# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1121
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22405 "2018-07-03T08:29:10Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > I thought преЦАРдент Trump and President Merde-on-Lawn were “like this” (with crossed fingers). You forget one very important thing. Trump has his crossed fingers held behind his back. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22406 "2018-07-03T08:41:26Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > You forget one very important thing. Trump has his crossed fingers held behind his back. Old but: Are they long enough to actually cross? Based on the nice letter from NK, I’d say no. ---
**Author:** ![SaneBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SaneBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaneBill)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22407 "2018-07-03T12:32:27Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Turkey\* Not in EU. They’re in NATO, though. ---
**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:** [July 3, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22408 "2018-07-03T18:21:49Z")
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands interrupted Trump to tell him that his tariffs are not a good thing. > **[Dutch prime minister counters Trump on tariffs: ‘It’s not positive’](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/395224-dutch-prime-minister-responds-to-trump-on-tariffs-its-not-positive/)** > > Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte pushed back against President Trump’s tariffs against European goods, saying they were “not positive.”His remarks came as the two leaders spoke with repor… ---
**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:** [July 3, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22409 "2018-07-03T18:27:27Z")
The official White House Twitter account (not even Trump’s account) is accusing Senator Kamala Harris of supporting MS-13. > ---
**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:** [July 3, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22410 "2018-07-03T19:34:09Z")
GM’s Chairwoman says they may have to roll back production and cut workers because of Trump’s tariffs. > **[GM CEO Mary Barra warns that Trump's tariffs will lead to job losses](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/trump-s-tariffs-will-lead-job-losses-warns-general-motors-n888361?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma)** > > Americans would pay almost $6,000 more for a new car if tariffs come into play, say industry analysts. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22411 "2018-07-03T19:53:09Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > GM’s Chairwoman says they may have to roll back production and cut workers because of Trump’s tariffs. > [Trump's tariffs will lead to job losses, warns General Motors CEO](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/trump-s-tariffs-will-lead-job-losses-warns-general-motors-n888361?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma) GM only still exists because Obama bailed them out! They should have gone bankrupt in 2009! Let 'em fold! MAGA! \ ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22412 "2018-07-03T21:26:18Z")
He’s not exactly in the administration but this is as good as place as any to put this. > [@](#): > > Harvard’s Alan Dershowitz says defending Trump has made him a discrimination victim: “I have experienced this firsthand on Martha’s Vineyard. Old friends are shunning me and trying to ban me from their social life.” LOL. I don’t think that’s discrimination Alan. I believe that is your ex-friends coming to their senses. > **[Alan Dershowitz Says Martha’s Vineyard Is ‘Shunning’ Him Over Trump...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/alan-dershowitz-marthas-vineyard.html)** > > His comparison to McCarthyism drew online mockery. He told the local paper, “This is supposed to be a place where you leave your politics at the door.” ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22413 "2018-07-03T21:31:19Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > He’s not exactly in the administration but this is as good as place as any to put this. > > LOL. I don’t think that’s discrimination Alan. I believe that is your ex-friends coming to their senses. > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/alan-dershowitz-marthas-vineyard.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/alan-dershowitz-marthas-vineyard.html) Maybe they just don’t feel they should be compelled to hobnob with a vile piece of shit who only pretends to be human. Meanwhile he cries like a bitch that he’s being discriminated against. ---
**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 3, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22414 "2018-07-03T21:47:56Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > He’s not exactly in the administration but this is as good as place as any to put this. > > LOL. I don’t think that’s discrimination Alan. I believe that is your ex-friends coming to their senses. > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/alan-dershowitz-marthas-vineyard.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/alan-dershowitz-marthas-vineyard.html) But, there are laws, and you have rights. It is illegal to discriminate against your friends because of their political positions. It’s the same thing as racism, or sexism. They may as well be Nazis. [/Biffster] ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22415 "2018-07-03T21:50:55Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > But, there are laws, and you have rights. It is illegal to discriminate against your friends because of their political positions. It’s the same thing as racism, or sexism. They may as well be Nazis. > > [/Biffster] He compares it to McCarthyism. Oh good grief. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22416 "2018-07-03T22:00:06Z")
LOL! > [@](#): > > Professor @AlanDersh on @curtisandcosby hits back at former friends who have abandoned him on Martha’s Vineyard. > > “When their kid gets busted on a marijuana charge, or on possession of alcohol, I’m the first one they call” [https://t.co/ymXWnpzblg](https://t.co/ymXWnpzblg) I can hear the parental conversation now: “Johnny got busted on a misdemeanor weed charge. He might have to do 40 hrs of community svc this summer. And he’s grounded for 2 weeks.” “No! Let me call a $1,000/hour celebrity lawyer to fight this gross injustice!” I think he’s pissed because he lost his sources for some kind bud, something hard to re-establish at his age. ---
**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 3, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22417 "2018-07-03T22:26:52Z")
Is this normal-- I mean for the president to be interviewing potential Supreme Court appointees the same as he would for, say, a cabinet vacancy? (Maybe it is and I just don’t remember.) [Trump spoke with three Supreme Court candidates](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/395446-trump-spoke-with-three-supreme-court-candidates) > [@](#): > > President Trump on Tuesday spoke to another three possible Supreme Court nominees, bringing the total number to seven. > > White House spokesman Raj Shah disclosed the conversations in a brief statement but did not provide any further details, such as the names of those who spoke with Trump. > > The discussions are the latest sign the White House is moving aggressively to select a replacement for the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. > > The president interviewed four candidates on Monday and has said he plans to reveal his choice on July 9. > … ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22418 "2018-07-03T22:39:04Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Is this normal-- I mean for the president to be interviewing potential Supreme Court appointees the same as he would for, say, a cabinet vacancy? (Maybe it is and I just don’t remember.) > > [Trump spoke with three Supreme Court candidates](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/395446-trump-spoke-with-three-supreme-court-candidates) I think it’s relatively normal for the president to talk to candidates on the short list, although the serious vetting is done well before that point and at a slightly lower level. The abnormal part is for the president to be so freakin’ noisy about it. Normally any discussion about how many candidates there are, and who the president has spoken to, would be off the record. But Trump wants to turn this into a reality show, and let everybody know who’s received a rose and who’s been voted off the island. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22419 "2018-07-03T22:46:12Z")
I would bet another “abnormal” part of this process is when Trump asks for a personal oath of loyalty. You KNOW he is doing this. Anyone rejected out of hand probably has scruples. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22420 "2018-07-04T00:23:31Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > I would bet another “abnormal” part of this process is when Trump asks for a personal oath of loyalty. You KNOW he is doing this. > Anyone rejected out of hand probably has scruples. As somebody else on the interwebs has already said: the first question any senator should ask the nominee, “before their butt hits the chair”: “Did anybody ask you your opinion on whether the president can pardon himself? Did anyone ask if the president can be indicted?” It’s not a hypothetical - it’s factual. There’s no dodging. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22421 "2018-07-04T00:30:45Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > I would bet another “abnormal” part of this process is when Trump asks for a personal oath of loyalty. You KNOW he is doing this. > Anyone rejected out of hand probably has scruples. Oh course. Remember back when he almost rescinded Gorsuch’s nomination for insufficient loyalty? Gorsuch had to write ann ass-kissing letter to Trump. There was some skullduggery about the timing of the letter. The official story is that the letter was written before the Trump tantrum, but it got “lost” and Trump didn’t get it right away. But there is strong suspicion that Gorsuch was compelled to write the letter after the Trump explosion. > **[Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-reportedly-considered-rescinding-gorsuchs-nomination/2017/12/18/ad2b3b68-e1c7-11e7-9eb6-e3c7ecfb4638_story.html?utm_term=.910634790d84)** > > President was upset by Gorsuch’s criticism and thought him ungrateful. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22422 "2018-07-04T00:39:48Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > As somebody else on the interwebs has already said: the first question any senator should ask the nominee, “before their butt hits the chair”: “Did anybody ask you your opinion on whether the president can pardon himself? Did anyone ask if the president can be indicted?” > > It’s not a hypothetical - it’s factual. There’s no dodging. Oh, they’ll dodge. ‘It’s privileged communication under executive privilege’ will probably be the top answer, nonsensical as it is. Only the President can demur from answering questions on the grounds of executive privilege. We all recall Jeff Sessions making sure that he didn’t claim e.p. himself when he refused to answer Senate Intelligence Committee questions a year ago: [Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Testimony: Five Highlights : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2017/06/13/532827514/an-appalling-and-detestable-lie-5-highlights-from-sessions-senate-testimony) The nominee will probably follow Sessions’ example and claim that he or she can’t answer about anything said or asked by Trump or his officials, on the grounds that at some hypothetical future date, Trump might want to invoke executive privilege about the conversations in question. It will all be very tedious. It would be nice if the nominee would just offer an honest ‘f— you, I’m not going to answer that’ instead. But that seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22423 "2018-07-04T15:30:57Z")
[Trump asked aides if he could invade Venezuela last year](https://nypost.com/2018/07/04/trump-asked-aides-if-he-could-invade-venezuela-last-year-report/): ---
**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:** [July 4, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22424 "2018-07-04T17:09:07Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Trump asked aides if he could invade Venezuela last year](https://nypost.com/2018/07/04/trump-asked-aides-if-he-could-invade-venezuela-last-year-report/): I’m actually more alarmed about the leak of this info than the info itself. If a president can’t snowball, even stupid shit, and have debates with his advisers without fear of it going public, something’s wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1120) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1122)