# 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:** 1495
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29885 "2019-01-23T20:49:00Z")
Hey, people, I have suddenly become terrified. I was poring over a bit of parchment, looking at that part that says “_He shall from time to time …_” etc, etc. That clause ends with a semicolon, and is followed by another clause that **no one ever quotes** , _… he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper;_ The president may have the nominal authority to board up Congress. This is very scary, if anyone happens to notice it in there. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29886 "2019-01-23T20:54:20Z")
[Good job](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NiceJobBreakingItHero), **eschereal**. You just brought it to their attention. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29887 "2019-01-23T21:03:15Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s going to devolve to and hand-scrawled note that reads: > > NANCY > > DO YOU LIKE ME I AM REALLY TREMENDOUS A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY SO > > YES > > NO You forgot option 3: MAYBE At least that how we statistically minded grade schoolers did it. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29888 "2019-01-23T21:04:52Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Hey, people, I have suddenly become terrified. > > I was poring over a bit of parchment, looking at that part that says “_He shall from time to time …_” etc, etc. That clause ends with a semicolon, and is followed by another clause that **no one ever quotes** , > > _… he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper;_ > > The president may have the nominal authority to board up Congress. This is very scary, if anyone happens to notice it in there. I’m assuming that the "“in case of disagreeement” clause is significant. If House and Senate agree as to when the session ends (and they always do) the President has no authority to decide for them. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29889 "2019-01-23T21:06:50Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [After House Blocks SOTU, Trump Announces "Alternative" Event](https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capital-region/politics/2019/01/23/trump-letter-to-pelosi-state-of-the-union) > > But then, she has since sent him another letter saying No. The co-author (in actuality, the sole author) of Art of the Deal thinks that [the SOTU is Trump’s biggest weakness.](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-tony-schwartz-art-of-the-deal-shutdown_us_5c484372e4b025aa26be7e3c) He’ll cave on the shutdown rather than miss an opportunity to bloviate in front of an audience, 50% of whom will applaud. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29890 "2019-01-23T21:12:30Z")
Fifty percent of the audience for the SOTU? What’s that, like, thirty? ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29891 "2019-01-23T21:16:04Z")
Somebody, in one of these threads, mentioned that Dotard didn’t have an insulting nickname for Pelosi. Today, he… well, he tried: > > [@](#): > > TRUMP: “Nancy Pelosi, or Nancy, as I call her, doesn’t want to hear the truth.” IOW, his nickname for Nancy Pelosi is… Nancy. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29892 "2019-01-23T21:17:03Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Fifty percent of the audience for the SOTU? What’s that, like, thirty? I was thinking of the ones physically in the room – the ones whose applause would feed Trump’s ego. So that’s 535 legislators, plus cabinet, Supremes, JCS, staff, guests, invited inspirational story props, hangers-on, lackeys & toadies. The TV audience…yeah, 30 may be about right. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29893 "2019-01-23T21:27:00Z")
An 8% drop in approval in a single month: > **[AP-NORC poll: 6 in 10 Americans blame Trump for shutdown](https://apnews.com/dad8086738a64b4ba78c0404d5d04e79)** > > WASHINGTON (AP) — A strong majority of Americans blame President Donald Trump for the record-long government shutdown and reject his primary rationale for a border wall, according to a new poll that shows the turmoil in Washington is dragging his... “Overall, 34 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance in a survey conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s down from 42 percent a month earlier and nears the lowest mark of his two-year presidency. The president’s approval among Republicans remains close to 80 percent, but his standing with independents is among its lowest points of his time in office.” That last line contains a bit of info… Republican support dropped below 80%, expanded upon here: “Trump may be popular overall with Republicans, but a sizable share holds him responsible for the current situation. Almost 3 in 10 Republicans think Trump bears a great deal of responsibility, while 73 percent of his party says he’s at least partly responsible.” ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29894 "2019-01-23T22:28:38Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I was thinking of the ones physically in the room – the ones whose applause would feed Trump’s ego. So that’s 535 legislators, plus cabinet, Supremes, JCS, staff, guests, invited inspirational story props, hangers-on, lackeys & toadies. > > The TV audience…yeah, 30 may be about right. As I said in the Elections thread, The Speaker controls the broadcasting so she could let him deliver the SOTU but refuse him a TV audience. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29895 "2019-01-23T22:35:47Z")
Oh but that would be petty. And hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29896 "2019-01-23T22:52:30Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > An 8% drop in approval in a single month: > > [AP-NORC poll: 6 in 10 Americans blame Trump for shutdown | AP News](https://apnews.com/dad8086738a64b4ba78c0404d5d04e79) I wonder why this AP/NORC poll isn’t included in [FiveThirtyEight’s aggregation](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo)? Their adjusted average is 39.3%, which is a 3% drop over the past month. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29897 "2019-01-23T22:54:31Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I wonder why this AP/NORC poll isn’t included in [FiveThirtyEight’s aggregation](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo)? > > Their adjusted average is 39.3%, which is a 3% drop over the past month. It is. Click on “Show more polls.” It’s the one from Jan 16-20. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29898 "2019-01-23T23:00:48Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > It is. Click on “Show more polls.” It’s the one from Jan 16-20. Thanks! Though I could have sworn it wasn’t there earlier - maybe it was just added (I think the list of polls is in the order of the date the poll data was taken, not when they were published). ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29899 "2019-01-23T23:18:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Their adjusted average is 39.3%, which is a 3% drop over the past month. Technically, using actual math, if you go back about 5 weeks, when he was at +42.5%, it works out to a 7.5% drop (3.3 _percentage points_, as a percentage of 42.5). ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29900 "2019-01-23T23:24:12Z")
The RCP aggregate now has his disapproval at 55.8%, highest since January 12, 2018. Approval is at 40.8%, Lowest since a quick dip to 40.6% on Sept 11, 2018 or going back to another dip in March. The government shutdown is not being kind to Trump’s numbers. Expect a temper tantrum in the Whitehouse. No wonder his communications staff have basically barricaded themselves in their offices. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29901 "2019-01-23T23:30:25Z")
Rasmussen polls is widely believed to have a pro-Republican bias. That being said, the most recent of their polls has Trump at 56% disapprove. This is the highest disapproval number for Trump in Rasmussen since 23 Jan 2018. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29902 "2019-01-23T23:44:25Z")
A theater in Oakland is showing **The Manchurian Candidate** in a response to Trump being a foreign agent. [https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/oakland-theater-owner-citing-trump-screens-manchurian-candidate-for-free](https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/oakland-theater-owner-citing-trump-screens-manchurian-candidate-for-free)? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29903 "2019-01-23T23:44:56Z")
As Benjamin Wittes pointed out today, the thing to keep in mind is that only one president in he last seventy-five years has polled lower than Trump at this point in his first term. Two years later Ronald Reagan went on to lose all but 49 states. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/29904 "2019-01-24T00:15:48Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > As Benjamin Wittes pointed out today, the thing to keep in mind is that only one president in he last seventy-five years has polled lower than Trump at this point in his first term. > > Two years later Ronald Reagan went on to lose all but 49 states. Except, Reagan showed an approval rating in the positive range (\>50%) for nearly the entire first year of his presidency, while CFSG has _never_ polled above the brief 47.8% spike 5 days after his inauguration (per 538). Between mid May '17 and mid January '18, CFSG never rose above 40%, which is a consistent suckfulness that not even Ford was able to maintain. CFSG has _been down so goddam long that it looks like up_ to him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1494) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1496)