# The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [December 1, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298 "2025-12-01T20:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 119
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2361 "2026-02-11T04:48:30Z")
@Buck_Godot Link doesn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2362 "2026-02-11T04:49:33Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > [an **institute** of maladjusted kids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Institute_(King_novel)) who can melt people’s brains. You mean Stephen King wasn’t writing fiction? ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2363 "2026-02-11T04:53:33Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I’m pretty sure that there is only [one flag](https://data:image/png;base64,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) that they accept as providing historical context. > [@Monty](#): > > @Buck_Godot Link doesn’t work for me. Try [this one](https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/newshour/app/uploads/2015/07/GettyImages-72084603-1024x683.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2364 "2026-02-11T05:12:07Z")
Didn’t even need a link to know what you meant. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2365 "2026-02-11T05:13:22Z")
@Buck_Godot Thanks! I thought it might’ve been [this one](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyal_White_Knights_of_the_Ku_Klux_Klan#/media/File:Flag_of_Loyal_White_Knights_of_the_Ku_Klux_Klan.svg). ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2366 "2026-02-11T13:14:22Z")
I know that this goes here… and reading into the article I’m still not sure what the hell is going on in Texas. One of the major airports has been shut down for 10 days with no explanation. Any civilian aircraft found in the air may be shot down ( that’s what deadly force means, right? Shot down? ) On TV the announcer on NBC said that the last time this happened was 9-11. The airport is near the Mexican border. Is that silly senile stupid sonofabitch going to invade Mexico? ( If he is, doesn’t history teach us that both Napoleon and Hitler were destroyed by attacking in too many directions at once? That and being nuttier than fruitcake. ) > **[FAA abruptly closes El Paso airspace for 10 days over unspecified security...](https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/11/us/faa-el-paso-texas-flight-restrictions-hnk)** > > The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly issued a temporary flight restriction that immediately grounds all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days — a shutdown that’s likely to create significant disruptions in one... ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2367 "2026-02-11T13:22:32Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Any civilian aircraft found in the air may be shot down Of all the TV series our reality could become, I was not expecting _TaleSpin_. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2368 "2026-02-11T13:32:08Z")
My guess is that something really bad is about to drop out of the Epstein Files and Yamtits has to create a distraction. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2369 "2026-02-11T13:40:24Z")
Maybe. But Trump is also genuinely irrational, bigoted and aggressive, so it may have nothing to do with the files. Maybe he’s planning to attack Mexico, as he’s already made noises about just because, well it lets him kill brown people and feel powerful. I do think the odds are good he’ll nuke Mexico at some point. Just so he can flex his ego about having nuked _somebody._ And every dead brown person is a victory for Trump and the Right. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2370 "2026-02-11T13:46:41Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I do think the odds are good he’ll nuke Mexico at some point. Just so he can flex his ego about having nuked _somebody._ And every dead brown person is a victory for Trump and the Right. I think that’s a step too far, not because of any ethical limits on Trump’s part obviously, but because the optics would be _horrible_, unless the nuke goes off in the middle of the dessert live footage of the effects of a nuke on a city would make all but the most hardened MAGA fanatic blanch. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2371 "2026-02-11T13:51:23Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I think that’s a step too far, not because of any ethical limits on Trump’s part obviously, but because the optics would be _horrible_, unless the nuke goes off in the middle of the dessert live footage of the effects of a nuke on a city would make all but the most hardened MAGA fanatic blanch. I disagree, MAGA would be ecstatic, and demand _more_ nukes. They want their [Day of the Rope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turner_Diaries). ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2372 "2026-02-11T13:55:31Z")
They may _think_ they do, but a lot of them are still human enough that they would be repulsed by the consequences of their ideology taken to the extreme, these are not deep thinkers who have seriously contemplated all possible ramifications of their slogans, most people (and specially most right wing populists) are emotional and can change their political opinions in a second if exposed to truly heavy hitting visuals. Trump and Co know this, there will be no nuking (unless they are truly desperate, then all bets are off). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2373 "2026-02-11T13:57:39Z")
Fwiw, there’s a thread specifically dedicated to the El Paso clusterfuck. > [@El Paso Airport closed for 10 days for "security reasons"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/el-paso-airport-closed-for-10-days-for-security-reasons/1027575): > > The FAA’s [sudden closure of El Paso Airport](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/faa-el-paso-flight-restrictions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LVA.FubQ.FbHqKwOtiUdV&smid=url-share) has taken local officials by surprise. It is virtually unprecedented to suddenly close a US airport like this, for this long (even after the attacks of September 11, 2001, airports were not closed for 10 days). And of course, the federal government has not given any specific reason for such a closure. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2374 "2026-02-11T14:00:35Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > They may _think_ they do, but a lot of them are still human enough that they would be repulsed by the consequences of their ideology taken to the extreme, these are not deep thinkers who have seriously contemplated all possible ramifications of their slogans, most people (and specially most right wing populists) are emotional and can change their political opinions in a second if exposed to truly heavy hitting visuals. To be blunt, hoping the Right will refrain from committing atrocities out of squeamishness is historically disproven in places like the Old South and the Nazi concentration camps. There are _no limits_ to what they will do, except other people _stopping_ them. No morality. No compassion. Nothing really matters to them but their hatred and cruelty. Even their own lives and welfare are secondary to that, at best. That is the _essence_ of the Right, and always has been. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2375 "2026-02-11T14:03:20Z")
Yes, _but_ There was no video of concentration camps victim hitting screens, as I said these people have no _ethical_ limits, what they have is a visceral phobia of bad optics. I’ll guess we’ll see, let’s revisit the topic in 2028. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2376 "2026-02-11T14:13:00Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > the optics would be _horrible_, unless the nuke goes off in the middle of the dessert l Having a nuke go off in your dessert can simply _ruin_ your Cherries Jubillee. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2377 "2026-02-11T14:13:52Z")
It happens when you leave it in the microwave for too long… ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2378 "2026-02-11T14:16:06Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > these people have no _ethical_ limits, what they have is a visceral phobia of bad optics. Which really makes me wonder why they’ve picked the 34-times convicted felon as their face to the public. That’s some mighty bad optics there. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2026, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2379 "2026-02-11T14:30:52Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Which really makes me wonder why they’ve picked the 34-times convicted felon as their face to the public. That’s some mighty bad optics there. Trump is definitely an argument agaisnt the idea that they are concerned about “optics”, the man is so blatantly awful in every way that he’s a living parody. Disgusting, vile, embarrassing. If anything the Right _likes_ bad optics, to “troll the libs”. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/2380 "2026-02-11T14:43:27Z")
It’s not “them” in general who is concerned with optics, it’s Trump himself. “Trolling the libs” is good optics to his base, it presents them as rebels against the Establishment. American soldiers returning home in body bags, dead civilians in the street of Minneapolis or children burning to death in a nuked city are not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=118) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=120)