# 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:** 1987
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39725 "2020-01-03T14:20:11Z")
> [@TheMysteryWriter](#): > > All this talk about Trumpykins having dementia reminds me of the excellent 2-season TV show “Boss” with Kelsey Grammar. In it he plays the Mayor of Chicago and in the very first episode he finds out he’s been diagnosed with either dementia or something similar. I wish that character was our president instead. > > [Boss (TV Series 2011–2012) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1833285/) As I recall, the character was diagnosed with an early stage of Lewy body dementia, an umbrella term to includes Parkinson’s disease, and which is comparable to (and occasionally mistaken for) Alzheimer’s disease. I’d be okay with the character being president, if Kathleen Robertson can be the Secretary of Hot Nudity. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39726 "2020-01-03T16:09:16Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/world/middleeast/qassem-soleimani-iraq-iran-attack.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/02/world/middleeast/qassem-soleimani-iraq-iran-attack.html) > > Bait. Taken. > > We just killed a senior Iranian official. Initially, this will be an example of how “Trump means business.” > > We just crossed a line. And it’s increasingly unlikely that we can go back across that Rubicon. > > This will not be forgotten. > > Iran will retaliate. They will absolutely not back down, and they will try to bait us and/or our allies into a mess. > > Iran has an end game. > > We don’t. Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39727 "2020-01-03T17:05:06Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I took it with so much salt my blood pressure rose 20 points. > You can’t diagnose mental issues remotely, even if you are an actual expert. That is true. But you can see enough to say that something should be looked at by a professional. I can’t diagnose a broken bone vs a sprain or a mere contusion vs a concussion. But I can say, “That looks serious enough that professional should assess it.” ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39728 "2020-01-03T17:25:21Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Trump never pays in advance. My fervent hope is that this eliminates any incentive for Bolton to stay silent, since escalation now seems inevitable. Didn’t Bolten just get a huge book deal? If the world becomes a barren nuclear desert, he’ll have a hard time enjoying that advance. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39729 "2020-01-03T17:27:33Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > You can’t diagnose mental issues remotely, even if you are an actual expert. [Trump’s mental health is deteriorating dangerously](https://www.businessinsider.com/psychiatrists-submit-warning-trumps-mental-health-deteriorating-2019-12) > [@](#): > > Lee first publicly expressed concerns about Trump’s mental health shortly after he took office in January 2017. The move was controversial — some said it violated the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Goldwater rule, which states that psychiatrists should not make public statements about the mental health of public figures unless they have personally examined them… > > Lee told Business Insider that they were not breaking ethical rules for psychiatrists, because of a clause in the APA rules obliging psychiatrists “to educate the public when asked about a public figure, so that we may improve the community and better public health.” > > She said “whenever the Goldwater rule is mentioned, we should also refer to the Declaration of Geneva, established by the World Medical Association 25 years earlier, which mandates physicians to speak up if there are humanitarian reasons to do so. This Declaration was created in response to the experience of Nazism.” ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39730 "2020-01-03T18:34:52Z")
When you see some weird-looking dude who–instead of working a job–is standing in front of a 7-11 ranting about delusional conspiracies against himself, you don’t need to conduct an in-person interview to know that he has mental issues. Now just substitute “the White House” for “a 7-11.” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39731 "2020-01-03T18:56:00Z")
If I see a guy there raving about windmills and toilets, I’ll just give him a dollar and tell him not to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39732 "2020-01-03T18:58:29Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If I see a guy there raving about windmills and toilets, I’ll just give him a dollar and tell him not to eat it. Don’t forget to make clear that it’s a contribution toward his next presidential campaign. ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39733 "2020-01-03T19:31:49Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > When you see some weird-looking dude who–instead of working a job–is standing in front of a 7-11 ranting about delusional conspiracies against himself, you don’t need to conduct an in-person interview to know that he has mental issues. > > Now just substitute “the White House” for “a 7-11.” Yeah, you don’t need to be a fireman to see that, say, Australia’s on fire. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39734 "2020-01-03T19:46:27Z")
I’m confused about the Soleimani killing. It seems to be conflated with a missile attack on Baghdad Airport. Is it the same event? Was Soleimani in Baghad? If so, for what purpose? ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39735 "2020-01-03T19:52:20Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I’m confused about the Soleimani killing. It seems to be conflated with a missile attack on Baghdad Airport. Is it the same event? Was Soleimani in Baghad? If so, for what purpose? He was in Baghdad near BIAP. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39736 "2020-01-03T20:15:45Z")
> [@margin](#): > > He was in Baghdad near BIAP. Was it the missile attack? Why was he there? ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39737 "2020-01-03T20:45:19Z")
Russian media are reporting that US intel “framed” Individual 1 into the Solemani assassination. So the Russian view is that Individual 1 is an innocent and US intel are the bad guys. > ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39738 "2020-01-03T20:51:28Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I have to say the idea that that Trump had syphilis that went untreated for too long is a new one. Really? All the cool kids have been saying it for years. Easy math: Studio 54 in the Eighties + unprotected sex = a social disease. He’s lucky it wasn’t AIDS. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39739 "2020-01-03T20:54:42Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Russian media are reporting that US intel “framed” Individual 1 into the Solemani assassination. So the Russian view is that Individual 1 is an innocent and US intel are the bad guys. > [https://twitter.com/olgaNYC1211/status/1213095059954028544](https://twitter.com/olgaNYC1211/status/1213095059954028544) That Trump might not have understood the ramifications of his actions seems fair. But, by that standard, you’re framing Trump any time you ask him to make a Presidential decision. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39740 "2020-01-03T23:00:12Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If I see a guy there raving about windmills and toilets, I’ll just give him a dollar and tell him not to eat it. _I am the best dollar eater! Nobody knows dollar eating like I do! I can eat more dollars than anyone ever in history! Squirrel!_ ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39741 "2020-01-03T23:01:17Z")
Pence is now claiming [Iran was responsible for 9/11.](https://www.rawstory.com/2020/01/mike-pence-blames-iran-for-9-11-attacks-but-the-official-commission-found-the-opposite/) Theyre really just dusting off the same playbook from 17 years ago to beguile the public into supporting another unnecessary war. Get ready for “you’re either with us or against us”, " we can’t let the smoking gun be a mushroom cloud", “it’s unpatriotic to oppose the president when we’re at war”, and “we can’t change horses midstream”. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39742 "2020-01-03T23:15:52Z")
Welp, I’m pretty sure Trump is our civilization’s Great Filter. ---
**Author:** ![margin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@margin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/margin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39743 "2020-01-03T23:53:38Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Was it the missile attack? Why was he there? Well, my impression was that _he_ was the target of the missile strike. ---
**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:** [January 4, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/39744 "2020-01-04T01:34:31Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I’m confused about the Soleimani killing. It seems to be conflated with a missile attack on Baghdad Airport. Is it the same event? Was Soleimani in Baghad? If so, for what purpose? > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Was it the missile attack? Why was he there? Refer to this thread about the missile attack. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887808](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=887808) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1986) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=1988)