# 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:** 2057
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41125 "2020-03-08T02:11:19Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > [A person has tested positive for coronavirus after attending a conservative conference where White House officials were present](https://www.businessinsider.com/cpac-attendee-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-2020-3). > > In case you haven’t read it recently, here’s the full text to [The Masque of the Red Death](https://www.poemuseum.org/the-masque-of-the-red-death). I have a fond memory of that (spoilered because it is so far off topic) A guy in a black nova came into the gas station I was working at and gave me a handful of grass, clover and mushrooms, on the evening of the last day of October. He urged me to eat them then and there, but I waited to the end of my shift. Upon arriving home, I found my roommate one sarah passed out on the couch in front of _Masque of the Red Death_, featuring Vincent Price of course. So, in my state of weirdness, I sat and appreciated it, until my other roommate eric came storming out of the bedroom annoyed that sarah was zonked out on the couch instead of in bed with him, so he picked up the TV and made a big show of hauling it to the door to throw it out into the front yard. There was much shouting and acrimony, and I was greatly entertained. The TV survived the incident. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41126 "2020-03-08T03:49:15Z")
It has been said that\* Masque\* was the high point of Vincent Price’s career, but personally, it has always seemed to me that the sublime mastery of the _Doctor Phibes_ series is much underestimated. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41127 "2020-03-08T03:56:29Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > It has been said that\* Masque\* was the high point of Vincent Price’s career, but personally, it has always seemed to me that the sublime mastery of the _Doctor Phibes_ series is much underestimated. Oh, definitely Phibes. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41128 "2020-03-08T04:05:25Z")
[Official: White House didn’t want to tell seniors not to fly](https://apnews.com/921ad7f1f08d7634bf681ba785faf269) > [@](#): > > The White House overruled health officials who wanted to recommend that elderly and physically fragile Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines because of the new coronavirus, a federal official told The Associated Press. > > The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention submitted the plan this week as a way of trying to control the virus, but White House officials ordered the air travel recommendation be removed, said the official who had direct knowledge of the plan. Trump administration officials have since suggested certain people should consider not traveling, but they have stopped short of the stronger guidance sought by the CDC. > > The person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity did not have authorization to talk about the matter. The person did not have direct knowledge about why the decision to kill the language was made. > > On Friday, the CDC quietly updated its website to tell older adults and people with severe medical conditions such as heart, lung or kidney disease to “stay home as much as possible” and avoid crowds. It urges those people to “take actions to reduce your risk of exposure,” but it doesn’t specifically address flying. America has long been a place where corporate people were valued much more than people people, so this really shouldn’t be a surprise… yet it still rankles. ---
**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 8, 2020, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41129 "2020-03-08T06:41:00Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Wanting him to suffer is unacceptable. I mean, compassion notwithstanding, why should want him to delay the final curtain by any means? What is there to be gained by not being expeditious? Satisfaction. ---
**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 8, 2020, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41130 "2020-03-08T08:02:48Z")
[Shit just got real for the Orange!](http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202003/08/WS5e6499afa31012821727d318.html) > [@China Daily](#): > > One tests positive for COVID-19 after conference also attended by Trump I wonder if he has a hunch about this case, too. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41131 "2020-03-08T15:16:04Z")
[Trump claims he had no idea people die of influenza despite his grandfather dying from the virus](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-grandfather-died-spanish-flu-a9384986.html). ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41132 "2020-03-08T15:44:07Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Wanting him to suffer is unacceptable. I mean, compassion notwithstanding, why should want him to delay the final curtain by any means? What is there to be gained by not being expeditious? Suffer? No. But I hope that the rest of his life is spent between a cell and a courtroom. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. This is of course what Trump is afraid of, and the primary reason he is trying to remain President. Well that, and the penny ante scams he can run while in the White House. Seriously, he doubles the prices on Mar-a-Lago for his entourage and SS agents? He’s not just a crook and con man, he’s really, really bad at it. ---
**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 8, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41133 "2020-03-08T16:34:29Z")
I think this could turn out to be Trump’s Katrina moment – on steroids. > **[Trump administration overrode CDC recommendation that elderly, at-risk...](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/486475-trump-administration-overrode-health-officials-recommendation-that-elderly/)** > > The White House this week batted down a recommendation from health officials that elderly people and those who are “physically fragile” not fly on commercial airplanes, an unnamed official with dir… He won’t be able to un-fuck this, either. Pandemics don’t get resolved with fiscal stimulus or a tax cut. Memo to MAGA-bots: ignorance is pretty goddamned expensive after all. ---
**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 8, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41134 "2020-03-08T16:37:51Z")
Meanwhile, the right-leaning Washington Examiner reports this: > **[Matt Schlapp, who shook Trump’s hand, interacted with CPAC attendee with...](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/?p=380859)** > > The chairman of the American Conservative Union acknowledged he interacted with a Conservative Political Action Conference attendee who tested positive for the coronavirus. Matt Schlapp told the Washington Post on Saturday he had an interaction with... > [@](#): > > Matt Schlapp, who shook Trump’s hand, interacted with CPAC attendee with coronavirus ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41135 "2020-03-08T16:45:01Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > He’s not just a crook and con man, he’s really, really bad at it. He did one thing that great conmen are very good at: finding the right mark. Related to that, he made one very smart decision: running as a Republican. He was one of the few who was willing to bet big that the Republican party would allow him to engage in his scams, run up the deficit, enrich himself and his cronies on the taxpayer dime, sell out to foreign countries, lie constantly, wipe his feet on the Constitution, and all the other horrors of this administration. He had the foresight to see through the Republican rhetoric and see them for the money-grubbing, party before country, group they are. He realized that the Republican base of brainless, liberal hating bigots was much larger than party moderates wanted to admit, and that there would be little to no repercussions to his blatant idiocy and corruption. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41136 "2020-03-08T16:47:05Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Wanting him to suffer is unacceptable. I mean, compassion notwithstanding, why should want him to delay the final curtain by any means? What is there to be gained by not being expeditious? It’s important to keep in mind that the root problem lies in the rank and file’s attitudes and preconceptions about how the world is supposed to be. I suspect a lot of his fanbase are “just-world” types, who, if confronted with a quick and painless exit for the America-hating fuckstick, would be easily persuaded to view it as a case where the Creator of the Universe was calling His faithful servant Home, with his Holy Work completed. A certain amount of suffering and ignominy for the A-H FS would presumably make such an argument less compelling. All of which is to say “_pour encourager les autres_.” ---
**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:** [March 8, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41137 "2020-03-08T16:59:40Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I think this could turn out to be Trump’s Katrina moment – on steroids. The metaphor is somewhat inapt. Katrina happened in '05, when W was already past re-election, so it was merely embarrassing for him. What we do know is that this will most assuredly _not_ be Individual-ONE’s Sandy moment – the time right before the '12 election when Obama rolled up his sleeves and got to working alongside R governor Christie while somehow managing to not call him a reptile. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41138 "2020-03-08T17:07:27Z")
Y’all are a lot more kind than I am. There’s already been multiple Katrina/Sandy moments. We’ve just forgotten (to our shame) or moved onto other disasters. Much of Puerto Rico’s infrastructure is still in shambles. Even in states like Texas or Florida, the FEMA response to hurricanes was underwhelming and the national flood insurance program continues to be a slow motion trainwreck. California was told they only need to sweep their forests and managed a lot more on their own than they should have. If this one seems worse, it’s because it’s not limited to a relatively small geographic footprint. It’s easy to forget about a hurricane if you live 1000 miles away. It’s much harder to ignore a disease that your next door neighbor might have and one that nature itself will not contain on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41139 "2020-03-08T17:53:43Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > He did one thing that great conmen are very good at: finding the right mark. Related to that, he made one very smart decision: running as a Republican. > > He was one of the few who was willing to bet big that the Republican party would allow him to engage in his scams, run up the deficit, enrich himself and his cronies on the taxpayer dime, sell out to foreign countries, lie constantly, wipe his feet on the Constitution, and all the other horrors of this administration. He had the foresight to see through the Republican rhetoric and see them for the money-grubbing, party before country, group they are. He realized that the Republican base of brainless, liberal hating bigots was much larger than party moderates wanted to admit, and that there would be little to no repercussions to his blatant idiocy and corruption. You give him far too much credit for thinking about these things. He doesn’t think, consider, calculate…any more than a five year old does, anyway. He just IS… his only thoughts are about himself and how much attention he can get, of any kind. That’s it. He is pathologically immature; his emotional processes ceased developing at about age 3, leaving him operating only by the simplest, most infantile urges. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41140 "2020-03-08T17:54:51Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > He did one thing that great conmen are very good at: finding the right mark. Related to that, he made one very smart decision: running as a Republican. > … I’ll agree, but think that he fell backasswards into that ‘decision’. I doubt that he thought that he would become president, no matter what he ran as. He wanted to start the ‘Anti-Hillary’ network that would put FOX to shame. I think he was also pissed off that his silly bullshit show got canceled, and he needed attention. That’s a big reason why bullies are bullies. They need attention. But oops, he actually underestimated just how stupid his supporters are. The are so stupid, they elected him. Now under the microscope that is the Presidency of the United States of America, he’s trying to stay out of prison. As are many of his political supporters in the Senate. Who has what on Lindsey Graham for instance? He hated Trump, despised him. But Lindsey is now one of his most ardent asslickers. Live boy or dead girl? ---
**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 8, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41141 "2020-03-08T20:27:24Z")
[The DOTUS “speaks” (let’s call it that) about replacing the ACA](https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/trumps-protecting-pre-existing-conditions-full-answer-if-obamacare-undone-2020-3-1028974204): > [@Garbage In Gibberish Out](#): > > That’s what I said. We want to terminate Obamacare because it’s bad. Look, we’re running it really well, but we know it’s defective. It’s very defective. We got rid of the worst part. And that was a very important thing. You know getting rid of the individual mandate was a very important thing. > > But we want to get something — if we can get the House, you’ll have the best healthcare and health insurance anywhere on the planet. But we have to get the House back. > > Now, that means we have to hold the Senate. We have to get the House. We have to, obviously, keep the White House. But, what we’re doing is managing it really well. > > Now, it’s a case; it’s called Texas vs. — you understand — it’s Texas who is suing. They want to terminate it. But everybody there is also saying, and everybody — we have our great senator from Pennsylvania. Thank you very much, Pat, for being here. (Applause.) And Pat Toomey. > And — but, very important — and our — by the way, our great congressmen, I have to say, they were warriors. Right? Real warriors, in terms of the fake impeachment. I will tell you that. (Applause.) > > But, so Texas is trying — and it’s Texas and many states — they’re trying to terminate, but they want to put something that’s much better. They’re terminating it to put much better. And they’ve all pledged that preexisting conditions, 100 percent taken care of. 😕[sup]∞[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41142 "2020-03-08T21:53:57Z")
So why didn’t they do something “much better” when they controlled the House from 2017-2019? ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41143 "2020-03-08T22:16:36Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > So why didn’t they do something “much better” when they controlled the House from 2017-2019? I think you meant to say “they put something much better.”🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41144 "2020-03-08T23:45:41Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Sweet Jesus. ☹ > > **[‘Zero-empathy’ Trump shows lack of emotion when told about 8-year-old boy’s family being killed in tornado](https://www.yahoo.com/news/zero-empathy-trump-shows-lack-230400652.html)** Holy shit, that reminds me of his meeting with that Iraqi woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize. After telling him that her father and brothers were killed, Trump asks “Where are they now?” They’re dead", she replies. So Trump decides to change the subject. “You won the Nobel Prize?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2056) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2058)