# 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:** 700
**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:** [December 4, 2017, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13985 "2017-12-04T13:21:00Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > …The growing danger here is that Trump becomes normal, that all of this becomes just another day in the life. … To me this has always been the main danger. And it has happened and is happening. Yesterday morning the NPR top of the hour newscast led with Trump tweeting something or other. WTF?? A year ago some of us were incredulous that Twitter was becoming a legitimate news conduit. It’s the equivalent of the President leaving post-it notes on the front door of the White House and having reporters quote them, except that now he has no need for reporters at all. He tweets and the world reads. It has become completely normal. His toddler syntax and tantrums have become normal. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13986 "2017-12-04T14:04:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Like a potent strain of bacteria, he’s actually learning to survive and function in this harsh environment. horrible, but very nicely said! ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13987 "2017-12-04T16:17:45Z")
This just in - the President is above the law! > [@http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/04/politics/trump-john-dowd-obstruct-justice/index.html](#): > > President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, John Dowd, claims the President cannot be guilty of obstructing justice, according to an interview with Axios. > > “(The) President cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer under (the Constitution’s Article II) and has every right to express his view of any case,” Dowd told Axios. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13988 "2017-12-04T16:26:39Z")
“And to prove it, I made him send out that ridiculously incriminating tweet!” ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13989 "2017-12-04T16:32:04Z")
> [@simster](#): > > This just in - the President is above the law! This seems super desperate. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13990 "2017-12-04T16:43:07Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The growing danger here is that Trump becomes normal, that all of this becomes just another day in the life. Amy Siskind recognized that from the beginning. As she put it, “Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things subtly changing around you, so you’ll remember.” Every week since the shitgibbon won the election, she’s put out a list of bizarre crap that happened that week. You can find the latest, and the archive, [here](https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind). It’s kinda quaint now to look back and see how it began. From week 3: “Our news cycles are now being led by Trump’s Twitter account. Our media seems unable to do anything but follow along.” ---
**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:** [December 4, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13991 "2017-12-04T16:50:49Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > This seems super desperate. Piffle. Back when Jacques Chirac was in office and the various investigations against him started looking serious, he had the Assembly vote a law stating the President couldn’t be prosecuted while in office. Because of the solemn dignity of the office and that. You colonials still have much to learn 😃 ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13992 "2017-12-04T17:20:19Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > So for all practical purposes both are the same? > > You guys better get used to him: He ain’t goin’ nowhere. There is no realistic scenario that leads to his removal. This is why I think the repub party is going to die. (Superstitious Eastern European hand gestures here) But down inside I keep waiting for the headline “GOP sells US firstborns. Dems in trouble!” ---
**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:** [December 4, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13993 "2017-12-04T18:58:02Z")
Wasn’t Nixon saying he was above the law, too? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13994 "2017-12-04T19:01:30Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Wasn’t Nixon saying he was above the law, too? Correct. > [@Tricky Dick](#): > > It’s not against the law if the president does it. ---
**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:** [December 4, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13995 "2017-12-04T19:04:39Z")
What is Twitter’s rule about other people using your account under your name? ---
**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:** [December 4, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13996 "2017-12-04T19:09:11Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What is Twitter’s rule about other people using your account under your name? It doesn’t break the rules if the President does it. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13997 "2017-12-04T19:31:11Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What is Twitter’s rule about other people using your account under your name? Twitter’s “rules” can’t even get nobody Nazis kicked off the service. They’ll never do anything to Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13998 "2017-12-04T19:46:59Z")
Twitter has claimed they give Trump a pass on all the daily rules violations because his tweets are “newsworthy” and “of public interest”. Cite: Numerous sources have discussed this. Just one example: [Twitter Says It Won’t Suspend Trump Over Threatening Tweet Because It’s ‘Newsworthy’](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-twitter-wont-suspend-newsworthy_us_59c9d9ebe4b0cdc77333fee8), Dominique Mosbergen, HuffPo, 9/26/2017: > [@](#): > > Trump’s controversial tweet from Saturday, which contained a thinly veiled threat against North Korea, was deemed “newsworthy” and of “public interest,” said the social media platform on Monday. So, despite the threat of violence implied in the tweet, Trump’s account would not be shut down. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/13999 "2017-12-04T19:48:42Z")
Trump’s claim (or his lawyers’ claims) that he’s above the law isn’t anything new, is it? Weren’t they claiming way back in the early days of the administration that he can’t be guilty of obstruction? (Or guilty of something-or-other?) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14000 "2017-12-04T19:52:00Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Piffle. Back when Jacques Chirac was in office and the various investigations against him started looking serious, he had the Assembly vote a law stating the President couldn’t be prosecuted while in office. Because of the solemn dignity of the office and that. > > You colonials still have much to learn 😃 Actually, we colonials probably have that under control. I don’t think our national legislature (aka Congress) could ever pass such a law because the Democrats would filibuster it of course. Since it would have nothing to do with money issues, they couldn’t use the “reconciliation” procedures where a filibuster can’t be done. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14001 "2017-12-04T20:05:58Z")
I’m actually starting to think impeachment may be possible just because of Dowd’s claim. No one would argue “obstruction of justice isn’t a crime when I do it” unless they had, in fact, obstructed justice. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14002 "2017-12-04T20:11:59Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Trump’s claim (or his lawyers’ claims) that he’s above the law isn’t anything new, is it? Weren’t they claiming way back in the early days of the administration that he can’t be guilty of obstruction? (Or guilty of something-or-other?) Right. “When the President does it, that means it is not illegal.” - Nixon ---
**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:** [December 4, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14003 "2017-12-04T20:19:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’m actually starting to think impeachment may be possible just because of Dowd’s claim. > > No one would argue “obstruction of justice isn’t a crime when I do it” unless they had, in fact, obstructed justice. There you go being rational! Reason has no place in the discussion of what “no one” or “anyone” might argue or believe. It’s a crap shoot from here on in. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14004 "2017-12-04T20:25:11Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’m actually starting to think impeachment may be possible just because of Dowd’s claim. > > No one would argue “obstruction of justice isn’t a crime when I do it” unless they had, in fact, obstructed justice. “I didn’t eat the cookie, and besides, it wasn’t very good”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=699) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=701)