# 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:** 1547
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30925 "2019-03-01T16:16:23Z")
Any bets on how long it’s going to take Trump to viciously attack Otto Warmbier’s parents? I’m thinking by the end of the weekend. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30926 "2019-03-01T17:04:19Z")
Oh, he will win the Peace Prize, just, maybe [not the one](https://www.improbable.com/ig/) he was expecting. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30927 "2019-03-01T18:20:50Z")
I wrote about this when it was still impending, but I can’t for the life of me remember which thread it was in, so I’m posting my “follow-up” here: [the 3 member board that hears federal worker disputes is now completely vacant](https://apnews.com/acf0f07f127b48759fed9bb0f667df54). > [@](#): > > The Merit Systems Protection Board, a quasi-judicial government body tasked with settling workplace disputes for millions of federal workers, is officially vacant for the first time in its 40-year history. > > The board became empty at midnight Thursday, after the Senate failed to act on a measure to extend the term of the board’s sole remaining member and acting chairman, Mark Robbins. The House approved the extension Monday. > > The three-member board needs at least two members to decide appeals from civil servants. All three members are presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed for staggered seven-year terms, with no more than two affiliated with the same political party. After one member termed out in 2015 and a second did so in January 2017, both without replacements, Robbins became the board’s sole member. His term expired at midnight on Feb. 28. And so here’s the problem(s): > [@](#): > > Robbins has been by himself on the board for more than two years. He’s diligently reviewed the nearly 2,000 cases that have come across his desk, but without a second member to cast a vote on a resolution, those cases have sat idle in a fast- growing backlog. With no members on the board, that backlog will keep growing. > > Without a quorum, Robbins hasn’t been able to fulfill other MSPB duties, including releasing studies on the civil service and conducting reviews of the rules and regulations at OPM, over which the MSPB has oversight. > > Robbins on Thursday told a House Committee on Oversight and Reform subcommittee that he expects it would take three years to clear the backlog. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30928 "2019-03-01T18:31:52Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I wrote about this when it was still impending, but I can’t for the life of me remember which thread it was in, so I’m posting my “follow-up” here: [the 3 member board that hears federal worker disputes is now completely vacant](https://apnews.com/acf0f07f127b48759fed9bb0f667df54).And so here’s the problem(s): Wow! That’s pathetic. And typical for this current administration, of course… ---
**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:** [March 3, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30929 "2019-03-03T02:44:18Z")
Tweet from Robert Reich > [@](#): > > Robert Reich > ‏Verified account @RBReich > > Trump on world leaders: > May: “Wrecked” > Trudeau: “Dishonest & weak” > Merkel: “Controlled by Russia” > Abe: “I remember Pearl Harbor” > Macron: “Low Approval” > > Trump on authoritarians: > Kim: “Real leader” > Putin: “Very smart” > > What an embarrassment. > 1:58 PM - 1 Mar 2019 ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30930 "2019-03-03T04:04:11Z")
I was listening to my local NPR station, and they had a squib from the BBC reporting on world financial news. The BBC announcer was speaking of the current administration, and referred to “President Chump, er Trump.” ---
**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:** [March 3, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30931 "2019-03-03T17:12:23Z")
Weekend Update [mocks Individual-1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuGuqHeEmnk&t=2m46s) using his own words. Fake News! I hear SNL is laying off writers, because, who needs them? ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30932 "2019-03-04T02:19:19Z")
Individual 1’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was forged. Twice. And it has been referred to the Oslo Police and the FBI. [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/eu](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/eu) rope/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30933 "2019-03-04T02:35:08Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was forged. Twice. > > And it has been referred to the Oslo Police and the FBI. > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/europe/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/europe/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html) Fixed the link for you. 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30934 "2019-03-04T03:30:21Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Fixed the link for you. 🙂 Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30935 "2019-03-04T04:14:47Z")
Richard Nixon is the happiest dead president ever. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30936 "2019-03-04T05:45:05Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was forged. Twice. > > And it has been referred to the Oslo Police and the FBI. The authorities have identified John Barron as a person of interest. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30937 "2019-03-04T07:40:33Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Wow! That’s pathetic. And typical for this current administration, of course… Man, I kinda pity the next guy in the seat. It’s going to feel like Augeas’ stables. “Wait, he’s turned that to shit too ?!” “Yes sir. Three coats. Sorry sir.” ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30938 "2019-03-04T09:58:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The authorities have identified John Barron as a person of interest. [In a phone interview on Wednesday](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/europe/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html), Mr. Njolstad of the Nobel committee, said, “We verify all nominations, at least the ones with a shadow of doubt.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Render](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Grim\_Render](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Render)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30939 "2019-03-04T10:07:27Z")
Thats sad. I mean the number of people who may nominate candidates is pretty enormous. Having to fake a nomination is just…sad. Did the fake contain the word “covfefe”? ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30940 "2019-03-04T11:06:39Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > [In a phone interview on Wednesday](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/europe/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html), Mr. Njolstad of the Nobel committee, said, “We verify all nominations, at least the ones with a shadow of doubt.” 😃 “The sleazy and conflicted Nobel Peace Prize committee denying my “win” for the Great progress Trump has achieved, while giving O a victory (investigate?), is a Fake Award! VERY BAD!” ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30941 "2019-03-04T11:52:33Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > “The sleazy and conflicted Nobel Peace Prize committee denying my “win” for the Great progress Trump has achieved, while giving O a victory (investigate?), is a Fake Award! VERY BAD!” You are getting disturbingly good at this. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30942 "2019-03-04T14:10:55Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was forged. Twice. > > And it has been referred to the Oslo Police and the FBI. > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/eu](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/eu) > rope/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html A little off topic, but the former chairman of the Nobel Committee has the coolest name: Thorbjorn Jagland. “Thunderbear.” ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30943 "2019-03-04T14:22:26Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was forged. Twice. > > And it has been referred to the Oslo Police and the FBI. > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/eu](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/world/eu) > rope/nobel-peace-prize-trump-fake-nomination.html This story is a year old, FYI. ---
**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:** [March 4, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/30944 "2019-03-04T14:27:48Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > This story is a year old, FYI. Which would explain why this year he badgered Abe into submitting the nomination. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1546) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1548)