# 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:** 927
**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:** [March 27, 2018, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18525 "2018-03-27T23:40:15Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > That mother fucker had one clear campaign promise. A wall paid for **by Mexico**. Not a wall in general. Not a wall paid for by U.S. Taxpayers. A wall paid for\*\* by Mexico\*\*. That was the appeal of the promise. It wouldn’t cost us a thing, and we’d get a big beautiful wall and someone else would pay for it. > > Some deal maker, this guy. I love it when Vicente Fox trolls Donald. ---
**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:** [March 27, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18526 "2018-03-27T23:42:27Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Trump wants to pay for the wall out of the military budget.](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/27/politics/donald-trump-border-wall-military/index.html) Isn’t this the same military he characterized as “weak”, “demoralized”, ineffective" ? Since when was _that_ remedied? ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18527 "2018-03-28T00:12:43Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > That mother fucker had one clear campaign promise. A wall paid for **by Mexico**. Not a wall in general. Not a wall paid for by U.S. Taxpayers. A wall paid for\*\* by Mexico\*\*. That was the appeal of the promise. It wouldn’t cost us a thing, and we’d get a big beautiful wall and someone else would pay for it. > > Some deal maker, this guy. Trump gets applause and attention and ego stroking for four years, and he gives his base nothing in return. Trump is a brilliant deal maker. ---
**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 28, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18528 "2018-03-28T00:32:43Z")
I need a professional opinion. I see this particular woman stand at the podium to tell people stuff. Her brow it knit and her eyes are glaring and she looks totally overmatched by the job (the sound is muted because, well, we want to keep this wallpaper on the walls). She looks for all the world to be a post turtle. Now, I could see someone like Kelley thinking, “_We need to keep her, right up front like that. People see her and it makes them sad. That little bit helps. It is not like we are drowning in public empathy here._” So I am wondering if this could be a ploy. Is this spokeswoman a genuine post turtle, is it a pure sympathy play, or maybe a bit of both? Is there an expert here who can offer a professional opinion? ---
**Author:** ![ganthet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@ganthet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ganthet)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18529 "2018-03-28T01:07:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Trump wants to pay for the wall out of the military budget.](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/27/politics/donald-trump-border-wall-military/index.html) As that article notes, funds allocated to the military in annual appropriations/authorization bills passed by Congress are tightly controlled and large sums can’t simply be re-purposed for whatever a particular military service - or the president - wishes without another authorization bill passed by Congress. Thanks to the [Antideficiency Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antideficiency_Act), federal funds to the military generally can’t be obligated for contracts beyond a single fiscal year unless expressly authorized. Certain high ticket items such as relatively small-scale military construction projects (like building runways or certain other structures) or large plane/ship orders are in their own separate category within overall military budget and are exceptions this single fiscal year-only restriction, but something covering only a small portion of the wall that may only involve $1 or 2 billion could not simply be easily deducted from some other project and would still require express Congressional authorization. Even if ordered by Trump to do so, the military would basically have to respond that his directive is not legally possible without basically an entirely new budget appropriation and authorization from Congress. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18530 "2018-03-28T01:22:07Z")
And if the Corps of Engineers is in charge, double the cost. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18531 "2018-03-28T01:28:41Z")
Another funding source is our tinpot, shit-for-brains dictator’s parade. Participants and viewers will have to come up with their own brown shirts and practice their snappy salutes on their own time. It’s a small sacrifice to MAGA\*. \*Make Aryans Gullible Again ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18532 "2018-03-28T01:34:05Z")
Erm … we do need to know how many people in a district are afraid to ask for basic services, like police protection and emergency care. No, really, I live in a border state, and the ERs tend to be a lot less crowded than I am used to. How do we deal with this? ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18533 "2018-03-28T02:23:39Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > So I am wondering if this could be a ploy. Is this spokeswoman a genuine post turtle, is it a pure sympathy play, or maybe a bit of both? Is there an expert here who can offer a professional opinion? I don’t know where you are going to find a post turtle expert. However, SHS doesn’t evoke sympathy once you turn the sound on since she lies on a regular basis and can be fairly hostile to reporters. Her most recent lie on the citizenship question was “This is a question that’s been included in every census since 1965, with the exception of 2010 when it was removed.” She is there because 1) she can lie, deflect, and give non-answers in a way that Trump approves of 2) no self-respecting person would want this job. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18534 "2018-03-28T02:24:45Z")
> [@ganthet](#): > > As that article notes, funds allocated to the military in annual appropriations/authorization bills passed by Congress are tightly controlled and large sums can’t simply be re-purposed for whatever a particular military service - or the president - wishes without another authorization bill passed by Congress. > > Thanks to the [Antideficiency Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antideficiency_Act), federal funds to the military generally can’t be obligated for contracts beyond a single fiscal year unless expressly authorized. Certain high ticket items such as relatively small-scale military construction projects (like building runways or certain other structures) or large plane/ship orders are in their own separate category within overall military budget and are exceptions this single fiscal year-only restriction, but something covering only a small portion of the wall that may only involve $1 or 2 billion could not simply be easily deducted from some other project and would still require express Congressional authorization. > > Even if ordered by Trump to do so, the military would basically have to respond that his directive is not legally possible without basically an entirely new budget appropriation and authorization from Congress. yet the meme brigade claims since this was an ‘omnibus bill’ and not a true ‘budge’ - Trump can do as he pleases with the funds - thanks to the[letter he wrote the senate or something](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/text-letter-president-speaker-house-representatives-president-senate-21/) and calling the wall needed for “national defense” in his whiny signing speech. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18535 "2018-03-28T02:26:10Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > This is exactly part of the plan: encourage Democrat-leaning people to discard census forms, and thereby be under-counted and under-represented. Point taken. If the question is not removed via lawsuits, I will think about how to respond. We have a lot of time before 2020. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18536 "2018-03-28T02:32:32Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Point taken. If the question is not removed via lawsuits, I will think about how to respond. We have a lot of time before 2020. My suggestion is to complete the form and ignore the citizenship question. If everyone does that, it will be like… what… a normal census? ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18537 "2018-03-28T02:37:22Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > That mother fucker had one clear campaign promise. A wall paid for **by Mexico**. Not a wall in general. Not a wall paid for by U.S. Taxpayers. A wall paid for\*\* by Mexico\*\*. You underestimate the stable genius. He is playing 3 dimensional chess. Here is his clever plan: 1. Rename the Marines to “Mexico.” 2. Use the Marines budget allocation to build the wall. Result: “Mexico” paid for the wall. A promised fulfilled. America is great again, etc. ---
**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 28, 2018, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18538 "2018-03-28T02:46:20Z")
The FBI has _ **fifty-four** _ people investigating Hillary. > **[Statement from FBI Director Christopher Wray on Records Requests — FBI](https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/statement-from-fbi-director-christopher-wray-on-records-requests)** > > Statement of FBI Director Christopher Wray regarding review of records in response to Chairman Goodlatte's congressional requests. ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18539 "2018-03-28T02:57:18Z")
You know, for the party that claims fiscal responsibility as its bailiwick, the Republicans sure do waste a lot of money on stupid shit. ---
**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 28, 2018, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18540 "2018-03-28T03:03:04Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > You know, for the party that claims fiscal responsibility as its bailiwick, the Republicans sure do waste a lot of money on stupid shit. I think you are letting inference get out of hand. They never made that claim. They only assert that the Democrats are fiscally irresponsible. You would not want those fiscally irresponsible people running the government, so vote for us. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18541 "2018-03-28T03:33:01Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Trump gets applause and attention and ego stroking for four years, and he gives his base nothing in return. Trump is a brilliant deal maker. Just like all his past deals, where he takes money up front, loads the company with his personal debt, does everything possible to make the venture fail (so he can declare bankruptcy and not pay anyone) backers or workers), and moves on to the next “job” like a fucking locust. He lines his pockets and fucks everyone else. And if he can’t get out of paying, he “renegotiates” after the fact to fuck them. Why do you think reputable banks won’t touch him? He fucked them too. ---
**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 28, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18542 "2018-03-28T04:01:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > [Trump wants to pay for the wall out of the military budget.](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/27/politics/donald-trump-border-wall-military/index.html) I see Trump is unaware of the Posse Comitatus Act. He wants to use military stuff (money) for civilian stuff (a wall, a wall, a wonderful wall). ---
**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:** [March 28, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18543 "2018-03-28T04:11:57Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > You know, for the party that claims fiscal responsibility as its bailiwick, the Republicans sure do waste a lot of money on stupid shit. In politics, the less you plan to do about something the more you must talk about it. > [@SteveG1](#): > > Just like all his past deals,… My point exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/18544 "2018-03-28T06:18:33Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I see Trump is unaware of the Posse Comitatus Act. He wants to use military stuff (money) for civilian stuff (a wall, a wall, a wonderful wall). Clearly he hasn’t made it to Article 12 of the Constitution yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=926) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=928)