# 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:** 743
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14845 "2018-01-01T04:36:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Dear Democrats - > > Don’t blink. Blink and you’re dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don’t turn your back. Don’t look away. And don’t blink. > > Good luck. Alas, getting the Trump cabinet in a position so that they’re looking at one another has proven to do nothing to help. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14846 "2018-01-01T15:24:38Z")
And just to bring 2018 in right, first there is increased rhetoric on North Korea, with ex-JCS Mullen saying > [@](#): > > The United States is “closer to a nuclear war with North Korea” than ever, Adm. Mike Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday, adding that he does not “see the opportunities to solve this diplomatically at this particular point.” and points at President Trump: > [@](#): > > “I’m just more inclined to see over time that the rhetoric seems to be where the President is,” Mullen said, adding that Defense Secretary James Mattis, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and White House chief of staff John Kelly have managed to deter Trump from following through on his threats of unleashing “fire and fury.” > > “My concern is how long that actually lasts,” Mullen said, adding that, at some point, Trump may be inclined to ignore advice from his top national security advisers that runs counter to his own instincts. Source: [http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/31/politics/north-korea-trump-mullen-graham/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/31/politics/north-korea-trump-mullen-graham/index.html) And just because he hasn’t alienated them recently, Trump tweets at Pakistan: > [@](#): > > The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! Source: [Donald Trump: We've been fooled for 15 years, but no more: Donald Trump's tweet to Pakistan - The Economic Times](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/donald-trump-slams-pakistan-for-lies-and-deceit/articleshow/62326038.cms) Oh tidings of comfort and joy…my ass! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14847 "2018-01-01T16:13:06Z")
If he wants a war so damn bad, isn’t there some tiny Caribbean island we could maybe invade, like with Reagan and Grenada? ---
**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:** [January 1, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14848 "2018-01-01T16:42:06Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > If he wants a war so damn bad, isn’t there some tiny Caribbean island we could maybe invade, like with Reagan and Grenada? Maybe Puerto Rico? ---
**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:** [January 1, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14849 "2018-01-01T16:43:49Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Maybe Puerto Rico? We could make 'em a territory or something. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14850 "2018-01-01T16:54:53Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > We could make 'em a territory or something. Whaaaat? Then we’d have to treat them like Americans! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14851 "2018-01-01T17:04:15Z")
Technically, they already _are_ Americans! So, we don’t have to treat them any better than we treat each other. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14852 "2018-01-01T17:07:39Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Whaaaat? Then we’d have to treat them like Americans! The way Trump treats Americans or the way normal Presidents treat Americans? ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14853 "2018-01-01T18:46:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The way Trump treats Americans or the way normal Presidents treat Americans? Trump treats Americans like a baby treats its diaper. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14854 "2018-01-02T01:15:42Z")
Like the proverbial stopped clock, I’m not sure Trump is wrong in his assessment of Pakistan. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14855 "2018-01-02T03:41:28Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Like the proverbial stopped clock, I’m not sure Trump is wrong in his assessment of Pakistan. Not to argue with you, Slacker (well maybe a little bit later), but the Pakistani Defense Minister showed some Trumpian twitter skills: > [@](#): > > “Pak as anti-terror ally has given free to US: land & air communication, military bases & intel cooperation that decimated Al-Qaeda over last 16yrs, but they have given us nothing but invective & mistrust. They overlook cross-border safe havens of terrorists who murder Pakistanis That said, $33 Billion in 15 years averages out to $2.2 Billion a year, which is impressive to thee or me, but not unusual (Israel got $3.1B in Military aid alone in FY2016, which is hardly unusual for them) and Israel isn’t supporting our logistics forces thousands of miles from America (not exactly a lot of ports in Afghanistan, you know). And Pakistan has a delicate balance to maintain between the U.S., India (it’s great rival and threat), China, and it’s rather divided peoples. Makes even the jumble of American politics today rather simple, IMHO. So Trump might have a justified complaint. And it’s been made before: According to CNN, “The Pentagon, for example, failed to go ahead with $300M in military reimbursements to Pakistan in 2016 because of that country’s failure to curb militants from within its borders.” But making it a public spat on twitter…like so many things, just bad form. And in diplomacy, especially in the lands of the Great Game, form counts. IMHO as always. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14856 "2018-01-02T05:10:16Z")
Your points are mostly fair. But I would point out that Israel is an extreme case. They, and Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, get way too much of our money IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14857 "2018-01-02T15:16:30Z")
We didn’t give Pakistan lots of money out of the goodness of our hearts. We gave it to them (1) so they’d overlook us bombing some of their citizens on their own soil, and (2) so they could buy F-16s from Lockheed. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14858 "2018-01-02T17:48:13Z")
$33 billion is less than 2% of the cost of the war in Afghanistan. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14859 "2018-01-02T20:23:58Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > $33 billion is less than 2% of the cost of the war in Afghanistan. And our Xmas shopping budget was less than 2% of the cost of a Tesla. So what? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14860 "2018-01-02T20:37:15Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > And our Xmas shopping budget was less than 2% of the cost of a Tesla. So what? Huh? Do you not understand that Pakistan’s cooperation is vital for our war in Afghanistan? ---
**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:** [January 3, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14861 "2018-01-03T05:35:52Z")
A witness before the Mueller grand jury is complaining that the grand jury is too black and there aren’t enough white people on it. He called it looking like a “Black Lives Matter” rally. > **[NY Post: witness says Russia probe grand jury is too black | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2018/01/03/lead-jeffrey-toobin-ny-post-live-jake-tapper.cnn)** > > A new report claims to have the racial makeup of the Russia grand jury. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14862 "2018-01-03T06:19:30Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > A witness before the Mueller grand jury is complaining that the grand jury is too black and there aren’t enough white people on it. He called it looking like a “Black Lives Matter” rally. > [http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2018/01/03/lead-jeffrey-toobin-ny-post-live-jake-tapper.cnn](http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2018/01/03/lead-jeffrey-toobin-ny-post-live-jake-tapper.cnn) This gets more sickening by the minute. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14863 "2018-01-03T15:27:34Z")
“Of the 20 jurors, 11 are African-Americans and two were wearing `peace T-shirts,' the witness said. `There was only one white male in the room, and he was a prosecutor.” ([cite](https://pagesix.com/2018/01/02/russia-probe-grand-jury-looks-like-a-black-lives-matter-rally-says-witness/)) Washington DC is ~50% African-American, so ~11 out of 20 is to be expected. If the other 9 comprise 7 white women, 1 Asian and 1 Hispanic, that would almost exactly match the [ethnic composition of DC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Washington,_D.C.#Ethnic_composition). The only statistical anomaly is that all white people on the grand jury are female, but I think men are more likely to be excused from grand jury duty due to work commitments? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/14864 "2018-01-03T15:42:41Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > This gets more sickening by the minute. On the other hand: if the Mueller grand jury composition is annoying to blatant racists, I see that as a good thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=742) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=744)