# 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:** 189
**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 30, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3761 "2017-04-30T20:29:25Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, El Trumpo invites vigilante killer Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines to the White House. Disgusting! Bad! ---
**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 30, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3762 "2017-04-30T20:31:32Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Priebus Says White House Has ‘Looked at’ [Changing Libel Laws](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/priebus-says-white-house-has-looked-at-changing-libel-laws.html). [“First of all, there are no federal libel laws.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smbLsMbH-gY) I know that ineptitude is not an impeachable offense per se, but I think the Founders didn’t really think through just how incompetent a president the American public might elect to the office. I think that there should be some kind of basic competency test that assures that the President of the United States has some basic understanding of how governance and law actually work. Stranger ---
**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:** [April 30, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3763 "2017-04-30T21:01:29Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The failing Donald Trump, who many are calling “Loser Donald”, had worst 100 days of any in our great history. This is unpresidented! SAD! ^This deserves some recognition. (“Unpresidented” is _perfection_!) > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Just when I think Trump found some humility with his Art of the Deal debacle during Health Care negotiations, and his recent admission that the presidency wasn’t as easy as he thought, he goes back to his “best ever” rhetoric with his first 100 days and rally attendance numbers. … Frankly, I was surprised that Trump and his staff bestirred themselves at all, to try to get some stuff done last week;\* surely it was safe to assume that no matter _how_ few accomplishments Trump racked up, he’d simply lie about his 100-days record–now and for years to come. \*[https://thinkprogress.org/trump-white-house-100-days-accomplishments-release-errors-ebae8fe13d92](https://thinkprogress.org/trump-white-house-100-days-accomplishments-release-errors-ebae8fe13d92) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3764 "2017-04-30T21:17:47Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > ^This deserves some recognition. (“Unpresidented” is _perfection_!) As good as it is, “unpresidented” is not something that Smapti made up…Trump actually tweeted it a couple of months before the inauguration, in a tweet that was complaining about China “stealing” a scientific data drone. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3765 "2017-04-30T22:00:19Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > As good as it is, “unpresidented” is not something that Smapti made up…Trump actually tweeted it a couple of months before the inauguration, in a tweet that was complaining about China “stealing” a scientific data drone. Well, that is depressing. (Trump truly is parody-proof.) ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3766 "2017-05-01T00:26:05Z")
My apologies if it’s already been mentioned, but did anyone catch the fact that EPA climate change data has been removed from the website? This crosses a dangerous threshold from rhetoric to actual policy. The policy of this administration is that facts simply don’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3767 "2017-05-01T00:30:20Z")
There was a desperate [attempt to save it](https://www.wired.com/2017/01/rogue-scientists-race-save-climate-data-trump/) in January, in the expectation that the vandals Trump appointed to his cabinet would do it. Don’t know if they got it all. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3768 "2017-05-01T00:40:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > [“First of all, there are no federal libel laws.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smbLsMbH-gY) > > I know that ineptitude is not an impeachable offense per se, but I think the Founders didn’t really think through just how incompetent a president the American public might elect to the office. I think that there should be some kind of basic competency test that assures that the President of the United States has some basic understanding of how governance and law actually work. > > Stranger Agreed. I used to think we had a whole system in place designed to keep morons like Trump from ever becoming president. Then I was reminded that said system is simply the American electorate, which I ended up overestimating by several orders of magnitude. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3769 "2017-05-01T00:54:58Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Priebus Says White House Has ‘Looked at’ [Changing Libel Laws](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/priebus-says-white-house-has-looked-at-changing-libel-laws.html). The GOP were talking about impeaching Hillary Clinton from day one. This is pathetic that they have nothing to say about this. Trump can’t obviously do this, but even if he could all it would mean is he, his followers and the media outlets that lie constantly (conservative media) would be drowning in lawsuits. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3770 "2017-05-01T01:28:54Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The GOP were talking about impeaching Hillary Clinton from day one. This is pathetic that they have nothing to say about this. > > Trump can’t obviously do this, but even if he could all it would mean is he, his followers and the media outlets that lie constantly (conservative media) would be drowning in lawsuits. They’re not going to change libel laws. They’re just testing the political temperature with that one. What they’d rather do is exploit some national emergency and declare it illegal to ‘incite criminal acts against the State’ or something to that effect – sedition laws and the like. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3771 "2017-05-01T01:32:26Z")
> [@oft\_wears\_hats](#): > > Agreed. I used to think we had a whole system in place designed to keep morons like Trump from ever becoming president. Then I was reminded that said system is simply the American electorate, which I ended up overestimating by several orders of magnitude. The system isn’t geared so much to preventing an imbecile or despot from being elected, but to limit the amount of power he could effectively wield. However, it assumes that the judicial and legislative branches of the government would counter the bad actions of the executive. The former has done a credible job so far, despite Trump’s attempt to brand judges ruling against his executive orders to ban Muslim immigration as illegitimate. However, while Congress has effectively stalled the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, it was due to internecine fighting rather than principled rejection of a nonsensical and ill-defined agenda. Our system for preventing this kind of thing from happening is participation by an informed electorate. Unfortunately, we have a lot of voters who are either ignorant or intentionally obtuse to the fact that Trump is not going to carry out the majority of his campaign promises and that it would be disastrous for the nation if he did. > [@asahi](#): > > They’re not going to change libel laws. They’re just testing the political temperature with that one. What they’d rather do is exploit some national emergency and declare it illegal to ‘incite criminal acts against the State’ or something to that effect – sedition laws and the like. Yeah, well, I think that a few “so-called judges”–even Neil Gorsuch–would take issue with that kind of overreaching abuse of power, and Trump has nowhere near the political base to pull that off even if it were popular among his supporters. Stranger ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3772 "2017-05-01T01:39:07Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Yeah, well, I think that a few “so-called judges”–even Neil Gorsuch–would take issue with that kind of overreaching abuse of power, and Trump has nowhere near the political base to pull that off even if it were popular among his supporters. Yeah, I remember George W Bush was an unpopular president in the spring of 2001. He ended up passing the USA Patriot Act with hardly any opposition months later. Times and political dynamics can change. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3773 "2017-05-01T01:51:55Z")
Fair point, and even worse was the fact that the Patriot Act was clearly drafted well before the attack and its promoters were awaiting just this kind of event to push it through Congress before anyone even had a chance to read or question it. But I don’t think Trump, Bannon, et al are nearly as sophisticated and canny as Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, et al, but your cautionary note is nonetheless taken. If you’re concerned about some kind of attempt by the Trump administration to completely undermine the Constitution–and you should be regardless what you think of their competence–donate your Christmas and birthday money to the [Center for Constitutional Rights](https://ccrjustice.org), [American Civil Liberties Union](https://action.aclu.org/secure/sem-become-freedom-fighter-join-aclu?s_src=UNW170001SEM&alt_src=UNV170001SEM&ms=gad_SEM_Google_Search-Evergreen-ACLU%20Brand_ACLU%20Name%20Terms_american%20civil%20liberties%20union_e_169710879013), [The Constitution Project](http://www.constitutionproject.org/), and non-profit investigative organization [ProPublica.org](https://www.propublica.org/). If Trump’s efforts are mired in legal challenge and constant scandal it will hopefully forestall dire changes until such a time as the government can return to something approximating sanity and reason. Stranger ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3774 "2017-05-01T02:35:01Z")
The AP is reporting, from anonymous sources, that Sebastian Gorka and his Neanderthal-sized cranium will be leaving the White House. It’s unclear if he will be reassigned to another administration position. [https://mobile.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/04/30/us/politics/ap-us-trump-adviser.html](https://mobile.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/04/30/us/politics/ap-us-trump-adviser.html) ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3775 "2017-05-01T03:06:55Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > The AP is reporting, from anonymous sources, that Sebastian Gorka and his Neanderthal-sized cranium will be leaving the White House. It’s unclear if he will be reassigned to another administration position. > > [https://mobile.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/04/30/us/politics/ap-us-trump-adviser.html](https://mobile.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/04/30/us/politics/ap-us-trump-adviser.html) The Neanderthal Anti-Defamation League is on line 2. ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3776 "2017-05-01T03:24:14Z")
Mike Pence says that Trump didn’t change his stance on NATO, NATO changed to move towards him. > **[Mike Pence Claims Trump Didn't Change His Stance On NATO — Rather, NATO Changed](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-pence-donald-trump-nato_n_59060d00e4b0bb2d086f4332?section=us_world)** > > 🤔 ---
**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:** [May 1, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3777 "2017-05-01T03:37:06Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Mike Pence says that Trump didn’t change his stance on NATO, NATO changed to move towards him. > [Mike Pence Claims Trump Didn't Change His Stance On NATO — Rather, NATO Changed | HuffPost Latest News](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mike-pence-donald-trump-nato_us_59060d00e4b0bb2d086f4332?section=us_world) I’m always amazed at how readily even a Super Christian will lie for purely earthly gains. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3778 "2017-05-01T04:06:39Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Americans are lucky that all this administration has managed to date is to show that they are lazy, witless, ineffectual wankers. If only that were true. They are lazy and witless, but not ineffectual. As I have posted before in one of these Trump threads, his appointment of Gorsuch to the Supreme Court has fucked us up for probably the next several decades, so even if he doesn’t do anything else, he’s done more than enough. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3779 "2017-05-01T04:33:42Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > [“First of all, there are no federal libel laws.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smbLsMbH-gY) > > I know that ineptitude is not an impeachable offense per se, but I think the Founders didn’t really think through just how incompetent a president the American public might elect to the office. I think that there should be some kind of basic competency test that assures that the President of the United States has some basic understanding of how governance and law actually work. > > Stranger I’m thinking the founders were quite aware. Thus the restrictions on popular voting in the Constitution at the beginning. Neither senators nor the president were intended to be a popular vote. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2017, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/3780 "2017-05-01T06:07:10Z")
True enough, some of our founders pretended to be aimed at political equality for all, but didn’t really mean it. Others didn’t even pretend, they had not the slightest interest in establishing an egalitarian democracy, their first interest being establishing a nation that reliably paid its war bonds. But let it be also noted that even the _hypocrisy_ was a major advance. First its a fantasy, then its impractical, then its too soon, and then it happens. First you got your thesis, which is a set idea, and then you get the opposite idea, your _antithesi_s, and then…hey, quit shoving! I’m posting here, knock it off with the pushing…all right, all right, shit, where’s my hat… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=188) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=190)