# 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:** 300
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5982 "2017-06-03T13:37:28Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > See, I tend to think that world leaders know that Trump is a buffoon and is not representative of America as a (w)hole. The way they treat him has everything to do with personal contempt for him and the ass-clown that he is. But for now, they have to deal with Trump. Our allies know he is unreliable and cannot be trusted. Our trading partners will make deals elsewhere. Russia and China will more easily be able to extend their influence. IMHO, this damage to America’s standing in the world will be more difficult to undo. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5983 "2017-06-03T14:06:02Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > But for now, they have to deal with Trump. Our allies know he is unreliable and cannot be trusted. Our trading partners will make deals elsewhere. Russia and China will more easily be able to extend their influence. IMHO, this damage to America’s standing in the world will be more difficult to undo. This. Trump’s lame and misguided attempts to put “Americe First” are actually putting America last. China and Russia are gladly sliding into the vacuum he has left. He’s too stupid to see this. He’s pandering to his ignorant, short-sighted, red-hatted base. If anyone tried to make him see it, I’m pretty sure he would be too arrogant 1) to admit he doesn’t understand, and 2) to take advice. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5984 "2017-06-03T15:00:17Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Also notice the coal is for use in steel production rather than producing electricity. That’s a use that can’t substitute natural gas or solar for. Good point **running coach**. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5985 "2017-06-03T15:07:41Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Trump’s lame and misguided attempts to put “Americe First” are actually putting America last. Trump is renouncing the US’s role as a world leader that we have held for more than 70 years. The last time that happened, after WWI, worked out _real_ well. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5986 "2017-06-03T15:35:16Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Trump is renouncing the US’s role as a world leader that we have held for more than 70 years. Just one more item on the Russian Wish List. ☹ ---
**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:** [June 3, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5987 "2017-06-03T16:22:56Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Just one more item on the Russian Wish List. ☹ Yeah, it’s Christmas every day for Putin. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5988 "2017-06-03T17:14:17Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I didn’t work to get Trump elected. I don’t know what gave you that idea. You seem to be defending him. That makes you part of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5989 "2017-06-03T17:18:42Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > You seem to be defending him. That makes you part of the problem. I think people who are over the top in their presentation are a bigger part of the problem. The problem being, in my opinion, the amplification of partisanship. I’m not defending Trump as much as I am cautioning against becoming a caricature in opposition. Perhaps the tactics employed by left leaning folks are more effective than I think and we can all rejoice in a Trump free America soon. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5990 "2017-06-03T17:37:46Z")
This is what it is like to have Shit For Brains. “Mike Pence [Isn’t Sure](https://www.yahoo.com/news/mike-pence-isn-apos-t-144709278.html) Why So Many People Think Climate Change Is A ‘Paramount Issue’.” This may go a long way in explaining why this steaming pile of elephant dung signed [Indiana Senate Bill 101](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Freedom_Restoration_Act_(Indiana)), also known as the Indiana “religious objections” bill (Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA), into law. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5991 "2017-06-03T17:43:52Z")
Because “Our God will solve all of our problems, so that we don’t have to.” ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5992 "2017-06-03T17:50:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > EXACTLY! Now you’re getting it! He’s a loser. Hell, my dog could beat him in a spelling bee. Your dog for Pres, and my cat (any one of them) for VP. My cockatiel can be the AG. It would be a YUGE BIGLY improvement over the fucking zoo we have now. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5993 "2017-06-03T17:54:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Trump is renouncing the US’s role as a world leader that we have held for more than 70 years. > > The last time that happened, after WWI, worked out _real_ well. Maybe that’s his goal. he seems to love tyrants. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5994 "2017-06-03T17:55:19Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > You seem to be defending him. That makes you part of the problem. Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5995 "2017-06-03T17:55:34Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I think people who are over the top in their presentation are a bigger part of the problem. The problem being, in my opinion, the amplification of partisanship. I’m not defending Trump as much as I am cautioning against becoming a caricature in opposition. Oh! That’s very different. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5996 "2017-06-03T18:27:34Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > It might be [worse than that](https://www.statnews.com/2017/05/23/donald-trump-speaking-style-interviews/) > _STAT reviewed decades of Trump’s on-air interviews and compared them to Q&A sessions since his inauguration. The differences are striking and unmistakable. Research has shown that changes in speaking style can result from cognitive decline. STAT therefore asked experts in neurolinguistics and cognitive assessment, as well as psychologists and psychiatrists, to compare Trump’s speech from decades ago to that in 2017; they all agreed there had been a deterioration, and some said it could reflect changes in the health of Trump’s brain._ > [@TonySinclair](#): > > A small island off the Virginia coast is being destroyed because the rising sea level is greatly accelerating erosion, according to a marine biologist with the Army Corps of Engineers. But many of the residents support Trump, and don’t believe climate change is the problem. > > [Off US coast, Tangier Island disappearing under water](https://phys.org/news/2017-06-coast-tangier-island.html) It’s a race to see which deteriorates faster – Trump’s brain or the world’s coastlines. Stay tuned and enjoy the drama as everything falls apart! ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5997 "2017-06-03T18:29:39Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Oh! That’s very different. Never mind. Translation of Octopus: “Resorting to Tone Policing my opponents is going better than countering with partisan nonsense.” ---
**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 3, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5998 "2017-06-03T18:33:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > But for now, they have to deal with Trump. Our allies know he is unreliable and cannot be trusted. Our trading partners will make deals elsewhere. Russia and China will more easily be able to extend their influence. IMHO, this damage to America’s standing in the world will be more difficult to undo. Absolutely correct. Europe and the Western world will not flounder - they will simply move on. [This article](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/trumps-retreat-from-west-could-spur-new-start-to-democratic-world/article35188219/) sums up what other countries think, and what they will now do. > [@](#): > > When we speak of the Western world today, we’re talking about a set of values and principles and commitments to institutions more than about any geographic location. What grew out of the surviving democracies of Western Europe and North America after the Second World War has expanded to include scores of nations, on almost every continent, committed to broad principles of democracy, justice, human equality and international co-operation, around shared projects of prosperity, sustainability and security. > [@](#): > > What Mr. Trump did this week – and what he has suggested he’s been wanting to do, throughout his presidency – is shift the United States into a pointedly anti-Western stance. > [@](#): > > For citizens of other Western countries, including Canada, the frustrating experience of trade agreements, United Nations bodies and climate pacts suddenly seems worth it. We are reminded of the sense of threat and menace that led us to create these difficult international solutions in the 1940s and 1950s. > [@](#): > > For too long, Westerners have relied on U.S. might and wealth as their crutch, their backstop, as the foil that allows them to put off larger commitments to one another. By walking away from the values that underpin the postwar democratic world – temporarily, we can hope – the United States may have created an emergency that has inadvertently brought the rest of the Western world closer, to overcome this gigantic hole in our collective centre. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/5999 "2017-06-03T18:43:57Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Translation of Octopus: “Resorting to Tone Policing my opponents is going better than countering with partisan nonsense.” I was being sarcastic. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/6000 "2017-06-03T21:08:11Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Translation of Octopus: “Resorting to Tone Policing my opponents is going better than countering with partisan nonsense.” Like tut-tutting people for being mean to Trump (or himself) in the Pit is going so well for him. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/6001 "2017-06-03T21:10:12Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > I think people who are over the top in their presentation are a bigger part of the problem. The problem being, in my opinion, the amplification of partisanship. I’m not defending Trump as much as I am cautioning against becoming a caricature in opposition. In other words, you’re a concern troll. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=299) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=301)