# 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:** 2070
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41385 "2020-03-13T11:27:23Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Seriously? I was just indulging in gallows humor. I didn’t think there would be any noticeable effect. I guess the dip in pollution is due to people staying home instead of driving? I mean they haven’t had that many deaths yet have they? Yeah, there has been a measurable impact on pollution in China. It’s not just a lack of driving, it’s also all the factories being shut down. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41386 "2020-03-13T11:29:54Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Technically I think this would be strawmanning (claiming you hold a position that you don’t). Gaslighting would be when they claim that Trump never said that there would be no more than 13 people in the US infected and it was just your imagination that he said such a thing. I said “gaslighting” because these MAGAS know full well that our criticisms of Trump have to do with his handling of the virus and NOT that he started it. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41387 "2020-03-13T11:48:07Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > That is nonsense. You can come up with those numbers using the worst case scenario at every single stage. 70% infection rate, 3.8% fatality rate, etc. > Nonsense. It wasn’t necessary to label your comments “Nonsense”; we were able to figure that out for ourselves. The “etc” after the two parameters that uniquely and completely define the calculation did induce a bit of head-scratching, though. ---
**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 13, 2020, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41388 "2020-03-13T12:34:06Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > That is nonsense. You can come up with those numbers using the worst case scenario at every single stage. 70% infection rate, 3.8% fatality rate, etc. How hard is it to make a self-own look so easy? ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41389 "2020-03-13T12:45:35Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > It wasn’t necessary to label your comments “Nonsense”; we were able to figure that out for ourselves. The “etc” after the two parameters that uniquely and completely define the calculation did induce a bit of head-scratching, though. The etc was for the population of the US. You need that for the calculation. Who knows it might be 327.2m or it might be 327.3m. ETA. Which reminds me the census is coming. I wonder how the pandemic will change the census. ---
**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 13, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41390 "2020-03-13T13:08:33Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > The etc was for the population of the US. You need that for the calculation. Who knows it might be 327.2m or it might be 327.3m. > > ETA. Which reminds me the census is coming. I wonder how the pandemic will change the census. Meanwhile, the America-hating fuckstick holds on to a cherished hope that the census will change the scope of the pandemic… ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41391 "2020-03-13T13:16:23Z")
Just think, we were so close to finally having a Democratic president take over from a Republican president who hadn’t tanked the economy. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41392 "2020-03-13T13:25:01Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > - Hillary and George Soros had this virus created in a secret lab in the Amazon. > - Then had it transported and released in Wuhan, China. Too lazy to look for a link (and it is the pit), but saw an article that a high-ranking Chinese spokesman is blaming the US. Apparently, there was some athletic competition in Wuhan just before the virus surfaced, and something like 700 US Army athletes attended. The growing story is that they were patient zero for the virus. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41393 "2020-03-13T13:26:50Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Just think, we were so close to finally having a Democratic president take over from a Republican president who hadn’t tanked the economy. I’m stealing that. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41394 "2020-03-13T13:31:58Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > That is nonsense. You can come up with those numbers using the worst case scenario at every single stage. 70% infection rate, 3.8% fatality rate, etc. > Nonsense. You think the population of the USA is 38 million? ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41395 "2020-03-13T13:40:19Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > I’m stealing that. Same… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41396 "2020-03-13T14:01:34Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Just think, we were so close to finally having a Democratic president take over from a Republican president who hadn’t tanked the economy. If y’all think 5YL is being snarky, or just referring to this century… no. [Republican mismanagement of the economy has been a staple since the Civil War](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=22181215&postcount=135). ---
**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:** [March 13, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41397 "2020-03-13T14:14:03Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Well those projected (fantasized) death rates will certainly reduce Social Security and Medicare outlays - a positive and in line with the President’s thinking (hunching?) > > /s We think alike. And don’t forget Medicaid. Just think of the savings! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41398 "2020-03-13T14:24:23Z")
Did you say Medicaid? > **[Under pressure, Trump administration opens door to mobilizing Medicaid to...](https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-13/trump-administration-blocks-states-use-medicaid-respond-coronavirus-crisis)** > > Facing mounting pleas from California and other states, the Trump administration moved Friday to allow states to use Medicaid more freely to respond to the coronavirus crisis and expand access to medical services. ---
**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 13, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41399 "2020-03-13T15:00:10Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > While I appreciate the effort you’ve put into this post and its points supported by such examples as the micromeasuring of apples, quite a lot of pie-in-the-sky speculation and the phrase “Leader in Chief of Curing Cancer for All Humanity, Gratis”, I stand by my previous post on the subject and am content to let other readers decide for themselves which of us is accurately reflecting the situation and which is engaged in desperate deflection. A: A team was fired. B: It was a single person, not a team. C: That single person was a Rear Admiral. B: That’s true but has nothing to do with anything relevant. A Rear Admiral is a single person, not a team. C: You and your desperate deflection! Okaaaay. I don’t know what you’re reading into this where that’s your takeaway but if someone is asking people to stop being lazy and to differentiate between “there” and “their” and you’re accusing them of being an agent of Satan, come to mislead the masses, then you might want to consider taking a break from the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41400 "2020-03-13T15:07:37Z")
“The Buck Stops Here”, Sage. You can decry the “Trump fired the pandemic response team” as ‘fake news’ because it was his appointed subordinate who fired them/him, but… “The Buck Stops Here”. Remember Ken Lay? Oddly enough, the ex-CEO of Enron was, likely, ignorant of what Skilling and Fastow were doing… Ken was an oil guy, he wasn’t a McKinsey quant like the other two… but he’s still responsible. Same principle applies. Did Trump fire the pandemic team, or was one guy laid off by John Bolton? It doesn’t matter, as Trump is in charge and he owns the actions of his closest subordinates. ---
**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 13, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41401 "2020-03-13T15:10:11Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > If y’all think 5YL is being snarky, or just referring to this century… no. [Republican mismanagement of the economy has been a staple since the Civil War](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=22181215&postcount=135). Should be a sticky. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41402 "2020-03-13T15:37:46Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Should be a sticky. He’s gonna need to update that list… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41403 "2020-03-13T15:40:08Z")
LOL, no doubt. Might wait a few weeks, though… I’m sure there are going to be even more additions. ---
**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 13, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/41404 "2020-03-13T15:46:27Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “The Buck Stops Here”, Sage. > > You can decry the “Trump fired the pandemic response team” as ‘fake news’ because it was his appointed subordinate who fired them/him, but… > > “The Buck Stops Here”. That is certainly true. On this subject, Politifact says that Trump _didn’t_ do it and Snopes says that the Trump Administration _did_ do it. Both Politifact and Snopes are correct. They are _not_ saying the opposite thing. This is a subject of pedantry, not deeply held political convictions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2069) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2071)