# 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:** 779
**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 17, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15565 "2018-01-17T04:25:32Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Republicans threaten to shut down the government because Republicans won’t meet their demands: > > [x.com](https://twitter.com/AP/status/953467807722889216) > > “BREAKING: House conservatives say there are enough Republican opponents to reject GOP leaders’ plan to prevent government shutdown.” “Plans include blaming Democrats. idiot Republican voters take the bait.” ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15566 "2018-01-17T04:56:23Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Alexa: Please confirm your order: > > Oh YES YES YES! THAT would explain why Amazon keeps sending her all those pearl necklaces. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15567 "2018-01-17T05:15:27Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Republicans threaten to shut down the government because Republicans won’t meet their demands: > > [x.com](https://twitter.com/AP/status/953467807722889216) > > “BREAKING: House conservatives say there are enough Republican opponents to reject GOP leaders’ plan to prevent government shutdown.” I don’t like the use of ‘conservative’ here. The right wing of the Republican party isn’t conservative, it’s loopy, whack job reactionary. ---
**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 17, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15568 "2018-01-17T05:42:11Z")
Am I the only one who is utterly nonplussed by the news of Trump’s perfect score on the cognitive test? I keep saying my capacity to be shocked by anything Trump-related is surely saturated, yet keep finding new and different ways to be proven wrong. And this one is really, \*really \*different. How to explain his verbal incoherence, especially in contrast to interviews from the '80s and '90s (when he was already a douchebag but an articulate one)? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15569 "2018-01-17T06:21:42Z")
Very simply: cognition and communication are two entirely separate things. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15570 "2018-01-17T06:23:29Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Am I the only one who is utterly nonplussed by the news of Trump’s perfect score on the cognitive test? If [this article in The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-president-can-draw-a-clock/550610/) is accurately representing the cognitive test which Trump took, it asks very basic questions. I’d have a hard time seeing anyone not scoring perfectly (or nearly so) unless their cognitive impairment is enough to have them operating at a level below that of an elementary school child. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15571 "2018-01-17T06:49:06Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Am I the only one who is utterly nonplussed by the news of Trump’s perfect score on the cognitive test? I keep saying my capacity to be shocked by anything Trump-related is surely saturated, yet keep finding new and different ways to be proven wrong. And this one is really, \*really \*different. How to explain his verbal incoherence, especially in contrast to interviews from the '80s and '90s (when he was already a douchebag but an articulate one)? [Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20728755&postcount=210)what I think. Basically, he practiced until he could pass it–the test itself is easily available, and it’s a standard, unchanging, cognitive impairment test, so given the short notice it was the only test the doctor could have applied. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15572 "2018-01-17T06:57:55Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Believe me, I recognize the irony. But a wiser man than I once said something like, “we used to be paranoid that the government was bugging us and now we voluntarily place bugging devices in our homes.” I guess I was just less paranoid when I was watching The Jetsons in the salad days. > [also this a fascinating study in my anal retentive five minute editing between quotes and post-edit original post] Alexa: Because it’s not good enough that the [CIA](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/the-details-about-the-cias-deal-with-amazon/374632/) has a high quality [camera in every room in America](http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/cyber-life/sd-me-wikileaks-cia-20170307-story.html), they need a high-quality voice-analyzing computer-linked microphone, too. Remember when this stuff was dystopian science fiction, and now it’s a product specification? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15573 "2018-01-17T07:14:39Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > If [this article in The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-president-can-draw-a-clock/550610/) is accurately representing the cognitive test which Trump took, it asks very basic questions. I’d have a hard time seeing anyone not scoring perfectly (or nearly so) unless their cognitive impairment is enough to have them operating at a level below that of an elementary school child. I"m such a smartass I’d probably lose points. “One point if you can identify what a train and a bicycle have in common, and another for watch and ruler.” Uh, watch and ruler are both nouns with multiple meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15574 "2018-01-17T10:00:07Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > -My medical conclusion is that he is not suffering from dementia and that therefore he is either mentally ill or much more likely just a giant self-centered racist ass. So he presents hyperegoakro ratsistis? (It sounds so much better in pig Greek, with my apologies to real Greek grammar) ---
**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:** [January 17, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15575 "2018-01-17T12:48:13Z")
Trump’s cognitive performance is a separate issue from his obvious personality defects. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15576 "2018-01-17T13:06:36Z")
Trump is not 6’3" or 6’4" tall, and he weighs more than 239 pounds. I have seen Obama’s height stated as 6’0" and 6’1" in various places. [Here](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/170901084930-trump-obama-780x439.jpg) is a picture of them together. Trump does not appear to be taller than Obama. Three years ago, I reached a weight of 221 pounds, an event that started me on a weight loss regimen. At 6’2" and 221, pants with a 38 inch waist were beginning to get uncomfortable. At my current weight of 185, 34 pants are snug and 36 are roomy. Trump appears to me to have a waist measurement of at least 42. Based on what I see online and my own experience with weight, I think he is no taller than 6’2", probably 6’1", and weighs at least 250 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15577 "2018-01-17T13:32:31Z")
The old joke about being too short for your weight … isn’t a joke? ---
**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:** [January 17, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15578 "2018-01-17T13:37:51Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The old joke about being too short for your weight … isn’t a joke? It’s no joke. Another unfunny fact is that height diminishes with age. I was 6’3" when I was much younger, 6’2" now at age 63. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15579 "2018-01-17T14:11:21Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Trump is not 6’3" or 6’4" tall, and he weighs more than 239 pounds. I have seen Obama’s height stated as 6’0" and 6’1" in various places. [Here](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/170901084930-trump-obama-780x439.jpg) is a picture of them together. Trump does not appear to be taller than Obama. > > Three years ago, I reached a weight of 221 pounds, an event that started me on a weight loss regimen. At 6’2" and 221, pants with a 38 inch waist were beginning to get uncomfortable. At my current weight of 185, 34 pants are snug and 36 are roomy. > > Trump appears to me to have a waist measurement of at least 42. Based on what I see online and my own experience with weight, I think he is no taller than 6’2", probably 6’1", and weighs at least 250 pounds. I agree that his height/weight is obviously faked. And the reason appears to be that at his fake weight (and height) he is just barely on the south side of obese. But, how would you fake a doctor’s exam? Does the White House provide its own scale that does not get calibrated by the medical staff? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15580 "2018-01-17T15:15:38Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > I agree that his height/weight is obviously faked. And the reason appears to be that at his fake weight (and height) he is just barely on the south side of obese. But, how would you fake a doctor’s exam? Does the White House provide its own scale that does not get calibrated by the medical staff? The doctor asks him “What is your height and weight?” and he answers. The doctor then writes down his answers. ---
**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 17, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15581 "2018-01-17T15:20:23Z")
But isn’t this admiral too serious a guy to be playing that game for Trump? I didn’t take the doctor’s report from the campaign seriously at all, but this guy was Obama’s doctor. Or does he just cover for anyone who is president? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15582 "2018-01-17T15:22:19Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > The doctor asks him “What is your height and weight?” and he answers. The doctor then writes down his answers. “And how long are your fingers?” ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15583 "2018-01-17T15:39:31Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Trump is not 6’3" or 6’4" tall, and he weighs more than 239 pounds. I have seen Obama’s height stated as 6’0" and 6’1" in various places. [Here](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/money/dam/assets/170901084930-trump-obama-780x439.jpg) is a picture of them together. Trump does not appear to be taller than Obama. > > Three years ago, I reached a weight of 221 pounds, an event that started me on a weight loss regimen. At 6’2" and 221, pants with a 38 inch waist were beginning to get uncomfortable. At my current weight of 185, 34 pants are snug and 36 are roomy. > > Trump appears to me to have a waist measurement of at least 42. Based on what I see online and my own experience with weight, I think he is no taller than 6’2", probably 6’1", and weighs at least 250 pounds. If he’s really 6’3" then yeah I bet he weighs way more than 239 pounds. But comparing waist sizes is tough. Some people just have narrower hips than others. To compare with your example, I’m only 5’9" and I’d guess that I’d need to be over 200 pounds before I’d classify 34 waist paints as snug, yet you are 5 inches taller than me and they are snug at 185… bodies is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/15584 "2018-01-17T15:44:46Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > The doctor asks him “What is your height and weight?” and he answers. The doctor then writes down his answers. How can an ethical doctor sign his name to that? Weight is an important part of the overall health picture. A doctor just using a random number for that value is not ethical. Regardless of the patient. There would be very different health advice to a patient at 239 pounds vs 300 pounds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=778) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=780)