# 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:** 96
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1910 "2020-08-05T15:57:05Z")
Jellystone Park is the biggest and most beautiful of national parks and their picnic baskets are the most patriotic. The Radical Far Left is threatening to destroy the 600 million dollar picnic baskets because they hate America. I will be signing an executive order to protect our picnic heritage and allowing our military to come in and dominate the Marxist Antifa picnic basket thieves. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1911 "2020-08-05T16:13:35Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Portland should now calculate property tax on the building based on that $600 million valuation, and send the bill directly to Trump. Yeah but for tax purposes it is only $129 million. The $600 million is for Deutsche Bank to ‘loan’ him money. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1912 "2020-08-05T16:20:34Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Yeah but for tax purposes it is only $129 million. The $600 million is for Deutsche Bank to ‘loan’ him money. And $900 million is what you tell your other investors it is worth ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1913 "2020-08-05T16:20:59Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Knowing him, he’d go off on a rant about Jellystone and Yogi Berra stealing picnic baskets. > > You know, Berra was smarter than the average bear. Some people say Trump is smarter than the average bear too. I don’t know about that but some people say that. But picnic baskets are safe from Trump. Cause he’s smart enough not to steal them. He’s got lots of money and people to buy them for him. Hey, both of you! Get it right! It’s “pic-a-nic” basket! 😛 ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1914 "2020-08-05T16:32:24Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Jellystone Park is the biggest and most beautiful of national parks and their picnic baskets are the most patriotic. The Radical Far Left is threatening to destroy the 600 million dollar picnic baskets because they hate America. I will be signing an executive order to protect our picnic heritage and allowing our military to come in and dominate the Marxist Antifa picnic basket thieves. Not a lot of people know this, but our great, American bears are the most average in regards to smartness and baskets of picnic. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1915 "2020-08-05T16:56:39Z")
I only made it to about seven minutes before my brain liquefied and ran out of my ears. The guy personifies “blithering idiot”. On the plus side, I just started Mary Trump’s book. It explains a lot. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1916 "2020-08-05T17:44:46Z")
I only saw clips, but there’s a scene where the camera zooms out to show Trump fumbling around trying to find his “charts.” It reminds me of those scenes you see in Crime TV documentaries in which an interrogator has mountains of evidence against the suspect but yet has to wait painfully to listen to the detainee try and bullshit his way out of it. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1917 "2020-08-05T17:45:38Z")
“Lower than the world?!” Bwahahahaaaaa! ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1918 "2020-08-05T17:53:37Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Trump just shits things out of his mouth and Mr. Swan missed a great opportunity to nail him for telling an outrageous lie. Another one of his go-to tics prominently displayed in the interview is something I call the stretch, in which he quotes a number that is within range of the truth, then immediately adds or subtracts to bump the numbers in his favor: > [@](#): > > Trump: “Excuse me, wait. And Tulsa, well, because that area was a very good area at the time. It was an area that was pretty much over. After, after, a month later, it started going up. That’s a month later, but Tulsa was a very good, Oklahoma was doing very well as a state. It was almost free. It spiked a month later, a month and a half, two months later. But it was a good area.” And then there’s the old standby, “people are saying” (without ever really identifying the people): Trump, re: Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan: [Quote]Jonathan Swan: You had a phone call with Vladimir Putin on July 23rd. Did you bring up this issue? President Donald J. Trump: No. That was a phone call to discuss other things. And frankly, that’s an issue that many people said was fake news. Jonathan Swan: “Who said it was fake news?” President Donald J. Trump: I think a lot of people. If you look at some of the wonderful folks from the Bush Administration, some of them, not any friends of mine, were saying that it’s a fake issue. But a lot of people said, it’s a fake issue."[/quote] ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1919 "2020-08-05T17:54:40Z")
I’m not sure about that. I believe that the “residence” part of the White House is considered the President’s private home for these types of things and so he can conduct private or political business there. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1920 "2020-08-05T18:10:17Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > And then there’s the old standby, “people are saying” (without ever really identifying the people): > > Trump, re: Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan: > > [Quote]Jonathan Swan: You had a phone call with Vladimir Putin on July 23rd. Did you bring up this issue? > > President Donald J. Trump: No. That was a phone call to discuss other things. And frankly, that’s an issue that many people said was fake news. > > Jonathan Swan: “Who said it was fake news?” > > President Donald J. Trump: I think a lot of people. If you look at some of the wonderful folks from the Bush Administration, some of them, not any friends of mine, were saying that it’s a fake issue. But a lot of people said, it’s a fake issue."[/quote] And then there’s this similar gem of an exchange: **trump:** And there are those that say you can test too much. You do know that. **Jonathan Swan:** Who says that? **trump** Oh, just read the manuals, read the books. **Jonathan Swan:** (incredulously) Manuals? **trump:** Read the books. Read the books. **Jonathan Swan:** (more incredulously) What books? ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1921 "2020-08-05T18:52:13Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye; that’s the building I thought he was referring to also, but it clearly is not a $600M building. > > Trump just shits things out of his mouth and Mr. Swan missed a great opportunity to nail him for telling an outrageous lie. I think it is unfair to characterize this as a missed opportunity. That isn’t the sort of lie you can call Turmp on in real time. Its unlikely that going into the interview Mr. Swan had any idea about the value of the federal building. Yes, he knows its probably less than $600 million but unless he’s absolutely sure about that its safer to just let it go, and concentrate on the lies he knows for sure are false, and leave it to the post hoc fact checkers. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1922 "2020-08-05T18:54:24Z")
There are collections of Jonathan Swan facial reactions that are priceless. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1923 "2020-08-05T19:08:31Z")
I think you’re right. I recall an episode of The West Wing, where President Bartlet schlepped from the Oval Office to the residence, to make a phone call – because he cared about the distinction between politics and government, and appearances are important. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1924 "2020-08-05T19:44:53Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Yeah, I admit it’s not likely but we’re **inching** in that direction… ISTM that “inching” is the key word here, and may answer the question of why he doesn’t just declare himself President-for-Life right now. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1925 "2020-08-05T19:58:24Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Kim Jong has, **for all intensive purposes** , has a country of slaves. > > Putin has an army of assassins to control the public. And Trump is clearly his puppet. > > Trump has an army of morons. Trump can’t find his ass with both hands. Putin and Mitch tell him what to do. No doubt some are trying to control his irrational bullshit, but that seems impossible. > > Putin, I’m sure is having a great laugh every day. > > We may overcome this. But things get worse every day. “For all INTENTS AND PURPOSES.” That is all. ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1926 "2020-08-05T19:58:59Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > I’m not sure about that. I believe that the “residence” part of the White House is considered the President’s private home for these types of things and so he can conduct private or political business there. oh fuck, we had best hope he does not deliver his convention speech on camera from the tweetingroom – there is not enough eye/brain bleach in existence to cope with a catastrophe of such global proportions ---
**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:** [August 5, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1927 "2020-08-05T19:59:36Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I’m beginning to think that there are subversives on his staff. Whoever wrote the line “the sequoias at Yosemite” HAD to know he couldn’t deliver it. Too bad there weren’t also acacias, arborvitae, and baobabs in Yo-semite. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1928 "2020-08-05T20:05:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > “For all INTENTS AND PURPOSES.” > > That is all. You missed the boat on this one. It’s already been done and then done some more. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1929 "2020-08-05T20:23:02Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > I believe it’s this > > [Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_O._Hatfield_United_States_Courthouse) > > Which (accding to wiki only cost $129 mill. Holy crap, that’s an awful photograph. It looks like a treehouse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=95) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=97)