# 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:** 2055
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41085 "2020-03-07T04:22:50Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > Pence was in Washington state on Thursday. > Trump said his dumb shit today. “Trump smears Jay Inslee, governor of the state at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak: “I told Mike [Pence] not to be complimentary of the governor, because that governor is a snake.”” > ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41086 "2020-03-07T04:29:05Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > I can’t come to a conclusion about just how dangerous this virus is or whether the hype it is getting is warranted. Given the uncertainty, I guess the hype is the safer bet. This thing definitely has a “denominator problem”- we know the number dead, but we really don’t know the number of cases. At 3300 dead and 100,000 cases, yeah, that looks like a 3.3% fatality rate. But if only 1 in 6 infected people get tested, obviously it is way lower. > > The lower bound I am seeing is .5%, which would make this 5x deadlier than the common flu, which I would consider very serious. Or it could be even worse. The clusterfuck here is, what exactly is the major malfunction at the CDC that we are still hardly testing anybody? Wtf? Wtf? > > Maybe I am just feeling angry which is why I am bouncing this off of you guys. The response in this country strikes me as inexcusable. We’re just gonna let this thing run to prop up the stock market for… a month? two months? before this fucker takes off and makes millions sick and tens of thousands dead? What in the everlasting fuck? What exactly is the major malfunction? I’m going to give a WAG of 3 months of closures and quarantines. That is based on China’s results. I’ll go further and predict around a thousand deaths, though we are already not identifying them. An elderly patient at the nursing home in Kirkland died Thursday. Per reports, she was never tested and cause of death was listed as natural causes. I’m not sure what you mean by " We’re just gonna let this thing run to prop up the stock market for… ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41087 "2020-03-07T04:56:18Z")
The virus is already mutating, and the mutations don’t just impact the elderly. There’s a strain in Shenzhen that is making the children ill. We’re not prepared for what comes next. That, I guarantee. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41088 "2020-03-07T04:57:11Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > But trust in Pence. He’s praying for you. Oh, I’m pretty sure he’s not praying for me. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41089 "2020-03-07T04:59:12Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Mick Mulvaney is out as White House Chief of Staff. Congressman Mark Meadows is in. > > [https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1236096307103707136?s=19](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1236096307103707136?s=19) > > ETTD I’m having trouble finding the answer: who will appoint Meadows’s replacement? If it’s the governor, that could really shake up the contest for Meadows’s seat. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41090 "2020-03-07T05:04:41Z")
> [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > Oh, I’m pretty sure he’s not praying for me. Maybe preying on you. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41091 "2020-03-07T05:14:07Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > I’m not sure what you mean by " We’re just gonna let this thing run to prop up the stock market for… The response so far largely seems to involve downplaying the threat and, whether intentionally or not, pretty much completely failing to test adequately such that we don’t know how many cases there are, where they are, what is really the fatality rate, etc. In one place they shut down a university or cancel a concert. But turn on the TV and Trump seems to be signalling the all clear, which is simply false. That part of it is “letting it run”, just acting like it is all ok and will blow over on its own, apparently to avoid spooking the markets. I think the irresponsible response is going to lead to a far worse outbreak than if we met the threat without all the bullshit and pretending. What excuse can there be for America’s near inability to test for this virus? What excuse is there for the efforts to downplay or cover up the number of infected? ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41092 "2020-03-07T05:17:36Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > The response so far largely seems to involve downplaying the threat and, whether intentionally or not, pretty much completely failing to test adequately such that we don’t know how many cases there are, where they are, what is really the fatality rate, etc. In one place they shut down a university or cancel a concert. But turn on the TV and Trump seems to be signalling the all clear, which is simply false. That part of it is “letting it run”, just acting like it is all ok and will blow over on its own. I think the irresponsible response is going to lead to a far worse outbreak than if we met the threat without all the bullshit and pretending. > > What excuse can there be for America’s near inability to test for this virus? Why excuse is there for the efforts to downplay or cover up the number of infected? I meant I don’t think the stock market is being propped up by Trump’s BS. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41093 "2020-03-07T05:44:28Z")
Well that seems to be the intent. And FWIW, stocks finished the week slightly up, despite the drama. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41094 "2020-03-07T08:24:16Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > **[Trump praises CDC during visit, insults Wash. governor](https://a.msn.com/r/2/BB10PV98?m=en-us&referrerID=InAppShare)** > My bold. > > :smack: Letter? ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41095 "2020-03-07T12:56:28Z")
[It looks like Pence will need to be tested for COVID-19](https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-confirmed-two-attendees-us-pro-israel-summit-014428574.html). I wonder if he’ll get tested for this “hoax” before [that quarantined nurse does](https://www.yahoo.com/news/coronavirus-nurse-symptoms-hits-cdc-142219839.html). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41096 "2020-03-07T13:19:53Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Letter? Transcript_ion_? Like how Steve Vai would compose a guitar live to the spoken contours of Frank Zappa’s, ahem, [poetry](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kz763s2kgkU)? (Warning: NSFW, mainly for misogyny. I probably should have gone with “The Dangerous Kitchen.”) ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41097 "2020-03-07T14:11:51Z")
And the [hits keep on rolling on](https://www.yahoo.com/news/betsy-devos-introduces-rule-making-193325446.html) to undo every positive thing President Obama did: > [@](#): > > Betsy Devos introduces rule making it harder for child abuse victims [to] come forward at school Good job on protecting everyone’s right to education, you useless scum! ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41098 "2020-03-07T14:12:11Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > “Trump smears Jay Inslee, governor of the state at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak: “I told Mike [Pence] not to be complimentary of the governor, because that governor is a snake.”” > [https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1236057271727202305](https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1236057271727202305) In times past we’d expect (or at least hope) that the situation would bring out the best in a leader, like Clinton after the OKC bombing, Bush after 9/11, Reagan after the Challenger accident, and Obama after the Newtown school shooting. With Trump, we can expect a crisis like this to bring out his worst, and I guarantee you his followers will go in a similar direction. Look at what’s taking place in rural Washington and Oregon, and you can imagine where this might lead. Groups of armed, violently ideological fringe groups who will claim that they’re victims of a Chinese, radical left conspiracy. If backed into a corner, I have no doubt that Trump would wink and nod to these ‘2nd Amendment people’ - Pay their legal fees? Shit he might even offer to pardon them. ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41099 "2020-03-07T14:20:11Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > With Trump, we can expect a crisis like this to bring out his worst, and I guarantee you his followers will go in a similar direction. That’s because he has no best. He is consistently bad. There is no gradation here, no spectrum. He’s just bad. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41100 "2020-03-07T14:36:03Z")
> [@Mr.Greenjeans](#): > > Oh, I’m pretty sure he’s not praying for me. But is he praying hard enough? Shouldn’t that be his primary concern? And maybe bring on Jared? Not just because he’s Jewish, but, really, what can it hurt? I have it on good authority that God is a Methodist, but will bless your heart, so long as you mean well. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41101 "2020-03-07T15:01:48Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The virus is already mutating, and the mutations don’t just impact the elderly. There’s a strain in Shenzhen that is making the children ill. > > We’re not prepared for what comes next. That, I guarantee. I found this alarming and searched for [an article about it](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/03/study-reveals-sharp-increase-covid-19-kids-shenzhen). Doesn’t sound like it’s a new strain, but that few children were exposed early on and that they weren’t being tested because of mild symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41102 "2020-03-07T15:59:18Z")
[trump knows everything about epidemiology.](https://theweek.com/speedreads/900702/trump-says-doctors-keep-asking-how-knows-much-about-coronavirus) Except how to pronounce it, instead calling it “this stuff”. “People come up to me, doctors, medical folk, the best…even scientists…they say, sir, we hear you know all about this stuff. You should have been a doctor.” ---
**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:** [March 7, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41103 "2020-03-07T16:37:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > [trump knows everything about epidemiology.](https://theweek.com/speedreads/900702/trump-says-doctors-keep-asking-how-knows-much-about-coronavirus) Except how to pronounce it, instead calling it “this stuff”. > > “People come up to me, doctors, medical folk, the best…even scientists…they say, sir, we hear you know all about this stuff. You should have been a doctor.” Why won’t this stupid motherfucker suffer and die? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41104 "2020-03-07T17:02:34Z")
> [@Mr Empathy](#): > > I like the numbers being where they are. I don’t need to have the numbers double because of one ship. So is our President, the consoler-in-chief, concerned about the health, safety, and comfort of the 3000 people on the ship? Not so much. Is he concerned about managing the health crisis for the nation as a whole? Nah. No, it’s important that he manage the “numbers” and the perception it casts on his sorry ass personally. He’s like a sleazy salesman, back-dating invoices so he makes his quota. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2054) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2056)