# 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:** 2205
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44087 "2020-06-02T17:14:14Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I agree with your whole post, but I just can’t stop wondering: Why was _this_ the first time in his life he decided not to lie? He made a mistake under the pressure of the moment. You can be sure he won’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44088 "2020-06-02T17:15:55Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > A matter of note: several of the most virulent leaders of Antifas have been discovered to have membership on white supremacist message boards, as part of their campaign of disinformation and extremist agitation. If I wanted to know the time & place of the next white supremacist rally (so I could be there to disrupt it) the easiest way would be to join their mailing list. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44089 "2020-06-02T17:20:20Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > That’s cute. > > You think they actually bought it? They’ve sufficient intelligent and sense not to fall for it. And that goes for a depressing proportion of their viewers. > > Principles, moral rectitude, and basic decency, on the other hand… It’s not for them to believe, it is for them to repeat. That way, when you say, “Trump tear gassed peaceful protesters so that he could have a photo op.” They say, “Nu-uh.” and proceed to gaslight you with the prepared story distributed by Fox. They know that they are lying, and they know that you know that they are lying. They just don’t care. It is not about getting you to believe them, it is about trying to get you to doubt reality. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44090 "2020-06-02T17:27:29Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I agree with your whole post, but I just can’t stop wondering: Why was _this_ the first time in his life he decided not to lie? You are assuming that what he was holding was actually a Bible. > [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > [Washington Post article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-push-to-tear-gas-protesters-ahead-of-a-trump-photo-op/2020/06/01/4b0f7b50-a46c-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html) about the decision to do the church “photo-op”. > > You know, I’m again struck by the idea that maybe a good strategy to counter the Trump administration is to laugh at him. > > … > > I point and laugh at the weak, sad man. Could be interesting, instead of standing at the gates of the white house yelling and chanting, just stand there pointing and laughing. Go out to your local demonstration, and rather than having yelling about Emoluments or Ukraine or whatever, just call him out for being a pathetic loser. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44091 "2020-06-02T17:32:51Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Could be interesting, instead of standing at the gates of the white house yelling and chanting, just stand there pointing and laughing. > . LOVE it. We might start by re-activating some of those “laughing clubs” that sprung up, inspired by a film about 15 years ago about them in India. (Props to Llama Logophile for introducing this idea to this thread.) ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44092 "2020-06-02T17:43:32Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I agree with your whole post, but I just can’t stop wondering: Why was _this_ the first time in his life he decided not to lie? Trump doesn’t care what he says to the press. The ‘Liberal lamestream media’ and their audience are not who he’s trying to bamboozle. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44093 "2020-06-02T17:54:00Z")
> [@Hillary Clinton](#): > > You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. > [@Donald Trump](#): > > NYC, CALL UP THE NATIONAL GUARD. The lowlifes and losers are ripping you apart. I’m pretty sure it’s the deplorables who are ripping this country apart, not the lowlifes and losers. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44094 "2020-06-02T18:16:08Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I loved how two or three times he actually looked at it with a “what the hell is this?” look on his face. I’m pretty sure it was burning his hand. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44095 "2020-06-02T18:17:51Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > It’s not for them to believe, it is for them to repeat. > > That way, when you say, “Trump tear gassed peaceful protesters so that he could have a photo op.” They say, “Nu-uh.” and proceed to gaslight you with the prepared story distributed by Fox. > > They know that they are lying, and they know that you know that they are lying. They just don’t care. > > It is not about getting you to believe them, it is about trying to get you to doubt reality. I’m reminded of a quote: > [@Jean-Paul Sartre](#): > > Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past. Just exchange “anti-Semite” for the broader category of “fascists”. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44096 "2020-06-02T18:42:54Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > LOVE it. We might start by re-activating some of those “laughing clubs” that sprung up, inspired by a film about 15 years ago about them in India. > > (Props to Llama Logophile for introducing this idea to this thread.) I hear people chanting, and I can never make out what they are saying. Between the fact that the protestors are not necessarily saying the same thing, and those who are are rarely in sync, it just turns into “rabble rabble rabble.” “Loser Donnie”, otoh, is easy to remember, easy to sync up, and pretty much all those who protest against police brutality will agree with the sentiment. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m reminded of a quote: > > Just exchange “anti-Semite” for the broader category of “fascists”. I had that quote in mind as I wrote my post. But thanks for the quote, anyway. The more that quote and others of Jean-Paul Sartre gets into the public consciousness, the better. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44097 "2020-06-02T19:27:45Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > {…} He was just holding it up and showing it to people as if it was something he was trying to hock on an infomercial. {…} I’m glad I’m not the only person to notice that. I hope people watch [this unedited recording of him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ShnqmiKLE8) and see the reality behind the photo-op. (And the magically appearing and disappearing Bible.) CMC fnord! ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44098 "2020-06-02T19:32:15Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > You know, I’m again struck by the idea that maybe a good strategy to counter the Trump administration is to laugh at him. That might work… if you could get people to do it in front of him. Which is almost impossible these days because of his administration “sweeping” the streets before his arrival of anyone not vetted an authorized. Which is why clergy were tear-gassed out of their own church before the photo-op. Otherwise, you’d have to find another way to let Trump know you’re laughing at him. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44099 "2020-06-02T19:36:44Z")
Actually, it looked more like a hymnal to me. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44100 "2020-06-02T19:43:06Z")
I’m surprised that the damn thing didn’t burst into flames in his hands. We’ve all known that this guy has no moral compass and no decency whatsoever, but I’m not sure we knew that he is pure evil until this shameless display of self-aggrandizement. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44101 "2020-06-02T19:55:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Somber and accurate obituary on the trump (so-called) administration. > > [ **We’ve Now Entered the Final Phase of the Trump Era** > _The president is stuck in a vicious downward spiral._](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/weve-now-entered-the-final-phase-of-the-trump-era/612508/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+TheAtlantic+%2528The+Atlantic+-+Master+Feed%2529) > No one thing has been the last straw. But now… a towering Burning Man of straw who keeps pouring gasoline on himself and defiantly lighting matches. It may or may not be the end of the Trump era - American democracy may rally yet just enough to make it to 2021. But don’t fall for the trap of believing that the right wing has any plans to abandon Trumpism. It’ll probably just be replaced with something even more extreme. These people have no plans to change or give up power, and they’re not going to respect democratic norms the way we hope. This is a counter-revolution we’re seeing, and revolutions - be they counter revolutions or just revolutions - are highly motivated to destroy the structures that empower their enemies. They won’t stop until they are either in power or completely dominated. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44102 "2020-06-02T19:57:12Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I’m glad I’m not the only person to notice that. > > I hope people watch [this unedited recording of him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ShnqmiKLE8) and see the reality behind the photo-op. (And the magically appearing and disappearing Bible.) > > CMC fnord! He could not wait to get that out of his hands. “We hates it! It BURRRNS us!” ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44103 "2020-06-02T20:04:24Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The Christian Nationalists certainly loved it. They want a Strong Man with the Sword of Vengeance to restore the white race to their rightful place of superiority. > > They absolutely LOVED to see Trump waving a bible in front of a church. They simply don’t care if he reads the bible, or ever goes in a church. These things are not important to the Christian Nationalists. Wielding power over the inferiors is the point for them. I think I may have said it once or twice before but this is what Trump is ultimately left with: pandering to the worst impulses of an ethnic majority that fears losing its place at the apex of society. He will fight viciously to stay in power, and in the end, the republicans will support him - they’re already in too deep to back out now. The polls right now tell us this strategy doesn’t seem to be working, but I would admonish us to be careful in taking psychological refuge in that kind of assumption. History may have some examples of what can happen when ethnic majorities are scared of losing political, social, and economic power and become fearful of confronting past injustice and the imagined wrath of others whom they assume will seek vengeance and justice on their terms. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44104 "2020-06-02T20:15:37Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > I’m glad I’m not the only person to notice that. > > I hope people watch [this unedited recording of him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ShnqmiKLE8) and see the reality behind the photo-op. (And the magically appearing and disappearing Bible.) > > CMC fnord! I’m surprised he could walk that far. But really all that talk a couple years ago about _The Handmaid’s Tale_ becoming true…it’s fucking happening. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44105 "2020-06-02T20:33:07Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > He says he’s going to “activate the Attorney General, and activate him very strongly”. WTF does that mean? Add water to him? Did he order a box of Acme Attorney General Activation Pills? He’s going to start using the Department of Justice to prosecute protesters, which is not an idle threat. How many people do you know can withstand extended detention and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on mounting a legal defense? Again, the Constitution doesn’t have a passage that explains what happens when a president ignores the Constitution and rule of law, and when one chamber of the legislature helps him do it. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > How long before we see tanks in American cities? How long before they start shooting real bullets? We can only hope that we have less than eight months of this madman remaining. Maybe we do, but that won’t necessarily end our problem. What Trump has revealed is that there is a growing counter-revolution, one which sees democracy, liberty, and equality in the reverse. Some have posted that “This is bad, but we got through tough times before.” True, we did. But I guess to put my finger on it, when I really think about what’s different about this period, I point to the above: the counter-revolution. In the 1960s, there was a conflict between an authoritarian power that was hanging on to its outdated tradition. The energy that caused social conflict was the product of revolutionary energy, the energy of the Civil Rights movement and the anti-war movement. The same is true for the 1930s and of all the revolutionary energy that had been decades in the making with the labor movement. That caused conflict, but the outcome was a New Deal, a new order. The ultimate goal, like the ultimate outcome, was progress. This revolution is different. The revolution isn’t about progress; it’s about regress. It’s a war to reverse all of the progress that made them feel threatened in the first place, and they’re determined to reestablish America on their own terms. We can’t kid ourselves into believing that just because Trump’s daily outrages are encouraged by a small minority that the worst can’t happen. He’s already proven that he can win with a combination of energized supporters and apathetic political bystanders. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/44106 "2020-06-02T20:35:45Z")
I’m thinking now all the orange turd has to do is shout, “It’s the n\*\*\*\*r’s fault we got this way!” and here comes more civil unrest across the country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2204) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=2206)