# 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:** 885
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17685 "2018-03-10T15:30:54Z")
At making the effort, you mean? Cos they don’t even pretend well. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17686 "2018-03-10T15:35:42Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Yeah, Sarah Huckabuck stated the North Koreans have already pledged to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. When asked to clarify, she doubled down on the belief that Kim is going to denuclearize with no preconditions. How do you become a person like SHS. What happens to you in your life that allows you to bold face lie like that? What happened in her childhood that created her? Hundreds of Millions of people are either laughing at her lies or perhaps feel sorry for her twisted take on reality. How the hell does one deal with that? ---
**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:** [March 10, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17687 "2018-03-10T15:39:33Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > At making the effort, you mean? Cos they don’t even pretend well. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17688 "2018-03-10T15:41:10Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > After all, it IS what they do best. I especially like the “making a genuine effort to pretend” part. They’re really good at that. Even Trump’s flash card with phrases he could use at Parkland to simulate compassion and thoughtfulness? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17689 "2018-03-10T15:52:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > How do you become a person like SHS. What happens to you in your life that allows you to bold face lie like that? What happened in her childhood that created her? She learned it from her daddy. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2018, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17690 "2018-03-10T15:56:48Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The White House put out a montage of video games that cause mass murder, or … something. Video games don’t have an effect on normal people. But if you take a person who is prone to violence and paranoia and has difficulty separating fiction from reality then they can be pushed over the edge. So this must seem plausible to Trump supporters. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17691 "2018-03-10T16:00:23Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > She learned it from her daddy. That’s it. It’s okay to lie if you’re doing the Lord’s work. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17692 "2018-03-10T16:10:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Video games don’t have an effect on normal people. But if you take a person who is prone to violence and paranoia and has difficulty separating fiction from reality then they can be pushed over the edge. > > So this must seem plausible to Trump supporters. Or, if you have someone who is prone to violence, then they start by playing games, then go on to real violence; without the games, they would have just gone straight to violence. Some who were prone to violence may find the games to be an adequate substitute for real violence, and never go over that edge. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17693 "2018-03-10T16:38:18Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > How do you become a person like SHS. What happens to you in your life that allows you to bold face lie like that? What happened in her childhood that created her? > > Hundreds of Millions of people are either laughing at her lies or perhaps feel sorry for her twisted take on reality. How the hell does one deal with that? I was really hoping when she said Trump has already fully addressed the porn star thing someone would ask her if that’s a “white lie” or a regular lie. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17694 "2018-03-10T16:44:36Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > How do you become a person like SHS. What happens to you in your life that allows you to bold face lie like that? What happened in her childhood that created her? Christian identity politics taken to the extreme. You always get to be the victim, you’re always dutifully fending off persecution by the mainstream media or whoever your enemy is on a given time. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17695 "2018-03-10T17:00:01Z")
A little off the beaten track, (and not sure wherelse to post this, but if it involves the US Forest Service - which is under the umbrella of the Dept. of Agriculture - then good enough, AFAIC.) Hate to shake up the tone of this thread with some good news… US Forest Service [gets major shake-up](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/former-forest-service-chief-allegedly-threatened-subordinate) in the wake of reports of harassment and retaliation. Former Forestry Chief Tom Tooke (fuck what a name, it turns out) had an extramarital affair with a forestry employee who got special promotions, as well as threats that her career “would go down” if she told anyone about their relationship. And allowing what turned out to be a broad climate of sexual harassment and retaliation, especially in Oregon…yeah, it’s time to go. Hopefully upcoming investigations will really home in on Oregon. Former firefighter Vicki Christiansen will be the interim Forestry head, hoping to address the agency’s response to sexual misconduct while keeping track of more than 300,000 square miles of forests and grasslands. William Brangham did an excellent PBS piece on this, and the above link is a follow-up with Judy Woodruff. The story, actually, was a _major_ catalyst in reporting the internal investigations already under way, so - wow - newsmaking making an actual difference! (And, _from this_, Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California and Montana Senator Steve Daines now want to hold hearings to look into this broader culture of sexual harassment within the Forest Service.) ---
**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:** [March 10, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17696 "2018-03-10T19:20:15Z")
Four Cabinet secretaries were called into the principal’s office and given a scolding for ethical lapses in their departments. > **[White House scolds Cabinet officials after embarrassing ethics reports | CNN...](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/politics/cabinet-secretaries-ethical-behavior/index.html)** > > The White House held private meetings with four Cabinet-level officials last month to scold them for embarrassing stories about questionable ethical behavior ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17697 "2018-03-10T19:20:16Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I was really hoping when she said Trump has already fully addressed the porn star thing someone would ask her if that’s a “white lie” or a regular lie. I sooo want to see that now. Who knows someone in the WH press corps? ---
**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:** [March 10, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17698 "2018-03-10T20:17:31Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > How do you become a person like SHS. What happens to you in your life that allows you to bold face lie like that? What happened in her childhood that created her? > > Hundreds of Millions of people are either laughing at her lies or perhaps feel sorry for her twisted take on reality. How the hell does one deal with that? My theory is that she’s was born a liar. Her first words were “DaDa skinny”. And she was an embarrassment and her family tried to beat it out of her and pray it away with absolutely no luck. Every word that ever came out of that weird twisty face was a bold-faced lie. Then Trump became President and they realized that God had put her on this world for a purpose, and that purpose had finally been revealed. So the Huckabee faith in God’s master plan was restored with a vengeance. However, I believe the story that she finally ended up on the receiving end of one of Trumps legendary temper explosions. Although she’d seen it happen dozens of times she thought she was immune until she wasn’t. - so, to coin a new word, she was hopehicksed. That can be a big hit on your confidence, and it takes a lot of confidence to pull of that snarky smug righteousness that she sprays the press with on a daily basis. So I’m thinking her style is going to take a hit, and she may not be long for Trumpworld. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17699 "2018-03-10T20:23:24Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Four Cabinet secretaries were called into the principal’s office and given a scolding for ethical lapses in their departments. > [https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/politics/cabinet-secretaries-ethical-behavior/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/09/politics/cabinet-secretaries-ethical-behavior/index.html) “Remember, an ethics opinion matters only if the ethics officer received all of the information.” Just what does that mean, exactly? It sure sounds like somebody is saying it is favourable to withhold information to get a good outcome. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17700 "2018-03-10T20:29:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > After all, it IS what they do best. I especially like the “making a genuine effort to pretend” part. They’re really good at that. I hear you. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17701 "2018-03-10T21:53:51Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I was really hoping when she said Trump has already fully addressed the porn star thing someone would ask her if that’s a “white lie” or a regular lie. White lie, of course. Trump loves white lies because they’re the best lies, much better than those lies with too much melanin. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17702 "2018-03-10T22:17:08Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Video games don’t have an effect on normal people. But if you take a person who is prone to violence and paranoia and has difficulty separating fiction from reality then they can be pushed over the edge. > > So this must seem plausible to Trump supporters. And it’s so easy for them to ignore the obvious: that the ‘prone to violence/driven over the edge’ person _wouldn’t be able to slaughter dozens without easy access to **assault weapons.** _ But the easy-access-to-assault-weapons isn’t the problem, no sir! It’s them _video games_! ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17703 "2018-03-10T22:38:01Z")
I sure hope CFSG does not sit down and watch _A Boy and His Dog_ – the intro part might inspire him in ways we would rather not imagine. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/17704 "2018-03-10T22:45:56Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I like how Fallout 4’s clip includes a guy having to shoot a dude like half a dozen times with a desert eagle before the mob falls over. And it’s a skippable sidequest that can be missed entirely if the player doesn’t venture into a certain room. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=884) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=886)