# 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:** 2027
**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:** [February 12, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40525 "2020-02-12T20:52:07Z")
The United States of America is a banana republic. How do I know this? [The current admin says it is not](https://www.yahoo.com/news/not-banana-republic-national-security-004137000.html). Have some fun with that report. How many outright lies do you count from the Trump toadies? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40526 "2020-02-13T02:29:20Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Susan Collins’ hands hurt and she has a headache. From all the hand wringing and brow furrowing. > > But She still thinks Trump learned his lesson. This report seems to be an [answer](https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-reveals-the-lesson-he-learned-from-impeachment). > [@](#): > > “Some Republicans have said they hoped you would learn a lesson from impeachment,” NBC News’ Peter Alexander said. “What lesson did you learn from impeachment?” > > The answer is unlikely to satisfy the Republican senator who will face Maine voters this fall. > > Without a second of hesitation, Trump replied, “Uh, that the Democrats are crooked, they’ve got a lot of crooked things going. That they’re vicious. That they shouldn’t have brought impeachment. And that my poll numbers are 10 points higher because of fake news like NBC, which reports the news very inaccurately—probably more inaccurately than CNN if that’s possible.” ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40527 "2020-02-13T03:44:07Z")
The economy is great, right, because Individual 1 keeps saying how great the economy is. So why, then, did he feel the need to cancel a scheduled pay raise for federal employees? A raise that, by law, can only be eliminated or postponed if there is an economic crisis? [Trump cuts scheduled federal pay raise citing “serious economic conditions” in the country.](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/trump-cuts-scheduled-federal-pay-raise-serious-economic-conditions.html)? ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40528 "2020-02-13T04:33:58Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Jabba the Barr has politically weaponized the Justice Department. Gaining power is his goal, handing out true justice is his last aim. He sees himself as God’s instrument and no accusation of criminality is going to deter him. > > Add that to the destruction of the environment, undermining public education, hollowing out of the State Department, concentration camps, constant streams of disinformation and massive concentrations of wealth, all of which will go far worse if Orange Cheeto is reelected, November 3 becomes our last chance at resisting the on-coming fascist dictatorship. Truly a clusterfuck of the first order. And this is why I’m sometimes (okay, nearly always) an alarmist. I don’t think nice works with these people. I don’t think democratic socialism works. I think people need to be prepared to be mean, not so much against someone wearing a Trump tee shirt per se, but against Trumpism. I want to see a Democratic candidate who has a fucking mean streak, and I haven’t seen it. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40529 "2020-02-13T04:45:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > GAH! :smack: Hoist by my own petard! > > I really ought to know better than to put an apostrophe on a possessive pronoun! I couldn’t resist giving you a little stick. 🙂 Hope you don’t mind. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40530 "2020-02-13T04:47:36Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > And this is why I’m sometimes (okay, nearly always) an alarmist. I don’t think nice works with these people. I don’t think democratic socialism works. I think people need to be prepared to be mean, not so much against someone wearing a Trump tee shirt per se, but against Trumpism. I want to see a Democratic candidate who has a fucking mean streak, and I haven’t seen it. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40531 "2020-02-13T05:55:11Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > And this is why I’m sometimes (okay, nearly always) an alarmist. I don’t think nice works with these people. I don’t think democratic socialism works. I think people need to be prepared to be mean, not so much against someone wearing a Trump tee shirt per se, but against Trumpism. I want to see a Democratic candidate who has a fucking mean streak, and I haven’t seen it. I agree with this too. Get someone who can say, “Who is really fucking happy with an administration that hates our allies?”, and they get my vote. Of course, that could be Biden while he’s having a stroke… ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40532 "2020-02-13T14:43:08Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The economy is great, right, because Individual 1 keeps saying how great the economy is. So why, then, did he feel the need to cancel a scheduled pay raise for federal employees? A raise that, by law, can only be eliminated or postponed if there is an economic crisis? > [Trump cuts scheduled federal pay raise citing “serious economic conditions” in the country.](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/trump-cuts-scheduled-federal-pay-raise-serious-economic-conditions.html)? “The economy is great” only works if you get to define the metrics. Sure, the Dow is up and unemployment is down. (But first: the Dow is not the stock market, and the stock market is not the economy.) But any Democrat should stand up and say: how many of those jobs are full time + benefits (vs Uber drivers)? Income growth? Federal deficit? Number of Americans with medical benefits? Above the poverty level? How is housing affordability? Amount of consumer debt? Student loan debt? Income inequality? Trade deficit? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40533 "2020-02-13T14:52:33Z")
[Badgers badgers badgers badgers moron! moron!](https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/revealed-trump-repeatedly-interrupted-briefings-to-ask-bizarre-questions-about-badgers/)… ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40534 "2020-02-13T14:54:44Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > “The economy is great” only works if you get to define the metrics. Sure, the Dow is up and unemployment is down. (But first: the Dow is not the stock market, and the stock market is not the economy.) But any Democrat should stand up and say: how many of those jobs are full time + benefits (vs Uber drivers)? Income growth? Federal deficit? Number of Americans with medical benefits? Above the poverty level? How is housing affordability? Amount of consumer debt? Student loan debt? Income inequality? Trade deficit? The problem with this line of questioning is that the answers require numbers and statistics, which come from the government. And since the government is infested with Deep State operatives whose life’s work is to make Dear Leader look bad, those numbers and statistics can’t be trusted. So you have to believe what DL says, not what you see in the Fake News™. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40535 "2020-02-13T14:57:06Z")
Covfefe. Alternative facts. And now we can add [“intellectual diversity”](https://apnews.com/a7a64695dca4725997b7bd36f61f9d60) to the list of Trumpian phrases. > [@](#): > > Judy Shelton, a former adviser to Trump’s campaign, said, “I hope to contribute intellectual diversity” to the Fed’s Board of Governors. She might as well just be honest about it: “I’ll be the stupid, crazy person.” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40536 "2020-02-13T15:00:11Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Badgers badgers badgers badgers moron! moron!](https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/revealed-trump-repeatedly-interrupted-briefings-to-ask-bizarre-questions-about-badgers/)… Badgers? Badgers? We don’t need no _steenking_ badgers! ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40537 "2020-02-13T15:08:54Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > The United States of America is a banana republic. How do I know this? [The current admin says it is not](https://www.yahoo.com/news/not-banana-republic-national-security-004137000.html). > > Have some fun with that report. How many outright lies do you count from the Trump toadies? Well, to be fair, we do have to import bananas, so… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40538 "2020-02-13T15:28:48Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Badgers badgers badgers badgers moron! moron!](https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/revealed-trump-repeatedly-interrupted-briefings-to-ask-bizarre-questions-about-badgers/)… Are you sure we’re not being trolled? From your link: > [@](#): > > Trump was obsessed with Wisconsin’s association with badgers, and he often asked Priebus to explain how the short-legged mammals behaved, what they ate and whether they were dangerous. From _The Simpsons_: > [@](#): > > Come on, Lise. There’s gotta be a way to lure that badger out. > > Well, according to [WhatBadgersEat.com](http://WhatBadgersEat.com) “Badgers subsist primarily on a diet of stoats, voles and marmots.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40539 "2020-02-13T15:48:55Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I don’t think nice works with these people. I don’t think democratic socialism works. I think people need to be prepared to be mean, not so much against someone wearing a Trump tee shirt per se, but against Trumpism. I want to see a Democratic candidate who has a fucking mean streak, and I haven’t seen it. This is one reason I’ve supported Hillary Clinton. I didn’t think she would start a fight but I feel she was capable of fighting back when needed. She wouldn’t have had to rely on Republicans having a sense of fair play. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40540 "2020-02-13T16:02:54Z")
[John Kelly Finally Lets Loose on Trump](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/john-kelly-finally-lets-loose-on-trump/ar-BBZWWr8?ocid=msedgdhp) How long before Trump calls him a traitor? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40541 "2020-02-13T17:06:30Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [John Kelly Finally Lets Loose on Trump](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/john-kelly-finally-lets-loose-on-trump/ar-BBZWWr8?ocid=msedgdhp) > > How long before Trump calls him a traitor? [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/john-kelly-praises-alexander-vindman-for-refusing-to-follow-trumps-illegal-order](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/john-kelly-praises-alexander-vindman-for-refusing-to-follow-trumps-illegal-order) Didn’t call him a traitor, but he did attack and insult him very soon after the story came out. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40542 "2020-02-13T17:17:33Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > [John Kelly Praises Alexander Vindman For Refusing To Follow Trump’s ‘Illegal Order’](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/john-kelly-praises-alexander-vindman-for-refusing-to-follow-trumps-illegal-order) > > Didn’t call him a traitor, but he did attack and insult him very soon after the story came out. Kelly never could handle the very stable genius that is Trump. Sad. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40543 "2020-02-13T17:50:22Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Badgers badgers badgers badgers moron! moron!](https://www.rawstory.com/2020/02/revealed-trump-repeatedly-interrupted-briefings-to-ask-bizarre-questions-about-badgers/)… Funny though, “[wisconsin badger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin_Badgers)” is only tangentially related to the animal. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/40544 "2020-02-13T17:56:32Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [John Kelly Finally Lets Loose on Trump](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/john-kelly-finally-lets-loose-on-trump/ar-BBZWWr8?ocid=msedgdhp) > > How long before Trump calls him a traitor? I’ll read the article in a bit, but I just want to say that John Kelly is a piece of shit accomplice to Trump and he should go down in history as a villain with the rest of them. I hope his defense of Vindman might open a few eyes, but still, Fuck John Kelly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2026) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2028)