# 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:** 1373
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27445 "2018-11-24T03:38:49Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > That might be true, but he has the power to replace opposition, and he has a democratically-elected Senate that will back whatever he does. Again, let’s look at the reality here: he has fired the FBI director because he wasn’t loyal. He has fired the attorney general because he wasn’t loyal. He has replaced the attorney general with someone he made ‘acting AG’ who hasn’t even been confirmed by the Senate. You’re thinking of this situation as though it’s hypothetical – I’m telling you that **this is happening now**. You - don’t - get - it. And if he loses reelection, he won’t have the power to fire _anybody_. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27446 "2018-11-24T03:45:07Z")
What I’d like to know is what the American People are going to do about the party that has allowed all of this. They’ll still be around after Trump’s gone, and if they are around they’ll sooner or later gain power again. Trump might be thumbing his nose at the American Experiment, but McConnell is spitting in its eye. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27447 "2018-11-24T04:03:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > And if he loses reelection, he won’t have the power to fire _anybody_. Very, very true. But he’s going to have 30-35% of the electorate guaranteed, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but the opposition might not be so united. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27448 "2018-11-24T04:06:26Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > What I’d like to know is what the American People are going to do about the party that has allowed all of this. They’ll still be around after Trump’s gone, and if they are around they’ll sooner or later gain power again. Trump might be thumbing his nose at the American Experiment, but McConnell is spitting in its eye. Indeed. After the Republicans delivered the worst recession in 80 years, they held a congressional majority 2 years after Barack Obama became president. Why? Because he promised healthcare reform. This country re-elected Bush after it was pretty well established that he lied about the case for going to war in Iraq. And it elected an opposition party after it was pretty clear they lied about Obama’s healthcare reform plans. The Republicans have mastered the art of propaganda and obstructionism. I have no idea why progressives are so optimistic that 2020 will be _the_ year that everything changes. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27449 "2018-11-24T05:28:02Z")
I’m not guaranteeing that Trump will lose in 2020 (I’d bet on him losing, but I wouldn’t bet my life or even my life savings), just that by January 20, 2025 at the absolute latest he is going to have to vacate the White House, feet first if necessary. I would also insist that Trump doesn’t have a Senate majority, or even 50 plus Pence, to do really extreme shit. He might have 40 or even 45, which is a bad comment on that party to pile on with what was said upthread, but not enough. He would be blocked. No way are Romney, Collins, or Murkowski going to let him go hog wild—and there would hopefully be others as well. I’m talking about firing Muller, attempting some kind of martial law declaration, ignoring a federal court order or Congressional subpoena, interfering with Congressional investigations, that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27450 "2018-11-24T05:51:42Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > So you think Trumpists are the only ones who believe Trump might really have told Borrell that Spain should build a wall across the Sahara? “…then when I finished that, I grabbed a rake and raked the entire Sahara Forest…” “The Sahara Desert, sir.” “Sure, now! Radical environmentalist burned it down!” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27451 "2018-11-24T09:17:32Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > missed edit window - er, make that Spanish Prime Minister.:rolleyes: Er, Minister of the Interior. The guy in charge of the cops, not the guy in charge of the government. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27452 "2018-11-24T11:34:20Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > … > I mean, look at that anecdote Spanish Minister of the Interior told of Trump telling him to build a wall across the Sahara. If the same had been said about any previous US president … the Minister would have left the room in the company of a couple of people who’d be talking soothingly to him while another stuck the sedative in. But Trump makes what should be an incredible tall tale believable as told! It’s fucking nuts! Yes it is sadly quite believable even if a tall tale it is not something you can say, oh that is only a political exaggeration. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27453 "2018-11-24T13:20:40Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > I’m not guaranteeing that Trump will lose in 2020 (I’d bet on him losing, but I wouldn’t bet my life or even my life savings), just that by January 20, 2025 at the absolute latest he is going to have to vacate the White House, feet first if necessary. So what? Trump will leave eventually. The question is what kind of damage will have been inflicted by the time he does? What if Pence takes over and turns out to be just as bad in his own way. Trump has already laid down the groundwork for some serious constitutional destruction. He has normalized outrageous, daily fabrications. Many of these falsehoods are intended to be divisive and to sow the seeds of disharmony and discord. That train has already left the station, and at least a good 30-35% are going to ride that train until it goes over the cliff…whenever it happens. But that could be a while. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > I would also insist that Trump doesn’t have a Senate majority, or even 50 plus Pence, to do really extreme shit. He might have 40 or even 45, which is a bad comment on that party to pile on with what was said upthread, but not enough. He would be blocked. No way are Romney, Collins, or Murkowski going to let him go hog wild—and there would hopefully be others as well. I’m talking about firing Muller, attempting some kind of martial law declaration, ignoring a federal court order or Congressional subpoena, interfering with Congressional investigations, that kind of thing. On what basis do you say this? Why are you confident that he would be blocked? Stripping millions of people of their health insurance coverage seems like a suicidal move, and yet they were one vote shy of doing just that. Now they have an even bigger majority in the senate. True, they won’t have that kind of leverage in the House after the third week in January, but the point is, they won’t need it. From the perspective of presidential power, the Senate is a far more important body than the House, and Senate Republicans are in firm control of that chamber. They are in a strong position to enable the president in whatever he decides to do next. And as I’ve pointed out repeatedly, the Republicans don’t necessarily care about winning elections fairly and squarely. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27454 "2018-11-24T15:36:14Z")
I honestly doubt Trump will win his primary. People are already sick to death of him, and it is only getting worse. Hillary panic was the top reason he won, but now that he is in charge and being an idiot daily, people are noticing. After 2016 I get it that anything could happen, but his support seems thin as it is, and we’re heading for a market correction plus probably a tariff induced farm crisis. Nobody can bullshit their way around those problems, especially starting from here. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27455 "2018-11-24T15:56:45Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > I honestly doubt Trump will win his primary. People are already sick to death of him, and it is only getting worse. Maybe you and people you know are getting sick to death of him, but there are a lot of people who think he’s doing what they’ve always wanted a president to do. > [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Hillary panic was the top reason he won, He beat a lot of other Republican softies as well. He was unpopular in 2016, just as he is now. He still won. His party also just expanded its cushion in the Senate. That’s what needs to be remembered here: if people were truly sick of Trump, then his support from conservatives would be eroding. His support among centrists has eroded, but support for the party that enables him, relative to the party that opposes him, has shown no real erosion of support. The House races were local and the Democrats did a good job in building grassroots campaigns - they should keep doing that. I think that only good things can happen if they do, and it’s essential that they focus on winning local races, state house and senate races, state governorships, state lieutenant governorships, secretaries of state vacancies, and congressional representation. The hard part is going to be translating their newfound energy at the local level into a national coalition that can tolerate differences. And a good early test of their ability to coalesce will be seen in the process of nominating the House Speaker. A dangerous characteristic that afflicts weakening democracies is that we can observe strong opposition against a head of state that fails to unite as a singular opposition force. This is what has happened in Venezuela, for example. Not that the United States _is_ Venezuela, but their example (and others worldwide) show that it’s not necessarily enough for a majority of the country to oppose an unpopular leader. Revolutionaries or simply political oppositions must have strategy, and they must think in strategic terms, and they must have specific objectives to pursue, and generally agree on how they’re going to achieve them. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27456 "2018-11-24T16:16:30Z")
Well, Trump and the GOP face a multi-whammy in 2020. A farm crisis won’t go unnoticed. The fed will raise rates until the deficit is reduced, which can screw up the housing market, banking, and further accelerate a stock crash. Some economists are predicting a recession in 2019, not exactly making America great again. The leader of the GOP is going to be unmasked as a massive phony and criminal, and the GOP Senate is going to line up and stand with the Crook Administration. The electoral map in the Senate was way favorable to the GOP in 2018, and that changes in 2020. Plus, the hard line immigration stance they are taking is reminiscent of the moves the California GOP tried to take, which got them expelled from CA state govt for a generation and counting. True, for some, immigration will always be the top issue. Some will always love Trump’s bullying and bullshit. Some people really loathe the Dems, and the GOP has a top notch propaganda machine behind them. Still, I predict full federal control for the Dems in 2020. Don’t ask me what happens after that. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27457 "2018-11-24T16:18:18Z")
And what will _we_ do? We will persist, and we will endure. Trump is afraid, his power is crumbling before his eyes, he resorts to ever more extravagant displays of power. The more expensive the display, the more he needs it to stave off his fear. He fears humiliation and poverty. He fears a thousand lawsuits for fraud and tax evasion that he would be powerless to halt. (Perhaps it is less than truly just that he is brought to account for crimes he had pretty much gotten away with. Darn shame about that. The Law is the handjob of Justice, but sometimes its the best we can get.) He is like the main character of the “Scottish Play”, finally, he has no one but scoundrels, fools and the pampered rich. He will fall, he is falling. When a clever man who has genuine power fails, he can recover. When a fool who has the illusion of power fails, that’s when the little boy notices that the King is nekkid, fat, and his shriveled winkie looks like a Circus Peanut. And then comes the day when he calls a press conference, and no one is there but Sean Hannity, Breitbart, and the Tri-County Observer and Coupon Bonanza. The damage is done, it will be long time fixing. And while it is true that the strong are seldom good, and the good, seldom strong…perhaps there are enough of us who are nearly strong and almost good. And he is neither. Gather together all those he has cheated, pore carefully over his taxes. Build a gigantic case. death by a thousand Muellers. Let it be known, by whispers and hints, that if he bails, he will not face life as a fat old man living in an efficiency and buying his dinner at the Dollar Store. Also, convert his golf courses into wind farms. A little salt for the wound. A really good person is not vindictive, I suppose. Oh, well. (Reposted in appropriate forum/thread in response to scolding) ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27458 "2018-11-24T16:30:06Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > He is like the main character of the “Scottish Play”, finally, he has no one but scoundrels, fools and the pampered rich. In Trump’s case though, shouldn’t that be “Scotch Play”? After all, there’s video of him telling people in Scotland that he’s part Scotch. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27459 "2018-11-24T16:57:49Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > … they won’t have that kind of leverage in the House after the third week in January … nitpick: you have an extra word that does not belong in there ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27460 "2018-11-24T16:59:31Z")
> [@](#): > > …After all, there’s video of him telling people in Scotland that he’s part Scotch. The ethnic origins of the Trump family has been the subject of fierce debate, and Germany lost. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27461 "2018-11-24T17:45:17Z")
I’ll add that Majority Tounge-Lasher Jeff Flake will be replaced by Mitt Romney, who I expect to produce much more withering criticism. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27462 "2018-11-24T18:41:43Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The ethnic origins of the Trump family has been the subject of fierce debate, and Germany lost. AFAICT, there’s little direct evidence to support the conjecture [that Donald Trump is a direct descendant of Peter Stumpf, ‘The Werewolf of Bedburg’.](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4806074/donald-trump-related-cannibal-serial-killer-werewolf-of-bedburg/) ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27463 "2018-11-24T18:44:55Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > I honestly doubt Trump will win his primary. People are already sick to death of him, and it is only getting worse. Hillary panic was the top reason he won, but now that he is in charge and being an idiot daily, people are noticing. After 2016 I get it that anything could happen, but his support seems thin as it is, and we’re heading for a market correction plus probably a tariff induced farm crisis. Nobody can bullshit their way around those problems, especially starting from here. I’m not convinced that there will be much of a GOP primary for POTUS, but I do think it’s a strong possibility. Who do you think has a good shot at beating the CFSG in a primary? I’m having trouble coming up with someone. Most of the usual suspects have their head so far up Trump’s ass they can’t realistically campaign. ---
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27464 "2018-11-24T18:58:50Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I’m not convinced that there will be much of a GOP primary for POTUS, but I do think it’s a strong possibility. > > Who do you think has a good shot at beating the CFSG in a primary? I’m having trouble coming up with someone. Most of the usual suspects have their head so far up Trump’s ass they can’t realistically campaign. I doubt Mitt would be satisfied staying as the Majority Tounge-Lasher for long. Another run by him might be seen by Repubs as their chance for a turn back the clock do-over that will set things back on a track headed away from Crazy Town. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1372) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1374)