# 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:** 2194
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43867 "2020-05-28T14:42:52Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > …Countdown to a certain five-letter-named Doper jumping in to claim that they did indeed tell us so in 5…4…3… Excuse me very much, but **I’M** the one who started this thread! :mad: And yes, a couple of us were right, and persisted in predicting disaster even when people told us to simmer down, get a grip, cool it, blahblahblah. I wish to god those dire predictions had been way off. Remember back when even some of the early Cabinet members (now long gone) were sure he would start being Presidential “any day now”? :smack: I will confess, however, that THUMP has turned out to be much, much worse than I imagined in my wildest, most crazed, hysterical dreams. Sigh. And the utter indifference of the Republican party (which I’ve never admired but used to have a morsel of respect for) to his lunacy and destructiveness is possibly more astounding. I mean, trump has just [del]evolved[/del] deteriorated into more (less?) of what he always was. New Yorkers knew this about him, having seen him in action his whole life. But to lead the whole column of rats behind him scurrying along to the tune of his magic flute… didn’t see that one coming. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43868 "2020-05-28T15:00:58Z")
The issue isn’t whether most of could see this coming. The issue is that nobody has been able to stop it for 4 years and there have been no meaningful consequences to all the Trump fuckery. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43869 "2020-05-28T15:04:29Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > The issue isn’t whether most of could see this coming. The issue is that nobody has been able to stop it for 4 years and there have been no meaningful consequences to all the Trump fuckery. What I didn’t see coming is the horrifying level of conservative enablement of his insanity. EDIT, pretty much what ThelmaLou said better two posts ago. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43870 "2020-05-28T15:17:02Z")
> [@solost](#): > > What I didn’t see coming is the horrifying level of conservative enablement of his insanity. > > EDIT, pretty much what ThelmaLou said better two posts ago. That surprises me too. There were many harsh and accurate attacks on Trump by Republicans during the primaries by people who now suck up to him. I know that in the abstract that’s not uncommon, but in this particular situation, the attacks went way beyond disagreements about character or policy. > [@](#): > > In 2015, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, labeled Mr. Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” and called him the “ISIL man of the year,” referring to the Islamic State. That was in addition to describing him as a “kook,” “crazy” and a man who was “unfit for office.” > > Senator Ted Cruz, the second-to-last man left standing in the ugly 2016 Republican primary race, called Mr. Trump a “pathological liar” who was “utterly amoral,” a “serial philanderer” and a “narcissist at a level I don’t think this country’s ever seen.” > > Mick Mulvaney, the former Republican congressman who now serves as the president’s acting chief of staff, in 2016 called him a “terrible human being” who had made “disgusting and indefensible” comments about women. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43871 "2020-05-28T15:25:45Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Individual 1 says a reporter wearing a mask was being politically correct, > [https://www.salon.com/2020/05/27/gop-governors-back-masks-even-as-trump-mocks-masked-reporter-as-politically-correct/](https://www.salon.com/2020/05/27/gop-governors-back-masks-even-as-trump-mocks-masked-reporter-as-politically-correct/) Best reply comes from Arnold Schwarzenegger in California: > **[Tired Of Wearing A Face Mask In Public? New Research Underscores Why You...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/05/14/here-is-more-evidence-for-face-mask-use-with-covid-19-coronavirus/#49f336391060)** > > A study suggests that simply speaking could spew thousands of virus-laden fluid droplets that may hang in the air for tens of minutes. > [@](#): > > Again, the current advice is that you should wear face masks in enclosed areas to protect others. Because after all, it’s not always all about you. Enclosed areas include an airplane, a grocery store, a toilet paper emporium, a medical facility, a nursing home, or any other place that’s not very wide open and the air is not circulated by Nature’s gigantic muffin fan. So a face covering is a selfless, contribute-to-society type of thing. That’s the thought behind the #MaskingForAFriend campaign, started by the Pandemic Action Network. As you’ll notice, the name of the campaign includes “for a friend” and not “for a political statement.” [Picture of Ahnold with a mask with “We’ll be back” text in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall] The caption IMHO should had been: \*\*Hear me now you huge girly man! Wearing masks is not a political statement, \*\*\*\*you only show how scared you are if others see you showing concern for others. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43872 "2020-05-28T15:28:37Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > That surprises me too. There were many harsh and accurate attacks on Trump by Republicans during the primaries by people who now suck up to him. I know that in the abstract that’s not uncommon, but in this particular situation, the attacks went way beyond disagreements about character or policy. Sorry, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that once it was found out that there were no real repercussions to being a self-serving bigoted asshole their true selves would be exposed for all to see. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43873 "2020-05-28T16:32:57Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > …the Republican party (which I’ve never admired but used to have a morsel of respect for)… They were awesome in the 1860s (not many people know that.) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43874 "2020-05-28T17:10:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Sorry, but it doesn’t surprise me at all that once it was found out that there were no real repercussions to being a self-serving bigoted asshole their true selves would be exposed for all to see. They made the decision that personal power and money were more important to them than doing the right thing or protecting the country. They are sell-out assholes. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43875 "2020-05-28T17:35:24Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Countdown to a certain five-letter-named Doper jumping in to claim that they did indeed tell us so in 5…4…3… You must have quite a rush of cassandrafreude. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43876 "2020-05-28T17:52:11Z")
> [@Arnold Schwarzenegger](#): > > Again, the current advice is that you should wear face masks in enclosed areas to protect others. Because after all, it’s not always all about you. Enclosed areas include an airplane, a grocery store, a toilet paper emporium, a medical facility, a nursing home, or any other place that’s not very wide open and the air is not circulated by Nature’s gigantic muffin fan. So a face covering is a selfless, contribute-to-society type of thing. That’s the thought behind the #MaskingForAFriend campaign, started by the Pandemic Action Network. As you’ll notice, the name of the campaign includes “for a friend” and not “for a political statement.” Underline mine. Backs away slowly. Good that he came out in favor of masks, but, umm he has a weird way with words. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43877 "2020-05-28T17:56:48Z")
Individual 1 retweets a video saying “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat”, and calling for hanging or firing squad for the Governors of Michigan and Virginia. [Trump Promotes ‘Only Good Democrat is a Dead Democrat’ Video](https://www.mediaite.com/donald-trump/trump-promotes-video-that-opens-with-the-only-good-democrat-is-a-dead-democrat/amp/)? ---
**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:** [May 28, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43878 "2020-05-28T17:59:30Z")
I knew we were in real trouble when the Republican party tolerated the birther bullshit. They should have been pushing back on Fox “News” and everywhere else for all they were worth against that racist, easily-disproved garbage. To let Trump smear a sitting US president in such a disrespectful way was all the proof I needed to understand how far off the bubble we’d drifted as a society. Throughout these ghastly 3 1/2 years, Republicans have pretended to be “afraid” of Trump’s base as a reason to endorse his inexcusable, illegal behaviors. In fact, they’d have tolerated anything he said or did so long as they could use the cover to steal more tax money for themselves and their investors/donors, gut protections for workers and the environment, and to pack the courts with Federalist Society-approved judges. To excuse active coercion of another sovereign government (Ukraine) to undermine a political opponent… words fail me. It wasn’t just _a_ basis for impeachment/removal. It was _the_ basis for impeachment/removal. The mainstream media helped them along with their pathetic meme of being a’skaired. By pretending to be cowed, Republicans amplified the power of the racist nationalist troglodytes who support them and enriched themselves to a staggering degree. Another dangerous precedent is the extent to which Republicans have delegitimized Democrats/independents as “real” Americans. They no longer feel compelled to represent anyone who does not espouse their point of view. They don’t even try to hide it. If you are not with Republicans, you don’t have the same rights as they do, so far as they are concerned. ETA: With **Rick Kitchen** ’s post, I rest my case. The depth of the corruption now embedded within the Republican “leadership” is hard to grasp and accept. But there it is. This, coupled with the troubling ignorance of our populace to understand how their government is meant to work, makes for a frightening future in the good ol’ US of A. Even if power is successfully wrenched from them this November, the seeds of chaos are already deeply planted. We have a very tough road ahead. I feel sorry for Joe Biden. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43879 "2020-05-28T18:09:34Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Underline mine. > > Backs away slowly. > > Good that he came out in favor of masks, but, umm he has a weird way with words. Ehh. Those weren’t his words. The pull-quote is from the Forbes article\* in which a photograph of him wearing a mask is included. I have no clue where **Gigobuster** got the idea that that was a valid attribution. \*The actual article was a pretty enjoyable read. [Here’s](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/05/14/here-is-more-evidence-for-face-mask-use-with-covid-19-coronavirus/#79dabe381060) another link to it. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43880 "2020-05-28T18:11:55Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Underline mine. > > Backs away slowly. > > Good that he came out in favor of masks, but, umm he has a weird way with words. Wait - do you know the muffin fan? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43881 "2020-05-28T18:15:49Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Underline mine. > > Backs away slowly. > > Good that he came out in favor of masks, but, umm he has a weird way with words. Yeah, I was scratching my head too, until I clicked on the Forbes article linked in that post: [https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucele.../#49f336391060](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucele.../#49f336391060) The quote is from the article, not Arnold, and references an experiment dispersing the virus in a test environment using a “muffin fan”, which turns out to be the name of a certain type of small fan. ---
**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:** [May 28, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43882 "2020-05-28T18:33:55Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Wait - do you know the muffin fan? The Muffin Fan? ---
**Author:** ![DirtyHippy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtyhippy/32/107_2.png) [@DirtyHippy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirtyHippy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43883 "2020-05-28T18:35:27Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yeah, I was scratching my head too, until I clicked on the Forbes article linked in that post: > [https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucele.../#49f336391060](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucele.../#49f336391060) > > The quote is from the article, not Arnold, and references an experiment dispersing the virus in a test environment using a “muffin fan”, which turns out to be the name of a certain type of small fan. Muffin Fan. [https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-Cooling-Ventilation-Projects/dp/B009OWVUJ0](https://www.amazon.com/AC-Infinity-Cooling-Ventilation-Projects/dp/B009OWVUJ0) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43884 "2020-05-28T18:47:46Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Wait - do you know the muffin fan? He lives on Drury Lane. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43885 "2020-05-28T19:08:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Ehh. Those weren’t his words. The pull-quote is from the Forbes article\* in which a photograph of him wearing a mask is included. > > I have no clue where **Gigobuster** got the idea that that was a valid attribution. > > \*The actual article was a pretty enjoyable read. [Here’s](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2020/05/14/here-is-more-evidence-for-face-mask-use-with-covid-19-coronavirus/#79dabe381060) another link to it. Thank you for correction. I actually kinda like the guy. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/43886 "2020-05-28T19:25:18Z")
Is it ok if I hear the quote in my head in Arnold’s voice? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2193) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2195)