# 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:** 474
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9461 "2026-10-12T16:43:00Z")
Sounds like a good candidate for the Supreme Court. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9462 "2026-10-12T16:54:04Z")
Aileen “Loose” Cannon has that spot sewn up. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9463 "2026-10-12T17:14:14Z")
Trump has announced his deal with Putin. He’s saying he’s getting 300,000 tons of diesel fuel immediately with a promise of another 4,500,000 tons in the future. Sounds impressive until you realize the United States consumes around 530,000 tons of diesel fuel a day. Trump just negotiated a deal for a fourteen hour supply of fuel. With a promise that we might get a week’s supply in the future. So here’s the question. Is this intended to fool dumb voters into thinking Trump got a great deal? Or is Trump dumb enough that he can’t do the math himself and he thinks he got a great deal? ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9464 "2026-10-12T17:17:02Z")
> [@solost](#): > > And she’s an attractive blonde, so she has all the necessary credentials to be trump’s new Press Secretatry. Plus her name starts with a K, which apparently is a requirement. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9465 "2026-10-12T17:18:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So here’s the question. Is this intended to fool dumb voters into thinking Trump got a great deal? Or is Trump dumb enough that he can’t do the math himself and he thinks he got a great deal? One from column A, one from column B? ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9466 "2026-10-12T17:19:42Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Plus her name starts with a K, which apparently is a requirement. Kari Lake Karoline Leavitt Katie Zacharia The Three “K’s” Or … put another, maybe shorter, way … ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9467 "2026-10-12T17:20:32Z")
But it’s an ongoing question. Does Trump know that he is lying? Or is he so stupid he believe the things he says are true? ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9468 "2026-10-12T17:21:56Z")
Since I happen to think it’s a very important concept, I’ll post this one again: > **[Trump isn’t lying, he’s bullshitting – and it’s far more dangerous](https://theconversation.com/trump-isnt-lying-hes-bullshitting-and-its-far-more-dangerous-71932)** > > Inflating his own grand persona is Trump’s sole goal, and he doesn’t care whether or not you believe him. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9469 "2026-10-12T17:35:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But it’s an ongoing question. Does Trump know that he is lying? Or is he so stupid he believe the things he says are true? > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Since I happen to think it’s a very important concept, I’ll post this one again: > > [Trump isn’t lying, he’s bullshitting – and it’s far more dangerous](https://theconversation.com/trump-isnt-lying-hes-bullshitting-and-its-far-more-dangerous-71932) I’ve heard the ‘bullshitter’ argument, which I agree with-- in short, rather than being a true liar, who is well aware when they’re lying, trump is a _bullshitter_– he says whatever is useful or convenient to say in the moment, with absolutely no regard to whether it’s true or not, or even whether it directly contradicts something else he may have recently said. It is a good question, one that I’ve wondered about myself. Does he really believe all the crazy stupid things he says? My guess is that it’s a mix-- some falsehoods he really believes or convinces himself of, others he knows are lies. I believe I’ve heard it rumored that he admitted to some people that he knows he really lost the 2020 election. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9470 "2026-10-12T17:38:28Z")
Dipstick has the FBI raid Ilhan Omar’s home. What the fuck. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9471 "2026-10-12T17:51:13Z")
…and the FBI does it. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9472 "2026-10-12T17:51:30Z")
From Gemini: > Narcissists generally **know they are lying on a cognitive level** , but they emotionally and psychologically **convince themselves of their fabrications** as a defense mechanism. [[1](https://risingabovenarcissism.quora.com/Does-a-narcissist-believe-their-own-lies-they-say-about-you-blaming-you-and-telling-you-how-bad-you-are-or-do-they-kno)] > > Psychological and clinical perspectives explain this split through a few key ways: > > **1. Dual Awareness (Simultaneously Knowing and Believing)** > > - **Conscious Awareness:** On a fundamental level, they know the truth. They pick their stories, tailor them to the audience, adjust them when caught, and use deception as an intentional tool to control situations, narratives, and people. [[1](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/peaceful-parenting/201906/does-narcissist-believe-his-or-her-own-lies), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W15YQGLTens&t=33), [3](https://www.karstennoack.com/narcissists-lie/), [4](https://neurishwellness.com/why-do-narcissists-lie/), [5](https://risingabovenarcissism.quora.com/Does-a-narcissist-believe-their-own-lies-they-say-about-you-blaming-you-and-telling-you-how-bad-you-are-or-do-they-kno)] > - **Unconscious Self-Deception:** To protect a fragile ego and fend off crushing shame, their mind instantly rewrites reality. They use heavy defense mechanisms—like denial, projection, and minimization—so that the lie feels true to them in the moment. [[1](https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/peaceful-parenting/201906/does-narcissist-believe-his-or-her-own-lies), [2](https://www.mindsettherapyonline.com/blog/narcissist-s-web-of-lies-do-narcissists-believe-their-own-lies), [3](https://risingabovenarcissism.quora.com/Does-a-narcissist-believe-their-own-lies-they-say-about-you-blaming-you-and-telling-you-how-bad-you-are-or-do-they-kno), [4](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/peaceful-parenting/201906/does-narcissist-believe-his-or-her-own-lies)] > > **2. Why They Do It** > > - **Protecting the Ego:** If a narcissist accepted the raw truth of their mistakes or flaws, it could trigger a “narcissistic collapse” (an intense, painful exposure of their underlying inadequacy and shame). [[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIHBm0TRCdo&t=190), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C69vk3luv70), [3](https://www.mindsettherapyonline.com/blog/narcissist-s-web-of-lies-do-narcissists-believe-their-own-lies)] > - **Maintaining Grandiosity:** They need to see themselves as superior, smart, or “the good guy”. Core foundational lies about their character or past are absorbed as personal truth so they never have to feel like the villain. [[1](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1378806682705897/posts/1596682267585003/), [2](https://neurishwellness.com/why-do-narcissists-lie/), [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C69vk3luv70)] > - **Flexibility of “Truth”:** Over time, if a lie is repeated for years or reinforced by confirmation from others, the boundary between fabrication and memory blurs, turning the lie into their operative reality. [[1](https://risingabovenarcissism.quora.com/Does-a-narcissist-believe-their-own-lies-they-say-about-you-blaming-you-and-telling-you-how-bad-you-are-or-do-they-kno), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W15YQGLTens&t=33)] > > **Key Takeaways for Dealing with Them** > > - **Logic won’t break the spell:** Presenting hard evidence rarely forces an “ah-ha” moment; instead, it often leads them to double down, get angry, or launch a smear campaign to protect their story. > - **Watch actions, not words:** Narcissists are often skilled at verbal deceit but fail to align their behavior with their claims. [[1](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PJXzTZortso), [2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2TI_tx0daY), [3](https://neurishwellness.com/why-do-narcissists-lie/), [4](https://www.mindsettherapyonline.com/blog/narcissist-s-web-of-lies-do-narcissists-believe-their-own-lies), [5](https://www.karstennoack.com/narcissists-lie/), [6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIHBm0TRCdo&t=190)] My highlight. Bold in original. He is a textbook case. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9473 "2026-10-12T17:53:26Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > But I believe in the FACTS of an event as reported by liberal media, even if too much biased _commentary_ and _interpretation_ are included Well said. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9474 "2026-10-12T19:09:19Z")
And then they clapped after he said it. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9475 "2026-10-12T21:28:45Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Since I happen to think it’s a very important concept, I’ll post this one again: Here’s the 1986 essay by Harry Frankfurt. I just reread it. Insightful, and so apt to the subject of this thread. > **[Harry Frankfurt's "On Bullshit"](https://www.math.mcgill.ca/rags/JAC/124/bs.html)** Among the many gems: > Both in lying and in telling the truth people are guided by their beliefs concerning the way things are. These guide them as they endeavor either to describe the world correctly or to describe it deceitfully. For this reason, telling lies does not tend to unfit a person for telling the truth in the same way that bullshitting tends to. Through excessive indulgence in the latter activity, which involves making assertions without paying attention to anything except what it suits one to say, a person’s normal habit of attending to the ways things are may become attenuated or lost. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9476 "2026-10-12T21:28:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So here’s the question. Is this intended to fool dumb voters into thinking Trump got a great deal? Or is Trump dumb enough that he can’t do the math himself and he thinks he got a great deal? Yes. For Trump it makes it look as though he’s doing something about the high price of oil caused by the Democrat’s disasterous war with Iran. For Putin, he’s hoping the United States puts pressure on Ukraine to limit their attacks. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9477 "2026-10-12T22:00:12Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > For this reason, telling lies does not tend to unfit a person for telling the truth in the same way that bullshitting tends to. Through excessive indulgence in the latter activity, which involves making assertions without paying attention to anything except what it suits one to say, a person’s normal habit of attending to the ways things are may become attenuated or lost. (@JKellyMap quoting linked article.) I think this is probably gets pretty close to the truth of the matter. Put more simply… Most people here on the board make a factual assessment of a statement before posting. Interpretations can vary of course, but we tend to try to settle the basic facts first. Is this true? Did the event happen as described? The who, what, where, when and how of the matter. With Trump he reflexively says the thing he thinks works best for him in the moment, and then his narcissism kicks in and he tells himself, “Even if this thing isn’t true it SHOULD be.” Which is all the justification the narcissist needs. It is quite literally the “power of positive thinking” taken to an absurdly toxic level. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9478 "2026-10-12T22:17:57Z")
> [@Jihi](#): > > then his narcissism kicks in and he tells himself, “Even if this thing isn’t true it SHOULD be.” Which is all the justification the narcissist needs. For Donald, any interest in truth or honesty or integrity is the province of suckers and losers. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9479 "2026-10-12T23:07:08Z")
Help, Dopers ! I need ideas, and the Trump Clusterfuck thread seems the place to ask. The Clusterfuck’s prime mover is coming to my town tomorrow, and many of us will be on the roadside with signs. (He won’t see them, of course. He’ll be helicoptered in, and we’ll be kept quite a distance from his venue, but still.) One side of my sign will show the Constitution fed into a paper shredder, with appropriate language about Trump’s activities. I want the other side to be more punchy and legible to passing cars. So, an acrostic with “TRUMP” vertically, and appropriate epithets horizontally. So far I’ve got Traitor and Rapist, but could use help on the U, the M and the P. I’ve tried out Underhanded, Money Grubbing and Pedophile. But besides being a bit long (making them hard for drivers to read) they just don’t have the same punch. Any ideas? Need answer soonish. Mods, if this isn’t the place to ask for ideas, feel free to move this. Thanks. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2026, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9480 "2026-10-12T23:23:08Z")
Unqualified, Moron, Pedophile. That’s how I made my sign! (with your first two) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=473) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=475)