# 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:** 182
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3621 "2017-04-25T20:46:45Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’m intrigued and want to know if Cantinflas was anything like the late, great [World’s Foremost Authority, Professor Irwin Corey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CsdRGbQPr0). I may have besmirched the memory of the great Cantinflas by comparing him to Trump. The character (Cantinflas) was that of a poor, uneducated, but street-smart man with a great heart and a penchant for getting in trouble for defending the weak and poor. He was aware of his shortcomings, and his “cantinfladas” (long speeches by politicians that don’t really say anythingn or answer any questions, and yeah, it’s a word now) were mostly to confuse his opponents. Sort of like “baffle them with bullshit”. Here he is in front of the UN (in a movie): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUZ58so1TC0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUZ58so1TC0). He’s making sense here. Kinda. Here he’s explaining atomic power: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcWRDeOacX0&list=PL8C3EA1EECC92104D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcWRDeOacX0&list=PL8C3EA1EECC92104D) and making no sense whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3622 "2017-04-25T20:49:30Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Small families serve the prince of Denmark on Easter? They put out a chair for him, at least. He’s like Elijah - but for gentiles. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3623 "2017-04-25T21:54:10Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Or on the difference between being a businessman and being POTUS > > “In business you don’t necessarily need heart, whereas here almost everything affects people” > God, this one really reflects horribly on his time in business. That was one of my thoughts when he discovered how complicated health insurance is. Seriously, do none of his companies offer his employees health insurance? Or maybe he was never allowed to be involved in that decision? ---
**Author:** ![ganthet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@ganthet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ganthet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3624 "2017-04-25T23:02:55Z")
Trump’s January executive order directing the DoJ to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with ICE by providing information on and withholding potential illegal immigrants has been frozen [via injunction](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/2017/04/25/c9e212c8-29f7-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html?utm_term=.266e5464d824). Once again, Trump and his cronies’ own statements are the key evidence offered to belie whatever limited scope or intent is argued by the DoJ attorneys defending the respective executive orders in court. How would cities and counties even know the right and left limits of what could constitute adequate cooperation and what would not when Trump and the feds don’t even seem to know or provide guidance (on what is and what is not a “sanctuary city”)? > [@WaPo article](#): > > Orrick called the order broad and vague and said the plaintiffs, the city of San Francisco and Santa Clara County, were likely to succeed on the merits of their lawsuits challenging it. > > In the 49-page ruling, Orrick pointed to discrepancies in the Trump administration’s own interpretation of the executive order. In court, the government’s lawyers suggested cities and towns were overreacting to the order since the federal officials have not yet defined what sanctuary cities are or moved to withhold any funding. > > But on television and in news conferences, the judge pointed out, the president and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have threatened to sanction cities and towns that do not cooperate with immigration officials, leaving local officials nationwide fearful that they will lose funding for vital services. ---
**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:** [April 25, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3625 "2017-04-25T23:20:41Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > That was one of my thoughts when he discovered how complicated health insurance is. Seriously, do none of his companies offer his employees health insurance? Or maybe he was never allowed to be involved in that decision? What astounded me about that quote was it’s like he didn’t realize before he took office that almost everything he did would affect people. It’s actually one of the more coherent sections of the interview , which is scary. And it’s not quite as incoherent as the Time magazine interview from last month. If you haven’t read it yet, you must. It’s jaw-dropping. > **[Read President Trump's Interview With TIME on Truth and Falsehoods](https://time.com/4710456/donald-trump-time-interview-truth-falsehood/)** > > "I’m a very instinctual person, but my instinct turns out to be right." ---
**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 26, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3626 "2017-04-26T01:14:32Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > I would just like to state that I think we should remove “in the making” from this thread title. > [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > I agree with you, but the previous argument for keeping the title as-is is that the Trump administration is a constantly-evolving clusterfuck, thus being made and unmade all the time. > :smack: Also, it makes us nostalgic for those innocent, as-yet-unsullied days of yore (100 days ago) when the clusterfuck was still in the realm of the _possible_, not yet in the realm of _stark reality._ ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3627 "2017-04-26T02:41:55Z")
I expect Melania’s next plagiarism controversy will be writing a book about raising children called, “It Takes a Hamlet.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3628 "2017-04-26T05:16:03Z")
It’s looking more and more like [Flynn broke some serious laws with his Russian dealings](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/us/politics/michael-flynn-white-house-documents-russia.html?_r=0). The noose tightens on Trump, who I hope will eventually have to serve prison time himself for treason. Every single Trump supporter and/or voter ought to be sentenced for treason, but I’ll settle for the Clown-in-Chief himself. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3629 "2017-04-26T06:38:58Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Every single Trump supporter and/or voter ought to be sentenced for treason, but I’ll settle for the Clown-in-Chief himself. We could just build a wall around Gary, Indiana, and dump them over the side, starting with Flynn and Bannon. And this time, instead of sending in Kurt Russell to rescue the president, we’ll send in Jared Kushner armed with a Super Soaker. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3630 "2017-04-26T07:03:44Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Hamlet isn’t a word you hear too often these days outside an English Literature class. When I hear it in reference to a village or town, I first think of Faulkner’s novel “The Hamlet”, but I then think of the Viet Nam War. Didn’t we call all those villages we blew up “hamlets”? Is the term still commonly used in military circles? Which of Trump’s inner circle used that word in front of Trump immediately before the interview? It could be a New York thing. It’s a somewhat common word there, for small communities that don’t have their own municipal government. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3631 "2017-04-26T10:58:44Z")
Trump’s attempt to defund sanctuary cities is smacked down. I wonder if the genius Jeff Sessions is going to comment about a judge in the continental United States. Fuckwit. Speaking of judges, here’s what this judge had to say about the Trump team’s legal argument: The argument was lost on the judge, who ridiculed the government’s position as “schizophrenic.” > **[Sanctuary cities ruling: When a judge quotes Sean Spicer, it’s not a good...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/26/sanctuary-cities-ruling-when-a-judge-quotes-sean-spicer-its-not-a-good-sign-for-the-white-house/?utm_term=.1d8a474412fe)** > > Once again, a judge has found a gap between what the administration says in court and in public. ---
**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:** [April 26, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3632 "2017-04-26T11:45:48Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > It could be a New York thing. It’s a somewhat common word there, for small communities that don’t have their own municipal government. Ah, interesting. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3633 "2017-04-26T13:05:10Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Trump’s attempt to defund sanctuary cities is smacked down. I wonder if the genius Jeff Sessions is going to comment about a judge in the continental United States. Fuckwit. Speaking of judges, here’s what this judge had to say about the Trump team’s legal argument: > > The argument was lost on the judge, who ridiculed the government’s position as “schizophrenic.” > > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/26/sanctuary-cities-ruling-when-a-judge-quotes-sean-spicer-its-not-a-good-sign-for-the-white-house/?utm\_term=.1d8a474412fe](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/04/26/sanctuary-cities-ruling-when-a-judge-quotes-sean-spicer-its-not-a-good-sign-for-the-white-house/?utm_term=.1d8a474412fe) Here. This is my absolute favorite part of the case the government presented to the court. From the cite above, but it’s being discussed a number of places. > [@](#): > > In court, the government tried to make the case that the order doesn’t actually do anything, at least not at the moment, because the administration has yet to define what exactly a sanctuary city is or threaten any particular jurisdiction with a loss of funds. It was their way of convincing the judge to toss out the lawsuit on the grounds that no city or county has yet suffered any harm. Let that sink in. The government’s argument is that the order shouldn’t be stayed because “it doesn’t do anything”. The judge was under-whelmed. He also pointed out that the Administration was describing it very differently outside of his courtroom. Bonus points for insulting the intelligence of the judge. (Or just being stupid themselves.) ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3634 "2017-04-26T13:23:23Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Trump’s attempt to defund sanctuary cities is smacked down. I wonder if the genius Jeff Sessions is going to comment about a judge in the continental United States. But is California _really_ a state? I mean, they let 3 million illegals vote… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3635 "2017-04-26T13:59:21Z")
I can just hear Sessions now: “How can a judge in a place that used to belong to Mexico be allowed to make such a ruling?” ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3636 "2017-04-26T14:00:49Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > But is California _really_ a state? I mean, they let 3 million illegals vote… I have it on good authority it could be as high as 5 million! Data is being compiled as we type. ---
**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 26, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3637 "2017-04-26T14:10:03Z")
The administration/Rs seem to be struggling a bit with that pesky third branch. I wonder how they might deal with that. Perhaps they will [take a page out of the Kansas playbook](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/the-court-case-that-could-shut-down-kansass-courts/403957/) and simply threaten to defund the judiciary if it keeps trying to thwart them. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3638 "2017-04-26T14:22:15Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Here. This is my absolute favorite part of the case the government presented to the court. From the cite above, but it’s being discussed a number of places. > > Let that sink in. The government’s argument is that the order shouldn’t be stayed because “it doesn’t do anything”. The judge was under-whelmed. He also pointed out that the Administration was describing it very differently outside of his courtroom. Bonus points for insulting the intelligence of the judge. (Or just being stupid themselves.) It’s nice to see Trump’s own words coming back to bite him. Finally. ---
**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 26, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3639 "2017-04-26T14:39:54Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I have it on good authority it could be as high as 5 million! Data is being compiled as we type. “Data is being [del]compiled[/del] invented as we type.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3640 "2017-04-26T14:41:30Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > The character (Cantinflas) was that of a poor, uneducated, but street-smart man with a great heart and a penchant for getting in trouble for defending the weak and poor. He was aware of his shortcomings, and his “cantinfladas” (long speeches by politicians that don’t really say anythingn or answer any questions, and yeah, it’s a word now) were mostly to confuse his opponents. Sort of like “baffle them with bullshit”. ISTR that his Passpartout was considered quite a letdown by his Spanish-speaking fans precisely by not having enough cantinfladas. An example of a famous English cantinflada would be Groucho’s confusing [contract instructions](https://youtu.be/G_Sy6oiJbEk?t=84): the words make sense, the individual sentences make sense until they stop making sense, but the whole thing sounds as if it should make sense. 'cept it doesn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=181) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=183)