# 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:** 369
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7361 "2026-07-22T00:52:08Z")
I would trust classics scholars over Hegseth and his ilk any day of the week and twice on Sundays, they’ve probably read Thucydides for starters. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7362 "2026-07-22T01:04:11Z")
I was wondering who the previous philosophy majors and classics scholars he’s alluding to? ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7363 "2026-07-22T01:04:39Z")
Educated people? ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7364 "2026-07-22T01:10:07Z")
[Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Yet another lawsuit against the Second Felonial Era.](https://www.aol.com/articles/fired-white-house-being-sworn-213153000.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Seattle who was [fired last week less than an hour after being sworn in](https://apnews.com/article/seattle-us-attorney-fired-trump-8a032be7b44b9b3d927d17e1ccbd1f4a) sued over his termination Tuesday, teeing up a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s [efforts to install its own picks](https://apnews.com/article/alina-habba-new-jersey-prosecutor-trump-5cb7573a91ac776e3914afd584e814bf) in the powerful Justice Department posts. > > Roger Rogoff is the latest in a series of [judicially appointed U.S. attorneys to be ousted by the Trump administration](https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-us-attorney-prosecutor-habba-trump-93dfa4de0a68b15a659ef5272e6b193d) from their posts but is believed to be the first of that group to sue over the removal. His action creates a court case that will test the Justice Department’s authority to appoint — and fire — prosecutors. > > Rogoff was unanimously appointed to the job of U.S. attorney for western Washington by the federal judges in the district. But shortly after he was sworn in last Wednesday, he received an email from the Trump administration informing him that President Donald Trump had ordered his termination. > > The lawsuit contends that the abrupt firing was unconstitutional and disregarded the authority of the judges of the district to name Rogoff to the job until the vacancy could be filled through a Senate-confirmed nominee. > > “The President’s actions violate the law, and they ignore the protections of the Constitution of the United States. Rogoff said in a statement issued through the law firm representing him. “His removal of me, like his removal of other court-appointed U.S. attorneys across the country, is illegal and cannot stand.” [Worldwide warning issued by State Department.](https://www.aol.com/articles/u-just-issued-rare-worldwide-112700000.html) > [@](#): > > On July 18, the U.S. State Department issued a rare worldwide warning for Americans traveling or living abroad. The [new travel advisory](https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/global-events/worldwide-caution.html) warns of “unforeseen escalation” worldwide due to tensions between the U.S. and Iran. > > In the warning, the State Department shared that U.S. diplomatic facilities in and outside of the Middle East have been targeted, adding that overseas locations that are associated with the U.S. or Americans (like embassies, consulates, or even U.S.-owned hotel brands or businesses) may be particularly vulnerable to attacks. The warning, which was released for worldwide travel, notes that any location associated with the U.S. or American people around the world is an easy target for groups supportive of Iran. > > The agency also warned that international travel could be disrupted due to airspace closures and necessary flight cancellations. > > “The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution,” the State Department said [in the travel advisory](https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/global-events/worldwide-caution.html). “Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.” [Senator Cassidy wants Killer Kennedy to quit shitting us.](https://www.aol.com/articles/bill-cassidy-doesnt-trust-rfk-182622000.html) > [@](#): > > Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy said he doesn’t trust Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s assessment that the national outbreak of cyclosporiasis is “under control” and that he is requesting a briefing on the parasitic infection that has sickened thousands across the country. > > Cases of the stomach-churning infections have risen across the country and in Louisiana, where the state health department reported 68 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis July 21, double the usual amount of cases during this period. > > In a briefing on health care fraud July 21, Kennedy said, “We do have the outbreak under control” and said cuts implemented last year to the Centers for Disease Control wouldn’t have helped stem the surge in cases. > > Cassidy, a doctor and chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said he has asked for a briefing on the outbreak. > > “Just because Secretary Kennedy says that doesn’t mean I believe it,” Cassidy said in response to a question from USA Today Network. [And a GOP senator tells war criminal Hegseth he’s full of shit.](https://www.aol.com/articles/straight-answers-gop-senator-scolds-212441000.html) > [@](#): > > Sen. **John Kennedy** (R-LA) pressed Secretary of Defense **Pete Hegseth** in a testy exchange on Iran and the state of the Strait of Hormuz. > > At a Tuesday Senate hearing, Kennedy questioned both Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. **John D. Caine** on the Strait as tensions have escalated between the United States and Iran with the U.S. launching days of [strikes](https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/us-launches-ninth-straight-night-of-strikes-on-iran-after-american-death-toll-rises/) and Iran continuing to target ships in the [Strait](https://www.mediaite.com/tag/strait-of-hormuz/). & > [@](#): > > He then turned to Hegseth with the same questions and at one point cut him off to stress that “we need straight answers.” [The Man ~~chu~~ darin candidate isn’t bothered by certain foreign election interference.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-downplays-chinese-election-interference-171153591.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > Five days after blaming China for “the largest compromise of election data in history,” President Donald Trump shrugged off Beijing’s actions and said **the United States was doing the same thing**. > > Trump said vaguely on Tuesday that the US would discuss the matter with Chinese officials. But he previewed no punishment and claimed the alleged breach was in the rearview mirror. > > “It took place a long time ago. I think China is maybe a little bit different today than it was then,” he said, despite his accusation last week during a primetime speech that China had illicitly acquired 220 million US voter files starting in 2020 and that the “data loss presents an unprecedented election security nightmare.” > > Trump on Tuesday then said the alleged infringement was no different from US actions against China. > > “They do things and we do things to them,” he said. “I’ll be honest, we do things to them too. It’s not a one-way street.” The fool actually thinks China has elections. [Federal judge orders the convicted fraudster to hand over financial records.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/judge-rules-trump-must-hand-234532719.html) > [@](#): > > A judge in Florida has ruled President Donald Trump must hand over financial records sought by the BBC as it defends itself in his $10bn (£7.5bn) defamation lawsuit. > > The order came during the first hearing in the case, in which the US president is suing the corporation over an episode of Panorama that edited together different sections of his speech on the day of the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021. > > Judge Enjoliqué Lett granted a motion by the BBC’s legal team to compel the release of financial records held by the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which he created to manage his businesses while he is president. > > The judge’s ruling at Tuesday’s hearing in Miami, Florida, can still be appealed. > > However, it amounts to a partial success in the BBC’s attempt to force Trump to provide evidence for his claim of financial loss due to the Panorama edit. > > The judge gave a split decision on a separate request by the BBC for documents relating to the Capitol riot itself. [Rip van Simple-Criminal loses another battle in his war on immigrants.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-judge-blocks-trump-administration-171805141.html) > [@](#): > > BOSTON, July 21 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants who have ‌Temporary Protected Status of their ability to work in the United States. > > U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston sided with ‌a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labor unions that sued to block U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from moving forward with a series of policies designed to ​implement new immigration-related restrictions enacted by Congress last year. > > Gorton’s order will be in place until he decides whether to issue a longer-term pause of the Trump administration’s policy. The judge said he would rule on that by August 5. USCIS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. > > Trump’s signature tax and spending law that was passed by the Republican-led Congress in July 2025 for the first time imposed fees to apply for ‌asylum and restricted employment authorization for people with ⁠Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. > > That is a designation that lets migrants from countries stricken by war, natural disaster or other catastrophes live and work in the United States while it is unsafe for them to return ⁠to their home countries. [The convicted felon is still trying to not pay one of his victims.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/e-jean-carroll-lawyers-blast-163551959.html) > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump is trying to force E Jean Carroll to pay back the[$5.6 million](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-officially-paid-e-jean-150405682.html) he was ordered to pay the [former _Elle_ magazine](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-retribution-campaign-now-targets-220409805.html)writer after a federal jury found him [liable for sexual abuse and defamation.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-lawyers-promise-pay-e-160617277.html) > > That money was disbursed to Carroll from a court-controlled escrow account on July 9. > > But the president’s legal team is seeking an emergency injunction that would order Carroll to return the payment to the account in the hopes that the [Supreme Court](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-owes-e-jean-carroll-175153690.html)will grant him a legal Hail Mary and reverse the judgment, sending the money back to him. > > “But rather than accept the reality that he had lost, [Trump] has engaged in a series of maneuvers trying desperately to forestall payment,” lawyers for Carroll [wrote](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca2.e83174e9-e3d3-464a-b268-97492aab624a/gov.uscourts.ca2.e83174e9-e3d3-464a-b268-97492aab624a.17.0.pdf) in legal filings Monday night. > > That payment to Carroll — more than three years after the jury’s verdict — “should have been the end of this case,” her lawyers said. “But Defendant now demands yet another unprecedented remedy. … The judgment here is final, the money has already been disbursed, and Carroll is entitled to keep it.” And being the moron he is, he’s opened himself up to paying her _even more_ money. (Continuing on the same link.) > [@](#): > > Trump’s request also comes to the court “with very unclean hands” after repeating the same defamatory attacks against Carroll that lost him his case in the first place, her lawyers wrote. > > Each attack has “a domino effect,” and subjects Carroll to “ongoing and prolific harassment as a result of these statements, including a multitude of death threats and other threats of physical injury,” they said. [“Only the best people” yet again.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/appeals-court-rejects-peter-navarro-173835337.html) > [@](#): > > A federal appeals court in Washington, DC, on Tuesday rejected President Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro’s attempt to overturn his contempt of Congress felony conviction. > > The [unanimous opinion of three judges](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28503472-peter-navarro-opinion/) on the DC US Circuit Court of Appeals marks the latest failure of Trump advisers to unwind legal fallout over their actions around the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot. > > The decision also leans heavily into Navarro’s failures to prove in court that Trump wanted to shield him from congressional testimony. > > Navarro was found guilty in 2023 of defying congressional subpoenas related his public claims of plotting to block Congress from certifying Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot sought both records Navarro had and his testimony, but he refused. > > Navarro has already [served a federal prison sentence](https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/17/politics/peter-navarro-released-from-prison-contempt?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_yahoo), but he has been trying to argue in court for years that Trump told him he didn’t need to respond to the House’s demands, citing what he said was a formal assertion of executive privilege. > > But the DC Circuit panel, comprised of Judges Patricia Millett, Nina Pillard and Michelle Childs, determined this was a fig leaf. [Killer Kennedy carries out another attack on the poor.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/feds-freeze-1b-california-minnesota-153000845.html) > [@](#): > > (The Center Square) - The Trump administration is pausing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday. > > The administration froze more than $867 million in Medicaid funds from California and more than $200 million in Minnesota, Kennedy said. > > “They violated the social contract that makes this country strong and makes our democracy function,” Kennedy said at a news conference. > > Kennedy said California and Minnesota can get those funds back if they provide documentary proof that the payments are legitimate. The administration used artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and traditional financial verification to uncover the fraud in both states, he said. > > Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Minnesota’s fraud came from 14 high-risk programs, including personal care and home health services. > > Roughly $3 million were identified as fraudulent payments tied to documentation gaps, including payment claims for treatment provided to a deceased person, Oz said. Gee. I wonder which candidate those two states carried in the last presidential election. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7365 "2026-07-22T07:39:55Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > running a _war_ like a business? **[Milo Minderbinder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_Minderbinder)** would like a word with you. And while we are at it he would like to sell you some eggs. And cotton. Lots of Egyptian cotton. Some of it covered in chocolate. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7366 "2026-07-22T08:44:24Z")
[The felon’s now ruined international sports.](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/maga-golfer-threatened-call-trump-194618279.html) > [@](#): > > Golfer [Bryson DeChambeau](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/bryson-dechambeau) reportedly threatened to use his friendship with President [Donald Trump](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/donald-trump) to help dispute a penalty at the [British Open](https://www.huffpost.com/topic/british-open) over the weekend. > > DeChambeau — a Trump supporter and chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition — asked officials at the major tournament across the pond to bring the U.S. president into the tense, 30-minute conversation in hopes of overturning a two-stroke penalty that he was assessed at the fifth hole. > > Video [shows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCI1nAesSkk) DeChambeau arguing with rules officials after he was slapped with a penalty for “inadvertently improving his lie” on the hole, knocking him out of second place at the time and putting him three shots behind the leader. > > He ultimately finished -4 par and tied for 14th place. New Zealand’s Ryan Fox took the winner’s trophy Sunday. [Canada cancels bridge opening thanks to Rip van Simple’s stupid tariff stunt.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/canada-cancels-joint-bridge-opening-000615809.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — A planned joint U.S.-Canada ceremony Friday celebrating the opening of the [Gordie Howe International Bridge](https://apnews.com/article/canada-detroit-general-news-traffic-aa519233a605a13d35bff641e84d2d77) connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is no longer expected to take place after President Donald Trump [announced a 50% tariff](https://apnews.com/article/trump-canada-50-tariff-autos-alcohol-cheese-ca268ef24992b16695954c4c2e5eae6a) on most Canadian goods. > > In announcing the tariffs, Trump accused Canada of unfairly discriminating against U.S. automobiles, alcohol and dairy products, escalating tensions with one of the United States’ closest allies. > > **“In light of trade action threatened by the United States earlier this week, it would be inappropriate to proceed with a celebratory event between the two countries,” said Jenna Ghassabeh, a spokesperson for Canadian Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, in an emailed statement.** [Vanity of vanitie; all is Vanity! _redux_.](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/white-house-edits-world-cup-183412171.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > Both FIFA and Spain edited U.S. President Donald Trump out of their social media images of the national team hoisting the World Cup, prompting the White House’s social media team to swiftly restore his presence in the photos. > > [Spain claimed the World Cup title](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spain-wins-second-fifa-world-222302872.html) after defeating [Lionel Messi](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lionel-messi-skips-argentina-world-174720827.html) and Argentina in the Final, with Trump assigned the role of distributing medals and presenting the trophy. [Trump remained on the podium](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/donald-trump-refuses-leave-world-231552406.html) as Spain raised the trophy aloft before eventually being guided away by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to allow the celebrations to continue, with several photos capturing him alongside the team. > > Spain removed Trump from their trophy lift photos, and notably, FIFA followed suit - also cropping out Infantino in the process, as per [The Mirror US](https://www.themirror.com/sport/soccer/donald-trump-world-cup-celebration-1948622). > > The White House subsequently fired back with their own post, sharing [multiple images](https://tinyurl.com/4542yun3) of Trump alongside the Spanish squad, along with a video on Instagram. > > **Trump is the sole figure in focus in two of the published photographs.** [And now the convicted felon wants Saudi Arabia in the uranium enrichment business.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-approves-nuclear-agreement-may-014200477.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — President [Donald Trump](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could potentially provide the kingdom with [uranium enrichment capability](https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-us-nuclear-enrichment-bomb-proliferation-18cb979f0abf5f0d81c1c91f45d6a6ef) for its civilian nuclear program, according to two people familiar with the matter. > > The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly about the yet to be formally announced decision, said the agreement is expected to be announced publicly as early as Wednesday. > > The deal is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve U.S. firms in developing the program. The deal could allow for the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint U.S.-Saudi study. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7367 "2026-07-22T12:15:01Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And now the convicted felon wants Saudi Arabia in the uranium enrichment business. Why would a country sitting on an enormous pool of hydrocarbons need nuclear power? Drill, baby, drill! The Saudi’s are also apparently the largest solar energy producer in the Gulf. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7368 "2026-07-22T12:56:41Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (And if they really were running it like a business, they would never have gotten involved in this stupid war.) If these “world class business leaders” are “running the military like a business”, why aren’t they making a profit? Why are they here begging Congress to cover their massive shortfalls in revenue? Come on man, being a mercenary has been a profitable business model for most of human history, why are these guys screwing it up so badly? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7369 "2026-07-22T14:44:48Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > The Saudi’s are also apparently the largest solar energy producer in the Gulf. You know, I would think that the largest solar energy producer in the Gulf would be the sun. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7370 "2026-07-22T14:49:49Z")
By that logic the largest oil producer is ancient phytoplankton and geological pressure… ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7371 "2026-07-22T15:05:57Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > ancient phytoplankton and geological pressure And yet, they’ve never made a dime off of any of it. Bloody Capitalists! ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7372 "2026-07-22T15:11:46Z")
Well those hippy freeloaders don’t pay the sun either… ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7373 "2026-07-22T15:23:50Z")
REBECCA: I spoke to the owner of The Sun. TED LASSO: You spoke to God?! ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7374 "2026-07-22T16:57:11Z")
They then added that the White House needs a big beautiful ballroom and that the name “Trump” should be returned to the Kennedy Center. > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mrahte7kd72n)** > > Trump on fallen US troops: "All of them said very strongly, 'We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.'" ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7375 "2026-07-22T18:17:53Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > If these “world class business leaders” are “running the military like a business”, why aren’t they making a profit? Trump’s (and Netanyahu’s) war in Iran has already cost the US taxpayers some tens of billions of dollars, much of which inures to the revenue of US-based defense contractors. Some percent of that revenue inures to the profitability of those defense contractors – likely on the order of \<=$10BN in incremental profit. Where those companies are publicly traded, that increased revenue increased earnings per share and translates into rising stock prices, the benefits of which were both taken early in the war by those in the know, and on an ongoing basis by many who play the markets. And much of what Hegseth is begging Congress for comes as a result of depletion of our munitions stockpiles and the inherent need for resupply, creating an amazing annuity for those same DoD/Military-Industrial Complex players. Also in that cohort are [**Don, Jr. and Eric Trump**](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/company-backed-by-trump-sons-looks-to-sell-drone-interceptors-to-gulf-states-being-attacked-by-iran). And who knows whether, if, and how much Donald J. Trump is skimming off the top. I think some people _are_ profiting – handsomely – from this war. Same as it ever was … ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7376 "2026-07-22T18:23:54Z")
In other words, the “business” in question is decidedly _not_ the military itself, but making as much money as possible off of the actions of the military. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7377 "2026-07-22T18:24:05Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > I think some people _are_ profiting – handsomely – from this war. Yes, but all that profit arises out of them explicitly _not_ running the military (or the war) as a business. Name another business that routinely buys multi-million dollar assets, and then just blows them up, without any expectation of a pay-off that more than offsets that loss. Even when someone like SpaceX blows up a rocket in testing, there’s the expectation that they’ll learn enough from the testing to eventually let them make rockets that will make lots of money by launching stuff into space. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7378 "2026-07-22T18:26:22Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > In other words, the “business” in question is decidedly _not_ the military itself, but making as much money as possible off of the actions of the military On the other hand when they run _the country_ as a business… woah what a coincidence… ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7379 "2026-07-22T18:32:38Z")
Saudi has a large and growing population that needs energy, for heating and cooling, desalination, transportation etc just like every other developed economy and their energy demand is growing year on year. Oil and gas can be used for producing electricity, but oil much better used as a transportation fuel. They produce oil that can be sold at market or near market rates overseas , or they can use it internally effectively sold at a huge discount . So they use solar and want to use nuclear to replace internal energy demand with that , freeing up more oil to sell on the global markets where they can make more cash than selling it at a discount internally. One could also question if declining production is also a factor and need to shift internal energy demand to other sources to preserve the dwindling production for export and cash generation. Getting actual real reserve and production data from Saudi is problematic at best. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/7380 "2026-07-22T18:49:54Z")
Grandpa is thrilled to announce that Arizona Republicans won every race in the (checks notes) Republican primary. [![](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jjheidmljqrsatjic4e6hmm2/bafkreifdad2ilq63ipyvuuqdk45c7vgt57h2hh3mzazqh74wi37g7uz5pe) ](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jjheidmljqrsatjic4e6hmm2/bafkreifdad2ilq63ipyvuuqdk45c7vgt57h2hh3mzazqh74wi37g7uz5pe) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=368) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=370)