# 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:** 7
**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:** [November 14, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/121 "2024-11-14T21:28:23Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I don’t think Trump will want him in Congress. Gaetz is of little use to him there, as there are plenty of other GOP flunkies who could take his place Gaetz has a brand that triggers libs like no other. Maybe Boebert and Green. Triggering libs is one of Trump’s top goals. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/122 "2024-11-14T21:54:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Ah, Hegseth. That’s the dude who doesn’t want women in the military nor does he want American service members who commit war crimes to be prosecuted. > > That right there fits in very well with Trump’s personality: hates women, loves war criminals. About Hegseth, I’m trying to find his citations for his bronze star medals but am having difficulty. Has anyone been able to find them? I want to get some inkling of what he did to get awarded for them. Thanks in advance. ---
**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:** [November 14, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/123 "2024-11-14T21:57:43Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > About Hegseth, I’m trying to find his citations for his bronze star medals but am having difficulty. Has anyone been able to find them? > > I want to get some inkling of what he did to get awarded for them. He bravely and without regard for his own safety crossed state lines to pick up a couple cases of Coors so the officer’s club wouldn’t run out on a Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/124 "2024-11-14T21:59:02Z")
That’s at least worth the DSC! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/125 "2024-11-14T22:02:00Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > About Hegseth, I’m trying to find his citations for his bronze star medals but am having difficulty. Has anyone been able to find them? I can’t find specifically why they were awarded, but they seem legitimate. > **['He's Going to Have to Explain It': Surprise Defense Secretary Pick's History...](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/11/13/hes-going-have-explain-it-surprise-defense-secretary-picks-history-takes-center-stage.html)** > > Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of combat in the culture wars that have been brewing over the military for the past decade. > Hegseth served in the National Guard from 2002 to 2021, rising to the rank of major, with [deployment](https://www.military.com/deployment)s to Afghanistan, Iraq and [Guantanamo Bay](https://www.military.com/base-guide/naval-station-guantanamo-bay), according to service records released by the [Army](https://www.military.com/army) on Wednesday. His awards include two Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation Medals and the expert infantryman and combat infantryman badges, according to the records. But yeah, I can’t find details anywhere. A little more detail on his deployments: > **[Senators divided on Hegseth nomination for Defense secretary - Roll Call](https://rollcall.com/2024/11/13/senators-divided-on-hegseth-nomination-for-defense-secretary/)** > > Senators expressed both support and skepticism for the nomination of veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as Defense secretary > Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from October 2002 to March 2021, reaching the rank of major, according to a copy of his service record released Wednesday by the Army He deployed three times — first to Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay from June 2004 to April 2005; second to Iraq from September 2005 to July 2006; and third to Afghanistan from May 2011 to January 2012. I don’t know if those records cited were released publicly, I’ve tried searching for them. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/126 "2024-11-14T22:05:20Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Gaetz has a brand that triggers libs like no other. By ‘brand’ you mean _ephebophile_? Because that is entirely on-brand for Trump. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/127 "2024-11-14T22:11:12Z")
The NYT says Trump ~~would like to make Kennedy Secretary of Health~~. **UPDATE: has selected Kennedy**. An inspired choice… Providing there isn’t another COVID epidemic that kills 500,000+ people. According to the CDC there was considerable variation in which states were most affected (see bottom link). However, I am unable to discern a pattern with 100% confidence. Of course, Trump may be trolling. Such a gruff billygoat! Removing fluoride from drinking water would also be a bold move… just not a smart or scientific one. But why stop there? Ivermectin, chelation, pasteurization…. such promising bold changes, each more surprising than the last! (/s) (Canadian health has its problems, but most decision makers in most provinces respect the science… This may change, Canada catches cold when America sneezes. But 99% of Canadian pols during Covid were willing to listen to scientific experts.) The problem with health or other positions is that voters will judge both Trump’s legacy and his administration by the efficacy of their decisions. It is plausible that unscientific decisions might involve legal consequences. Many corporate raiders keen to cut costs and reduce headcount have found that there-are downsides to erasing institutional memory and undervaluing expertise. And now, you’ll know - the rest of the story… > **[Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Department of Health and Human...](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-trump-selects-robert-f-kennedy-jr-to-lead-department-of-health-and/)** > > Kennedy ran for president in this year’s election as an independent before dropping out and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican’s administration > **[Kennedy’s F.D.A. Wish List: Raw Milk, Stem Cells, Heavy Metals](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/12/health/robert-kennedy-jr-fda.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Z04.F5-H.MoI7KH9oSdTU&smid=url-share)** > > Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s advisers on health, is taking aim at the agency’s oversight on many fronts. > **[File:Map of cumulative COVID-19 death rates by US state.png](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_cumulative_COVID-19_death_rates_by_US_state.png)** > > Original file (1,782 × 1,442 pixels, file size: 180 KB, MIME type: image/png) > Some instructions for those who are interested: > English | Español | Galego | Română | slovenščina | العربية | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | +/− > Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/128 "2024-11-14T22:31:47Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Removing fluoride from drinking water would also be a bold move… just not a smart or scientific one. I was supprised how many places have removed flouride despite all the evidence. > **[The fluoride fight: Data shows more US cities, towns remove fluoride from...](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/17/fluoride-in-water-systems-removed-around-us/73330559007/)** > > A case currently moving through California courts could create federal regulations or bans on fluoridated drinking water, as some exert local control. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/129 "2024-11-14T22:36:18Z")
I am aware of a pretty small and weak study showing a minimal decrease in intelligence scores in rural China. Probably just a bad study. Even if the drop was real, there are a million things that might have caused it - but just one that was blamed. A good study is one that can show or evaluate causation and that has a study population similar to your population. The few places in Canada where this happened were small municipalities with an influential skeptic, generally with more charisma than sense or scientific acumen. I am not an expert on these things, but doubt deniers know more than dentists. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/130 "2024-11-14T22:42:20Z")
I stayed at a ‘hotel’ (I use the term loosely) on the border of Guatemala and Belize. It was owned by an ex-pat from Los Angeles. He wouldn’t let me in unless I traded in _my_ bottle of water for one of _his._ Later that evening, he went on, at some length, about fluoride and a few studies claiming this and that. When I got back to the states, I remembered that he specifically mentioned Harvard’s School of Public Health. F’rinstance: > **[Is Fluoridated Drinking Water Safe?](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine/magazine_article/fluoridated-drinking-water/)** > > Since the mid-1940s, compounds containing the mineral fluoride have been added to community water supplies throughout the U.S. to prevent tooth decay. Health concerns expressed by opponents have la… This one may refer to the study that you mentioned: > **[Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children](https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/)** > > July 25, 2012 — For years health experts have been unable to agree on whether fluoride in the drinking water may be toxic to the developing human brain. Extremely high levels of fluoride are … ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/131 "2024-11-15T00:05:22Z")
Troy Nehls (R)Texas “He’s (Trump) got a 10lb brain and we need to take advantage of that, he’s never wrong”. Last minute of Lawrence O’Donnell [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJW0WSUgmmk&t=1090s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJW0WSUgmmk&t=1090s) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/132 "2024-11-15T00:07:14Z")
> [@dougrb](#): > > Troy Nehls (R)Texas “He’s (Trump) got a 10lb brain and we need to take advantage of that, he’s never wrong”. A sperm whale has a 20 lb brain, maybe we should have elected one of those. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/133 "2024-11-15T00:40:08Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > A sperm whale has a 20 lb brain, maybe we should have elected one of those. > Squeeze! Squeeze! Squeeze! All the morning long; I squeezed that sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed the sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers’ hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. (Melville, _Moby Dick or, The Whale_ ) ---
**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:** [November 15, 2024, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/134 "2024-11-15T02:40:43Z")
I am reminded of the Adam West _Batman_ episode where the Penguin ran for mayor of Gotham City and declared that he was appointing the Riddler as Police Commissioner and Joker as Chief of Police. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/135 "2024-11-15T02:42:13Z")
This just keeps getting more and more bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/136 "2024-11-15T02:54:38Z")
Let’s not forget [![](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/945/712/581/810/419/small/21b50f7ef7487573.jpg) ](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/945/712/581/810/419/small/21b50f7ef7487573.jpg) ---
**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:** [November 15, 2024, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/137 "2024-11-15T03:26:49Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Someone told me yesterday that DeSantis is going too replace him with Lara Trump. Were they just messin’ with me? Apparently not. > **[Republicans Float Lara Trump to Fill Rubio’s Senate Seat](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/us/politics/lara-trump-marco-rubio-florida-senate.html?unlocked_article_code=1.aE4.cHyM.pyGtbzr1C5XM&smid=url-share)** > > If Senator Marco Rubio becomes secretary of state, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida will choose his replacement. Some lawmakers are pushing for the president-elect’s daughter-in-law. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/138 "2024-11-15T03:49:14Z")
Lara strikes me as kind of the female Jim Jordan. :shudder: ---
**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:** [November 15, 2024, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/139 "2024-11-15T03:58:59Z")
Just in case you had even a tinge of belief Trump’s not doing all of this out of spite, [read this AOL article](https://www.aol.com/news/trump-wants-elon-musk-overhaul-151829441.html). > Details about how the new [Department of Government Efficiency](https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/12/politics/elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-department-of-government-efficiency-trump/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo), or DOGE, will operate – and how Musk and his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy will avoid conflicts of interest – remain scarce. But the duo has spoken openly about areas of the government they’d like to see altered, while Trump and Republican lawmakers have a long list of programs and operations they’d like to reform. Details, you ask? > Musk also took aim at the [Department of Education](https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/politics/department-of-education-shut-down-trump/index.html?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo), a frequent target of Trump and Republicans, criticizing the agency for allegedly indoctrinating kids with left-wing propaganda and other failings. However, he did not call for its elimination during the town hall. And from Ramaswamy: > On the campaign trail, he said he would get rid of up to 75% of the federal workforce. About 2.3 million civilians are employed by the federal government, with nearly 60% working for the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security. The kicker: > The plan also called for closing the Education Department and shifting its workforce training programs to the Labor Department; eliminating the FBI and relocating its 15,000 special agents who solve cases to other agencies; and getting rid of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and shifting its duties to other departments. But they’ll be in this with the rest of us, right? Right? > Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s vast business ventures pose considerable conflict of interest concerns if they lead the new initiative. For instance, in his X town hall, Musk repeatedly criticized government regulations, citing their interference with his companies. The duo and Trump have all pushed for slashing regulations. But Trump has tried this non-government advisory thing before and it died a ~~premature~~ overdue death. > Legal experts told CNN that the government efficiency entity, based on what’s known about it so far, will likely be covered by a federal law requiring transparency and a balance of views on such advisory commissions. > > Multiple commissions set up under the first Trump administration faced litigation under the law, known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or FACA, and one of those commissions – set up to study the alleged problem of voter fraud after Trump claimed falsely that millions voted illegally in 2016 – ultimately disbanded rather than continue to fight the cases in court. And there’s [more from AOL on Hegseth](https://www.aol.com/pete-hegseths-plan-overhaul-americas-154900779.html): > “First of all, you got to fire the Chairman Joint of the Chiefs and obviously going to bring in a new Secretary of Defense, but any general that was involved – general, admiral, whatever – that was involved in, any of the DEI woke s—, has got to go,” Hegseth said during a recent interview on the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast. How TF does a _major_ not know the actual title of the senior military officer? Anyway, the rest of the article really shows what he’s all about: shoot them all ad let God sort them out. We’re in for four years of the country being punished by a spoiled brat who can’t handle the fact the real world is not mommy and daddy wrapped around his fingers. Actually, we’re in for more than four years of it. Assuming he survives to the end of his ~~dictatorship~~ presidency, he’ll still be making pronouncement which those seeking political office must follow to escape the wrath of the magaflatearther movement. And when he finally and thankfully dies, the new head of the movement will just do all of that in his name. As I said way back near the beginning of this thread, we are well and truly screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2024, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-1/1010068/140 "2024-11-15T04:53:52Z")
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