# 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:** 1374
**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:** [November 24, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27465 "2018-11-24T20:22:55Z")
Trump says he has already shut the border, then that he didn’t, then that he did. > **[Trump Claims He Already Shut Down The Border In Puzzling Exchange With Reporters](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-claims-he-already-shut-border-in-bizarre-exchange-with-reporters_n_5bf8e464e4b0771fb6b8cf20)** > > “Actually two days ago we closed the border. We said nobody’s coming in because it was out of control," president insisted. ---
**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, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27466 "2018-11-24T21:27:44Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I doubt this will improve Trump’s mood. Which people are saying is light, so very, very light. Anything else reported is Fake News! Why, the Republicans had the bigglyest midterm win ever in recorded history! So much winning!!! > > **Judge allows lawsuit against Trump Foundation to proceed, rejects Trump claim that he can’t be sued** > ‘The lawsuit accuses the president of misusing his charitable foundation for his own personal and political purposes.’ > > [Judge allows lawsuit against Trump Foundation to proceed, rejects Trump claim that he can't be sued](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/judge-allows-lawsuit-against-trump-foundation-proceed-rejects-trump-claim-n939526) He is safe: all he has to do is plead “_not guilty due to insanity_”. No one will be able to effectively counter a plea like that. And there is nothing in the Constitution that says the President must be in possession of his faculties, so his job is safe as well. ---
**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, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27467 "2018-11-24T22:27:40Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > He is safe: all he has to do is plead “_not guilty due to insanity_”. No one will be able to effectively counter a plea like that. And there is nothing in the Constitution that says the President must be in possession of his faculties, so his job is safe as well. Impossible. Trump is one of the sanest people who’ve ever lived. Lots of people have been calling him, very strong people in terms of medical, and telling him that just two years ago they never believed there could be a president as sane as he is. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27468 "2018-11-25T00:35:16Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Trump says he has already shut the border, then that he didn’t, then that he did. > [Trump Claims He Already Shut Down The Border In Puzzling Exchange With Reporters | HuffPost Latest News](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-claims-he-already-shut-border-in-bizarre-exchange-with-reporters_us_5bf8e464e4b0771fb6b8cf20) The wall upon our borders is a snail, that’s what it is The wall upon our borders is a snail, that’s what it is First it is all locked down, then there is no lockdown, then there is First it is all locked down, then there is no lockdown, then there is My daughter used her private mail but it’ll all right cos she’s my girl Daughter used her private mail but it’ll all right cos she’s my girl First it is all locked down, then there is no lockdown, then there is First it is all locked down, then there is no lockdown Oh Ivanka, oh Ivanka, oh Ivanka, I call your name Oh, I am so grateful for myself as I sit on this gold toilet atwitter… ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27469 "2018-11-25T01:37:02Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > I’ll add that Majority Tounge-Lasher Jeff Flake will be replaced by Mitt Romney, who I expect to produce much more withering criticism. But he’ll vote in line with Trump if it won’t lose him his seat. I expect Mitt’s fortitude will continue to not be derived from a genuine moral compass but the whims of the Mormons. To give them credit, their hatred of Trump and Trumpism is refreshing, especially given most other churches are being hugely, BIGLY, even, hypocritical. ---
**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 25, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27470 "2018-11-25T02:56:13Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > I’ll add that Majority Tounge-Lasher Jeff Flake will be replaced by Mitt Romney, who I expect to produce much more withering criticism. Why? Why would you expect Romney to produce more withering criticism? What evidence do you have that he would? ---
**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 25, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27471 "2018-11-25T04:50:50Z")
[National Climate Assessment](https://apnews.com/f9732784135c4f4a8963daff79e2583e) was released _sotto voce_ on Friday. It basically says, “_Fuck, man, this is really fucked up, man. The CFSG is_ so _full of shit._” ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27472 "2018-11-25T16:38:55Z")
This article has a nice recap of last few weeks and some predictions for the rest of Trump’s term: **Trump at bay: failure looms as Democrats load ‘subpoena cannon’** > **[Trump at bay: failure looms as Democrats load 'subpoena cannon'](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/25/donald-trump-democrats-subpoenas-house)** > > In his Florida fortress, facing a blizzard of investigations, the president acts like a man backed into a corner > [@](#): > > But on 6 November, the American people delivered a reality check. Republicans held the Senate but as the final House results trickle in, Democrats lead by more than 8.6m votes: 53.1% to 45.2%. The party has a net gain of nearly 40 seats, its biggest sweep since Watergate. Ominously, they won in rust belt states that were pivotal to Trump’s victory in 2016. > > In response, the president has been acting like a man cornered. The catalogue is too long to list in full but here are some of the lowlights: > > Trump fired Jeff Sessions and hired Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general, in what many see as a threat to the special counsel. > > He tried to ban a CNN correspondent from the White House but lost in court. > > He skipped a visit to a military cemetery in France. > > He criticised the admiral who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. > > He floated bizarre theories for the wildfires in California, twice referred to the destroyed city of Paradise as “Pleasure” and revelled in ignorance of climate change. > > He referred to the Democrat Adam Schiff as “Adam Schitt”. > > He issued a bewildering statement (633 words with eight exclamation marks) questioning the CIA’s reported conclusion that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was responsible for the death of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi > > His daughter Ivanka was caught using a personal email account for government business. > > He scolded the ninth circuit court of appeals, earning a rare rebuke from the chief justice of the supreme court. > > It was reported that he wanted the justice department to prosecute Hillary Clinton and former FBI director James Comey. > > He authorised troops on the US-Mexico border to use “lethal force”, despite concerns their presence is a political stunt. > > And another thing: the stock market tanked, raising fears of economic slowdown. > > It all became so much that on Wednesday, Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, tweeted that Trump should **“just shut the hell up and get on the helicopter. Give us a rest from your crazy. You don’t know the 9th circuit from a circuit breaker. It’s Thanksgiving for crying out loud. Let us be thankful for your silence. You’ve said enough this week.”** > > … > > It has long been speculated that Trump has something to hide: his tax returns, his business dealings, his peculiar devotion to autocrats. Now all are about to be put under the microscope by Schiff and others. > > There are also signs that Mueller’s investigation could be reaching a critical phase, with Trump having submitted written answers and reports that a fresh set of indictments centred around WikiLeaks and Roger Stone is imminent. Just because Trump is paranoid doesn’t mean that they aren’t out to get him. > > Rick Tyler, a political analyst and Republican consultant, said: “Donald Trump seems like he’s worried about two things. First, he’s clearly worried about the Mueller report. If it was purely a question of ego and whether Russia helped him get elected, this is an overreaction. There’s something else going on. > > “Second, if you analyse Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi incident, what Trump says makes no sense. Saudi Arabia is not going to cancel contracts and only has a negligible impact on the cost of oil and gas. Yet Trump promoted the awful cover story. He’s hiding something. There’s something there. He’s not protecting the crown prince; he’s protecting himself.” > > … > > “Starting in January, Congress has the tools and mechanisms to push more and do more than be outraged. They can hold hearings, get documents, compel testimony. They can get access to the people around the White House and see what they think is going on: are people raising the alarm? > > “I don’t think Trump fully understands how comprehensive the tools of oversight are for Congress because he’s never had to deal with it. These tentacles go far deeper and far broader than he can know. We’re going to see an entirely different level of paranoia with the president testing the limits of executive power unlike any president before as the walls close in.” [my bold] I love the Steele tweet. I wish every Republican responded to Trump’s idiocy and abuse of government the same way. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27473 "2018-11-25T16:47:39Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > This article has a nice recap of last few weeks and some predictions for the rest of Trump’s term: > > **Trump at bay: failure looms as Democrats load ‘subpoena cannon’** > > [Trump at bay: failure looms as Democrats load 'subpoena cannon' | Donald Trump | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/25/donald-trump-democrats-subpoenas-house) > > [my bold] > > I love the Steele tweet. I wish every Republican responded to Trump’s idiocy and abuse of government the same way. Aye; I loved that quote. IMO that’s going to be the biggest single factor in why he doesn’t serve a 2nd term, ya know: the country is just getting fucking tired of listening to this jackass bray day in and day out. Sometimes a week would go by and I wouldn’t even think about President Obama, but Trump can’t let us go more than a couple of hours without giving us a reason to think about him. It’s fucking exhausting. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2018, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27474 "2018-11-25T16:53:55Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Why? Why would you expect Romney to produce more withering criticism? _Expect_ might be a bit strong, but he does have a two-year window to criticize, and if the America-hating fuckstick is re-elected in 2020, three more years to walk it back (or to assess whether he’s protected by the fact that, electorally, he only has to answer to the Mormons). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27475 "2018-11-25T17:14:39Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > the country is just getting fucking tired of listening to this jackass bray day in and day out. ♫ \*Now me donkey gone mad they say Don’t tie me donkey down there 'Cause his eye on a bale o’ hay Don’t tie me donkey down there Jackass will jump and bray, let him bray, let him bray [Jackass will jump and bray, let him bray, let him bray](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OAB3kpb2YM)\* ♫ ---
**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:** [November 25, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27476 "2018-11-25T19:51:02Z")
> [@](#): > > And another thing: the stock market tanked, raising fears of economic slowdown. Trump has already said that the stock market tanking is because Democrats were elected to take control of the House. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27477 "2018-11-25T19:59:18Z")
[Almost there, **ThelmaLou**](https://apnews.com/04a93a18930946f7a3996fde46d97892)! > [@Rep. Adam Schiff](#): > > I think the president is being dishonest. 😃 > [@](#): > > Schiff, the committee’s incoming chairman, said the panel will look into the Trump family’s business ties with Saudi Arabia and whether “personal financial interests” drive U.S.-Middle East policy. > > Schiff says Trump is telegraphing to despots he will have “their back” if they praise or do business with him. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27478 "2018-11-25T19:59:41Z")
The best Facebook comment: “The White House turkey has refused a pardon and is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.” ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27479 "2018-11-25T21:43:27Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The best Facebook comment: “The White House turkey has refused a pardon and is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.” I liked the claim that based on his public pronouncements on Thanksgiving, he was actually celebrating Festivus with the “Airing of Grievances”. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27480 "2018-11-25T21:43:34Z")
The incoming Mexican Interior Secretary says there is no agreement with the Trump administration to keep asylum-seekers in Mexico while their applications are processed. > **[Incoming Mexican government says there is no 'Remain in Mexico' deal on migrants](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/11/25/migrant-asylum-seekers-deal/2107726002/)** > > "There is no agreement of any sort between the incoming Mexican government and the U.S. government," Mexico’s incoming interior minister said. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27481 "2018-11-25T22:10:25Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > This article has a nice recap of last few weeks and some predictions for the rest of Trump’s term: > > **Trump at bay: failure looms as Democrats load ‘subpoena cannon’** > > > [@](#): > > > > …Rick Tyler, a political analyst and Republican consultant, said: “Donald Trump seems like he’s worried about two things. First, he’s clearly worried about the Mueller report. If it was purely a question of ego and whether Russia helped him get elected, this is an overreaction. There’s something else going on. > > > > “Second, if you analyse Saudi Arabia and the Khashoggi incident, what Trump says makes no sense. Saudi Arabia is not going to cancel contracts and only has a negligible impact on the cost of oil and gas. Yet Trump promoted the awful cover story. He’s hiding something. There’s something there. He’s not protecting the crown prince; he’s protecting himself.”… > > [Trump at bay: failure looms as Democrats load 'subpoena cannon' | Donald Trump | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/25/donald-trump-democrats-subpoenas-house) I just wanted to highlight the Rick Tyler remarks found in the excellent article you linked. I think Tyler is exactly right. I wish media outlets would be as focused as this, in their coverage of Trump’s reaction to the Mueller probe—it would make the entire topic a lot more accessible to those who aren’t news junkies. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27482 "2018-11-25T23:05:08Z")
The US is[firing tear gas](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46339085) into Mexico at children. We are a horrible people. ---
**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 25, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27483 "2018-11-25T23:14:05Z")
> [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > But he’ll vote in line with Trump if it won’t lose him his seat. I expect Mitt’s fortitude will continue to not be derived from a genuine moral compass but the whims of the Mormons. To give them credit, their hatred of Trump and Trumpism is refreshing, especially given most other churches are being hugely, BIGLY, even, hypocritical. > [@asahi](#): > > Why? Why would you expect Romney to produce more withering criticism? What evidence do you have that he would? Mitt Romney is a money guy. Vulture capitalist? Let’s not go there for just a bit. Romney is the peer of guys like Michael Bloomberg. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hang out sometimes. They go about it through different means, but they both have the billionaire’s insight into how money works. I bet Romney can understand that George Soros is not some kind of Mephistophelian boogeyman, but just another guy with the billionaire’s insight into how money works. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hang out sometimes. Romney is arguably a peer of Jeff Bezos. Bezos out-Wal-Marted Wal-Mart to acquire a $100 billion net worth. He knows how commerce works, he does happen to own the Washington Post, but I doubt he is some kind of mad ideologue. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hang out sometimes. You could say that Mitt Romney isn’t really a billionaire, but ‘only’ half a billionaire. Maybe that is because he isn’t quite as smart about money, or maybe it is because of Mormon moral restraint, or maybe there is some other explanation. Still. I think Romney can go toe-to-toe with commercial law professor Elizabeth Warren when it comes to questions of how nation-scale economics actually function, as opposed to Trump’s peanut-gallery appeals to his GOP base from his position of fake, criminal TV billionaire. Speaking of whom, Romney is a peer of Donald Trump, in that they were both born with a silver spoon. Still, at least from my vantage point, it appears that Romney developed into a far more noble capitalist and may have a bone to pick, if not a Senatorial axe to grind, with the orange leader of the Crook Administration. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2018, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/27484 "2018-11-26T02:42:18Z")
While I am grateful for Romney’s advocacy of MassHealth, he’s only anti-Trump as long as his voters are. Between his voters and his own wallet? Perhaps there would be a conflict for that robot-in-human skin. He’s not against Trump because Trump is gauche and tacky and bad for America. He only has slightly more of a personal ideology than Trump. They both run on pleasing their base, but it happens to be that Romney voters aren’t disgusting shitbags. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1373) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1375)