# 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:** 1575
**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, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31485 "2019-03-31T03:17:25Z")
> [@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 Like the trade war with China and the government shutdown, it would take a while before people actually feel it across the entire economy. The ones immediately feeling it would most likely be right in deep red Texas, but also in New Mexico and California. Notice he said he might shut down ‘parts of the border’, which might mean he sticks it to Californians first and Texans later. So maybe he says Tijuana-San Diego’s closed. I mean Duncan Hunter might be pissed but fuck it, he’s already lost the House right? Trump wants to stick it to his tormentors – like Adam Schiff. ---
**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 31, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31486 "2019-03-31T03:21:34Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Like the trade war with China and the government shutdown, it would take a while before people actually feel it across the entire economy. The ones immediately feeling it would most likely be right in deep red Texas, but also in New Mexico and California. Notice he said he might shut down ‘parts of the border’, which might mean he sticks it to Californians first and Texans later. So maybe he says Tijuana-San Diego’s closed. I mean Duncan Hunter might be pissed but fuck it, he’s already lost the House right? Trump wants to stick it to his tormentors – like Adam Schiff. I can see this happening. He’d start out here in CA first. But can he really just shut it down without proving the “threat” and “caravans”? Let’s say he does do this. One federal judge to overturn it would be all it would take, no? ---
**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, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31487 "2019-03-31T03:26:59Z")
I’m surprised that more people aren’t talking about Trump’s new federal reserve nomination, Stephen Moore, who seems to have been nominated for the express purpose of putting wack-nut conspiracy theorists on what is arguably among the most important - if not _the_ most important - central banking institution on the planet. I’ve been pleasantly relieved at how effective and competent Jerome Powell has been, fearing that he would be the anti-Yellen. But he has been much better than expected, and he seems to have a good grasp on the economy at the macro level. This Moore bozo, OTOH, is a fucking incompetent nutcase jackass, who pitches his economic ideas not to economists, but to right wing shock jocks. > **[Stephen Moore, who once ran a political group fined $350,000, wants to take...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/stephen-moore-who-once-ran-a-political-group-fined-350000-wants-to-take-the-fed-in-a-direction-trump-supports/2019/03/28/889396f2-509c-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html?utm_term=.ceb2d20f7ad8)** > > Moore has not distanced himself from politics as he awaits confirmation to the Federal Reserve Board. ---
**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, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31488 "2019-03-31T04:11:06Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > 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. oh Jeez, you have a point. Trump’s approval rating was about 37, average, in the 2016 campaign. Hillary’s was about 42. And she lost. What I keep coming back to is the election turned on less than 100,000 votes in 3 states. Almost any other mainstream Democratic candidate would have won easily because they would not have had the negatives Hillary had. Her slogan, “I’m With Her” did not help. Not quite “Hope and Change” or “It’s Morning in America Again.” And certainly not “Let’s Make America Great Again.” And also because her entire campaign was, “Trump is bad, I am better.” And without the Comey memo and the news that ACA premiums were going to go up more than expected, both in the week before the election, she still would have won. So back to your point, unless the Democrats nominate a certified a fellow traveler they, I should we, should win even in this current economy. [https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president/clintontrumpfavorability.html](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president/clintontrumpfavorability.html) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31489 "2019-03-31T04:48:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I hope you’re right. Didn’t I read today that he’s celebrating 50% approval? And again, one should always remember that if Trump says that it is raining outside, you should always confirm it. > **[How Popular Is Donald Trump?](https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/?ex_cid=rrpromo)** > > FiveThirtyEight is tracking Donald Trump’s approval ratings throughout his presidency. As 538 noticed, after a week of the “good news” from Muller, Trump’s support remaining around 40-43% is noticeable, in that with other presidents their support should had gone up more significantly if one takes into account the propaganda support that other controversial presidents usually did not have. Instead, the support from Trump and his higher disaproval have remained very steady after the election. True, those levels still mean that Trump has a chance to be reelected, but with Trump becoming more unhinged with tariffs, the border, and towards Latin America, his chances of harming the US economy and lowering his approval increase. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31490 "2019-03-31T09:04:19Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > 5 trips. The internets are full lately of “what can you buy for x trips to Mar-a-Lago” memes. Link? > [@eschereal](#): > > Nice to see they are putting out more and more **I am an AssHole** identifiers so we can spot them from a distance. Do you seriously think the assholes who voted for Trump are bothered by that? They are happy to see it, and will vote for that asshole again. They want more assholes in more elective and appointed office. Why? Because they are assholes too. > [@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. That would require caring about them thar brown people. Yeah, I know they are not all brown, but does the bigot-in-chief and his minions know? > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Part of me really hopes he goes ahead and does it. Texas will vote Democrat for the next generation. Sadly, nothing seems to reach trumpeters except for some jackass bleating in public what they had been afraid for the last one generation to utter in public. > [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > oh Jeez, you have a point. Trump’s approval rating was about 37, average, in the 2016 campaign. Hillary’s was about 42. And she lost. > > What I keep coming back to is the election turned on less than 100,000 votes in 3 states. Almost any other mainstream Democratic candidate would have won easily because they would not have had the negatives Hillary had. > > Her slogan, “I’m With Her” did not help. Not quite “Hope and Change” or “It’s Morning in America Again.” And certainly not “Let’s Make America Great Again.” > > And also because her entire campaign was, “Trump is bad, I am better.” > > And without the Comey memo and the news that ACA premiums were going to go up more than expected, both in the week before the election, she still would have won. > > So back to your point, unless the Democrats nominate a certified a fellow traveler they, I should we, should win even in this current economy. > > [RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 Favorability Ratings](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president/clintontrumpfavorability.html) Look, Clinton beat the jackass with the popular vote. That is not why she lost the presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31491 "2019-03-31T14:52:27Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > And also because her entire campaign was, “Trump is bad, I am better.” I’ve seen this a lot (even on this board), and it’s a meme that’s already being attached to most of the entire current crop of Dems. Is there any evidence it is true, that it’s not an overly simple and lazy stereotype we perpetuate to make ourselves feel better? If anything, it’s always been the opposite. The Trump campaign website was light (when they didn’t contradict Trump’s campaign trail messaging) on policy details. The Clinton website heavy. Likewise during interviews and speeches, Trump has always actually been the one to sum things up simplistically while Clinton has always been known as a policy wonk. So, is this actually true or just some kind of public/media stereotype that ANY Democratic candidate will have to overcome? ---
**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 31, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31492 "2019-03-31T15:08:06Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > oh Jeez, you have a point. Trump’s approval rating was about 37, average, in the 2016 campaign. Hillary’s was about 42. And she lost. Hillary Clinton got more votes. The problem is we have a flawed democracy where somebody can come in second place and still be declared the winner. Don’t tell me about states rights. Any system which puts George W. Bush and Donald Trump in the White House is a system that isn’t working. ---
**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 31, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31493 "2019-03-31T22:29:39Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Trump is cutting off financial aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. For … reasons … to punish them for being poor, I guess. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez [tweets an image](https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1112453744761995265) of a Fox"News" broadcast showing the chiron “Trump Cuts U.S. Aid to 3 Mexican Countries”. Maybe this should go in that other thread, but it does belong here. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31494 "2019-03-31T23:21:48Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Ms. Ocasio-Cortez [tweets an image](https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1112453744761995265) of a Fox"News" broadcast showing the chiron “Trump Cuts U.S. Aid to 3 Mexican Countries”. > Maybe this should go in that other thread, but it does belong here. That was an actual Faux News crawl. Didn’t believe it at first, but Fox apologized for it. ---
**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, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31495 "2019-03-31T23:48:34Z")
Somebody please remind me of why thump wants to close the Mexican border. I can’t keep up. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31496 "2019-04-01T00:03:45Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Somebody please remind me of why thump wants to close the Mexican border. I can’t keep up. To increase the number of caravans that show up at the border. Be very afraid! ---
**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:** [April 1, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31497 "2019-04-01T00:14:02Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Somebody please remind me of why thump wants to close the Mexican border. I can’t keep up. He is cutting off aid in order to cause an increase in refugees at the border, so that a crisis will develop there, which he hopes to parlay into increased support from a broader range of the country and ride that support to re-election. In layman’s terms, he is putting another one of those red hotels on Queen’s-knight-4 while trying to roll a royal flush in the far turn without being offside. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31498 "2019-04-01T00:52:37Z")
Yeah, but if aid really is cut, it really will lead to more suffering in Central America. My cynical side thinks Trump’s base views that as a feature. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31499 "2019-04-01T01:00:16Z")
Yes, it is intended to make life worse for Central Americans. Trump needs more refugees to bolster support for his border emergency. He is following the example of Putin in Syria; create a wave of refugees aimed at Europe to destabilize Western governments. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31500 "2019-04-01T01:11:12Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Somebody please remind me of why thump wants to close the Mexican border. I can’t keep up. Neither can he. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31501 "2019-04-01T01:14:16Z")
Will they build more cages, or will it be more kids per cage? ---
**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:** [April 1, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31502 "2019-04-01T01:25:50Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Yes, it is intended to make life worse for Central Americans. Trump needs more refugees to bolster support for his border emergency. He is following the example of Putin in Syria; create a wave of refugees aimed at Europe to destabilize Western governments. You’ve put far more thought into this than Loser Donald has. He has one M.O. - demand that others do what he wants, and if they refuse, “punish” them until they change their minds. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2019, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31503 "2019-04-01T03:19:53Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > Will they build more cages, or will it be more kids per cage? That depends, how much money is the cage maker prepared to kick back ? ---
**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:** [April 1, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/31504 "2019-04-01T03:21:40Z")
Okay, y’all, but what is he telling his base that his reason is? I get that he wants to cause yet another crisis and distraction, but what is his overt, publicly stated reason for shutting the border? What is he _pretending_ the reason is? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1574) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1576)