# 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:** 2132
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42626 "2020-04-20T19:59:48Z")
The Johns Hopkins website lists the current totals of confirmed and reported CoVID-19 vases around the world. Ignoring questions of how accurate the reporting is (Is China not reporting all cases? How about Russia?), and only going by the Hopkins data: 1.) The United States has not only got more cases than any country, it has WAY more cases than any other country. Almost 1/3 of the world’s reported cases are in the US. 2.) The US has almost FOUR TIMES as many cases as the next highest country on the list (Spain). 3.) The US has MORE cases than the FOUR next highest countries on the list COMBINED. This is a testament to the great job our president wants credit for. This is subject to change every day, so these numbers will be different tomorrow. > **[COVID-19 Map - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center](https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html)** > > Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) ---
**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:** [April 20, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42627 "2020-04-20T20:06:28Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Ironically, the biggest middle finger to Team Trump yet just may have been dropped by a Republican, Larry Hogan of Maryland: > > [https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/frustrated-by-lack-of-coronavirus-tests-maryland-got-500000-from-south-korea](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/frustrated-by-lack-of-coronavirus-tests-maryland-got-500000-from-south-korea) > > Maryland just bought a boat-load of COVID tests – from South Korea. > > p.s. Middle Finger #2: Unlike CDC’s tests, **they probably work**. Hogan is the Chairman of the National Governor’s Conference. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42628 "2020-04-20T20:06:37Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > This NBC News story mentions it, in regard to PPE: > > [Behind closed doors, Trump’s coronavirus task force boosts industry and sows confusion](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-s-coronavirus-task-force-amassed-power-it-boosted-industry-n1180786) > It’s mentioned here: > > But it’s not just states that Trump favors, but big corporations (which are also probably big donors). > > The good news? > > They’re probably too incompetent to pull it off, completely: People need to study up on Vladimir Putin and how he and his oligarchs have gained power over the years. The Russian economy is mixed but at the top, it operates as a kleptocracy in which oligarchs install people in positions of authority who then orchestrate schemes to rip off tax payers and enrich themselves. Putin and his inner circle corner markets and corner authority and then reward and punish individual billionaires, corporations, people, and groups of people accordingly. Trump and the right wing are essentially trying to copy a form of that here and they’re trying to adapt it to the American system. You know how China’s CCP refers to capitalism with Chinese characteristics? Well Trump is essentially doing his own version of it: capitalism with Trumpian characteristics – or we can just call it gangster capitalism. This is not conspiracy theory nonsense; this is how your government is going to operate going forward unless he and they are voted out of office. Maryland’s action is a relief, but it should be viewed for what it truly is: a desperate response to a shocking failure of federal government institutions under Trump’s watch, but failures which have been compounded by failures and behaviors that, rather than attempt to correct the errors, seek instead to double down and use a crisis as an opportunity to grab real power. Again, though, I doubt the average person really understands just how serious this is, and not just in terms of the failures in response to the pandemic, but also in terms of how they will inevitably threaten the future of American democracy. In order to understand the magnitude of the dangers, people need to understand the extent to which Russia’s oligarchy has been able to penetrate our political and institutional safeguards and manipulate the American political system, mainly with not that much more than just buying off the right people. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42629 "2020-04-20T20:12:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Hogan is the Chairman of the National Governor’s Conference. And hopefully more governors and mayors will do the same and purchase their materials from overseas to underscore the failures at the federal level. But I wouldn’t put it past this administration to attempt to punish states that do this, and they’d probably go as far as to impose strict tariffs or other restrictions on foreign supplies. This administration and their supporters are a disease. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42630 "2020-04-20T22:27:23Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The Johns Hopkins website lists the current totals of confirmed and reported CoVID-19 vases around the world. Ignoring questions of how accurate the reporting is (Is China not reporting all cases? How about Russia?), and only going by the Hopkins data: > > 1.) The United States has not only got more cases than any country, it has WAY more cases than any other country. Almost 1/3 of the world’s reported cases are in the US. > > 2.) The US has almost FOUR TIMES as many cases as the next highest country on the list (Spain). > > 3.) The US has MORE cases than the FOUR next highest countries on the list COMBINED. And [WAY down the list for tests per million population](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries). The current US figure is about 12K per million. The corresponding figures for Latvia, Israel, UAE, and Iceland are 19K, 28K, 78K, and 126K respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42631 "2020-04-21T01:56:43Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1 says he got a warm letter from Kim Jong Un. North Korea says, “No , he didn’t.” > [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/world/asia/north-korea-denies-nice-note-trump.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/19/world/asia/north-korea-denies-nice-note-trump.html)? US intelligence now monitoring reports that Kim Jong Un is in grave condition. The article says after surgery, but my gut feeling is assassination attempt. I bet this is related in any case… [https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42632 "2020-04-21T02:39:40Z")
Why is there such discord with the reporters? On another site I see people claiming they are purposely baiting him and being dumb. There’s a real enmity here between president and press. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42633 "2020-04-21T02:51:28Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > US intelligence now monitoring reports that Kim Jong Un is in grave condition. The article says after surgery, but my gut feeling is assassination attempt. I bet this is related in any case… > > [https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html) So if he dies, who takes over? Is there another Kim warmed up in the bullpen? The younger sister doesn’t seem ready for prime time. Would this be the end of the Kim Dynasty in North Korea? Will the generals get behind just one of their own or does the country descend into civil war? ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42634 "2020-04-21T02:54:45Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Why is there such discord with the reporters? On another site I see people claiming they are purposely baiting him and being dumb. There’s a real enmity here between president and press. He gives them plenty of fodder without their having to bait him. As for the hostility, have you been paying any attention to what he calls individual reporters and any news organization other than Fox and now OAN? Why should they treat him with respect when he’s shown nothing but bullying derision towards them? ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42635 "2020-04-21T02:59:55Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > On another site Yeah, this is a classic right-wing thing. > [@SuntanLotion](#): > > I see people claiming they are purposely baiting him and being dumb. There’s a real enmity here between president and press. Really? Watch for yourself. They toss out a lot of gimmes that any other President would be able to knock out of the park. If there’s enmity, it’s because he doesn’t really want serious questions, he wants fawning adulation and uncritical acceptance. They’ve given him plenty of chances to pass along critical information to the public in a time of crisis, and he’s not only failed to rise to the occasion, he’s failed to even try. The few times a Fox News reporter has screwed up, it’s been asked what they thought was an easy question only to find Trump riled up because he’s been asked an “unfair” question that’s beyond him. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42636 "2020-04-21T03:01:50Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > …or does the country descend into civil war? Isn’t Korea _already_ in a civil war? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42637 "2020-04-21T03:28:42Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > He gives them plenty of fodder without their having to bait him. As for the hostility, have you been paying any attention to what he calls individual reporters and any news organization other than Fox and now OAN? Why should they treat him with respect when he’s shown nothing but bullying derision towards them? Yep; I wish the press had made this change earlier. There’s a strange culture of one-way civility in the US press; that reporters have to be gracious to politicians, and “both sides” everything, but politicians are free to bully, insult and ignore questions. It’s taken a lot, but finally it seems a rebalancing is beginning. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42638 "2020-04-21T03:29:12Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > CNN’s Chris Cillizza sums up Trump’s briefing so we don’t have to watch: > > [The 52 most off-the-wall lines from Donald Trump’s Sunday night coronavirus briefing](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/donald-trump-coronavirus-task-force-sunday/index.html) > > Just a taste of it: > > Soon, as Trump’s dementia progresses, he’ll be explaining the difference between a toothbrush and toothpaste: > > “See, not a lot of people know this, but they’re actually different–the toothpaste goes _on_ the toothbrush. That’s important.” Yeah, he does that all; the time. “Hey, I just found out about _blindingly obvious thing that everyone else on the planet learned in junior high_. A lot of people don’t know that.” ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42639 "2020-04-21T03:54:47Z")
> [@Frazzled](#): > > US intelligence now monitoring reports that Kim Jong Un is in grave condition. The article says after surgery, but my gut feeling is assassination attempt. I bet this is related in any case… > > [https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/20/politics/kim-jong-un-north-korea/index.html) > [@Zakalwe](#): > > So if he dies, who takes over? Is there another Kim warmed up in the bullpen? The younger sister doesn’t seem ready for prime time. Would this be the end of the Kim Dynasty in North Korea? Will the generals get behind just one of their own or does the country descend into civil war? > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Isn’t Korea _already_ in a civil war? It’s a hijack from this thread, so I’ve reposted over here: [Kim Jong Un “In Grave Condition”](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=894622) Mods, if that was wrong, mea maxima culpa. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42640 "2020-04-21T03:56:16Z")
And [this just in](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-he-suspending-immigration-over-coronavirus-need-protect-jobs-n1188416): Trump announces (via Tweet, of course) that he intends to sign an executive order “temporarily” banning all immigration to the US. 'Cause, you know, we need to protect ourselves from all those countries who have fewer infected than we do. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42641 "2020-04-21T04:02:33Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > So if he dies, who takes over? Is there another Kim warmed up in the bullpen? The younger sister doesn’t seem ready for prime time. Would this be the end of the Kim Dynasty in North Korea? Will the generals get behind just one of their own or does the country descend into civil war? As I noted in another thread, there’s an older brother, Kim Jong-chul, who would presumably become the new ruler. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42642 "2020-04-21T04:13:26Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Why is there such discord with the reporters? On another site I see people claiming they are purposely baiting him and being dumb. There’s a real enmity here between president and press. Probably it’s because they’re stuck in a room which is reeking from the stench of the endless bullshit that streams out of his mouth. I bet they can’t get the stink out of their clothing when they get home and they have to just throw it away. > [@dasmoocher](#): > > See, not a lot of people know this, but they’re actually different–the toothpaste goes on the toothbrush. That’s important." " . . . and the way I put on the toothpaste is the most incredible thing. No one has ever seen such magnificent toothpaste. No one ever thought it could be done, but I did it. This country has never seen such a wonderful thing. Of course you in the fake news don’t report about it, because you’re a disgrace, but that’s okay. . . my people know." He’s like a fuckin’ sleazy, two-bit used-car salesman who can’t open his mouth without bullshit streaming out. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42643 "2020-04-21T04:38:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > As I noted in another thread, there’s an older brother, Kim Jong-chul, who would presumably become the new ruler. He’s been pushing his sister lately. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42644 "2020-04-21T06:17:00Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > And hopefully more governors and mayors will do the same and purchase their materials from overseas to underscore the failures at the federal level. > > But I wouldn’t put it past this administration to attempt to punish states that do this, and they’d probably go as far as to impose strict tariffs or other restrictions on foreign supplies. > > This administration and their supporters are a disease. Should we be on the lookout for incoming flights being boarded for inspection by federal agents asserting the power to seize shipments of PPE/testing supplies/ventilators? No, seriously, should we? ---
**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:** [April 21, 2020, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/42646 "2020-04-21T06:24:51Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Why is there such discord with the reporters? On another site I see people claiming they are purposely baiting him and being dumb. There’s a real enmity here between president and press. Good rule of thumb: Whenever the America-hating fuckstick asserts something that’s opposite of what someone else asserts, assume that the America-hating fuckstick is the one who’s wrong. Another one: Whenever someone comments that the America-hating fuckstick is RIGHT, assume that most of what that someone says can be discounted as dangerously wrong. You place your bets on those propositions, and you’ll come out ahead in the long run (at lease wrt your betting). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2131) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2133)