# 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:** 1675
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33485 "2019-06-11T18:17:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Trolling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing)) ‘is a method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures or bait fish, are drawn through the water.’ > > Hence, ‘internet troll’. The fact that the term coincidentally also describes their appearance and hygiene is just a bonus. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33486 "2019-06-11T18:38:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Trolling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolling_(fishing)) ‘is a method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures or bait fish, are drawn through the water.’ > > Hence, ‘internet troll’. Huh. I didn’t know that. I always thought “trolling” came from the mythical beast, and the fishing technique was “trawling”. I never knew there was also a fishing technique called “trolling”. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33487 "2019-06-11T19:42:52Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Huh. I didn’t know that. I always thought “trolling” came from the mythical beast, and the fishing technique was “trawling”. I never knew there was also a fishing technique called “trolling”. Thanks. Trawling is dragging a net through the water. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33488 "2019-06-11T20:09:34Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Trawling is dragging a net through the water. Yeah, I knew that trawling was a fishing thing, but I didn’t realize trolling was as well. I always thought the “internet asshole” meaning had started as the noun “troll”, to describe an unpleasant character who would come out from under the figurative bridge to cause trouble before slouching off again, and then the noun was verbed into “trolling”. The fishing etymology makes more sense. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33489 "2019-06-11T20:43:50Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > The fact that the term coincidentally also describes their appearance and hygiene is just a bonus. 😃 "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a thread in possession of a serious topic, must be in want of a troll. " ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33490 "2019-06-11T21:56:52Z")
A couple of stories have crossed my mind today because it seems that Russia is becoming more provocative. 2 warships nearly collide: > **[Russia and US warships almost collide in East China Sea](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48553568)** > > The USS Chancellorsville and the Admiral Vinogradov came close to collision in the western Pacific. Russia publicly releases video showing them intercepting spy aircraft: > **[Russia intercepts US, Swedish spy planes over Baltic Sea | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/politics/russia-us-sweden-jets/index.html)** > > Russia intercepted US and Swedish reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea on Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced, the latest in a series of similar encounters occurring at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. These are the 2 that I thought of immediately. Is Russia trying to force Trump’s hand? Suppose there is an international incident - what if the 2 ships _had_ collided? How would Trump handle himself during this sort of Crisis? If Trump responds aggressively then would Putin will make him look like a fool on the world stage? If Trump capitulates would that make him look weak to our soldiers at home? Dare I ask, would Trump prevail in this sort of statesmanship? Is Russia purposely trying to provoke action? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33491 "2019-06-11T22:08:19Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > A couple of stories have crossed my mind today because it seems that Russia is becoming more provocative. > > 2 warships nearly collide: > [Russia and US warships almost collide in East China Sea](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48553568) > > Russia publicly releases video showing them intercepting spy aircraft: > [https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/politics/russia-us-sweden-jets/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/politics/russia-us-sweden-jets/index.html) > > These are the 2 that I thought of immediately. Is Russia trying to force Trump’s hand? > > Suppose there is an international incident - what if the 2 ships _had_ collided? How would Trump handle himself during this sort of Crisis? If Trump responds aggressively then would Putin will make him look like a fool on the world stage? If Trump capitulates would that make him look weak to our soldiers at home? Dare I ask, would Trump prevail in this sort of statesmanship? Is Russia purposely trying to provoke action? Only a guess on my part, but I think Russia is sending Trump a message: “We can push our influence in your elections whatever way we wish to. We can move support toward you or away from you. Don’t forget to do our bidding, else we’ll reconsider which way we fuck with your elections in 2020.” ---
**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:** [June 11, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33492 "2019-06-11T22:19:23Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > Only a guess on my part, but I think Russia is sending Trump a message: “We can push our influence in your elections whatever way we wish to. We can move support toward you or away from you. Don’t forget to do our bidding, else we’ll reconsider which way we fuck with your elections in 2020.” Nah, Russia doesn’t need to send a message to Trump; they’re sending a message to the American military, and it is this: **We can fuck with you because your Commander in Chief is our bitch.** ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33493 "2019-06-11T22:26:52Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Nah, Russia doesn’t need to send a message to Trump; they’re sending a message to the American military, and it is this: **We can fuck with you because your Commander in Chief is our bitch.** I honestly think that’s the test. Is Russia trying to prove to the military that Trump is an incompetent leader? I know Trump knows more than all of his Generals (probably combined), but what happens when something happens? ---
**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:** [June 11, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33494 "2019-06-11T22:47:31Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > I honestly think that’s the test. Is Russia trying to prove to the military that Trump is an incompetent leader? I know Trump knows more than all of his Generals (probably combined), but what happens when something happens? Think about it. Russia and specifically Vladimir Putin has been vexed at American power since coming into power. He has watched helplessly as the American military and political machine essentially encircled Russia, put missile batteries in Eastern Europe, invaded Iraq, invaded Iran. And before that, it helped tear down the Iron Curtain, and was involved in Bosnia against Serbs. But the real kicker was the Magnitsky Act, which went after the mechanisms by which the Putin regime spreads its money around the world, not only to hide money outside the country but also to influence politics (including ours). Economically, Russia has been no match for the United States, but they figured out that they could exploit the American political system by using dark money, and also through a campaign of grassroots misinformation. This looks like merely political meddling, but it’s far more than that - this is military strategy from the top, from the man himself. What did Russia win when Trump won the White House? Many things, but consider the fact that Trump has repeatedly, again and again, discredited his own national intelligence services. For fucks sake, he now has hired an attorney general turned Cromwell (who himself represented Russian interests, I might add) and he is now using state power to investigate the investigators. Thus, Putin, via Trump, is effectively neutralizing our national intelligence services. Who needs to invest in keeping up with American military technology when you can just make their intelligence gathering apparatus bleed internally? James Comey, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, John Brennan, and Dan Coates. All but one are out, and unceremoniously so. And Putin is snickering, giggling, and ultimately howling with laughter like some guy who’s watching them eat brownies laced with Ex-Lax. As for that confrontation on the sea? Well, where is James Mattis? Where is McMaster? Where are the former top brass during the Bush administration who have criticized the president for what they deem reckless (or maybe feckless) foreign policy? These are people who led the world’s mightiest military machine and had no problem getting into a stare down with Putin, and where are they? Gone. Mute. Who’s the Sec of Defense now? Some guy who’s never really been recognized as having special knowledge of military affairs. Someone who’s never had to stand up to foreign predators. The Commander in Chief is a guy who threatens to end NATO, who has suggested that some of our military leaders are stupid. Putin can do what he wants…and he knows 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:** [June 11, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33495 "2019-06-11T23:34:33Z")
“Lies? The news media is starting to describe Trump’s ‘falsehoods’ that way.” > **[Lies? The news media is starting to describe Trump’s ‘falsehoods’ that way.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/lies-the-news-media-is-starting-to-describe-trumps-falsehoods-that-way/2019/06/05/413cc2a0-8626-11e9-a491-25df61c78dc4_story.html)** > > After holding back, some news organizations have slapped the L-word on the president’s many dubious claims. > [@](#): > > It’s (almost) official: The president of the United States is a liar. > > This will not come as a revelation to people who have closely followed President Trump’s public statements and Twitter feed and have long doubted his veracity. It is, instead, a late-dawning recognition by mainstream news organizations, which until fairly recently shied away from branding the president’s many questionable utterances as outright lies. > > Nowadays, many in the news media are no longer bothering to grant Trump the benefit of the doubt. In routine news and feature stories, Trump’s dishonesty carries no fig leaf. It is described baldly. > … About. God. Damn. Time. You heard it here a year ago, June 2018: > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Finally! A headline that does not equivocate. > > **Trump is a baldfaced liar** > [https://wapo.st/2twehsW](https://wapo.st/2twehsW) > > YES YES YES > > Let us, all news media, and all who speak of thump abandon euphemisms and call him what he is. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33496 "2019-06-12T00:38:13Z")
How about another heaping helping of Trump treason? This time, it’s Trump deciding that Kim Jong Un is off-limits to the CIA: > **[Trump promises Kim Jong Un protection from CIA spying](https://news.yahoo.com/trump-promises-kim-jong-un-protection-from-cia-spying-184047425.html?.tsrc=jtc_news_index)** > > The president once again lavished praise on Kim Jong Un while attacking former Vice President Joe Biden. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2019, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33497 "2019-06-12T00:50:51Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > How about another heaping helping of Trump treason? This time, it’s Trump deciding that Kim Jong Un is off-limits to the CIA: > > [Trump promises Kim Jong Un protection from CIA spying](https://news.yahoo.com/trump-promises-kim-jong-un-protection-from-cia-spying-184047425.html?.tsrc=jtc_news_index) Here’s how I see it: Trump: “I received a wonderful letter, a beautiful letter, the best letter from Chairman Kim.” Reality: He got the letter “T”. It could stand for “Trump” or it could stand for “Traitor”. That’s a distinction without a difference now. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33498 "2019-06-12T01:07:15Z")
“Donald Trump did not run to unify the country. That was the last – the country did not vote to be unified,” – James Carville, November 9, 2016. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2019, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33499 "2019-06-12T05:43:30Z")
Individual 1 started complaining about how tractors can’t hook up to the Internet. And even Fox News said, “Yeah, that’s enough of that.” and broke away. > ---
**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:** [June 12, 2019, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33500 "2019-06-12T05:57:29Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1 started complaining about how tractors can’t hook up to the Internet. And even Fox News said, “Yeah, that’s enough of that.” and broke away. > [https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1138563456985128964](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1138563456985128964) > **[​The revolution of smart tractors](https://hexagon.com/resources/resource-library/revolution-smart-tractors?utm_easyredir=hexagonagriculture.com)** > > I have been following the development of Brazilian agriculture for more than 20 years and have seen how mechanisation has spread in rural areas. But this is just the beginning of a major digital transformation in agribusiness. A revolution that will... ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33501 "2019-06-12T11:25:27Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1 started complaining about how tractors can’t hook up to the Internet. And even Fox News said, “Yeah, that’s enough of that.” and broke away. > [https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1138563456985128964](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1138563456985128964) Actually, some of them do. John Deere uses smart technology to prevent unauthorized repairs of the equipment they make, And the farmers hate it. > **[Why American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian Firmware](https://www.vice.com/en/article/xykkkd/why-american-farmers-are-hacking-their-tractors-with-ukrainian-firmware)** > > A dive into the thriving black market of John Deere tractor hacking. > **[The 'Right to Repair' Movement Is Being Led by Farmers](https://www.vice.com/en/article/kbgzgz/farmers-right-to-repair)** > > Farmers are pushing back against legislation that prevents them from fixing their own equipment. If successful, it will be a huge victory for consumers. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33502 "2019-06-12T12:50:19Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Actually, some of them do. John Deere uses smart technology to prevent unauthorized repairs of the equipment they make, And the farmers hate it. The second part is more or less true, but the first isn’t. The tractors themselves don’t actually connect to the internet any more than your car does (well, for driving purposes, i.e. telecom or lojack excluded). They feature firmware that attempt to prevent third party repair via software. Doesn’t need to be connected to the internet for any of that, except firmware updates, which are generally downloaded elsewhere to be later loaded to the tractors, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33503 "2019-06-12T15:22:32Z")
[Stepping on Legos 49%, Trump 41%.](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-41-percent-poll_n_5d009712e4b075510399b822) Bad news for Trump + funny memes = gold. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/33504 "2019-06-12T21:35:28Z")
I posted this in the Mueller thread too: [Hope Hicks has agreed to a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee](https://apnews.com/53d9cead092b40dfbe3c22a32f10565f) June 19th! One week from today! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1674) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1676)