# 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:** 433
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8665 "2021-01-12T01:51:03Z")
Oh, the huge manatee! > **[Some monster scraped Trump’s name into this poor manatee’s back](https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/11/22225867/manatee-harassed-with-trumps-name)** > > This could be a Florida man story, but not the fun kind ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8666 "2021-01-12T02:32:07Z")
It was announced yesterday that Trump would be awarding Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Belichick has apparently been a Trump supporter in the past. This evening, Belichick has declined the honor. His statement: > [@](#): > > "Recently I was offered the opportunity to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which I was flattered by out of respect for what the honor represents and admiration for prior recipients. Subsequently, the tragic events of last week occurred and the decision has been made not to move forward with the award. > > "Above all, I am an American citizen with great reverence for our nation’s values, freedom and democracy. I know I also represent my family and the New England Patriots team. One of the most rewarding things in my professional career took place in 2020 when, through the great leadership within our team, conversations about social justice, equality and human rights moved to the forefront and became actions. > > “Continuing those efforts while remaining true to the people, team and country I love outweigh the benefits of any individual award.” > **[Belichick won't move forward with freedom medal](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30694658/new-england-patriots-coach-bill-belichick-accept-presidential-medal-freedom-donald-trump)** > > Bill Belichick said Monday he will not "move forward" with the Presidential Medal of Freedom that Donald Trump planned to present to him later this week. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8667 "2021-01-12T02:33:52Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > This evening, Belichick has declined the honor. Biden should award it to him next month. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8668 "2021-01-12T02:38:30Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Maybe Joe the President should have him put on the TSA no-fly list. > [@running\_coach](#): > > Trump has his own private plane. > [@eschereal](#): > > It is a big plane, that requires access to non-small airports. > [@Riemann](#): > > If there’s an argument that the Trumps should be on the no-fly list because they are terrorists, I don’t think private aircraft are any help. The FAA can just deny flight plans. It’s not as though we’re fine with terrorists flying around, just so long as they do it on their own aircraft. I’m pretty sure theres no more Constitutional right to fly than there is to drive. In theory Trump might be able to circumvent the No-Fly List by sticking to strictly VFR and small airports, keeping a low profile… but his ego would never stand for that. I would also not shed a tear if that “personal plane” got repo’d for debts (and yes, airplane repo is a thing). ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8669 "2021-01-12T02:40:34Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > That… is bizarre. At the moment, I’d say hackers…?? Although nothing would surprise me at this point. According to CNN it was an “angry staffer”. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8671 "2021-01-12T03:08:06Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Biden should award it to him next month. No, I don’t agree. He’s been a Trump supporter in the past. He gets a nod of respect for doing the right thing here, but that’s it. Doing the wrong thing for 207 weeks and the right thing for 1 week doesn’t earn you a Medal Of Freedom. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8672 "2021-01-12T03:34:47Z")
Headline: **Belichick Deflates Trump’s Balls** ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8673 "2021-01-12T03:35:19Z")
@Steve_MB: I snorted. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8674 "2021-01-12T03:47:56Z")
Hogan Gidley appears to be the main reason that CFSG never had to hoard TP > ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8675 "2021-01-12T03:50:18Z")
Yes, George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt would all cower at Trump’s masculinity. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8676 "2021-01-12T03:53:39Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Yes, George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt would all cower at Trump’s masculinity. - Cowering and doubled over with laughter can look quite similar at times. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8677 "2021-01-12T03:54:41Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Hogan Gidley appears to be the main reason that CFSG never had to hoard TP A weak man’s idea of a strong man… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8678 "2021-01-12T04:38:19Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Rudy was going to be Trump impeachment lawyer. Rudy could be headed for disbarment with [Brad Hoylman](https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/brad-hoylman) filing a formal request to revoke his law license. > **[New York State Bar Association moves to oust Rudy Giuliani](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/new-york-state-bar-association-moves-remove-rudy-giuliani-its-n1253722)** > > The group is a private professional association and revoking Giuliani's membership does not mean he would lose his law license. Membership in the NYSBA is a voluntary and it’s vary rare for them to expel a member without them being disbarred first. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8679 "2021-01-12T05:35:11Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > In theory Trump might be able to circumvent the No-Fly List by sticking to strictly VFR and small airports, keeping a low profile… but his ego would never stand for that. > > I would also not shed a tear if that “personal plane” got repo’d for debts (and yes, airplane repo is a thing). I don’t think it’s possible in any practical sense for a jet airliner to fly VFR. Just for starters, the altitudes at which they need to fly are all Class A airspace, or else they’d be ridiculously slow and inefficient. And if I were the company from which the Orange Imbecile undoubtedly leased the plane, I’d immediately take it back just as a sensible precaution. However, Trump does have options even if banned from conventional flying: > **[Teenager Builds Pedal-Powered Airplane Out of Balsa Wood](https://inhabitat.com/teenager-builds-pedal-powered-airplane-out-of-balsa-wood/)** > > Lots of kids wish they could build an airplane and fly away, but Dutch teenager Jesse van Kuijk has become one of the rare few to make it happen with his pedal-powered plane made out of balsa wood, polyurethane, and rip-resistant foil. The most... Of course, that’s another example of theory that doesn’t translate into reality. Trump is far too heavy and out of shape to ever be able to leave the ground! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8680 "2021-01-12T06:59:06Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > It is a big plane, that requires access to non-small airports. A skilled pilot can bring a large aircraft down even in small airports. Some years ago, a 747 landed at Lethbridge, Alberta; where the longest runway is 3600 feet. I believe it was an emergency situation, but am not sure. Regardless, large aircraft can land at small airports, if the need arises. Trump’s 757 would have no problem at Lethbridge, or similar airports, should the need arise and the pilot is skilled. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8681 "2021-01-12T07:36:35Z")
I really dislike Mike Pompeo. > **[Pompeo trumpets Trump, razzes critics in speech to VOA](https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-michael-pence-foreign-policy-coronavirus-pandemic-0e5a3315b2690f7dd183cdb467db97a8)** > > WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to U.S. government-funded airwaves on Monday to deliver a full-throated defense of the Trump administration’s presentation of its foreign policy and its support for democracy abroad. TL;DR: He used VOA to deliver a pro-Trump screed. > [@Mike Pompeo](#): > > We are all parts of institutions with duties and responsibilities higher than any of us. And this kind of censorial instinct is dangerous. It’s morally wrong. And it’s against your mandate. Censorship, wokeness, political correctness, it all points in one direction — authoritarianism, cloaked as moral righteousness. It’s similar to what we’re seeing at Twitter, and Facebook, and Apple, and on too many university campuses. No, Mike; it isn’t similar. And _you’re_ the authoritarian cloaked in moral righteousness; let’s not mince words. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8682 "2021-01-12T08:55:27Z")
Indeed - the smiling “looking forward to a second Trump administration” (or however the fuck he put it) fascist shitstain can end up getting rolled down a loooong, steep hill in a barrel that has hundreds of inward-pointing nails. **from link:** > [@](#): > > “I read that some VOA employees didn’t want me to speak today,” Pompeo said. “They didn’t want the voice of American diplomacy to be broadcast on. … the Voice of America. Think about that.” _Wwwwwwellll,_ if you insist, Mr. Think You’re the Voice of American Diplomacy…er, wait, actually…I _could_ go through a gigantic list of “American Diplomacy” bed-crappings that would, indeed, reflect the last four years og global, self-owning embarrassment. This thing about Bellick not wanting the PMoF… For some damn reason I see a George Micheal song in there somewhere. Hoping Murkowksi flips the bird by no later than this Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8683 "2021-01-12T10:28:37Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I don’t think it’s possible in any practical sense for a jet airliner to fly VFR. Just for starters, the altitudes at which they need to fly are all Class A airspace, or else they’d be ridiculously slow and inefficient. As you note, it’s not practical and it’s not efficient… but it is possible. > [@Spoons](#): > > Regardless, large aircraft can land at small airports, if the need arises. Trump’s 757 would have no problem at Lethbridge, or similar airports, should the need arise and the pilot is skilled. Sure, you can land an airplane in a small space… then there is the issue of getting out of that small space. Most airplanes can land in a much smaller space than they need to take off from. There are techniques for getting airplanes out of such situations, but they’re even less practical than flying a 757 at 10,000 feet for an extended period. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8684 "2021-01-12T11:06:26Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Sure, you can land an airplane in a small space… then there is the issue of getting out of that small space. Most airplanes can land in a much smaller space than they need to take off from. There are techniques for getting airplanes out of such situations, but they’re even less practical than flying a 757 at 10,000 feet for an extended period. Well, that 747 that landed at Lethbridge (with its 3600’ runway), also took off from Lethbridge, later. Just saying, is all. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2021, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/8685 "2021-01-12T11:19:34Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > No, Mike; it isn’t similar. And _you’re_ the authoritarian cloaked in moral righteousness; let’s not mince words. Is Pompeo really that stupid, or does this just reek of mendacious hypocrisy? Hard to say. Pompeo did once also say that it was God who caused Trump to become president, praise the Lord. Someone should explain to the moron that authoritarianism arises from Nazi-style governments like the one he’s defending with the passion of a latter-day Joseph Goebbels, not from individuals and private businesses responsibly exercising the rights of liberty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=432) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=434)