# 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:** 1601
**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 15, 2019, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32005 "2019-04-15T05:45:51Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > I think Trump has gone insane, right? He said he has no idea what wikileaks is. But their are tons of clips of him proclaiming how much he loves wikileaks. He was always a liar but this is too much. Non compos mentis ; he needs to be removed. He’s not insane, he’s just trying to gaslight y’all. Plus he knows it doesn’t matter one iota what he says. Nobody cares enough to do anything about his routine, blatant, open lying/trolling. He’s insulting your collective intelligence, and you guys keep taking it. [Roy Wood Jr.]Like a _bitch_.[/RWJr] ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32006 "2019-04-15T07:38:54Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I have a hard time imagining god’s meme game to be on point. It’s probably the whole god=dad cultural imprint, but I think he’d be the kind of guy that’d think an “All Ur Base” reference is still cool and rad. > That being said, I also expect the following to happen : > > - Hey, what the !? Where am I ? What hap… Oh. I’m dead, aren’t I ? > - I GREET THEE, DEADAREN’TI. I AM THE LORD THY GOD. _a booming chuckle shakes the clouds, lasting for quite some time_ _St Peter just shakes his head, we exchange significant glances, he sighs and shrugs with a “watayagonnado” look_ I think you might like the [José Luis Martín version](http://www.comicoff.es/la-biblia-contada-los-pasotas/), but I don’t think it’s available in French 🙂 ---
**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:** [April 15, 2019, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32007 "2019-04-15T10:24:56Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > I think Trump has gone insane, right? He said he has no idea what wikileaks is. But their are tons of clips of him proclaiming how much he loves wikileaks. He was always a liar but this is too much. Non compos mentis ; he needs to be removed. As Kobal says, it’s called gaslighting. This is far from the first time that we’ve had clear, indisputable evidence of him saying something only to have him deny ever saying it. Trump creates his own reality. He had a lot of experience doing this as an entertainer and also by being a real estate scam artist. And there is no way conservatives are going to remove him because he’s doing everything that they want him to do, namely destroying democracy and the federal government’s role in providing infrastructure and services to the general public. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2019, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32008 "2019-04-15T12:18:11Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > As Kobal says, it’s called gaslighting. This is far from the first time that we’ve had clear, indisputable evidence of him saying something only to have him deny ever saying it. Trump creates his own reality. He had a lot of experience doing this as an entertainer and also by being a real estate scam artist. From his business experience, one doesn’t call out one’s employer when he lies. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32009 "2019-04-15T14:43:06Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > I dunno: the last shutdown, the separation of families at the border, the appointment of judges for (among other things) the eventual repeal of _Roe vs. Wade_…maybe a couple of other thingies…that might not exactly qualify as harmless. > [@Nava](#): > > I think that by “this time” **Buck** may have been referring to all the shit from the last two years, rather than merely from the last two days. Everything you mention is from Mr There Is Very Fine People On Both Sides. I was mostly talking about the last two days. Yes Trump, and others, have caused a great deal of harm to the United States but everything in the past had at least a fig leaf of respectability. Yes they want to punish women for having sex, and as far as the splitting up children, that was only targeting non-citizens. The thing that I see that came closest was probably the revocation of the state income tax deduction, but that had at least the window dressing of closing a tax loophole. This is the first example I’ve seen where a president came out and stated that the purpose of his proposal was to cause damage to a city in the United States. Its just like the Christie highway shut down, but at least Christie had enough of a sense of shame to try to hide it. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32010 "2019-04-15T15:20:37Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I guess that means Individual 1 isn’t smart enough to understand them either, amirite? That’s why he hires only the best to do them. You know – the kind of accountant who when asked, “How much is two plus two,” leans forward and says quietly, “How much do you want it to be?” ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32011 "2019-04-15T15:36:46Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > …The thing that I see that came closest was probably the revocation of the state income tax deduction, but that had at least the window dressing of closing a tax loophole. I’m probably a little oversensitive about this considering the fact that this change is screwing over people like me, but eliminating this deduction was in no way “closing a tax loophole.” Eliminating or reducing the deduction means that taxpayers are being taxed on the same income twice. Until 2018, the SALT deduction has been around as long as there has been a federal income tax (i.e. [since 1913](https://smartasset.com/taxes/trumps-plan-to-eliminate-the-state-and-local-tax-deduction-explained)). In fact, there was a time when federal tax rates were [so high](https://bradfordtaxinstitute.com/Free_Resources/Federal-Income-Tax-Rates.aspx) (a top rate as high as 94% in WWII, and still as high as 70% up through the 1970s), that you could easily have had a situation were the combined tax rate of federal, state, and local taxes could exceed 100%, which makes absolutely no sense. In this situation, it would actually penalize you to make over a certain income. Which is why is makes sense to be able to deduct the money paid for state and local taxes. You never see the money, and there is nothing you can do to eliminate it (unlike, for example, the deduction for mortgage interest). Why does it make sense to include this in your federal income (or conversely, why shouldn’t you be able to deduct this from your income for federal taxes, like you’ve been able to do for the last 100+ years)? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32012 "2019-04-15T16:25:57Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > I think Trump has gone insane, right? He said he has no idea what wikileaks is. But their are tons of clips of him proclaiming how much he loves wikileaks. He was always a liar but this is too much. Non compos mentis ; he needs to be removed. He has stated, on camera, that he doesn’t stand behind anything he says. Said it to a reporter in the goddamned Oval Office. With a goddamned smirk on his face. ---
**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 15, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32013 "2019-04-15T17:13:05Z")
I preferred the other normal to the [one we have](https://news.yahoo.com/donald-trump-boeing-fix-737-130915855.html), _**What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name. No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?**_ He should probably not be putting that question out there for us. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32014 "2019-04-15T17:33:45Z")
Pure genius! Why wouldn’t “slap a coat of paint on it and change the name” work as well for commercial aircraft as it does for rattrap apartments? ---
**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 15, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32015 "2019-04-15T18:02:28Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Pure genius! Why wouldn’t “slap a coat of paint on it and change the name” work as well for commercial aircraft as it does for rattrap apartments? And give the planes a name that already has some weight in the marketplace. Like “McDonald’s” or “Coca-Cola.” Yeah, that’s the ticket. ---
**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 15, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32016 "2019-04-15T18:12:02Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Pure genius! Why wouldn’t “slap a coat of paint on it and change the name” work as well for commercial aircraft as it does for rattrap apartments? I love that tweet althemore because, aside from the actual commonsense stuff (i.e. “fix what’s wrong with the plane”), the rest of the advice boils down to “and just try to deceive your customers”. Which is what rebranding boils down to. And that’s OK ! It’s capitalism, folks, and it works ! And it’s the best system there is, because… something something profit margin ? Possibly ? ---
**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:** [April 15, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32017 "2019-04-15T18:17:18Z")
Federal judge overturns Individual 1’s decree to deport Haitian immigrants. Kuntz said the plaintiffs offered persuasive evidence that the policy change was motivated by ‘‘a discriminatory purpose of removing non-white immigrants to the country.’’ > **[Second federal judge blocks Trump plan to send Haitians home - The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2019/04/14/second-federal-judge-blocks-trump-plan-send-haitians-home/RCmGenYMMdB1Y2pbIyEDPO/story.html)** > > A second federal judge has blocked the Department of Homeland Security from forcing tens of thousands of Haitians to return to their native country. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32018 "2019-04-15T18:27:56Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Pure genius! Why wouldn’t “slap a coat of paint on it and change the name” work as well for commercial aircraft as it does for rattrap apartments? Well, it worked\* for him before: > **[Trump Shuttle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Shuttle)** > > Trump Shuttle, Inc. was an airline owned by businessman Donald Trump from 1989 to 1992. The landing rights and some of the physical assets necessary to operate the shuttle flights were originally part of Eastern Air Lines and known as the Eastern Air Lines Shuttle. It operated hourly flights on Boeing 727 aircraft from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Boston Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., as well as char... \*Meaning: It lasted 3 years until Trump defaulted on the loans. But he did buy a bunch of old airplanes, slapped some paint on them, and called them his own. ---
**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 15, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32019 "2019-04-15T19:00:01Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I think you might like the [José Luis Martín version](http://www.comicoff.es/la-biblia-contada-los-pasotas/), but I don’t think it’s available in French 🙂 I looked it up, but yeah, there doesn’t seem to be a translation out there. And I’ll be honest, while I still list Spanish as a “spoken” language on my CV because high school, if a joke doesn’t hinge on some hilarious variation of “¿Donde esta la zapateria?” or “Yo soy el teniente coronel de la Guardia Civil. ¿Tú, quién eres?”, it’s going to be lost on me :o. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32020 "2019-04-16T00:09:53Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I’m probably a little oversensitive about this considering the fact that this change is screwing over people like me, but eliminating this deduction was in no way “closing a tax loophole.” Eliminating or reducing the deduction means that taxpayers are being taxed on the same income twice. You’re a little confused…The only known example of income ever being taxed twice is the “death tax” (never mind that much of the income is unrealized capital gains that have never been taxed before the person dies). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32021 "2019-04-16T01:34:36Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I love that tweet althemore because, aside from the actual commonsense stuff (i.e. “fix what’s wrong with the plane”), the rest of the advice boils down to “and just try to deceive your customers”. Which is what rebranding boils down to. And that’s OK ! It’s capitalism, folks, and it works ! And it’s the best system there is, because… something something profit margin ? Possibly ? My favorite part was “No product has suffered like this one.” More than 350 people dead, and this mook’s biggest worry is product reputation. Ah well, to quote a line I heard in a movie once, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32022 "2019-04-16T02:46:29Z")
> [@jshore](#): > > You’re a little confused…The only known example of income ever being taxed twice is the “death tax” (never mind that much of the income is unrealized capital gains that have never been taxed before the person dies). 😃 Exactly. We’ve been listening for years to Republicans bleating that the estate tax (aka the “death tax”) constitutes double taxation as if it were the worst thing imaginable (which it really doesn’t, as you state), and the first thing they do when they get unified control of the government is to institute an actual double taxation scheme (that just happens to also preferentially impact blue states to a large extent). …And which also increases the deficit and the national debt (because of the massive tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals), despite the fact that supposedly fiscally responsible people like Paul Ryan spent most of their careers “proselytizing about the danger of budget deficits and the national debt.” The hypocrisy is [truly stunning](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/17/politics/paul-ryan-deficits-debt/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32023 "2019-04-16T03:18:21Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I’m probably a little oversensitive about this considering the fact that this change is screwing over people like me, but eliminating this deduction was in no way “closing a tax loophole.” Eliminating or reducing the deduction means that taxpayers are being taxed on the same income twice. It could be worse. My clients are getting taxed on _ **my** _ income. Imagine a non personal injury case I have on contigency fee. I work really hard and earn my 33% fee. My client is happy we prevailed and is happy with my fee. However, due to tax laws I don’t understand, she has to pay taxes on the entire $100,000. I have to pay taxes on $33,000. She can’t deduct the amount she pays me as an expense. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2019, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/32024 "2019-04-16T03:22:27Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > My favorite part was “No product has suffered like this one.” More than 350 people dead, and this mook’s biggest worry is product reputation. Ah well, to quote a line I heard in a movie once, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I thought it was going to be a parody tweet, making fun of Trump’s whole, “No President has ever suffered more than me!” schtick. I assume that he wrote it himself as a parody of himself. Ah, Trump, if only you had other talents than hamming it up… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1600) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1602)