# 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:** 408
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8141 "2026-08-20T12:49:32Z")
Understood - my point is only that you can’t just do a straight body count - you have to enter into far grayer areas, involving substantial judgment calls. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8142 "2026-08-20T13:50:33Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Anyone else having _Manchurian Candidate_ flashbacks? Yep! I thought, what as oddly specific number. Where have I heard that before? ---
**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 20, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8143 "2026-08-20T14:24:15Z")
Well, you-know-who is never far from a bottle of ketchup… ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8144 "2026-08-20T14:33:57Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > They have now been there for more than two months, **fueling speculation that the construction crew never actually** **[removed the president’s name](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-name-off-kennedy-center-lawsuit-b2994934.html)** from the performing arts venue — or have been told to keep the scaffolding in place while the venue’s Trump-dominated board[fights to put his name back.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kennedy-center-trump-name-vote-building-b3032777.html) On the Speculation Spectrum, with “Whack-a-doodle” on the left, and “No Shit, Sherlock” on the right…we can put this all the way to the right ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8145 "2026-08-20T17:09:07Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > And how does he know the number of nuclear weapons? If it’s accurate, then some poor sod in North Korea and three generations of said poor sod’s family are done for. But, of course, he pulled it out of his ~~diaper~~ butt. My guess is he’s quoting from some highly classified intelligence report - you know, something that might burn assets if its contents were revealed with specificity. And yes, I’ll bet he remembers that number because someone illustrated the report with a ketchup bottle as a way of getting his attention. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8146 "2026-08-20T17:20:43Z")
Just to clarify, and I believe Trump is an idiot of stupendous degree, Heinz 57 sauce is not ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8147 "2026-08-20T17:47:20Z")
Trump has announced a big new project. He’s got a no-bid contract to repaint the gray Eisenhower Executive Office Building white. Hmmm, painting a Washington landmark a new color. I can’t imagine any way that could go wrong. ---
**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 20, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8148 "2026-08-20T18:38:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Hmmm, painting a Washington landmark a new color. I can’t imagine any way that could go wrong. It’ll all be fine until the Vandals come along with their box cutters and put huge slits in the paint on the side and start peeling it off. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8149 "2026-08-20T19:00:09Z")
The secretary of the treasury was on CNBC today discussing the national debt (which has now hit $40 trillion). And of course [he’s blaming the previous administration](https://thehill.com/business/6041596-scott-bessent-us-economy-40-trillion-debt/). > He added that the U.S. was “left with this mess” after the Biden administration hit the highest deficit to gross domestic product “in history” outside of a war or recession. Might there have been something other than war or recession that forced the Biden administration to act? Something like a worldwide pandemic, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8150 "2026-08-20T19:11:30Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Heinz 57 sauce is not ketchup. No one said it was [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UAQAAOSwsWZm6Vnq/s-l1200.jpg) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UAQAAOSwsWZm6Vnq/s-l1200.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8151 "2026-08-20T19:17:03Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > No one said it was Indeed; the “57 Varieties”, and sometimes just the number 57, are a longtime Heinz slogan/trademark, and often appear on packaging for many of their products. Heinz 57 Sauce was named for that trademark, and introduced decades after Heinz started using the trademark. ---
**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 20, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8152 "2026-08-20T19:36:55Z")
And it was a Heinz ketchup bottle that appeared in _The Manchurian Candidate_’s “57 Communists” scene. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8153 "2026-08-20T19:49:45Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > and sometimes just the number 57 Including a nice, older, NASCAR Ponitac. [![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIGQfz6XMAEHbNR.jpg) ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GIGQfz6XMAEHbNR.jpg) ---
**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 20, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8154 "2026-08-20T20:26:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Trump has announced a big new project. He’s got a no-bid contract to repaint the gray Eisenhower Executive Office Building white. Which everyone (including architects and preservationists) has told him that he shouldn’t do, because **nobody paints granite**! Much less 140-year-old hand-matched granite that was designed to last for the ages. It will likely permanently damage the stone, will be difficult or impossible to remove, while simultaneously creating a costly, ongoing maintenance nightmare for as long as the building is standing. Worst of all, there is absolutely no reason to do this. So of course, the orange idiot is going to do it. Gift link: [https://wapo.st/4gGfLcW](https://wapo.st/4gGfLcW) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8155 "2026-08-20T20:31:21Z")
I agree with that; painting a stone building means that it will need to be painted again and again. Better just to leave it alone. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8156 "2026-08-20T21:24:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > But for the nuance of ‘gross old man is tended by young girl’----that is unlikely to be the focus of a published book or greenlit movie, because the gatekeepers of those industries tend to be men. Men who may well think that being a rich old guy tended by a young girl is …pretty cool. > > _The Handmaid’s Tale_ may beg to differ. Of course, Trump and his crew would very much consider that scenario to be ideal for them. Yes, there have been a number of treatments of “harem-like” situations. _Handmaid’s Tale_; various stories about Mormon-fundamentalist splinter groups; the old sword-and-sandal movies of the mid-twentieth century, etc. They may provide wish-fulfillment for some. But a story focused on a protagonist who’s old and rich enough to have a succession of young girls “attending”—that doesn’t seem to have been greenlit. Outside of the “Henry VIII” and possibly Murdoch pastiche treatments I mentioned earlier. Too close to the bone for the execs, I still think. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8157 "2026-08-20T21:30:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Might there have been something other than war or recession that forced the Biden administration to act? Something like a worldwide pandemic, perhaps Even setting that perfectly valid point aside for a moment, _arguendo_ … > **[What Does the One Big Beautiful Bill Cost?](https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/what-does-the-one-big-beautiful-bill-cost/)** > > On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), into law. > The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cost $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years, and more than $4 trillion when accounting for additional interest owed on the national debt. Read below for a breakdown of these costs, year by year and provision by provision. ---
**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 20, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8158 "2026-08-20T21:52:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I agree with that; painting a stone building means that it will need to be painted again and again "Pfft. Stone? How long could _that_ shit last? ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8159 "2026-08-20T21:52:40Z")
# **Exclusive: Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero, potentially switching it to Trump** [Exclusive: Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero, potentially switching it to Trump | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/navy-weighs-renaming-carrier-black-war-hero-to-trump) Donald Trump’s supporters insist he’s not racist so obviously the Doris Miller is named for an undeserving black sailor due to DEI. Thank God Trump’s navy is fixing this wrong by honoring our great war hero and wonderful grand leader Donald J Trump by proposing to name the carrier after him instead. I’m speechless at the moment and will have plenty more to say but I wanted to put this out here first to piss off the rest of you too. ---
**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 20, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/8160 "2026-08-20T21:54:31Z")
I first learned the name of this carrier a few days ago. And I knew that as soon as anyone told Trump who Doris Miller was, they’d change it instantly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=407) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=409)