# Trump II, The Revenge of the Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 7, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608 "2020-02-07T23:40:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [February 8, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/61 "2020-02-08T23:44:42Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Maybe Trump will fire Romney. You know, I haven’t watched everything on the news and was thinking, okay, maybe hes not so bad. Now I see, this is scary. But he can’t fire Romney. Getting rid of a Senator isn’t quite so easy as firing Whitehouse staff. And Romney isn’t up for re-election until 2024. Trump can make his life rough, and he can goad the Senate leadership into limiting his access to resources and roles in the Senate, but there’s little anyone can do to actually remove him from the Senate. Let’s hope Romney sticks to his principles in the meantime. God knows, he’s the only Republican Senator who has. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/62 "2020-02-09T00:25:46Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > But he can’t fire Romney. Getting rid of a Senator isn’t quite so easy as firing Whitehouse staff. And Romney isn’t up for re-election until 2024. Trump can make his life rough, and he can goad the Senate leadership into limiting his access to resources and roles in the Senate, but there’s little anyone can do to actually remove him from the Senate. > > Let’s hope Romney sticks to his principles in the meantime. God knows, he’s the only Republican Senator who has. They can throw him out of the Republican Party, on Dear Leader Trump’s orders. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2020, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/63 "2020-02-09T01:17:48Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > They can throw him out of the Republican Party, on Dear Leader Trump’s orders. That’s my bet. Before this month is over. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/64 "2020-02-09T01:33:24Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > They can throw him out of the Republican Party, on Dear Leader Trump’s orders. And then the Romney family background can be investigated for malfeasance unto the Nth generation. If not enough is found, more can always be manufactured. Hey, Mitt’s father was Mexican! There are obviously some cartel links lying around. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/65 "2020-02-09T02:54:18Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > But he can’t fire Romney. Getting rid of a Senator isn’t quite so easy as firing Whitehouse staff. And Romney isn’t up for re-election until 2024. Trump can make his life rough, and he can goad the Senate leadership into limiting his access to resources and roles in the Senate, but there’s little anyone can do to actually remove him from the Senate. > > Let’s hope Romney sticks to his principles in the meantime. God knows, he’s the only Republican Senator who has. Nevada is conservative, but it’s one of the few hardcore red-ass red states in which Trump isn’t exactly popular. Trump’s alliance is with evangelical conservatives, some of which refuse to acknowledge Mormonism as a legitimate form of Christianity. Romney’s vote took courage, and it makes him a marked man, but I could see a scenario in which Trump and the GOP miscalculate in an all-out assault on Romney. If I were Trump and the GOP, I’d make the displeasure known, but I’d probably move on. Romney is the only GOP senator who’s had the gonads to confront the Trump machine, but others have thought about it. Trump’s presidency is still somewhat young, and there’s an election coming up. You never know when you might need some capital. ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/66 "2020-02-09T04:16:56Z")
Apparently, some Republican senators, including Susan “I’m Worried” Collins, tried to persuade Trump not to fire Sondland. They did _not_ try to persuade him not to fire the Vindmans. > **[A group of Republican senators including Susan Collins tried and failed to...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/group-republican-senators-including-susan-024932914.html)** > > Among those who tried to stop Trump was Sen. Susan Collins, who endured widespread derision for saying she believed Trump "learned from this case. That makes sense from a Republican perspective, though. Sondland bought his ambassadorship by contributing $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. Firing him is bad for _business,_ since no one’s going to donate $1 million if they can’t get anything in return. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/67 "2020-02-09T06:02:19Z")
Sure they will. They’ll just tell themselves “I’m different, he was stupid, I’m smart…” ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/68 "2020-02-09T12:51:50Z")
> [@ricksummon](#): > > Apparently, some Republican senators, including Susan “I’m Worried” Collins, tried to persuade Trump not to fire Sondland. They did _not_ try to persuade him not to fire the Vindmans. > > [https://www.yahoo.com/news/group-republican-senators-including-susan-024932914.html](https://www.yahoo.com/news/group-republican-senators-including-susan-024932914.html) > > That makes sense from a Republican perspective, though. Sondland bought his ambassadorship by contributing $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. Firing him is bad for _business,_ since no one’s going to donate $1 million if they can’t get anything in return. Yeah, I’d call their “resistance” a case of going for low-hanging fruit, but it’s more like they went for the fruit that fell off the tree and already rotted. ---
**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:** [February 9, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/69 "2020-02-09T14:20:05Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > They can throw him out of the Republican Party, on Dear Leader Trump’s orders. Sure, and I hope they do that\*. But he’d still be a senator, and now have even fewer reasons to put up with Trump’s BS. \*If you read what Mitt said before voting to convict Trump, he pointed out that he agreed with 80% of what Trump was doing, vis-a-vis the economy and such. It really was the abuse of power that he objected to. So tossing out a solid **Republican** supporter solely because he didn’t empower Trump’s abuses is yet another clear-cut example of why even Republicans should be turning on Trump. Trump’s lead is so thin, that even just a few Republicans finally getting their heads out of their asses could tip the balance in November. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/70 "2020-02-09T19:02:33Z")
Apparently, Vindman was already scheduled to leave the NSA st the end of February. That wasn’t good enough for Trump. Reports say he wanted to fire him Wednesday evening, but was talked into waiting. Sondland had agreed to resign soon, but Trump wanted him gone immediately. Sondland reportedly said he’d happily resign in a few weeks, but to leave at the same time as the Vindmans wasn’t a good look. Trump absolutely wanted it to look bad, so when Sondland asked for a bit of space between the Vindmans’ firings and his resignation, Trump said no and recalled him effective immediately. So it was never about getting rid of people he no longer trusted. They had already agreed and planned to leave. It was about shock and awe and revenge. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/71 "2020-02-09T19:15:06Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Nevada is conservative… No, not really. Nevada is at least Purple, if not full on Blue. Utah, however is very conservative. It’s also the state Romney represents. And it is also home to the Mormon Church. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/72 "2020-02-09T19:17:53Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > No, not really. Nevada is at least Purple, if not full on Blue. > > Utah, however is very conservative. It’s also the state Romney represents. And it is also home to the Mormon Church. Meant Utah (Christ, what was I drinking last night?) ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/73 "2020-02-09T20:11:46Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Meant Utah (Christ, what was I drinking last night?) Don’t feel bad. I wrote a post saying Romney was the Senator from Massachusetts. You were at least only one state off. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/74 "2020-02-09T20:41:15Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Don’t feel bad. I wrote a post saying Romney was the Senator from Massachusetts. You were at least only one state off. Same page of the CV at least (though he was governor, as I recall). Happens to the best of us and we’re absolutely among the best, amirite?😉 ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2020, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/75 "2020-02-09T20:49:12Z")
I had read too many books by Jeanine Pirro, she seemed to state that Democrats hate Trump because they want a socialist America and have it be destroyed and trump was doing the opposite. Seriously, I gotta watch what I read. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/76 "2020-02-10T02:44:51Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Sure, and I hope they do that\*. But he’d still be a senator, and now have even fewer reasons to put up with Trump’s BS. > > \*If you read what Mitt said before voting to convict Trump, he pointed out that he agreed with 80% of what Trump was doing, vis-a-vis the economy and such. It really was the abuse of power that he objected to. So tossing out a solid **Republican** supporter solely because he didn’t empower Trump’s abuses is yet another clear-cut example of why even Republicans should be turning on Trump. Trump’s lead is so thin, that even just a few Republicans finally getting their heads out of their asses could tip the balance in November. Get those tables out of here! Romney is still a wealthy asshole. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/77 "2020-02-10T02:48:54Z")
Dude had different the whole weekend on Twitter airing his grievances. Someone needs to install an aluminum pole in the White House. Apparently Festivus came early. > **[Trump singles out Mitt Romney in post-acquittal Twitter-rant](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/09/trump-singles-romney-twitter-rant-112893)** > > The president spent a sunny Sunday in D.C. continuing a weekend tweetstorm against the impeachment proceedings and his perceived foes. > **[Trump assails Rep. Dingell, citing her late husband, amid wave of attacks on...](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/08/trump-attacks-dingell-pelosi-112528)** > > The tweets came at the end of one of the president's most vitriolic weeks. Apparently Romney is somehow tied to Hunter Biden and Burisma and only voted that Trump was guilty to shield his own crimes. Ou something like that. I don’t speak ranting toddler. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/78 "2020-02-10T14:07:06Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Do you mean like opening every session with the Pledge of Allegiance? The Pledge is to the flag, symbol of our country and what it stands for, _not_ the individual who happens to be leading it at the moment, unlike [certain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_oath) [other](https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/01/03/thousands_of_north_koreans_pledge_their_loyalty_to_kim_jong_un.html) countries. Do you _really_ want the United States going own that path? ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/79 "2020-02-10T15:19:47Z")
[Trump weaponizes the Presidency after impeachment victory](https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/10/politics/donald-trump-presidency-joe-biden-impeachment/index.html) Donald Trump is moving fast in the wake of his impeachment trial to use the government to punish his enemies and pursue his political ends, underlining how his acquittal has helped make him one of history’s most powerful modern Presidents. Trump has meted out retribution to officials who testified against him in the impeachment inquiry, is making a push to defy Congress in funding his border wall and appears to be seeking new ways to hector former Vice President Joe Biden after facing down a mortal threat to his presidency. He is completing his project of fashioning the office around his own personality. It’s unrestrained, unaccountable, often profane, impervious to outside influence and factual constraints of normal governance. The President has established dominance over his party, his Cabinet and his own media complex. He loosened Congress’s constraints by refusing to cooperate with the impeachment probe. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608/80 "2020-02-10T15:32:21Z")
I guess they can kick Romney out of the GOP caucus but that’s the worse they can do besides his committtee assignments. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-ii-the-revenge-of-the-trump/847608.md?page=5)