# 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:** 406
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8101 "2026-08-19T00:18:07Z")
They are interviewing Harp’s brother on CNN right now. He’s kinda goofy, but he ain’t doing her any favors. He making her sound like a nut. And he’s wearing a “Bud of California” hat, which is a real lettuce company from way back. I had the same hat as a kid. Some distant relative worked there. Means something altogether different now. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8102 "2026-08-19T00:40:02Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I wonder if she honestly believes that somehow she won’t end up under the bus with all the other blond discards. Can anyone be that naive? She does sound mentally ill. However, most situations like this - where an old rich powerful man goes through a series of young women - somewhat inevitably end with one being in place when his health deteriorates to the point he can’t get another, and they often hang on till he dies. She may be hoping she is that 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:** [August 19, 2026, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8103 "2026-08-19T00:58:34Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > A story of a US President discarding a hot young aide for one even hotter or younger…I > > I didn’t mean something that literal. But a myth, or a Victorian novel–a Dickensian character maybe? Madame Bovary, as used and discarded by Monsieur Boulanger? ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8104 "2026-08-19T01:41:05Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > She may be hoping she is that one. To what end? To be Melania’s BFF? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8105 "2026-08-19T01:42:05Z")
Not going under the bus? I dunno. I wouldn’t accuse Binkie of being realistic. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8106 "2026-08-19T01:45:37Z")
On the day it finally happens, they all end up under the bus station. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8107 "2026-08-19T01:53:59Z")
To loot the premises while Melania is still packing for the airport. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8108 "2026-08-19T02:46:33Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > [@Princhester](#): > > > > She may be hoping she is that one. > > To what end? To be Melania’s BFF? She clearly wants to be wife #4. Melania had better watch her back. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8109 "2026-08-19T03:05:52Z")
Melania would most likely love that! Prenup time! ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8110 "2026-08-19T03:06:04Z")
Harley was reportedly responsible for the Trump tweet of the Obamas as monkeys. > **[Greg Pak (@gregpak.net)](https://bsky.app/profile/gregpak.net/post/3mtfnqk2szc2m)** > > Jesus. > > CNN says Trump "allies and advisers privately speculated that Harp was responsible" for posting that racist video that depicted the Obamas as apes. > > \[contains quote post or other embedded content\] [![](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j53elsjlcag3iuran5ezcy32/bafkreiczx7fjfi5pnwhszkjp5nyu2jhmtmbbnyefg7fbnj3fb72frpnkx4) ](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j53elsjlcag3iuran5ezcy32/bafkreiczx7fjfi5pnwhszkjp5nyu2jhmtmbbnyefg7fbnj3fb72frpnkx4) ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8111 "2026-08-19T03:25:51Z")
It doesn’t sound like she really needs bro’s help to sound like a nut. I really think she’s doing a bang up job of that all by herself. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8112 "2026-08-19T06:04:47Z")
To quote Mara Wilson on Bluesky, “I feel like there’s an alternate universe in which Natalie Harp started dyeing her hair black instead of platinum blonde and ended up being the kind of girl who wrote letters to famous serial killers in prison”. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8113 "2026-08-19T06:23:27Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Harp was recruited by Melania to take over some of the more odious duties. When comparing one “duty” connected with Rip van Simple to any other “duty” connected with Rip van Simple, it’s a distinction without a difference. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I wonder if she honestly believes that somehow she won’t end up under the bus with all the other blond discards. Can anyone be that naive? Are you not familiar with leaopords, faces, and those who vote for same? Yes, she most certainly can. We have tens of millions of examples showing she is not an outlier here. > [@Smapti](#): > > To quote Mara Wilson on Bluesky, “I feel like there’s an alternate universe in which Natalie Harp started dyeing her hair black instead of platinum blonde and ended up being the kind of girl who wrote letters to famous serial killers in prison”. To be fair, the object of her desire is a serial killer now, or at least a mass murderer. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Maybe they’re just going through the motions, hoping he will soon be distracted by some other-- _“Oh, look! A squirrel!”_ 🐿 Way back in December (Post #1095), I used _Squirrel!_ to describe anything to distract from whatever the current debacle o’ day is. [And now the convict-in-chief is larping conquistadore.](https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-circles-strait-hormuz-map-154712000.html) > [@](#): > > Donald Trump posted a map identifying the Strait of Hormuz as “new U.S. territory” on Tuesday, [echoing a threat he made last week](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-live-trump-oman-hormuz-peace-nuclear-weapons-b3034640.html) under the continued [pressure of the key waterway’s contested nature.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/oman-trump-strait-of-hormuz-b3034257.html) > > The president is facing rising anti-war sentiment across America and the understanding on Capitol Hill, even among his own party, that the war against Iran is unpopular and driving up costs for Americans with only weeks to go before voters will determine control of Congress. > > Trump, according to reporting, is desperate to find a way to mark the military effort as a victory as negotiations with the Iranian government — which he once claimed he’d overthrow, or could easily — have collapsed, and the U.S. appears no closer to a deal restricting the future of Iran’s nuclear program. > > The Strait of Hormuz remains a dangerous zone for tankers and other ships as Iranian mines and drone attacks remain a threat for vessels that stray from one of two approved routes through the waterway. Traffic remains at a crawl. > > In a captionless post on Truth Social on Tuesday morning, the president circled the strait and labeled it “new U.S. territory.” In one word: _Squirrel!_ [War criminal Petey doesn’t promise to keep federal troops away from polls.](https://www.aol.com/articles/senator-presses-hegseth-caine-commitment-165520000.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday to confirm he won’t send U.S. troops to polling places during November’s midterm elections, as [Democrats have raised concerns](https://apnews.com/article/immigration-officers-voting-midterms-democrats-9782b37033fec6a433b6d501d2989871) that the Trump administration could use the military to interfere with the vote. > > “I’d ask you to confirm a simple statement: the Department of Defense will not send Federal troops to the polls or to seize election materials of any kind,” Slotkin wrote to Hegseth and to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in letters Tuesday. > > The Pentagon said in an email that it will respond directly to Slotkin, as it does with all congressional correspondence. The Joint Chiefs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. > > Slotkin told The Associated Press that Trump has been laying the groundwork to claim the midterms were stolen. She noted that Trump [contemplated using the military](https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-false-claims-fraud-georgia-55786848ca20c02cbcf749ede2db8852) to [seize voting machines](https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-panel-july-12-hearing-live-updates-78d2471f3788a82290f04d02b2b50520) after his loss in 2020 and has deployed the National Guard to cities [against the wishes](https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-guard-withdrawal-cities-6b7b02b832b24e17e6db483eb6c74425) of Democratic leaders. He also [deployed active duty Marines](https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-protests-national-guard-trump-14c9dda32663d7d2c45f2b1c5a1d219c) to Los Angeles during his immigration crackdown in 2025. [ICE admits violating the First Amendment](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ice-admits-investigated-critic-based-040147733.html) > [@](#): > > Last June, two investigators employed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showed up at David Streever’s house in Rochester, New York. Streever was not home, so they left him a note. > > That [note](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184.1.2.pdf), presented as an official warning from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is at the center of a First Amendment [lawsuit](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184.1.0.pdf) that Streever [filed](https://reason.com/2026/07/07/he-compared-ices-chief-to-a-nazi-so-ice-tracked-him-down-on-vacation-with-his-daughter/) last month, alleging that ICE agents investigated and threatened him based on his constitutionally protected criticism of their boss. This month, the government [responded](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/17/nx-s1-5934692/dhs-free-speech-investigations) to Streever’s lawsuit, confirming his allegations while attempting to rebut them. > > On January 26, two days after DHS agents [fatally shot](https://reason.com/2026/01/25/dhs-again-promises-a-thorough-investigation-of-a-fatal-shooting-after-prejudging-the-outcome/) Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti, Streever sent an angry [email](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184.1.1_1.pdf) to Todd Lyons, then the acting ICE director. Streever called Lyons “a monstrous human being,” likened him to the genocidal Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich, and predicted that he would be haunted by “shame at your own pathetic weakness” in defending the Pretti shooting “until your last day on Earth.” > > Streever’s evaluation of Lyons was harsh, to say the least. But he did not say anything that could reasonably be construed as a threat of violence. > > Brent Goodwin, assistant director for investigations at ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), nevertheless claims Streever’s email “had potential threatening undertones” and “potentially present[ed] a safety concern.” Because “ICE OPR did not have any information about Mr. Streever when the email came in,” Goodwin says in an August 5 [declaration](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184.20.1.pdf), it “determined that it needed to conduct an ICE investigation.” & > [@](#): > > Seeking dismissal of Streever’s lawsuit, the government’s lawyers [concede](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184/gov.uscourts.dcd.294184.20.0.pdf) his email to Lyons “put words to his disagreements with a current administration official.” In other words, they admit he was investigated because of speech protected by the First Amendment. [The felon really doesn’t like losing to Garcia.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/doj-asks-court-reinstate-criminal-020821123.html) > [@](#): > > The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Monday to reinstate the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last year, by reversing [a lower court order](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcia-charges-dismissed-indictment-judge/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17) that found them to be vindictive in nature. > > In May, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a criminal indictment against Abrego Garcia, who had been accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling immigrants in the U.S. illegally. The judge found that the Justice Department prosecuted Abrego Garcia in retaliation for his efforts to challenge his wrongful deportation to El Salvador last year. > > In a filing Monday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the Justice Department denied that the prosecution was vindictive, arguing it had “multiple legitimate bases to prosecute” Abrego Garcia. [Mid-term election intimidation begins.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/justice-department-send-record-1-161410847.html) > [@](#): > > Washington — The Justice Department is planning to deploy a record 1,000 federal monitors to polling places throughout the U.S. for the midterm elections, the head of the department’s Civil Rights Division said this week. > > Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, made the announcement in remarks to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-17/doj-plans-to-deploy-1-000-monitors-to-watch-midterm-elections?ftag=YHF4eb9d17) on Monday. > > The Civil Rights Division has long sent out monitors to polling places throughout the country to ensure compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act. That law prohibits discrimination in voting and ensures voters are not intimidated or otherwise prevented from casting a ballot on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability or another protected class. > > Historically, the Justice Department’s own Civil Rights Division attorneys and other staff have served as monitors, with some assistance from U.S. Attorney’s Offices to help augment the numbers. > > In the most recent midterm election in 2022, a DOJ official told CBS News there were 289 people sent to polling places. > > The 2024 presidential election involved a much larger effort, with the department sending 714 people to monitor compliance with federal voting laws across 27 states in 86 jurisdictions, the DOJ official said. > > The former officials said a majority of those 714 were DOJ attorneys and staff. A smaller percentage were part of the separate, and largely diminished, federal observer program administered by the Office of Personnel Management that recruits and trains volunteers to watch, listen and take notes at specific polling sites covered by court orders. > > It remains unclear how the Justice Department will be able achieve sending 1,000 monitors for the upcoming election, an effort that requires an extraordinary amount of planning and preparation. > > The Civil Rights Division under the Trump administration has been largely gutted. More than 70% of its career staff took early retirement or resigned amid concerns about changes to its mission under Dhillon’s leadership. Although she has since recruited more attorneys, it remains understaffed. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8114 "2026-08-19T06:34:22Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Why won’t anyone stand up to this psychotic sociopathic asshole? Because pandering to and protecting Trump and people like him is what our entire society is built to do. Our society is a giant machine made to profit and glorify rich, stupid, and evil white men, and to ensure nobody can stop them. The system is working as designed. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8115 "2026-08-19T08:52:38Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Binkie, not printer. Human binkie I would go with “emotional fluffer”. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8116 "2026-08-19T11:32:27Z")
Yes, evidently our political discourse has finally “gone there” > Earlier this month, Trump gave a speech in Michigan for Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers where he said El-Sayed, a Muslim and a Democratic Socialist, [was “full of shit.”](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/09/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-trump) > > [Sayed’s response didn’t exactly aim for the gutter,](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/09/abdul-el-sayed-michigan-senate-trump) but it headed straight for the toilet: “At least I don’t let mine go in the middle of the Oval Office.” Not really surprising, after Trump’s twets have shown his political opponents literally wallowing in shit in the reflecting pool, or King Trump in a crown in his bomber dropping shit on his opponents. It’s probably overdue that he be answered in kind. But it’s still a historic moment. > **[Abdul El-Sayed Doubles Down On Trump’s Alleged Odor: ‘He Can’t Seem To Keep...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/abdul-el-sayed-trump-hygiene-issues_n_6a836312e4b0b3bc96f7e1be?origin=home-zone-d-unit)** > > The Michigan Democratic Senate candidate, who also has a medical degree, didn’t exactly diagnose Trump, but did hint at some incontinence in a cheeky interview. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8117 "2026-08-19T11:49:59Z")
Cheeky? Subtle, but funny. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8118 "2026-08-19T11:54:00Z")
Subtle? Really? I mean I’m not criticising the guy but I wouldn’t call his comment “subtle”. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8119 "2026-08-19T12:05:48Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Never, a horse would out smart him There’s an old quote: **Ben Jonson** (1573–1637): _“They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom.”_ Which of course is why Trump would never even get close to a horse. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2026, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8120 "2026-08-19T12:08:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What’s really insane is that the Navy appears to be taking him seriously: I have faith in the Navy’s ability to drag their feet on this until after Trump finally snuffs it. Better to just delay the build while “redesigning” stuff for a few years, than to have to eventually go back and rip out all the stupid stuff when they can finally get back to doing real work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=405) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=407)