# The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 11, 2024, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068 "2024-11-11T06:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 135
**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 4, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2681 "2025-03-04T12:44:17Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > But then almost all of his XOs are. I was going to correct you regarding the abbreviation for \*executive order \*, but then I remembered who’s running the circus. Well done, @dtilque . Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2682 "2025-03-04T13:00:05Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > But I don’t think that Trump will make it through his full four years. Something’s going to happen before 2028, if not 2026. I suspect there are a few who are planning a Strom Thurmond, i.e. keep Trump upright by hook or crook, keep him in office up to or even beyond 2028 by hook or by crook, all the while they do the actual work while he’s a figurehead for the citizenry as the evidence of his senile dementia becomes inescapable to all but those who have a vested interest in keeping him around. How well such a scenario would actually play out is another matter, but a few of the usual suspects are probably considering such an endgame. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2683 "2025-03-04T13:04:41Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I suspect there are a few who are planning a Strom Thurmond, i.e. keep Trump upright by hook or crook, keep him in office up to or even beyond 2028 by hook or by crook, all the while they do the actual work while he’s a figurehead for the citizenry as the evidence of his senile dementia becomes inescapable to all but those who have a vested interest in keeping him around. So do I, especially since the rest of the party have consistently failed in their attempts to imitate his cult leader relationship with MAGA. He’s too useful as a living focus for the zealots for them to give up. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2684 "2025-03-04T13:13:10Z")
The Cheeto is so dumb… How dumb is he? He thinks rare Earth is called “raw Earth”. [From USA Today:](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/28/trump-raw-earth-deal-ukraine-zelenskyy/80856299007/) > This wasn’t the first time Trump described the deal as involving “raw earth.” Earlier this week, Trump suggested Zelenskyy would sign an agreement in Washington on Friday. “We’ve pretty much negotiated our deal on raw Earth and various other things,” said Trump on Tuesday. > > And again on Friday, Trump said the deal covers minerals vital to industry. “This has just about every component of the raw Earth that we need for computers for all of the things we do. This puts us in great shape,” he said The National News Desk reported. From GE ([GeopoliticalEconomy.com](http://GeopoliticalEconomy.com)) > **REPORTER** : How does this provide long-term security for Ukraine? > > **DONALD TRUMP** : Well, we don’t know exactly how much, because we’re going to be putting some money in a fund, that we’re going to get from the raw earth, that we’re going to be taking, and sharing, in terms of revenue. So it’s going to be a lot of money will be made from the sale, and from the use of raw earth. > > And as you know, our country doesn’t have much raw earth. We have a lot of oil, and gas, but we don’t have a lot of the raw earth. And what we do have is protected by the environmentalists. But that could be unprotected. But still, it’s not very much. > > They [in Ukraine] have among the best in the world, in terms of raw earth. So we’re going to be using that, taking it, using it for all of the things we do, including AI, and including weapons, and the military. And it’s really going to very much satisfy our needs. > > So it’s something that just worked out really well. We have a lot of oil, and we have a lot of gas. We have a lot, but we don’t have raw earth. > > So this has just about every component of the raw earth that we need for computers, for all of the things we do. He’s treating Ukraine like a colony! We do not own Ukraine. This monster is a menace. We’ve got to stop him somehow. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2685 "2025-03-04T13:37:42Z")
Is it this simple? Putin owns the Traitor because Trump’s properties are catastrophically over-leveraged and Russian banks - i.e. Putin - hold the paper. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2686 "2025-03-04T13:45:13Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > But there is also the thought I’ve had for a while: that Trump will not survive until the end of his term. In spite of his strongman projection, he’s 78, he’s not physically healthy He seems to just keep rolling along though, and has access to the best medical care. And they won’t use the 25th amendment. Trump is a fool and a genuinely evil man, but remember he’s also a puppet, and his puppet masters LIKE having a fool be President. Vance was vetted and approved by them and they won’t let him make a move. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2687 "2025-03-04T14:24:25Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > He’s treating Ukraine like a colony! We do not own Ukraine. That’s not how Trump thinks. Trump thinks he owns Ukraine because he’s a rabid narcissist who thinks he’s God and owns _everything;_ he’s the center of the universe and everything that exists has _no purpose_ but his profit and glorification. Ukraine should just hand over anything he wants and do anything he says, because _that’s the only reason they exist._ He reminds me of certain ancient conquerors who brutally slaughtered anyone who resisted them as “rebels,” because they were the divinely ordained rulers of the world and anyone who didn’t instantly submit to them without a fight was a rebel, not a foreign opponent. Trump has much the same attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2688 "2025-03-04T14:49:11Z")
What is an “illegal protest”? > **[Trump vows to yank federal funding from all US schools that allow ‘illegal...](https://nypost.com/2025/03/04/us-news/trump-vows-to-yank-federal-funding-from-all-us-schools-that-allow-illegal-protests/)** > > President Trump threatened Tuesday to halt all federal funds for any educational institute that allows “illegal protests” — and vowed that agitators will be unmasked and imprisoned. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2689 "2025-03-04T14:50:47Z")
If an actual Russian spy – say, Phil from _The Americans_ – had run for president and won, he’d probably do all the same things Trump has done: fire generals, pull out of NATO, cancel support for Ukraine, end sanctions on Russia, lobby for admitting Russia to the G7…except he’d try to be more subtle about it. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2690 "2025-03-04T15:18:08Z")
Vance: He also plays down British & French peacekeeping troops as > 20K troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years Thought he was the “be grateful” guy. So France has had four mis-adventures in Africa. Not sure how “shooty” they were. 1. Then there’s H.W. Bush getting the **French** and **British** to protect the American PetroDollar which Hussein was threatening. Oh, and helped expel Saddam’s troops to protect the grateful Kuwaiti’s in 1990-1991 2. Balkan Wars: **France & UK** participated in NATO operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo in the 1990’s 3. **France & UK** was part of the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan, 2001 - 2021 4. Bush W’s Iraq War: **UK** assisted in that 2003 - 2011. I asked Gemini to name two random countries: - **Peru** - **Sweden** Not sure when either of their last wars was. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2691 "2025-03-04T15:29:35Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > “It’s the fault of liberals.” I’m actually worried the Trump administration will start arresting people on, and please forgive me, trumped up charges. When the economy gets worse, when our defenses are weaker, Americans are going to want someone to blame and I expect MAGA will be happy to blame anyone but themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2692 "2025-03-04T15:32:50Z")
“Will” start? We’re already blaming and arresting law-abiding immigrants (and even some citizens with the wrong skin color). That train left the station a while back, if you hadn’t noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2693 "2025-03-04T15:37:54Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > (hopefully a massive heart attack tonight during the SOTU) I’m praying for a meteor strike. But there is no god. Alas. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2694 "2025-03-04T16:24:43Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I suspect there are a few who are planning a Strom Thurmond, i.e. keep Trump upright by hook or crook, keep him in office up to or even beyond 2028 by hook or by crook, all the while they do the actual work while he’s a figurehead for the citizenry as the evidence of his senile dementia becomes inescapable to all but those who have a vested interest in keeping him around. I had a mental flash of an incapacitated/deceased Trump being hauled around by Vance and Musk like the boss in the movie _[Weekend at Bernie’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weekend_at_Bernie%27s)_. No doubt Fox and MAGA would be fawning over how stoically presidential Trump looks. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2695 "2025-03-04T16:25:34Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I suspect there are a few who are planning a Strom Thurmond, i.e. keep Trump upright by hook or crook, keep him in office up to or even beyond 2028 by hook or by crook, all the while they do the actual work while he’s a figurehead for the citizenry as the evidence of his senile dementia becomes inescapable to all but those who have a vested interest in keeping him around. _Weekend at Mar-a-Lago_ ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2696 "2025-03-04T17:11:45Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > while he’s a figurehead for the citizenry as the evidence of his senile dementia becomes inescapable to all but those who have a vested interest in keeping him around. They will freeze him solid and put him in a golf cart, so that he can keep winning battles even after death, like [**El Cid**.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_cid#Legend_of_posthumous_victory) He wll never get tired of so much winning, winning, winning. > [@dasmoocher](#): > > I had a mental flash of an incapacitated/deceased Trump being hauled around by Vance and Musk like the boss in the movie _[Weekend at Bernie’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weekend_at_Bernie%27s)_. Yeah, or like this. But freezing is better. It m ~~u~~ asks the stink. > [@Rebo](#): > > He thinks rare Earth is called “raw Earth”. “Mr. president, it is not raw, it’s just rare.” [throws ketchup against the wall] “I want it well done!! With more ketchup and fries!!” ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2697 "2025-03-04T17:29:58Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > How well such a scenario would actually play out is another matter Works pretty well for the Mormons. Their whole “First Presidency” (of three men) is currently wheelchair-bound, and their last several leaders were often too “unwell” to appear in public in their final years. This allows the others in the “Quorum of the 12” to pull shenanegins they otherwise couldn’t get away with. For example, the Very Controversial “policy of exclusion” in 2015 that was reversed four years later when the new leader disavowed it. Yet the members sail blissfully along, unaware of what’s going on… Drump’s puppet-masters just need to look to the Mormons to learn how to pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2698 "2025-03-04T17:41:18Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > What is an “illegal protest”? Saying bad things about Der Orangerer = illegal protest. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2699 "2025-03-04T17:50:39Z")
In case anyone missed the link, here is what Trump xitted: > All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post, though he did not specify an enforcement mechanism. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter. And yes, the Xit does say ‘depending **on on** the crime’. God, how I wish we had a law whereby people could peaceably assemble and speak freely about what’s on their minds and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. ---
**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 4, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/2700 "2025-03-04T18:16:22Z")
Yeah, but that needs a Constitutional amendment. Not freaking likely. /S [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068.md?page=134) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068.md?page=136)