# 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:** 1164
**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 20, 2018, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23265 "2018-07-20T02:44:02Z")
Dan Coats didn’t know about the Putin invite. A reporter told him about it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23266 "2018-07-20T02:52:31Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Dan Coats didn’t know about the Putin invite. A reporter told him about it. [Video here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-hes-looking-forward-to-second-summit-with-putin/2018/07/19/450a0424-8b59-11e8-8aea-86e88ae760d8_story.html?utm_term=.f846fe4f47e8). Worth watching, for the look on Coats’s face when he hears the White House is tweeting again. ---
**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 20, 2018, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23267 "2018-07-20T03:06:13Z")
Apparently Putin made an offer to Trump to hold a referendum in Crimea on its future (leaked by Russians who attended a meeting at the Foreign Ministry): [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-19/putin-said-to-have-made-trump-a-new-offer-on-ukraine-at-summit](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-19/putin-said-to-have-made-trump-a-new-offer-on-ukraine-at-summit) As usual, any time Trump meets with Russians, we only get information about it from the Russians. Everyone knows that. Why does his administration keep letting them troll us? You know that information did not get out without Putin’s permission. And speaking of trolling: > [@](#): > > The Russian Foreign Ministry just launched a Twitter campaign to free Maria Butina, the woman with ties to the National Rifle Association and prominent Republicans who has been accused of being a Russian spy. > **[\#FreeMariaButina: Russia’s Foreign Ministry just launched a Twitter campaign...](https://www.vox.com/world/2018/7/19/17592754/russia-maria-butina-spy-twitter-nra)** > > It’s even urging Twitter users to change their profile pictures to a portrait of Butina. They even changed the profile picture on their Twitter account to a picture of Butina. ---
**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 20, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23268 "2018-07-20T05:35:03Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#): > > As usual, any time Trump meets with Russians, we only get information about it from the Russians. Everyone knows that. Why does his administration keep letting them troll us? You know that information did not get out without Putin’s permission. It’s entirely possible that Putin discussed nothing of the sort with Trump, but that Trump doesn’t dare challenge the narrative. ---
**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 20, 2018, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23269 "2018-07-20T07:45:33Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s entirely possible that Putin discussed nothing of the sort with Trump, but that Trump doesn’t dare challenge the narrative. Good point. I wonder what else we will be hearing in the next few days. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23270 "2018-07-20T08:32:53Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s entirely possible that Putin discussed nothing of the sort with Trump, but that Trump doesn’t dare challenge the narrative. If Trump even remembers specifics about their conversation. He’s not known for being a detail guy, after all. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23271 "2018-07-20T08:47:45Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > If Trump even remembers specifics about their conversation. He’s not known for being a detail guy, after all. Is it known whether Trump drinks? Like early in the day? That might account for his ‘amnesia’ wrt stuff that happens later in the day. Or is he simply an old fart with dementia? It’s so hard to tell nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23272 "2018-07-20T09:35:16Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > Is it known whether Trump drinks? Like early in the day? That might account for his ‘amnesia’ wrt stuff that happens later in the day. > > Or is he simply an old fart with dementia? It’s so hard to tell nowadays. It is my understanding that The Donald is teetotal and has been for a long time, in part because of his brother Fred Jr’s problems with alcoholism. His mental issues are not drink-related. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23273 "2018-07-20T10:30:41Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Because the last one went _so_ well? :eek: > > Exactly how stupid is our president? I mean, at some point self-preservation has to override any ulterior motives, right? Having just shot one foot, it’s a great time to take aim at the other? This hole is pretty deep, maybe we should dig our way out?? The point is not how stupid he is, but how his obedient sheep will follow him anywhere. Check out [this poll.](https://www.axios.com/republicans-poll-donald-trump-press-conference-putin-5776322f-a483-4e21-b50c-028799b08367.html) Republicans approve of his Helsinki fiasco by a 79-18 margin. This is why the Republicans in Congress are essentially saying “thank you sir, may I have another?”- they know that they dare not cross Donald on anything he does, even treason, lest they get primaried by someone who will toe the line more obediently. The good news- Democrats disapprove by a margin of 91-7, independents by 62-33. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23274 "2018-07-20T10:32:47Z")
Putin could have easily dominated the chat just by hinting at Trump’s outstanding debts. You know… hock-er room talk. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23275 "2018-07-20T11:15:43Z")
You know you’re going to hell, right \*\*Bryan \*\*? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23276 "2018-07-20T11:33:51Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > You know you’re going to hell, right \*\*Bryan \*\*? I can only hear this in the voice of Stewie Griffin. ---
**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 20, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23277 "2018-07-20T13:08:28Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The point is not how stupid he is, but how his obedient sheep will follow him anywhere. Check out [this poll.](https://www.axios.com/republicans-poll-donald-trump-press-conference-putin-5776322f-a483-4e21-b50c-028799b08367.html) Republicans approve of his Helsinki fiasco by a 79-18 margin. This is why the Republicans in Congress are essentially saying “thank you sir, may I have another?”- they know that they dare not cross Donald on anything he does, even treason, lest they get primaried by someone who will toe the line more obediently. The good news- Democrats disapprove by a margin of 91-7, independents by 62-33. And I can’t help but think less and less people self-identify as Republicans for these polls. I can think of a handful of people in my own life who have stopped calling themselves Republicans in the past year or so, and there have been more than a few big name Republicans publicly leaving the party. So what you’re left with more and more are the true MAGAheads. More and more it’s the front remaining in the self-identified Republican camp for these polls, which, to me, makes it surprising that 18% actually disapprove. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23278 "2018-07-20T13:31:53Z")
> [@Batano](#): > > He has no shame, so doubling down always seems like the best option for him. Any normal person would have crawled back under a rock after the humiliation Obama heaped on Trump at the WH Correspondents dinner. > > Meeting with Putin not go so well? Let’s do it again and maintain all the time that the first one was a great success. Caught carrying water for Russia? Say that no President has ever been as tough on Russia as he has. So much doubling down that his may one day be known as “the martingale presidency.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23279 "2018-07-20T14:08:35Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > And I can’t help but think less and less people self-identify as Republicans for these polls. I can think of a handful of people in my own life who have stopped calling themselves Republicans in the past year or so, and there have been more than a few big name Republicans publicly leaving the party. So what you’re left with more and more are the true MAGAheads. More and more it’s the front remaining in the self-identified Republican camp for these polls, which, to me, makes it surprising that 18% actually disapprove. Not as surprising as the 7% of Democrats who approve. ---
**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 20, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23280 "2018-07-20T14:14:18Z")
Maybe they approve because Trump’s performance showed what an ass he is and how he’s unfit for the presidency. ---
**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 20, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23281 "2018-07-20T14:27:55Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Not as surprising as the 7% of Democrats who approve. There are some Democrats - mostly new age types that have downed too much ayahuasca-that are all in with the Alex Jones conspiracy theory bullshit. They bought into it post 9/11 with the Truther stuff when the secret enemies were Republicans. They were so deeply corrupted by this stuff that they let themselves be dragged into believing the Clinton and Deep State conspiracies. ---
**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 20, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23282 "2018-07-20T16:17:08Z")
[Michael Cohen secretly recorded his conversation with Trump discussing payment to a Playboy model two months before the election:](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/us/politics/michael-cohen-trump-tape.html) > [@](#): > > President Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, secretly recorded a conversation with Mr. Trump two months before the presidential election in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump, according to lawyers and others familiar with the recording. > > The F.B.I. seized the recording this year during a raid on Mr. Cohen’s office. The Justice Department is investigating Mr. Cohen’s involvement in paying women to tamp down embarrassing news stories about Mr. Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Prosecutors want to know whether that violated federal campaign finance laws, and any conversation with Mr. Trump about those payments would be of keen interest to them. > > The recording’s existence further draws Mr. Trump into questions about tactics he and his associates used to keep aspects of his personal and business life a secret. And it highlights the potential legal and political danger that Mr. Cohen represents to Mr. Trump. Once the keeper of many of Mr. Trump’s secrets, Mr. Cohen is now seen as increasingly willing to consider cooperating with prosecutors. Rudy G’s response: Oh that? Yeah, totally legit. Trump told Cohen to write her a check! Because he’s such an up-and-up kind of guy! ---
**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 20, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23283 "2018-07-20T16:26:12Z")
A WH source says Trump has actually begun doing the opposite of John Kelly’s suggestions, out of spite. [Link](http://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/397990-the-memo-putin-furor-sparks-new-questions-on-kellys-future). > [@](#): > > The source in Trump’s orbit insisted the president’s esteem for Kelly has fallen to the extent that he is more likely to defy him than defer to him. > > “[Kelly] started hammering him, saying, ‘We have to fix it,’ ” even as the president’s plane was returning from the Putin summit, this source said. “But John’s stock is so low that Trump disregards Kelly’s advice out of spite. [Trump] didn’t fully recognize the problem, and that’s why it took so long for the walk back.” Maybe Kelly will beg Trump not to sit down with Bob Mueller and resign the next day.\* \*Now universe, I know elucidator hasn’t been the best pantheist… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/23284 "2018-07-20T16:36:58Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > [Michael Cohen secretly recorded his conversation with Trump discussing payment to a Playboy model two months before the election:](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/us/politics/michael-cohen-trump-tape.html) > > Rudy G’s response: Oh that? Yeah, totally legit. Trump told Cohen to write her a check! Because he’s such an up-and-up kind of guy! Rudy is just a better dressed version of Ernest T. Bass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1163) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1165)