# 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:** 1142
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22825 "2018-07-15T14:01:02Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > I know we’re not supposed to make fun of people for how they look, but, man! Could he look more like a smarmy douche? Yes, and in fact, [he has in the past](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20349457&postcount=1492). ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22826 "2018-07-15T14:55:04Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > DHS Chief Kirstjen Nielsen says the Russians are not planning on hacking the fall elections. > [http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/397049-dhs-secretary-no-sign-russia-targeting-midterm-elections-at-levels](http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/397049-dhs-secretary-no-sign-russia-targeting-midterm-elections-at-levels) She’s a fucking liar. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22827 "2018-07-15T14:58:12Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I’m still peeved that every journalist in the room didn’t get up and walk out. Think about it. If the press doesn’t attend his briefings, if the press doesn’t give him the time of day, that’ll probably give him the conniption fit that’ll finally knock him out of action. They should have walked. And they should treat the whole bunch of these creatures as pariahs, as the criminals they are. Don’t cover what they say, don’t repeat or amplify it, don’t dignify it, don’t soft peddle, don’t apply any sort of “equivalency”. And completely deny that orange bastard the airtime he so craves. Total Trump blackout. ---
**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 15, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22828 "2018-07-15T15:00:38Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > It costs 1.2 million to maintain this database as per the link. What’s that in golf trips? About 1/3. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22829 "2018-07-15T15:03:48Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m not sure if this has been mentioned already, but they are [deleting](https://www.thedailybeast.com/hhs-plans-to-delete-20-years-of-critical-medical-guidelines-next-week?via=FB_Page&source=TDB) 20 years of “critical medical guidelines”; no archive or backup, they are shutting it down with minimal warning to make sure the data can’t be saved. It’s part of the whole Trump War on Data; like shutting down environmental research. > > The Right demands ignorance, and the destruction of knowledge; and Trump is willing to give them what they want. Let’s burn the libraries down next. I just don’t know what to say. If trump has his way, we will soon have an ‘internet’ much like North Koreas. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22830 "2018-07-15T15:06:59Z")
They aren’t dragging paintings outside and burning them, so everything’s fine. ---
**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 15, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22831 "2018-07-15T15:29:40Z")
> **[Trump calls European Union a 'foe' – ahead of Russia and China](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/15/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-helsinki-russia-indictments)** > > Washington worries as Trump flies to meet Putin in Helsinki while Theresa May says president told her to sue EU > [@](#): > > Asked “ **who is your biggest foe globally right now** ”, he said: “Well I think we have a lot of foes. **I think the European Union is a foe** , what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union **but they’re a foe.** ” Just…fucking…wow! ---
**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:** [July 15, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22832 "2018-07-15T15:38:29Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > [Trump calls European Union a 'foe' – ahead of Russia and China | European Union | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/15/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-helsinki-russia-indictments) > > > [@](#): > > > > Asked “who is your biggest foe globally right now”, he said: “Well I think we have a lot of foes. I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union but they’re a foe.” > > Just…fucking…wow! I’m dying to know who he thinks our biggest Fee, Fi and Fum are right now. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22833 "2018-07-15T15:42:55Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > [Trump calls European Union a 'foe' – ahead of Russia and China | European Union | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/15/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-helsinki-russia-indictments) > > Just…fucking…wow! He’s just doing his master’s bidding. Destroy the EU, destroy NATO, dissolve our alliances/treaties/stuff, destroy us. ---
**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 15, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22834 "2018-07-15T15:47:13Z")
Oh, but don’t worry. I’m sure that Republicans in congress will put country before party. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22835 "2018-07-15T16:12:12Z")
If you’re wondering what they’re going to talk about in their one-on-one, I suspect Putin and Trump will be buzzing about this: [The 5 States Most Vulnerable to a 2018 Election Hack](https://www.usnews.com/news/the-run/articles/2018-07-11/the-5-states-most-vulnerable-to-a-2018-election-hack) (US News) > [@](#): > > Due to both a lack of funding and political urgency, a handful of states are still vulnerable to the same type of attack Virginia was. > > The worst part? > > At this point, there aren’t many remedies that can be employed in time ahead of Tuesday, Nov. 6. > > “For 2018, if a sophisticated nation state wants to cause chaos on Election Day, they’re probably already in our systems,” said J. Alex Halderman, an election security expert and professor of computer science at the University of Michigan, during a forum on Capitol Hill this week. (I never did find out which 5 states were the _most_ vulnerable, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22836 "2018-07-15T16:13:16Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m not sure if this has been mentioned already, but they are [deleting](https://www.thedailybeast.com/hhs-plans-to-delete-20-years-of-critical-medical-guidelines-next-week?via=FB_Page&source=TDB) 20 years of “critical medical guidelines”; no archive or backup, they are shutting it down with minimal warning to make sure the data can’t be saved. It’s part of the whole Trump War on Data; like shutting down environmental research. > > The Right demands ignorance, and the destruction of knowledge; and Trump is willing to give them what they want. Because 1.2 milliondollarsis just too much to pay. > [@](#): > > The operating budget for the NGC last year was $1.2 million, Hunt said, and reductions in funding forced the agency’s hand. ---
**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 15, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22837 "2018-07-15T16:54:18Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Because 1.2 milliondollarsis just too much to pay. Ann Hedonia nailed it. > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > It’s in the article > > This guidelines sometimes recommend against treatments that are heavily sold by companies that donors and lobbyists are invested in. A guideline that emphasized non-surgical treatments for back pain pissed off an organization that represents surgeons > > And there were guideline that were critical of some drug that was manufactured by one of Tom Price’s campaign donors, and they refused to take it down. It’s not just the cost of the program, it’s that sometimes the guidelines suggested courses of action for patients that did not line doctors’ pockets. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22838 "2018-07-15T16:58:57Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Oh, but don’t worry. I’m sure that Republicans in congress will put country before party. Waiting for outraged denunciations from Republican leadership…any minute now… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22839 "2018-07-15T17:50:48Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > DHS Chief Kirstjen Nielsen says the Russians are not planning on hacking the fall elections. > [http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/397049-dhs-secretary-no-sign-russia-targeting-midterm-elections-at-levels](http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/397049-dhs-secretary-no-sign-russia-targeting-midterm-elections-at-levels) Good to know Kirsjen. Ya mean like the last time? Do you a private line to them, or did they tell you over a tweet. Did they pinky swear? Morons, we have morons running the government. ---
**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 15, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22840 "2018-07-15T17:55:58Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Waiting for outraged denunciations from Republican leadership…any minute now… I’m hoping that they will come November 7, and that they will be outraged denunciations of the voters for “betraying” them. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22841 "2018-07-15T18:46:36Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > …Morons, we have morons running the government. Well, they’re not as stupid as they _think_ we are… ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22842 "2018-07-15T19:51:32Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Oh, but don’t worry. I’m sure that Republicans in congress will put country before party. crickets ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22843 "2018-07-15T20:05:14Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > DHS Chief Kirstjen Nielsen says the Russians are not planning on hacking the fall elections. Well now we know why Trump is so desperate to see Putin. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/22844 "2018-07-15T21:03:46Z")
Everyone (including me) was so sure the Traitor-in-Chief would never become President. So I take heart from the increasing sentiment that Chump will have a second term, as that surely means he won’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1141) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1143)