# 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:** 482
**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:** [October 16, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9621 "2026-10-16T20:28:06Z")
Yes, that is also a valid translation. More idiomatic than mine, I think. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9622 "2026-10-16T20:46:43Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > They will consider, first of all, how the Peace Prize came about, whether it should have come about, **whether it should have been awarded in the way that it was, who made that decision and whether or not it should be taken** out or whether it should be reformed," said FIFA’s Vice President Debbie Hewitt, as quoted by the BBC. My bolding. I read the article a little to quickly and for a second thought the rest of that sentence was going to be ‘_away_’. Visions of the polizia trying to pry it from his tiny hands gives me joy. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2026, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9623 "2026-10-16T21:13:42Z")
U.S. budget deficit swells to almost $2 trillion for fiscal 2026, up 12% in a single year: > **[U.S. budget deficit swells to almost $2 trillion for fiscal 2026, up 12% in a...](https://www-cnbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/10/16/us-budget-deficit-2026.html?amp_js_v=0.1&_gsa=1#webview=1)** > > The Treasury Department published the U.S. budget deficit for the 2026 fiscal year. ---
**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 16, 2026, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9624 "2026-10-16T21:36:15Z")
[**ISWYDT**](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishers-is-this-a-deadly-insult/1033542) ---
**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:** [October 16, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9625 "2026-10-16T21:49:14Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Any bets on whether the new Press Sec. Will be a blonde woman? Pinned tweet on her timeline: > ---
**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 16, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9626 "2026-10-16T21:54:45Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Pinned tweet on her timeline: Please! I would love Laura Loomer as White House Press Secretary! How awesome would that be? ---
**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 16, 2026, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9627 "2026-10-16T22:02:18Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And she’s gone. Massive coward that he is, Donald had his flunky Sean Hannity attack Zacharia during their interview last night. Thus letting her know, without Donald having to bestir himself, that she was no longer welcome in Trumpland. > [@](#): > > … Zacharia might have thought the Fox appearances would rehab her in the eyes of the president and the pro-Trump viewing audience. > > Instead, the opposite happened. Zacharia was on the defensive, most starkly on Thursday night when Sean Hannity — a friend and informal advisor to the president — repeatedly challenged her. > > Hannity called Zacharia’s all-too-brief debut press briefing “widely panned.” [https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/media/katie-zacharia-trump-hannity-fox-white-house-press-secretary](https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/media/katie-zacharia-trump-hannity-fox-white-house-press-secretary) (Only Mark Burnett could have come up with that fictional character “Donald Trump” who loved saying ‘you’re fired!’) ---
**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:** [October 16, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9628 "2026-10-16T22:21:54Z")
_The President’s Brain Is Missing_: Gutter racism edition Attacking the Michigan candidate at a rally in Georgia > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzke6lqnp2d)** > > Trump on El-Sayed: "His name is actually Abduladadalalalala. It's Adulbabababababa Mohammed Al-Sayed. So his middle name is Mohammed. So I was right. He's a jihadist." > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzkbr5y7u2s)** > > Trump on El-Sayed: "I took a lot of heat for calling him Mohammed. And I said, I don't care, I'm the president, I can call you whatever the hell I want." > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzhx3vt4i2g)** > > Trump: "You have Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed, Mohammed. Everybody is basically. If you're in doubt about somebody's name from the Middle East, just say 'Mohammed.' You have about a 65% chance." The dementia is apparently awakening his inner bisexual > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzkngoqo422)** > > Trump: "Oh! He's a good looking guy. You're not allowed to say that about women or men anymore. It's the end of your political career, but he's a good looking guy. How are you? Yes. Absolutely." > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzgbfi3bf2e)** > > Trump on Ossoff: "I don't think he's a good looking man. I actually think Mike Collins is a good looking man. And he's all man. I'm not sure about Ossoff. And I think Rick Jackson is a beautiful-looking guy." > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzha5zeqo2v)** > > Trump: "We're allowed to have big strong handsome soldiers now" I’m the best at makeup > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzkfxiz632g)** > > Trump: "Jon Ossoff has spent more money on makeup -- and by the way I wear very little and I do it myself. Yaaaaaaaaaaahhhh. Because if you don't put a little on, you look a little bit like a dead person. I don't want to look that way. But he goes... Fuck you, Google > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzjjvo3k62e)** > > Trump claims he has already talked to Google about changing the name of the Atlantic Ocean to the "Trump Ocean" Santamataldum > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzhpe4azg2g)** > > Trump: "Maybe I won't have a news conference santamataldum" Mar-a-Lago: Where $5000 gets you one hamburger and a small dessert > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzj5eqi2b2s)** > > Trump on what his fans could do with their $5k Trump check: "Let's go to Palm Beach and enjoy the president for lunch. Let's have lunch at Mar-a-Lago, where for $5,000 you'll get one hamburger and a small dessert." Boof is when there’s expensive beef > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzhrqtbdm2d)** > > Trump: "Do you know what bouf is? Expensive beef. They charge more money if you call if bouf ... the bouf costs a lot more." David Purdue won the election, but it was rigged, so I banished him to China to punish him for losing > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzgf3vlav2r)** > > Trump: "Then you had the election with Ossoff vs. David Perdue. And it was a rigged election. David actually won that election, he won it by a lot. I sent David to China. That's what you get when you lose an election." (Wanders off) > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxzfywdz4n2v)** > > Trump is now wandering around while various songs play ---
**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 16, 2026, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9629 "2026-10-16T22:24:04Z")
And those are the _published_ numbers. Imagine how much worse the truth is! ---
**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 16, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9630 "2026-10-16T22:42:04Z")
You guys don’t realize what a complicated process selecting a new Press Secretary is. You have to find a bunch of blondes whose names start with a k. You have to throw all their names in a hat and pick one out. You have to place some bets on Kalshi. You have to leak her name to your cronies so they can put their bets on Kalshi. You have to announce her name to the press. You have to invent lies about all the stuff the press will find out about her. You have to complain about how the press doesn’t believe your lies. You have to invent a new set of lies. You have to complain about how the press doesn’t believe those new lies either. You have to fire your Press Secretary and start the whole process over again. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9631 "2026-10-16T23:59:16Z")
[The felon just threw President Zelenskyy and Ukraine under the tank.](https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-zelensky-not-good-guy-134030000.html) > [@](#): > > President Trump hit back at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he was “not a good guy for us to deal with.” > > In an interview on Newsmax’s “Finnerty,” Trump was asked about Ukraine resuming attacks on Russian energy targets after the president asked Zelensky to stop such strikes. > > “Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with,” the president said. “I’m not a big fan of Zelensky. They’ve destroyed that country.” > > When asked if he supported further military aid for Ukraine, Trump stated, “Well, I think they’re going to if they’re going to end up with a settlement of some kind, they’re not going to do it with [Zelensky].” > > “He doesn’t want to settle. He says he wants to settle, but he doesn’t,” he continued, adding that the [war started when](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/200076-obama-orders-sanctions-over-ukraine/) former President Obama made Ukraine “give up” Crimea, which Trump called “the most valuable part by far of Ukraine.” > > Trump concluded that he believed the war would “end soon. I think they actually both would like to see it end, but I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.” [The half-scaramucci has an interesting defense: “Nobody asked me about my credentials.”](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/katie-zacharia-seems-throw-trump-142547690.html) > [@](#): > > Embattled White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said that no one in the Trump administration [ever asked about her legal credentials](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/katie-zacharia-press-secretary-trump-lawyer-b3067616.html)after it emerged that she never passed the bar exam despite previously describing herself as an attorney. > > Zacharia appeared [Friday on _Fox & Friends_,](https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2111074066186518858) where she appeared to throw President Donald Trump under the bus and raised questions about the vetting process. She was forced to admit she never passed the bar exam after describing herself as a lawyer in more than a dozen TV appearances [amid pressure to clarify her credentials.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/katie-zacharia-press-secretary-trump-lawyer-b3067616.html) [Killer Kennedy has someone running interference for him; the press is not having it.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/cabinet-secretary-reporter-snaps-rfk-211056498.html) (The formatting is from the link.) > [@](#): > > A member of the press snapped at an aide of Health and Human Services Secretary **[Robert F. Kennedy Jr.](https://www.mediaite.com/tag/robert-f-kennedy-jr/)** on Thursday when she tried to stop him from asking a question about measles deaths. > > After a healthcare roundtable in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Kennedy was joined by Rep. **Jennifer Kiggans** (R-VA) to field questions from the press. At one point, a reporter asked about [recent measles deaths](https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-measles-outbreak-pennsylvania-rkf-jr-rcna603665) in Pennsylvania. > > “Do you believe that five deaths, potentially six, from measles in the state of Pennsylvania–,” the report began. Before he could finish his question, however, an aide standing beside Kennedy quickly cut him off. > > “We’re also not going to talk about measles,” the aide responded. > > Kennedy protested and said he was “happy” to answer the question. At the same time, the reporter fired back at the aide much more aggressively. > > “He’s the highest-ranking health official in the country!” the report began. “He can answer that question! He’s a cabinet secretary!” The rest of the article is short and quotes KK lying about Dr. Fauci and Governor Shapiro. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9632 "2026-10-17T17:00:54Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Massive coward that he is, Donald had his flunky Sean Hannity attack Zacharia during their interview last night. Yes, he’s a massive coward, but someone in another thread in the Pit posted a link to an article saying that Susie Wiles got Hannity to interview Zacharia. Trump hired Z without consulting with Wiles. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9633 "2026-10-17T18:33:27Z")
Wiles? Isn’t that the woman the felon says is doing such a great job he’ll never fire her? It’s time to pack your bags, Susie. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2026, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9634 "2026-10-17T18:35:56Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Trump hired Z without consulting with Wiles. > [@Monty](#): > > Isn’t that the woman the felon says is doing such a great job he’ll never fire her? So Suzie rules Donald with an iron fist, then? 🙃 ---
**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:** [October 17, 2026, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9635 "2026-10-17T19:24:08Z")
_The President’s Brain Is Missing:_ This is cutting into my golf time edition I have the most expensive hamberders > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3sbhayue2g)** > > Trump: "I said, 'Let's go and join the president for lunch at Mar-a-Lago and we'll buy one hamburger and a small dessert. That'll take up about $5,000.'" I don’t wanna eat my vegetables! > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3rosxkt322)** > > Trump: "Talafreako. He's a vegetarian. My wife corrected me. I was calling it veygan. I know nothing about that. I don't like eating a piece of celery for dinner. I don't like, 'I'll have a piece of lettuce.'" This is supposed to be a rally for Kentucky’s Senate candidate > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3rg6iypg2r)** > > Trump: "Remember Rush Limbaugh? He used to go Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Barack HUSSEIN. He'd scream out Hussein." I have the best poverty > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3rads7hw2l)** > > Trump: "The poverty rate has just reached its highest, best number" Hey everybody! We’re all gonna get laid! > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3r6ryauc2n)** > > Trump: "Their wife likes them much more, or their husband. They get much more turned on by the fact the husband has a better job. They become almost violent in their love." Canada must not be allowed to have healthcare > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3qhqbjls2l)** > > Trump: "I do not want to lose as your representative $90 billion for the privilege of allowing Canada to have a healthcare system and other things that they shouldn't be having" It’s never too late to start a new career in proctology > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3pvyq2fz2j)** > > Trump on Jon Husted: "I examined his ass" The dementia is really bringing out his inner bi > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3pxeeg4v2i)** > > Trump claims that Jon Husted has picked up "9 or 10 points" since he started talking about his rockin' bod > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3my3ppgxa6t22)** > > Trump: "This guy walks through the door. I said, 'Look at this beautiful guy." (He gets interrupted by a protester before he can finish the thought.) ---
**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 17, 2026, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9636 "2026-10-17T20:13:03Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Yes, he’s a massive coward, but someone in another thread in the Pit posted a link to an article saying that Susie Wiles got Hannity to interview Zacharia. Trump hired Z without consulting with Wiles. It could have been Wiles who phoned Sean. But that doesn’t mean that she did so without Donald’s knowledge (or instructions). Donald’s latest remarks are all about assuring everyone that NONE of this has ANYTHING to do with him, whatsoever: > [@](#): > > Asked if he was planning to “fire” Zacharia, the president said no. But, he added, “I want her to have a good life. I don’t want [her] to have a life like she’s led in the last three days. She is being brutalized by the media.” He’s just an innocent bystander!!!1! > **[Katie Zacharia praises Trump as ‘kind, wonderful, gracious’ after being...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/article/katie-zacharia-out-as-white-house-press-secretary-after-5-days-on-the-job-reports-182158704.html)** > > Katie Zacharia praised Trump as “kind, wonderful, gracious” after being forced out as White House press secretary after five days, the shortest tenure in the job’s history. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9637 "2026-10-18T03:50:18Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > > > German for: _Well, there you go!_ or _Well, there you have it!_ > > IOW, “There we are then!”…? Bob’s your uncle. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2026, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9638 "2026-10-18T04:27:18Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I don’t wanna eat my vegetables! I love that Melania calling him “SIR!” is becoming part of his normal stand up routine. That is a real crowd pleaser. And so true! ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2026, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9639 "2026-10-18T05:36:41Z")
Goggle’s AI informs me that the Slovenian word “sir” refers to the English word “cheese”. Now, this could be a good-natured pet-name for Melania’s beloved husband, or she genuinely belittles him to his cheese-coloured face. (Although, cheese of that particular orange would be coloured with an additive, annatto - which adds a certain layer to the insult. “Fake-colour cheese-face” seems more appropriate than “sir”) > **[Why Is Cheddar Cheese Orange? Types of Orange Cheese](https://www.usdairy.com/news-articles/why-is-cheese-orange)** > > Ever wondered why cheddar is orange? Uncover the role of annatto in cheesemaking and how these vibrant hues differ from white varieties today. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2026, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298/9640 "2026-10-18T06:07:13Z")
[Gateside program rolled back without explanation.](https://www.aol.com/articles/tsa-just-quietly-reversed-major-231123000.html) > [@](#): > > The TSA has suddenly rolled back its Gateside program. > Last month, the Transportation Security Administration rolled out a new benefit that allowed TSA PreCheck members to head through airport security without a plane ticket, and the program quickly expanded to hundreds of airports across the country. But that expansion has now been quietly reversed, just days after it went into effect. > > The program, known as Gateside by TSA PreCheck, is back to operating at only its original 13 airports, at least “for the time being.” Interestingly, the agency hasn’t offered any explanation for the sudden change. [Congress is having a fit of the vapours.](https://www.aol.com/articles/trumps-decision-waive-russian-sanctions-150900000.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — [President Donald Trump’s](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) abrupt decision to [waive sanctions](https://apnews.com/article/russia-sanctions-trump-ukraine-e50c561ab805883bb4e484c092d8fadd) on Russia days before they were to take effect drew outrage Saturday from members of Congress, which had [overwhelmingly passed the legislation](https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-russia-sanctions-ukraine-lindsey-graham-d1715ad5e8feccba76bfae51c5f28c45) in a bipartisan display of American support for Ukraine in the [war with Russia](https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine). > > Lawmakers from both parties blasted the [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/implementing-the-lindsey-o-graham-sanctioning-russia-and-iran-act-of-2026/) late Friday, the [latest in a series of steps](https://apnews.com/article/trump-russian-diesel-putin-congress-ukraine-963624ed2ed30ae4a0259ffd1880fefa) that the Republican president has taken drawing the United States closer to [Russia’s Vladimir Putin](https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin). Trump recently announced a [diesel deal](https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-diesel-midterms-12baccc7aade559bf329079b0548c9da) with Putin to import Russian energy in a long-shot effort to curb [high gas prices](https://apnews.com/article/inflation-iran-war-gasoline-airfare-groceries-diesel-shoes-839cad4e83990c95385558906dfa1f92) in the U.S. that are roiling [the midterm elections](https://apnews.com/hub/elections) on Nov. 3. > > “Beyond irresponsible,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., on social media, hours after [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-trump-sanctions-energy-07e1dfc41bdad7b3292c6c263005fabc) expressed hope that the sanctions that were supposed to take effect Sunday targeting Russian’s economy could be revived. > > “What part of enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate does the President and his advisors not understand?” Tillis said. “It’s unconscionable that this administration is capitulating to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine.” [Here’s what the felon thinks of that.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/just-president-donald-trump-brags-123007829.html) > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump has leaned heavily on executive orders during his second term, including his effort to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports, something a bill in Congress failed to accomplish. > > Now, Trump has openly bragged about going around Congress, mocking former President Joe Biden for seeking lawmakers’ approval and telling a crowd in Arizona that a president should simply “just do it.” & > [@](#): > > While attempting to circumvent Congress is not typically something a sitting president would openly brag about, Trump did just that this week. During a midterm campaign rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday, Trump bragged about not needing Congressional approval to make moves at the southern border. > > Trump said that “within hours of taking the oath of office, I deployed the United States military to secure our southern border.” > > “I didn’t go to Congress like — remember Joe Biden? Sleepy Joe. ‘If they would give me approval in Congress’ — you’re not gonna get it,” Trump said via [Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/trump-brags-about-bypassing-congress-you-just-do-it-youre-the-president/). “You just do it! You’re the president!” > > “Turns out we just needed a new president. That’s all we needed,” Trump added. [Rally victim has choice words for the hypocritical felon.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/woman-fat-shamed-trump-snaps-153641036.html) > [@](#): > > The woman who Donald Trump fat-shamed as she was “beat up” by his supporters has fired back at the “pathetic” McDonald’s-gorging president. > > The 29-year-old woman was set upon by a baying MAGA mob in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday night after standing up and heckling the president, branding him a “fascist” while wearing a homemade “release the Epstein files” T-shirt. > > She was quickly subdued by at least three men, one of whom threw a punch at her head, as well as pulling her hair. Police ignored the violent attacker and aggressively ushered the injured protester out of the arena. > > Blake, who did not want her surname or hometown to be published out of fear of further attacks, has now spoken to the Daily Beast’s sister Substack, [PunchUp](https://thepunchup.substack.com/p/woman-fat-shamed-by-trump-snaps-back), about the ordeal that left her in the hospital. > > As Blake, an artist from Ohio, was being roughed up by the president’s snarling fans, the 80-year-old attacked her over her weight, while also misgendering her. > > “I wasn’t surprised by Trump making fun of my weight or misgendering me. He has a history of being the most egregious person he can be and not having any repercussions for his actions,” Blake said, before firing back at the president over his myriad of health issues. > > “He even said that we all could lose some weight, or something to that effect, because he too is not in ‘peak health’ and has never been, when his favorite place to eat is McDonald’s.” First, those cops who escorted her out shoud be fired. Second, she needs to file a report to get that force off their collective tush to find out who attacked her, arrest them, and get the prosecution started. [Attorneys for the Honorable Ilhan Omar accused the dishonorable Justice Department of violating her rights.](https://www.aol.com/articles/attorneys-rep-ilhan-omar-accuse-182359000.html) > [@](#): > > Attorneys for Representative Ilhan Omar have accused the Justice Department of violating a magistrate judge’s order by failing to follow certain protocols designed to safeguard her constitutional interests as a member of Congress during [the search of her home](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ilhan-omar-immigration-raid-washington-dc/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17) in Washington, D.C. > > In the Oct. 16 letter, Omar’s attorneys Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz asked the government to immediately return the congresswoman’s property, and they also demanded all video and audio recordings of the search be preserved. > > “This vindictive, retributive, and politically motivated criminal investigation into one of the President’s chief congressional critics violates Representative Omar’s constitutional rights and threatens the separation of powers,” they wrote in the letter, which was reviewed by CBS News. [The felon’s chalking up another bankruptcy soon.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/fund-used-defend-president-trump-211938649.html) > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump’s main legal fund is nearly out of cash and carrying more than $1.9 million in debt, according to a new [Federal Election Commission](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-maga-inc-midterm-funding-paxton-b3018705.html) filing. > > [Save America PAC](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-save-america-pac-2024-b2226376.html), the political fundraising organization Trump established in 2020, disclosed the debts in its [quarterly report](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00762591/2026983/) this week. The report covers July 1 to September 30. > > The PAC spent more than $5.4 million in the third quarter, bringing its annual spending to over $14 million. Its cash reserves fell from roughly $1.2 million at the beginning of the year to $32,256 by September 30. > > Trump has used [Save America](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-save-america-election-result-b1889388.html) to cover a large share of his legal expenses, including payments to attorneys who represented him in his New York “[hush money](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/judge-trump-hush-money-conviction-b3041217.html)” trial, his [classified documents case](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fbi-donald-trump-investigation-fired-lawsuit-b3067754.html) and his [Georgia election interference case](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-georgia-election-charges-dropped-b2873077.html). > > The PAC lists its outstanding debts as legal consulting fees and reimbursements for legal expenses. It owes about $239,000 to Brito PLLC, whose founder, a Florida-based attorney, represented Trump in his [defamation lawsuit](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/abc-news-defamation-settlement-george-stephanopoulos-b2664857.html) against ABC News [Orania-in-Trumplandia project isn’t faring as well as the felon wanted.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/us-officials-considering-ad-campaign-100010823.html) > [@](#): > > The US government could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a media campaign in South Africa to figure out why more white Afrikaners are not applying to become refugees to the US, as Donald Trump had hoped. > > State department officials, according to an August proposal seen by the Guardian, outlined a roughly $335,000 research and advertising effort after applications to the refugee program “trended lower than expected” since Afrikaners were allowed to apply directly online in November 2025. The document, written by the US mission in South Africa with a department research unit for the embassy in Pretoria, admits officials know little about why. > > “There’s currently little research about why Afrikaners are not applying to request referral into the US Refugee Admissions Program,” the proposal reads. [Want to find some election interference? Interfere with some election!](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-threatens-jail-california-midterm-135639357.html) > [@](#): > > U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened California election officials with jail if they count ballots cast by people the administration has identified as possible noncitizens. > > “They will all go to jail for a long period of time,” Trump said in a Truth Social [post](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117453415283228242) sharing a letter the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent to Los Angeles County officials warning that counting ballots from alleged noncitizens would open themselves to federal criminal prosecution. > > It comes after the DOJ filed a [lawsuit](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1466286/dl?) against California on Thursday, over the state’s refusal to review a list of more than 20,000 names the department said were likely noncitizens and discard the ballots of anyone confirmed whose status could not be confirmed. > > The state had been given 48 hours to do this after officials received the list, on a USB drive, on Tuesday. California declined, saying it did not consider the list secure or substantiated. > > “We cannot withhold or refuse to count ballots based solely on unverified allegations,” Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan said in a statement, adding that DOJ had not provided its “underlying evidence, source, or methodology supporting its assertions that individuals identified in its records are ineligible to vote.” [Sound familiar? “I have secret evidence which I will make public if I don’t get what I want.”](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-newsmax-impeached-again-lots-001337140.html) > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump told Newsmax on Thursday he has information about Hillary Clinton and former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden that could be used “criminally” against them, raising the possibility of pursuing his political adversaries if Democrats regain control of Congress and attempt to impeach him for a third time. > > In an exclusive interview on [“Finnerty,”](https://www.newsmaxtv.com/Shows/Finnerty) Trump said he previously declined opportunities to pursue criminal investigations of Clinton, his 2016 presidential opponent, but suggested that another impeachment effort could change the situation. > > “I could have done numbers on Hillary Clinton,” Trump said. “I could have done numbers on Bill Clinton. I do like Bill Clinton. I could have done numbers on Barack Hussein Obama. Still could, I still could, I could do big numbers if I wanted to.” And who on Earth talks like that? “I can do big numbers on them.” Not even the most hardened Mafia enforcers would say that. Why not? Because it’s childish. Big surprise, coming from a child. Evidently he forgot about the amazing gift SCOTUS gave him. They’re protected now. [What’s a magaflatearther going to do when their idol fails spectacularly?](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/maga-rails-against-zelensky-trump-170552953.html) > [@](#): > > MAGA has lost it over Donald Trump’s [whipping on the world stage](https://www.thedailybeast.com/murdoch-paper-shreds-trump-over-humiliating-putin-snub). > > The president has suffered blow after bitter blow in his bid to [lower gas prices](https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hit-with-brutal-inflation-reality-check) ahead of the midterm elections, none more than his doomed attempt to broker an energy ceasefire [between Ukraine and Russia.](https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-humiliated-by-jaw-dropping-attack-after-ukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelensky-defies-him-on-world-stage) > > It failed within days, and the 80-year-old’s loyalists are now railing against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and blaming him for the debacle. > > Zelensky gave a defiant interview to the [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/4d79b52f-1f0d-4739-82ab-7ecfb4251326?syn-25a6b1a6=1) on Thursday, saying, “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” in a death knell for Trump’s plan to bring prices down. Before you read the rest of that article, make sure you don the [appropriate headgear](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_foil_hat). [Before he illegal raid on Representative Omar’s home, the felon’s flacks searched her trash for DNA.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/federal-agents-searched-omar-trash-014302089.html) > [@](#): > > ([NewsNation](https://www.newsnationnow.com/)) — Federal agents collected garbage in hopes of obtaining the DNA of[Rep. Ilhan Omar](https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/ilhan-omar-immigration-fraud-probe-continues/) (D-Minn.) and her family before this week’s raid at her Washington, D.C. home, sources told NewsNation. > > Investigators historically have used secretive “dumpster diving” to obtain DNA when search warrants were not possible or would have tipped off investigatory targets. It is legally permissible for law enforcement to collect trash that has been discarded for pickup and comb through it for genetic material. > > Multiple sources familiar with the probe tell NewsNation that potential DNA evidence is critical to the investigation into Omar. They say the case is broader than the public may assume based on longstanding accusations surrounding her immigration history or marital status. There’s only one reason for getting tht DNA: to compare it to another person’s DNA, her husband’s. The racist whacked out nutjob conspiracy theory the nutjob-in-chief is pushing is what the felon is wasting federal law enforcement time and funding on. [Only the finest people, right, Dirty Diaper Donny?](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-backed-senate-hopeful-hit-154639257.html) Several people with prominent roles in a Trump-endorsed Senate candidate’s campaign have criminal histories, including one who pleaded guilty to sexual battery in an incident involving his stepdaughter, the Daily Beast has learned. Court records the Daily Beast reviewed show that several of Rep. Mike Collins’s appointed “convoy captains”—grassroots organizers he has credited with his “successful” campaign—have criminal backgrounds, casting doubt on the tough-on-crime stance he has promoted in his campaign to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. “Mike will always be tough on crime, and as your next senator, he’ll vote for strong borders, lower taxes, a booming economy in the greatest military anywhere in the world,” President Donald Trump said of Collins [last month](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-vlog-mike-collins-georgia-september-18-2026/) in a recorded Oval Office endorsement.’ Brett Benny Langham, one of Rep. Mike Collins’ campaign leaders, pleaded guilty to felony cruelty to children, sexual battery, and family violence simple battery in 2014, according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Beast. The charges stemmed from an incident involving Langham’s stepdaughter, who was younger than 16. Langham did not respond to questions from the Daily Beast and was sentenced to 30 days in prison and 10 years of probation. [/quote] The rest of the article has some interesting information on other “finest people” involved. [And this is how the felon’s going to leave office (if he actually does).](https://www.aol.com/articles/m-allowed-self-pardon-trump-164543000.html) (The **bolding** is mine.) > [@](#): > > Systemic government corruption is already a problem in the Trump era. The signal he’s sending to his team is likely to make matters worse. > > A couple of months ago, Donald Trump [appeared on a conservative radio show](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-wayne-allyn-root-real-americas-voice-august-11-2026/) and said that “a lot of people” wanted to see the president pardon himself in his first term. > > “I had the absolute right to do it,” he said. “Instead, I fought it through the courts and won.” > > While that wasn’t an entirely accurate summary of recent history — Trump, who was convicted of several felonies in New York, only “won” when the federal criminal cases against him ended upon his return to the White House, not because they were adjudicated in his favor — the president’s rhetoric about his “absolute right” to pardon himself stood out. > > This week, he returned to the issue during an interview with Newsmax’s Rob Finnerty. > > Asked specifically whether he’s “seriously considering a self-pardon” before he leaves office, the president initially hedged, saying he’s done “nothing wrong,” [before adding](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-rob-finnerty-newsmax-white-houseoctober-15-2026/), **“I’m allowed to do a self-pardon.** I’m allowed to pardon. … The pardon is very powerful. I know that. They say it’s the most powerful thing a president has, the power of pardon.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=481) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-the-clusterfuck-continues-part-2/1025298.md?page=483)