# 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:** 1574
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31465 "2019-03-30T00:18:12Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Does such a thing exist? Excellent point. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31466 "2019-03-30T00:50:41Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > The sad thing is that this isn’t all that unbelievable. As the saying goes, never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. I think it’s likely that they thought they could slash a few dollars here and there and no one would care no one would notice… But people noticed. Trump panicked. Reverse course. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31467 "2019-03-30T01:01:44Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > As the saying goes, never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. > > I think it’s likely that they thought they could slash a few dollars here and there and no one would care no one would notice… But people noticed. Trump panicked. Reverse course. I do think that this is the much more likely explanation, but **Sherrerd’s** isn’t completely unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31468 "2019-03-30T14:39:51Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > As the saying goes, never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. > > I think it’s likely that they thought they could slash a few dollars here and there and no one would care no one would notice… But people noticed. Trump panicked. Reverse course. It’s also possible this is standard Trump MO–he starts a dumpster fire and then wants the credit for putting it out. However, this administration is so dysfunctional, the right hand often doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and they may have really wanted to cut the funding. Was it $18 million? Isn’t that like what Trump spends in a month going to Mar-a-Lago or his other properties? ---
**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 30, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31469 "2019-03-30T18:09:17Z")
Individual 1’s campaign is selling “Pencil Neck Adam Schiff” t-shirts > **[Trump campaign hawks "Pencil-neck Adam Schiff" T-shirts](https://www.vox.com/2019/3/30/18288148/trump-pencil-neck-adam-schiff-t-shirts)** > > Republicans want the House Intelligence Committee chair to resign. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31470 "2019-03-30T19:11:41Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > Was it $18 million? Isn’t that like what Trump spends in a month going to Mar-a-Lago or his other properties? 5 trips. The internets are full lately of “what can you buy for x trips to Mar-a-Lago” memes. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31471 "2019-03-30T19:27:36Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1’s campaign is selling “Pencil Neck Adam Schiff” t-shirts > [Trump campaign’s newest T-shirt targets “pencil-neck Adam Schiff” - Vox](https://www.vox.com/2019/3/30/18288148/trump-pencil-neck-adam-schiff-t-shirts) Be Best ---
**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 30, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31472 "2019-03-30T19:33:46Z")
Nice to see they are putting out more and more **I am an AssHole** identifiers so we can spot them from a distance. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31473 "2019-03-30T19:49:55Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Nice to see they are putting out more and more **I am an AssHole** identifiers so we can spot them from a distance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31474 "2019-03-31T00:01:56Z")
Trump is cutting off financial aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. For … reasons … to punish them for being poor, I guess. A more far-sighted approach would be to do just the opposite: take the billions we’re pissing away on “border security” and create a Marshall Plan for Central America, so maybe their citizens will be more inclined to stay home, if it’s safe and secure and prosperous. But no one ever accused this administration of being far-sighted. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31475 "2019-03-31T00:04:13Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > …you’d think they’d want a racist who possessed some fundamental self-esteem. … > [@davidm](#): > > Does such a thing exist? Well, if I were writing that post now I’d avoid “fundamental self-esteem” because it does imply ‘good emotional health,’ and I agree that you’re not going to see that in a person who holds racist beliefs—which require a substantial amount of motivated reasoning and willful ignorance to maintain. However, I do think there are probably some racists who are not like Donald in the particular sense of being _needy_. They are able to stew in their own hate-filled juices, without requiring other people to continually tell them how awesome they are. It’s not emotional health by any means. But it’s fair to say that people who desperately demand constant validation from those around them, have a mental illness of a particular type, which may or may not overlap with being a hatemonger. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31476 "2019-03-31T00:08:38Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Trump is cutting off financial aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. For … reasons … to punish them for being poor, I guess. > > A more far-sighted approach would be to do just the opposite: take the billions we’re pissing away on “border security” and create a Marshall Plan for Central America, so maybe their citizens will be more inclined to stay home, if it’s safe and secure and prosperous. But no one ever accused this administration of being far-sighted. Of course you’re right about the more productive approach. But Trump and his people aren’t interested in solving the problems created by poor and brutal Central American states. They are interested in acquiring a pretext for stationing more US troops within the US, then moving to a declaration of martial law due to some new ‘crisis’ which is more convincing (i.e. provides more dramatic video footage) than the ‘crisis’ we have right now. How do you expect Trump to remain in office on that indefinite basis which will keep him safe from indictment, if he can’t declare martial law? ^Rhetorical question; I know you weren’t arguing that. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31477 "2019-03-31T00:11:51Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Trump is cutting off financial aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. For … reasons … to punish them for being poor, I guess. > > A more far-sighted approach would be to do just the opposite: take the billions we’re pissing away on “border security” and create a Marshall Plan for Central America, so maybe their citizens will be more inclined to stay home, if it’s safe and secure and prosperous. But no one ever accused this administration of being far-sighted. But but but… If people in other countries die, that makes Trumpers feel good about themselves. I’m completely serious here. Trumper’s version of "Make America Great is when they have one moldy potato, and the other guy has half a moldy potato. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31478 "2019-03-31T00:17:35Z")
Just saw Trump today saying that shutting down the border would be good for the economy because of our trade deficit with Mexico. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31479 "2019-03-31T00:32:50Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > Just saw Trump today saying that shutting down the border would be good for the economy because of our trade deficit with Mexico. Part of me really hopes he goes ahead and does it. Texas will vote Democrat for the next generation. ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31480 "2019-03-31T00:43:00Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Part of me really hopes he goes ahead and does it. Texas will vote Democrat for the next generation. I hope he does do it. Well, I don’t want people to be hurt economically. But it would not last long, I just read that $1 billion a day comes over, a lot of it groceries. Let people go the the grocery store and not be able to find a tomato for a couple of days. I’ve said before that I don’t see what could happen to cause his approval rating to go up, this is one of many things that could cause it do go down ---
**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 31, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31481 "2019-03-31T00:53:45Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > I hope he does do it. Well, I don’t want people to be hurt economically. But it would not last long, I just read that $1 billion a day comes over, a lot of it groceries. Let people go the the grocery store and not be able to find a tomato for a couple of days. I’ve said before that I don’t see what could happen to cause his approval rating to go up, this is one of many things that could cause it do go down But, don’t you see, it will NEVER be thump’s fault. It will be Obummer and Crooked Hillary. Donald is TRYING to MAGA, but his enemies keep obstructing him. THERE’S your obstruction!! ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31482 "2019-03-31T01:45:57Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > But, don’t you see, it will NEVER be thump’s fault. It will be Obummer and Crooked Hillary. Donald is TRYING to MAGA, but his enemies keep obstructing him. THERE’S your obstruction!! Don’t you mean Killary? I’m not talking about the MAGA hat wearing morons. They are about 25% (or whatever the exact number is) of his 42% approval rating. The rest depends on the economy, stupid (I’m just joshing you). ---
**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 31, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31483 "2019-03-31T02:38:05Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > Don’t you mean Killary? I’m not talking about the MAGA hat wearing morons. They are about 25% (or whatever the exact number is) of his 42% approval rating. The rest depends on the economy, stupid (I’m just joshing you). I hope you’re right. Didn’t I read today that he’s celebrating 50% approval? ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31484 "2019-03-31T03:14:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I hope you’re right. Didn’t I read today that he’s celebrating 50% approval? It’s somewhere between 40-45% according to the latest 538 aggregate poll I recall seeing, which was yesterday I believe. But I’ll say this: don’t confuse approval/disapproval with voting. Trump can win with 40-45% approval rating - he’s essentially already done it. And he could do it again. If people think Bernie Sanders or some other Democratic candidate is cookoo for coco puffs, Trump will win unless the economy’s in the shitter - then all bets are off. But right now? I think Trump has an excellent shot at reelection, as much as I absolutely detest saying it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1573) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1575)