutors. Roberts, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh all concurred. The argument for broad immunity to prosecution was soundly rejected. Epic tweetstorm brewing! The court rejected Congress’s bid to get the records at this time. However, allowing the criminal investigation to proceed is huge. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump/u-s-supreme-court-allows-prosecutor-but-not-congress-to-get-trumps-financial-records-idUSKBN24A1C6](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump/u-s-supreme-court-allows-prosecutor-but-not-congress-to-get-trumps-financial-records-idUSKBN24A1C6) ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/717 "2020-07-09T15:20:46Z")
OK, not Trump himself, but his accountants… ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/718 "2020-07-09T15:24:18Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I figure intersted parties will at least be able to get their eyes on this story if I post it in this thread: [U.S. first lady Melania Trump statue set on fire in Slovenia](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovenia-melania-trump-sculpture-idUSKBN24933K) She hasn’t been that hot in years. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/719 "2020-07-09T15:28:57Z")
How does this play out, then. Now that SCOTUS has made its decision, who enforces it? Do his accountants hand them over, the IRS? Is he supposed to comply himself? What roadblocks can Trump and his administration put up to slow or stop the release? ---
**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 9, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/720 "2020-07-09T15:30:09Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > What roadblocks can Trump and his administration put up to slow or stop the release?- Ummmm… let me count the ways? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/721 "2020-07-09T15:34:02Z")
Dog ate my Tax Returns. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/722 "2020-07-09T15:34:33Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > Supreme Court rules 7-2 Trump has to turn over his financial records to NY prosecutors. Roberts, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh all concurred. The argument for broad immunity to prosecution was soundly rejected. This is not quite what happened. Nothing is getting handed over yet. The court did reject broad immunity, and ruled that Trump couldn’t simply refuse to hand them over because he is the President, but it also said that Trump, like any other US citizen, has the right to challenge the subpoena in court. The Supreme Court basically sent the case back down to the lower court for rehearing, saying: > [@](#): > > A President may avail himself of the same protec- > tions available to every other citizen, including the right to challenge > the subpoena on any grounds permitted by state law, which usually > include bad faith and undue burden or breadth. When the President > invokes such protections, “[t]he high respect that is owed to the office > of the Chief Executive . . . should inform the conduct of the entire pro- > ceeding, including the timing and scope of discovery.” Clinton, 520 > U. S., at 707. In addition, a President can raise subpoena-specific con- > stitutional challenges in either a state or a federal forum. As noted > above, he can challenge the subpoena as an attempt to influence the > performance of his official duties, in violation of the Supremacy Clause. > And he can argue that compliance with a particular subpoena would > impede his constitutional duties. Even if Trump ends up having to hand over these records, it’s almost certain that it won’t happen before the election. Also, because the investigation itself is a Grand Jury, they wouldn’t be made public anyway. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/723 "2020-07-09T15:54:15Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Even if Trump ends up having to hand over these records, it’s almost certain that it won’t happen before the election Maybe not? " Neal Katyal says Trump’s taxes will likely come out before election" > **[‘If I’m Trump -- I’m scared right now': MSNBC's Neal Katyal says Trump's...](https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/if-im-trump-im-scared-right-now-msnbcs-neal-katyal-says-trumps-taxes-will-likely-come-out-before-election/)** > > MSNBC legal analyst Neal Katyal on Thursday argued that President Donald Trump has reason to worry about the Supreme Court's ruling that he could not simply ignore subpoenas for information about his personal finances.During an appearance on the... ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/724 "2020-07-09T16:02:43Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Maybe not? I’m afraid I’ll need more than that. There’s basically no analysis AT ALL in that story, and even the guy in question says, “He now possibly can delay this until after election day.” Also, Katyal never addresses the fact that the New York case, where Trump is most vulnerable to having to hand over his records, is a Grand Jury subpoena, which means that any records of the Grand Jury have to be kept secret. Even if Trump loses and has to hand over the records, they still won’t be made public unless and until the Grand Jury actually brings a case, and the case begins. To be quite frank, I have very little faith in the house analysts at any of the major cable news channels, because they’re often more concerned with political spin than with actual analysis. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/725 "2020-07-09T16:05:13Z")
Not trying to argue your points; I fully admit I’m coming from a position of wishful thinking 😊 ---
**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 9, 2020, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/726 "2020-07-09T16:06:41Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Not trying to argue your points; I fully admit I’m coming from a position of wishful thinking 😊 - Yes, I’d like to enjoy that fantasy for a few minutes before you debunk it. Sigh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=37)