The Former Trump Presidency Thread

[malchior]

Not to say that the Nobel committee hasn't made odd or controversial choices in the past. However, there is no chance they'll award it to someone so absent of any redeeming character. That is why the nominee makes the case to limit it to his 'achievement' but that is pretend naive posturing so they can complain when Trump isn't selected. Anyway, unless they completely lose their minds or are infiltrated - it just won't happen.

[Blackhawk]

The committee isn't American. The curve of Trump's influence descends rather steeply after at our borders.

[Paingod]

The curve of Trump's influence descends rather steeply after at our borders.

I agree in terms of things like the Nobel Peace Prize, but the American leader seems to have some level of influence on normalizing some behaviors abroad. It certainly feels like we've seen an uptick in right-wing authoritarian leaders in places where they might not have been a few years back. I could be mistaken or maybe I've just become sensitive to it since it started showing up in the US.

On a different note, Michael Cohen (Trump's former 'fixer' and lawyer), suspects that it's not out of the realm of possibility for Trump to try and pardon himself by resigning when he loses the election and then get Pence to wave all his crimes away.

The comedy in this would be if Pence had a sudden attack of religiosity and morals, refusing once he had the throne. It'd be in-character for the current GOP to throw Trump right under the bus once they were done with him and then stand up to claim they had purged the wicked and cleansed the office. Look how great they are, and how strong. If Trump gets completely brained in the election, taking some Red Senators with him, they'll be scrambling to patch the hull before they get dragged under. It'd be a beautiful moment.

[El Guapo]

The curve of Trump's influence descends rather steeply after at our borders.

I agree in terms of things like the Nobel Peace Prize, but the American leader seems to have some level of influence on normalizing some behaviors abroad. It certainly feels like we've seen an uptick in right-wing authoritarian leaders in places where they might not have been a few years back. I could be mistaken or maybe I've just become sensitive to it since it started showing up in the US.

On a different note, Michael Cohen (Trump's former 'fixer' and lawyer), suspects that it's not out of the realm of possibility for Trump to try and pardon himself by resigning when he loses the election and then get Pence to wave all his crimes away.

The comedy in this would be if Pence had a sudden attack of religiosity and morals, refusing once he had the throne. It'd be in-character for the current GOP to throw Trump right under the bus once they were done with him and then stand up to claim they had purged the wicked and cleansed the office. Look how great they are, and how strong. If Trump gets completely brained in the election, taking some Red Senators with him, they'll be scrambling to patch the hull before they get dragged under. It'd be a beautiful moment.

If it looks like Trump is losing as the election results come in, I assume that the Trump team will reach out to Biden's team and essentially offer to go quietly if Biden agrees to either pardon Trump, or to not raise a ruckus if Trump pardons himself. One question is how Biden would respond to that. I very much want justice on Trump, but at the same time if it means avoiding a hellish constitutional crisis, that would be pretty tempting.

Failing that, I think Trump would just pardon himself. Some people argue that the pardon power can't be used like that, but there's nothing clear in the text of the constitution that prohibits that, so odds are good that that would be sufficient to keep Trump out of jail.

[Paingod]

Failing that, I think Trump would just pardon himself. Some people argue that the pardon power can't be used like that, but there's nothing clear in the text of the constitution that prohibits that, so odds are good that that would be sufficient to keep Trump out of jail.

That sounds like it would rapidly end up in the supreme court, where they'd have to functionally decide if the president is above the law. If they can pardon themselves, no law (within the realm of their pardon power) applies to them. That'd be a sweet deal to keep on the table for both sides, right?

[Brian]

I don't know. I mean, wouldn't pardoning himself be admitting guilt or wrongdoing on his part? This guy things that he is incapable of doing any wrong and that every decision he makes is the correct one so granting himself a pardon would be admitting to wrongdoing which I don't ever see him doing.

Besides, even if he does pardon himself, that's only good for Federal level crimes. He's still facing a mountain of non-Federal issues.

[Paingod]

I don't know. I mean, wouldn't pardoning himself be admitting guilt or wrongdoing on his part? This guy things that he is incapable of doing any wrong and that every decision he makes is the correct one so granting himself a pardon would be admitting to wrongdoing which I don't ever see him doing.

I can easily see him doing it and saying the entire time "I didn't do anything wrong. This is a witch hunt. I'm going to prove it by pardoning myself just because I can. I'm not guilty, and I want to make sure Biden can't try to say I am. This is all Obama's fault for illegally spying on me. I'm pardoned. See? No crimes except Obama's."

He just needs his legal team to draft up a document for him to sign that covers all his asses and after that it's all ignorance and bluster.

[Smoove_B]

I assume that the Trump team will reach out to Biden's team and essentially offer to go quietly if Biden agrees to either pardon Trump, or to not raise a ruckus if Trump pardons himself.

(pauses for laughter)

Go loud; go quiet - just go. There will be no mercy, mainly because I'd trust Trump, the GOP and Mitch McConnell about as far as I can throw them (and I'm tired). F them and any deal.

[stessier]

Go loud; go quiet - just go.

He's the modern day Marvin K. Mooney.

[Smoove_B]

I see a Photoshop + t-shirt opportunity!

[Holman]

Cascade of revelations this week...

[Octavious]

I don't know if it's just me, but things don't seem to be going so well for him this week. Looks like everyone that stayed quite is going to toss him under the bus at the last minute. I guess better late than never. They are really going to have to find some crazy crap to pin on Biden now.

[Smoove_B]

Waiting for his Supreme Court Justice wish list to drop. I can only assume Giuliani is on it.

[Carpet_pissr]

I don't know if it's just me, but things don't seem to be going so well for him this week. Looks like everyone that stayed quite is going to toss him under the bus at the last minute. I guess better late than never. They are really going to have to find some crazy crap to pin on Biden now.

Or, if that doesn't work, as I've said before, Putin has plenty of Novichok poison left. And apparently he doesn't care who knows it (and in fact, probably is fine with people knowing it since it tends to put a chill on any anti-Putin shenanigans). Trump is destroying America deliciously from Putin's perspective, and he wants the chaos and divisiveness to continue obviously.

[malchior]

Trump is destroying America deliciously from Putin's perspective, and he wants the chaos and divisiveness to continue obviously.

Putin definitely prefers Trump since he obviously has something on him but he'll take massive political damage as a consolation prize any day.

[Paingod]

Waiting for his Supreme Court Justice wish list to drop. I can only assume Giuliani is on it.

I was drinking when I bumped into this comment. I was a hair away from spraying my monitor with water and instead just ended up choking. Thanks.

[Carpet_pissr]

I don't know if it's just me, but things don't seem to be going so well for him this week. Looks like everyone that stayed quite is going to toss him under the bus at the last minute. I guess better late than never. They are really going to have to find some crazy crap to pin on Biden now.

They don't...from our perspective. The issue is whether or not any of this will move the needle on people who:
- were not planning to vote
-the so-called "undecideds"
-Bernie Bros and Gals who are pissed and are writing someone in or sitting this one out (no idea how big this contingent is)
-moderate, more old school GOP types who don't like Trump, but loathe the idea of voting for a Democrat.

Really, I think you could lump those last three into one category, since individually they may not be very significant. So non-voters, and that disaffected/disgruntled group.

Although NPR was practically jumping up and down through the radio about this news, very likely spitting into their mics, the people above either don't care about it, or for the others, it's just another Trump shenanigan of MANY. So, so many. I would bet a LOT of people are just tired of the constant, back-to-back coverage of said shenanigans, and just tune out (or maybe never even tuned in, more likely).

To me, this stuff is no worse than some of the previous garbage he's pulled. I read the headlines and immediately thought "wow, THERE'S a shocker! Unprecedented!"

[Paingod]

Unprecedented!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

One thing that Trump has certainly accomplished during his tenure is expose the failings of the English language, particularly around expressing a departure from accepted norms. We should have 50 words for it now, like the Eskimos have for snow.

[Alefroth]

Whatever president had the Teflon moniker previously has sure ceded it to Trump now.

[Kraken]

Whatever president had the Teflon moniker previously has sure ceded it to Trump now.

trump's more like a gelatinous cube.

[Carpet_pissr]

Whatever president had the Teflon moniker previously has sure ceded it to Trump now.

I believe you're thinking of John Gotti, The Teflon Don, which works also.

Teflon Donald?

[Ralph-Wiggum]

Waiting for his Supreme Court Justice wish list to drop. I can only assume Giuliani is on it.

I don't know if this is better or worse....

Spoiler:

NEWS: Trump says Ted Cruz is on his list of judicial appointments if he's re-elected

[Smoove_B]

Name one of the most universally hated people (both parties) as a potential nominee. It's like he's trying to not get re-elected.

[Carpet_pissr]

That seems about right. And Matt Gaetz will be a SC nominee in waiting. Hell, why not Ivanka? Just go whole hog, man! Kick Pence out and make your dog the VP.

[YellowKing]

I would bet a LOT of people are just tired of the constant, back-to-back coverage of said shenanigans, and just tune out (or maybe never even tuned in, more likely).

I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think we're all probably guilty of underestimating the effects of negative coverage of Trump.

I know he has a seemingly 40%-45%-ish base, but that's pretty much all he has. And maybe instead of focusing on the fact that Trump has 40% despite his flaws, maybe we should be looking at it from the other direction. That he seemingly can't figure out a way to cut into the majority that hate him. Not once, in four years.

I think the negative press has worked, and it's worked his entire term. Not because it hasn't cut into his base, but because it's kept him confined only to his base. It ushered in the Blue Wave that gave the House to the Democrats. It's working, but maybe not in the drastic, in-your-face way we want to see things.

I'm hoping it's really going to work to give him the boot this November. There's a reason Biden is up big in the polls, and that his polling has been so stable. in other words we say that while none of this matters, everything we're seeing from Biden's lead is that it absolutely does matter.

[Kraken]

Whatever president had the Teflon moniker previously has sure ceded it to Trump now.

I believe you're thinking of John Gotti, The Teflon Don, which works also.

Teflon Donald?

Ronald Reagan was the original Teflon president.

[Alefroth]

Whatever president had the Teflon moniker previously has sure ceded it to Trump now.

I believe you're thinking of John Gotti, The Teflon Don, which works also.

Teflon Donald?

Ronald Reagan was the original Teflon president.

That's it. I was thinking maybe it was Clinton, but he was Slick Willy.

[Moat_Man]

Unprecedented!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

One thing that Trump has certainly accomplished during his tenure is expose the failings of the English language, particularly around expressing a departure from accepted norms. We should have 50 words for it now, like the Eskimos have for snow.

I don't believe you meant it that way but Eskimo is pejorative. The proper term is Inuit.

[Paingod]

Unprecedented!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

One thing that Trump has certainly accomplished during his tenure is expose the failings of the English language, particularly around expressing a departure from accepted norms. We should have 50 words for it now, like the Eskimos have for snow.

I don't believe you meant it that way but Eskimo is pejorative. The proper term is Inuit.

My apologies. I saw both Inuit and Eskimo in my Google search and remembered the "50 words for snow" as the latter from childhood. I was unaware.

[stessier]

Yeah I read a couple of his other posts on this topic - the argument against might end up being that he is not an "employee". That is why I've seen others think it might be a Nixon v Ferguson play saying he has absolute immunity from civil liability taken for actions taken as part of their official duties. And talking to the press is a duty of the President.

The Popehat Report posted a take that says he has a very plausible claim.

[malchior]

Yeah I read a couple of his other posts on this topic - the argument against might end up being that he is not an "employee". That is why I've seen others think it might be a Nixon v Ferguson play saying he has absolute immunity from civil liability taken for actions taken as part of their official duties. And talking to the press is a duty of the President.

The Popehat Report posted a take that says he has a very plausible claim.

I saw that. I think it makes sense legally. I also think he is exactly right where he delves into the outrage angle. People keep getting distracted away from the baseline fact that our society is trending steeply into despicable and evil because the powerful write the rules for themselves. They live and breath to make rich and powerful people unaccountable for their actions.

[LawBeefaroni]

Unprecedented!

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

One thing that Trump has certainly accomplished during his tenure is expose the failings of the English language, particularly around expressing a departure from accepted norms. We should have 50 words for it now, like the Eskimos have for snow.

I don't believe you meant it that way but Eskimo is pejorative. The proper term is Inuit.

My apologies. I saw both Inuit and Eskimo in my Google search and remembered the "50 words for snow" as the latter from childhood. I was unaware.

Well, while we're at it, they may not actually have 50 words for snow.

Spoiler:

According to NPR, the term Eskimo in and of itself is sometimes considered derogatory due to its history of usage in a racialized manner, though the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks attributes its derivation from an Ojibwa term “to net snow.” In lieu of Eskimo, Inuit may be a more appropriate term.

The cliché that Eskimos have 100 words for snow became popularized after amateur linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf published his article titled “Science and Linguistics” in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology promotional magazine Technology Review. Whorf’s findings referenced anthropological linguist Franz Boas’ Handbook of American Indian Languages where Boas noted the differences between English and Inuit languages, specifically the distinct roots for snow in the Inuit language such as aput—“snow on the ground,” qana—”falling snow,” piqsirpoq—”drifting snow,” and qimuqsuq—”a snow drift,” whereas English uses phrases containing the root snow.

Whorf misconstrued Boas’ wonderment on the Inuit’s polysynthetic construction of words with what he believed was derived from a cultural necessity for more specific descriptors.

[stessier]

Yeah I read a couple of his other posts on this topic - the argument against might end up being that he is not an "employee". That is why I've seen others think it might be a Nixon v Ferguson play saying he has absolute immunity from civil liability taken for actions taken as part of their official duties. And talking to the press is a duty of the President.

The Popehat Report posted a take that says he has a very plausible claim.

I saw that. I think it makes sense legally. I also think he is exactly right where he delves into the outrage angle. People keep getting distracted away from the baseline fact that our society is trending steeply into despicable and evil because the powerful write the rules for themselves. They live and breath to make rich and powerful people unaccountable for their actions.

That's not exactly what he said. He said that the law is written such that this could happen. There is no indication that the authors envisioned this loop hole when they wrote it. Now once they are aware of it, closing it is not only boring, but they'd be ultimately making themselves more accountable - which has always been a tough ask.

[malchior]

Yeah I read a couple of his other posts on this topic - the argument against might end up being that he is not an "employee". That is why I've seen others think it might be a Nixon v Ferguson play saying he has absolute immunity from civil liability taken for actions taken as part of their official duties. And talking to the press is a duty of the President.

The Popehat Report posted a take that says he has a very plausible claim.

I saw that. I think it makes sense legally. I also think he is exactly right where he delves into the outrage angle. People keep getting distracted away from the baseline fact that our society is trending steeply into despicable and evil because the powerful write the rules for themselves. They live and breath to make rich and powerful people unaccountable for their actions.

That's not exactly what he said. He said that the law is written such that this could happen. There is no indication that the authors envisioned this loop hole when they wrote it. Now once they are aware of it, closing it is not only boring, but they'd be ultimately making themselves more accountable - which has always been a tough ask.

Ah right - I wasn't implying this was an intentional loophole. I was more thinking about the net corrosive effect of the idea that they keep finding loopholes to escape accountability.

[Zarathud]

The extension of official governmental acts to a candidate or employee’s personal affairs was a mistake. Don’t compound it.

[malchior]

Maybe this was just bragging...but WTF a thing to brag about. "Yeah you know that journalist we know MBS murdered? Haha. MBS got away with it because of *ME*."

[Paingod]

The original script for Monsters, Inc was too dark and was recycled as reality in favor of the version Pixar used.

[Holman]

What's odd is that Trump gave Woodward more than a dozen unguarded interviews even after he felt burned by Woodward's 2018 book Fear, where Woodward got his scoops the exact same way. Trump even complained about it on Twitter.

Is Woodward that good, or is Trump simply that stupid, gullible, and responsive to flattery?

[TheMix]

What's odd is that Trump gave Woodward more than a dozen unguarded interviews even after he felt burned by Woodward's 2018 book Fear, where Woodward got his scoops the exact same way. Trump even complained about it on Twitter.

Is Woodward that good, or is Trump simply that stupid, gullible, and responsive to flattery?

I'd assume it's because he is incapable of resisting talking about himself. Mixed in with a healthy dose of being unable to perceive good and bad.

[GungHo]

What's odd is that Trump gave Woodward more than a dozen unguarded interviews even after he felt burned by Woodward's 2018 book Fear, where Woodward got his scoops the exact same way. Trump even complained about it on Twitter.

Is Woodward that good, or is Trump simply that stupid, gullible, and responsive to flattery?

He has severe mental trauma from his childhood. Flattery is a literal drug to him and he's incapable, as is any addict deep in their throes of addiction, of resisting it.

To be honest, I'm not so sure putin 'has anything on trump' other than (at this point) mildly salacious money laundering; he just knows how to exploit trump's pathetic need for validation.