# 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:** 1984
**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:** [December 30, 2019, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39665 "2019-12-30T06:09:13Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > (bolding mine) > > Aye; that’s why countries have a military in the first place: to make sure that the interests of the country are put first. You can’t outsource that. Légion étrangère and Pontificia Cohors Helvetica notwithstanding, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39666 "2019-12-30T07:54:19Z")
Accepting foreigners in your military is a long-standing tradition. They’re still supposed to follow the orders of your guys, rather than of accountants who are not part of the structure. In fact, it is also a long-standing tradition that serving a polis or country provides a shortened path to citizenship in that polity. The US military uses “contractors” that they claim are not “mercenaries” on account of being US citizens, but who are mercenaries in ways the Légion and the Swiss Guard are not. Meanwhile, foreign citizens serving in the actual US forces get screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39667 "2019-12-30T11:36:57Z")
> [@margin](#): > > That orange fuck outed the whistleblower on twitter. How did he find out who the whistleblower was? ---
**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:** [December 30, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39668 "2019-12-30T12:25:22Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > How did he find out who the whistleblower was? He didn’t. Breitbart decided awhile ago that they know who the whistleblower is, and they’ve been slandering that individual since. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39669 "2019-12-30T17:42:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > More than 100 Gold Star families are suing several defense contractors for paying off the Taliban in order to keep their facilities from being attacked. > [Defense Contractors Paid 'Protection Money' To Taliban, Lawsuit Alleges : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/12/28/792065458/gold-star-families-sue-defense-contractors-alleging-they-funded-the-taliban)? How is this Trump’s fault? The article is talking about payments that began in 2005. ---
**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:** [December 30, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39670 "2019-12-30T18:40:42Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Légion étrangère and Pontificia Cohors Helvetica notwithstanding, I guess. La Légion isn’t a PMC. It’s part of the regular army - and while the point is to let foreigners (and former Nazis, but don’t say that part out loud) fight for France, the big ticket item is not the pay, which is peanuts - it’s the citizenship earned after years of eating \*all \*of the shit (figuratively or otherwise) ---
**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:** [December 30, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39671 "2019-12-30T20:27:01Z")
National Security Advisor Timothy O’Brien called Kim Jong Un “Chairman Un”. His family name is Kim. [READ: National Security Advisor Timothy O'Brien Says: 'Chairman Un Has Said That There Would Be Something Over Christmas' - Comic Sands](https://secondnexus.com/donald-trump-kim-jong-un-obrien)? * * * Individual 11 tweeted his thanks to “highly respected Jewish leader Dov Hikind” for nice things he said about him in the wake of the anti-Semitic attacks in New York the other night. [https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1211655287247126535](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1211655287247126535)? ## The anti-Muslim “highly respected Jewish” leader who wears blackface, who has called for the removal of the UN from New York for being anti-Israel, who opposes same sex marriage, and has been accused of using donations for his personal use. [Dov Hikind - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Hikind) Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, tweeted that Grafton Thomas, a U.S. citizen who allegedly stabbed five people at a Hanukkah party over the weekend, was the “son of an illegal alien who got amnesty under the 1986 amnesty law for illegal immigrants.” No proof of such a claim, and even so, so what? [Hanukkah Attack Suspect Grafton Thomas’ Lawyer Calls Ken Cuccinelli’s Immigration Comments ‘a Disgrace’](https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-ucis-boss-ken-cuccinelli-twists-hanukkah-attack-to-push-anti-immigrant-agenda)? ---
**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:** [December 30, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39672 "2019-12-30T20:59:32Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The US military uses “contractors” that they claim are not “mercenaries” on account of being US citizens, but who are mercenaries in ways the Légion and the Swiss Guard are not. Meanwhile, foreign citizens serving in the actual US forces get screwed. The function of the US military is to support The Corporation (the nebulous entity that controls the American economy). It is not about national pride or anything of that nature. It is, entirely, about business. So, the use of private contractors is entirely consistent with the goals of the military, which is about business. War is always about money. ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39673 "2019-12-30T22:02:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > How is this Trump’s fault? The article is talking about payments that began in 2005. Considering Trump’s buddy-buddy relationship with that human-shaped slime mold Erik Prince—not to mention Betsy “Umbridge” DeVos, the slime mold’s brother----they probably got confused by the heinousness of the behavior. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39674 "2019-12-31T01:37:30Z")
> [@margin](#): > > That orange fuck outed the whistleblower on twitter. This should be added to the articles of impeachment. The motives and credibility of the whistleblower have long since been rendered moot, so the only possible reason to out him/her is to intimidate other potential whistleblowers. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39675 "2019-12-31T02:14:38Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > This should be added to the articles of impeachment. The motives and credibility of the whistleblower have long since been rendered moot, so the only possible reason to out him/her is to intimidate other potential whistleblowers. Or straight up revenge. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39676 "2019-12-31T02:27:08Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Or straight up revenge. The message is not to this whistle blower; it’s to all whistle blowers going forward. The message is this: “If you call out the president or one of his men, you will not enjoy whistle blower protection. You will be in danger.” Republicans aren’t after individuals; they’re out to destroy institutions – and democracy. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2019, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39677 "2019-12-31T02:54:31Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > National Security Advisor Timothy O’Brien called Kim Jong Un “Chairman Un”. His family name is Kim. > [READ: National Security Advisor Timothy O'Brien Says: 'Chairman Un Has Said That There Would Be Something Over Christmas' - Second Nexus](https://secondnexus.com/donald-trump-kim-jong-un-obrien)? I enjoyed the twitter thread, especially one post (can’t link because my VPN keeps dancing around connecting) that said, “Chairman Un sent a letter to President Duh”. Too bad the writer didn’t add “and to Vice President Duhbus”. That would really encapsulate this administration. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39678 "2019-12-31T14:11:02Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The anti-Muslim “highly respected Jewish” leader who wears blackface, who has called for the removal of the UN from New York for being anti-Israel, who opposes same sex marriage, and has been accused of using donations for his personal use. > [Dov Hikind - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Hikind) So what’s not to like, so far as Donny Two-scoops is concerned? He’s a triple-threat buddy. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39679 "2019-12-31T16:08:14Z")
How did we miss this one, from a [December 18, 2019 rally](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-says-he-s-heard-women-about-inefficient-dishwashers-n1104751): > [@](#): > > "Remember the dishwasher? You’d press it, boom! There’d be like an explosion. Five minutes later you open it up, the steam pours out,” he said. > > “Now you press it 12 times. Women tell me …” the president said. “You know, they give you four drops of water.” When idiocy spews forth on a daily basis, idiocy that would have sustained Faux News for weeks on end 4 years ago gets overlooked. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39680 "2019-12-31T16:45:57Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > How did we miss this one, from a [December 18, 2019 rally](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-says-he-s-heard-women-about-inefficient-dishwashers-n1104751): > > When idiocy spews forth on a daily basis, idiocy that would have sustained Faux News for weeks on end 4 years ago gets overlooked. Great!? Now we can add dishwashers to light bulbs, wind, toilets as subject our stable genius knows more about than anyone else. Oh yeah, somewhere way earlier in one of these threads there is a list of everything else he’s the greatest, best, most perfect at. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39681 "2019-12-31T16:49:10Z")
In his inimitable\* style, Trump is furthering his deregulation agenda. This is his way of saying that regulations on water and electrical efficiency have gone too far. \*His style can charitably be described as “moronic”; “women” don’t tell him anything, much less complain to him about dishwashers, and Smapti can imitate it wonderfully well. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39682 "2019-12-31T16:50:35Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > How did we miss this one, from a [December 18, 2019 rally](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-says-he-s-heard-women-about-inefficient-dishwashers-n1104751): > > When idiocy spews forth on a daily basis, idiocy that would have sustained Faux News for weeks on end 4 years ago gets overlooked. A YouTuber I follow opined that the only dishwashers Loser Donald has ever seen are the commercial ones you’d find in restaurants or hotels, which rely on high pressure and high heat to rapidly clean and sanitize dishes. This would certainly make sense. It’s equally probable, of course, that he’s a goddamn moron who was struck dumb when he saw the maid run the dishwasher once when he was in his 30s, and blathers about how women (who, naturally, are the only class of beings fit to deal with dishes) are telling him their dishwashers don’t explode anymore because he thinks they’ll love him if he makes their dishwashers great again. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39683 "2019-12-31T17:03:08Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > A YouTuber I follow opined that the only dishwashers Loser Donald has ever seen are the commercial ones you’d find in restaurants or hotels, which rely on high pressure and high heat to rapidly clean and sanitize dishes. > > This would certainly make sense. That assumes he’s ever entered the kitchen of one of his hotels or golf resorts and he may never have done that, in which case the only dishwashers he will be familiar with are the minimum-wage staff working at these places. ---
**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:** [December 31, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39684 "2019-12-31T17:14:32Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That assumes he’s ever entered the kitchen of one of his hotels or golf resorts and he may never have done that, in which case the only dishwashers he will be familiar with are the minimum-wage staff working at these places. He might have entered the kitchen in order to grope a waitress or kitchen employee. They can’t resist because, you know [del]he owns them[/del] they work for him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1983) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1985)