# 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:** 227
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4521 "2017-05-14T23:04:08Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > or crushed by an ediface with his own stupid visage on it. Well, there is still \*some \*space on Mt. Rushmore… ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4522 "2017-05-14T23:37:17Z")
[Sacked FBI chief Comey plots strike at Trump in congress](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-times/sacked-fbi-chief-comey-plots-strike-at-trump-in-congress/news-story/05061699e8076df98daca2e6ab4483c2) Like the quote at the end: > [@](#): > > Whatever the outcome of the FBI’s Russia investigation or the congressional inquiries into related matters, it is clear Mr Trump’s presidency is being consumed by the drama surrounding his impetuous actions. > > “He demands loyalty but trusts no one. He decries ‘fake news’ but shows such a casual disregard for the truth that no one can believe anything that the White House says any more,’’ a Capitol Hill Republican said. “I never thought I’d ever say this, because I’ve spent much of my life opposing the Clintons, but I’m beginning to wonder whether it might have been better for all of us if Hillary had won.” Ya think? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4523 "2017-05-14T23:53:20Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The Resistance lives even _there_? [See last paragraph.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-liberty-university-commencement_us_5917269fe4b0031e737df937?) “Falwell’s closeness with Trump has not always sat well with Liberty University students. In October, about 2,500 Liberty students and faculty members issued a statement denouncing Trump after leaked video emerged of Trump bragging about what appeared to be unwanted groping of women. They also criticized Falwell for dismissing the incident by saying, ‘We’re all sinners.’” ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4524 "2017-05-15T00:31:13Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > [Sacked FBI chief Comey plots strike at Trump in congress](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/the-times/sacked-fbi-chief-comey-plots-strike-at-trump-in-congress/news-story/05061699e8076df98daca2e6ab4483c2) > Like the quote at the end: > Ya think? Paywall. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4525 "2017-05-15T00:48:31Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > And now Trump managed to find a place for Jabba the Hutt, I mean, Sam Clovis; he is likely to be named undersecretary of the USDA. > > [Trump’s Expected Pick for Top USDA Scientist Is Not a Scientist — ProPublica](https://www.propublica.org/article/trumps-expected-pick-for-top-usda-scientist-is-not-a-scientist?utm_campaign=sprout&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=1494631930) You don’t need to be a scientist to run a department. He can just appoint scientists to report to him, just like the president does. ---
**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 15, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4526 "2017-05-15T01:21:57Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > You don’t need to be a scientist to run a department. He can just appoint scientists to report to him, just like the president does. Not optimist on that front either, Clovis is just like the EPA guy appointed by Trump that has fired many scientists from the EPA advisory board, and he and the Republicans want to replace them with toadies of the industries that the EPA is supposed to be regulating. [http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/epa-fires-members-science-advisory-board](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/epa-fires-members-science-advisory-board) ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4527 "2017-05-15T02:09:10Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Paywall. 😕 Huh. I got to it through my Google newsfeed, but now can’t get back with the link in post. I still can get through be searching Google News with article title and clicking that link. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4528 "2017-05-15T03:58:23Z")
NASA Denies Trump’s Request [to Send Astronauts Past Moon on New Rocket](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/science/nasa-trump-request-moon-new-rocket.html?hpw&rref=science&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well). No word on how NASA feels about sending Trump himself. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4529 "2017-05-15T04:03:02Z")
Perhaps they could sell it to him as some sort of reality show / Presidential endorsement deal. First Potus in space! ---
**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:** [May 15, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4530 "2017-05-15T04:11:21Z")
Pig in spaaaaaace! ---
**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:** [May 15, 2017, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4531 "2017-05-15T10:22:52Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > “Thiessen” above should be “athiest”. Ha! I was picturing a young Obama in college in Hawaii, smoking pot and taking up just enough space on the couch without overlapping the next dude’s personal space and harshing his buzz. 🙂 ---
**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 15, 2017, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4532 "2017-05-15T11:47:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Trump worships something: himself. He worships the Golden Coiff. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4533 "2017-05-15T14:21:33Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > And now Trump managed to find a place for Jabba the Hutt, I mean, Sam Clovis; he is likely to be named undersecretary of the USDA. > > [Trump’s Expected Pick for Top USDA Scientist Is Not a Scientist — ProPublica](https://www.propublica.org/article/trumps-expected-pick-for-top-usda-scientist-is-not-a-scientist?utm_campaign=sprout&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=1494631930) Clovis is a Teabagger moron who couldn’t even win over western Iowa voters in an election - and those are the people who happily send Steve King back to DC every two years. An appointed post is the only way he’s going to get a place to stick in this administration. But of all the positions that he’s unqualified for, the top science position in the USDA is up at the top of the list. You figure Trump thought, “Iowa, huh? What’s open in the Agriculture department? USDA scientist? Sounds great!” Then he flashed the thumbs-up again before going back to tweeting while watching Fox and Friends. Just another day at the White House. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4534 "2017-05-15T14:46:21Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > NASA Denies Trump’s Request [to Send Astronauts Past Moon on New Rocket](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/science/nasa-trump-request-moon-new-rocket.html?hpw&rref=science&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well). No word on how NASA feels about sending Trump himself. Cue the ending to _The Marching Morons_-just convince Trump and his acolytes that there is tons of cheap real estate to be had on Venus… ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4535 "2017-05-15T14:49:16Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > You don’t need to be a scientist to run a department. He can just appoint scientists to report to him, just like the president does. You must have skipped over the 1st paragraph of the article: > [@](#): > > Under the 2008 Farm Bill, its leader is supposed to serve as the agency’s “chief scientist” and be chosen “from among distinguished scientists with specialized or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics.” ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4536 "2017-05-15T15:25:35Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > You must have skipped over the 1st paragraph of the article: So, before 2008 that didn’t need scientists? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4537 "2017-05-15T15:45:37Z")
Actually, they probably did,. But since it is currently past 2008, who gives a shit? Welcome to nine years later. Feel free to join the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4538 "2017-05-15T15:48:11Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > So, before 2008 that didn’t need scientists? The position in question is the [Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Secretary_of_Agriculture_for_Research,_Education,_and_Economics). I don’t know what exactly (if anything) changed in 2008, but the [US code](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/7/6971) that establishes the position says that “The Under Secretary shall **hold the title of Chief Scientist of the Department.** ” So it’s clearly established as a scientist position, not just administrative. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4539 "2017-05-15T17:14:29Z")
If this article is to be believed, [Trump’s own staff has been feeding him fake news](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/top-white-house-staffers-trump-fake-news-report-article-1.3167321) just to get him distracted or riled up. Sure, why not? May as well enjoy the handbasket ride to hell. Trump will never admit he’s wrong and shift the blame anyway. ---
**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 15, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/4540 "2017-05-15T17:56:45Z")
[Countdown to Spicer firing](http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/sean-spicer-the-next-to-be-fired-sources-say-in-most-far-reaching-white-house-purge-yet) in 5…4…3…2…1… > [@](#): > > On Thursday, Trump himself vaporized every version of the Comey story his defenders, including Pence, had labored so earnestly to put forward. “I was going to fire Comey — my decision. There is no good time to do it, by the way,” Trump told “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt. “I was going to fire regardless of the recommendation” made by Rosenstein, he said. > > Few of Trump’s eruptions have had such a destructive effect on his administration or left such deep resentments among his scarred staff, according to Trump aides and surrogates. And the blowback from the Comey decision and the way it was handled have accelerated the discussions about possible changes in the White House. Who is going to be the replacement for Old Spice? My bet is that it will be a blonde woman with enhancements from Fox news. She’ll probably get better ratings than Spicey. It’s all about the ratings. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=226) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=228)