The Former Trump Presidency Thread

[$iljanus]

I know the Sessions news is everything, but if you haven't seen this clip from today's press conference...

“The enemy of the people”

He just loves channeling his inner dictator doesn’t he?

Game on, time to get geared up for 2020 and get this assclown out of office.

[Trent Steel]

Bravo to the second reporter defending the guy from CNN.

[Carpet_pissr]

Bravo to the second reporter defending the guy from CNN.

Yeah, kudos indeed if that was an impromptu defense.

Also, how awesome would it be for some savvy reporter to basically “A Few Good Men” this asshat? He seems ripe for exploding into a self incriminating orange ball of stupid rage.

[Pyperkub]

This is really scary, given what's happening to Journalists in Saudi Arabia

[Holman]

Enemies of the people, though! What are you going to do? Not defend The People??

[Holman]

Another freakish moment from the press conference:



A reporter asks Trump about calling himself a "nationalist" and whether his rhetoric emboldens white nationalists.

He responds multiple times by calling the question racist.

[Holman]

And... now the administration has revoked Jim Acosta's WH credentials.

The justification (via Sarah Sanders) is that he was rough with the WH aide who tried to take his mike in the video above.

You can watch for yourself and see that that's bullshit.

[YellowKing]

That footage makes me just boil with this rage.

I will dance on this fuck's grave when he's gone.

[malchior]

And... now the administration has revoked Jim Acosta's WH credentials.

The justification (via Sarah Sanders) is that he was rough with the WH aide who tried to take his mike in the video above.

You can watch for yourself and see that that's bullshit.

I would like to see a unified response from the media. This is banana republic behavior. And I will stand in the line of people waiting to piss on his grave.

Also the MAGA idiots posting on Acosta's twitter are all uniformly talking about how it was justified because he assaulted the woman. Which is the Press Sec's claim despite video evidence it didn't happen. And they are all swearing they see it. WTF is going on?

[Unagi]

She thought she could just grab him by the mic and get away with it.

[tjg_marantz]

Closer look

The best part is that they lie even through video evidence and it won't matter a lick to anyone in the gop that isn't on the way out.

Anyone on the way out that finally grows a tail can go fuck themselves.

[YellowKing]

And let's not overlook the fact that Acosta was calling Trump out on his bullshit caravan claims. Trump knew he was being called out and so he threw a temper tantrum because he knows he's a lying POS.

And Sarah Manatee Sanders should roast in the lakes of hell for her role in this administration.

[Papa Smurph]

I doubt it would happen, but what if all the legitimate news media stopped covering the President and Fuckabee Sanders? Only Fox News and other sycophants showed up? Trump would be enraged, but would we miss anything? He wouldn't get his lies heard as much, which is likely good.

At some point the media is going to have to grow a pair, or the GOP will just make non-sanctioned news outlets illegal (to protect the people, of course).

When Trump dies (it cannot happen too soon), there will be spontaneous applause all across this country.

[malchior]

When Trump dies (it cannot happen too soon), there will be spontaneous applause all across this country.

Well maybe the on the coasts. There will be great weeping in the heartland that the great leader is gone.

[Enough]

So much of this thread is Death of the Fourth Estate stuff, and is so infuriating. I really hope major news sources band together and send a strong message in response to this bullshit.

[Kraken]

When Trump dies (it cannot happen too soon), there will be spontaneous applause all across this country.

Well maybe the on the coasts. There will be great weeping in the heartland that the great leader is gone.

I wonder what will happen to the GOP, now that it's a cult of personality. Will they rally around Pence, or dissolve into warring factions? Pretend for the sake of argument that Trump pops a blood vessel sometime between tomorrow and Nov '20.

[Holman]

When Trump dies (it cannot happen too soon), there will be spontaneous applause all across this country.

Well maybe the on the coasts. There will be great weeping in the heartland that the great leader is gone.

I wonder what will happen to the GOP, now that it's a cult of personality. Will they rally around Pence, or dissolve into warring factions? Pretend for the sake of argument that Trump pops a blood vessel sometime between tomorrow and Nov '20.

Pence has none of the Trump charisma. His whole demeanor is pride in his rigorous church schedule. He can't rally the legions.

They'd be desperate to replicate 2016 and find another dog-whistling, I-hate-who-you-hate podium-thumper. They'd probably have to settle for Huckabee/Kobach or something.

[Holman]

Holy crap.

Here is the video that Sanders is putting out:



Others are pointing out that this is a version posted by InfoWars. It speeds up the video to make the movements look violent.

I hate that they are this fucking dishonest, and I hate that we're all getting sucked into what is obviously an attempt to distract from Sessions/Whitaker.

EDIT: It's actually slowed down and then immediately sped up to make Acosta's movement look even faster.

Doctored official images are Stalinist stuff.

[malchior]

At least that'd be some explanation as to why so many Trumpaloos are crowing about how he definitely hit her. Misleading intentionally like that for the cult leader though...man...we live in some fucking dark times.

[Chaz]

If you're catching up on stuff from that press conference (there's SO MUCH IN THERE), don't miss the three foreign reporters asking questions. They have accents, and trump interrupts them to tell them how he can't understand what they're saying.

That's probably a sundowner thing. My wife pointed out that lately, her father has also started saying that he can't understand people with accents.

Here's some good bits! Including this one:

Reporter: So, point-blank, Democrats go after your tax returns—will you try to block that, or will you allow them to have it?

Trump: Well, look, as I’ve told you, they’re under audit. They have been for a long time. They’re extremely complex. People wouldn’t understand them. They’re done by among the biggest and best law firms in the country. Same thing with the accounting firms. The accountants are a very, very large, powerful firm from the standpoint of respect—they’re highly respected. Big firm. A great law firm; you know it very well. They do these things, they put them in. But people don’t understand tax returns. Now, I did do a filing of over 100 pages, I believe, which is in the offices. And when people went and saw that filing and they saw the magnitude of it, they were very disappointed, and they saw, you know, the detail. You get far more from that, and I guess we filed that now three times. But you get far more from that than you could ever get from a tax return. But when you are under audit—and I’m on a very continuous audit because there are so many companies and it is a very big company, far bigger than you would even understand, but it’s a great company. But it’s big and it’s complex, and it’s probably feet high. It is a very complex instrument. And I think that people wouldn’t understand it, but if I were finished with the audit, I would have an open mind to it, I would say that. But I don’t want to do it during the audit. And really, no lawyer, even from the other side, they say often—not always, but when you are under audit, you don’t have, you don’t subject it to that. You get it done and then you release it. When that happens, if that happens, I would certainly have an open mind to it.

Reporter: So if the audit is still on, you will not turn over the tax returns?

Trump: When it’s under audit, no. Nobody would. Nobody turns over a return when it is under audit.

[hepcat]

Once this administration is gone, I really hope Sanders goes with it. She's really quite despicable.

[Carpet_pissr]

Trump: They’re extremely complex. People wouldn’t understand them. ... But people don’t understand tax returns. ... But when you are under audit—and I’m on a very continuous audit because there are so many companies and it is a very big company, far bigger than you would even understand, but it’s a great company. But it’s big and it’s complex, and it’s probably feet high. It is a very complex instrument. And I think that people wouldn’t understand it...”

Yes, we get it, your average mouth-breathing, Trumplove-stricken zealot probably can’t spell “tax”, much less understand your intentionally obtuse, shady shell company-ridden returns, but guess what, shitbag, that’s not who cares about seeing them.

I guess he’s thinking/hoping Joe the Plumber would be poring over his convoluted tax returns.

Also, I think I just heard Bob Mueller say “Hold my beer.”

[Unagi]

Once this administration is gone, I really hope Sanders goes with it. She's really quite despicable.

Has a press secretary ever once spanned 2 administrations?

[hepcat]

I'm talking completely gone. As in "can't get a job anywhere and has to just stay away from politics altogether" gone.

[Carpet_pissr]

I'm talking completely gone. As in "can't get a job anywhere and has to just stay away from politics altogether" gone.

What?! Dude, Trumpsters revere her as a straight-talkin’, no BS-takin’ gotdam national treasure. She will have jobs and speaking gigs for as long as there are strong Nationalist tendencies here.

Which will likely outlive you.

[Defiant]

Has a press secretary ever once spanned 2 administrations?

Only when they were the same party (FDR/Truman, JFK/LBJ, Reagan/Bush Sr). Haven't checked any cases of non-consecutive appointment.

[LawBeefaroni]

I'm talking completely gone. As in "can't get a job anywhere and has to just stay away from politics altogether" gone.

What?! Dude, Trumpsters revere her as a straight-talkin’, no BS-takin’ gotdam national treasure. She will have jobs and speaking gigs for as long as there is strong Nationalist support in the rural areas of the country.

She doesn't look like she'll survive another 2 years. I predict either a breakdown or resignation for "health reasons."

[hepcat]

I'm talking completely gone. As in "can't get a job anywhere and has to just stay away from politics altogether" gone.

What?! Dude, Trumpsters revere her as a straight-talkin’, no BS-takin’ gotdam national treasure. She will have jobs and speaking gigs for as long as there are strong Nationalist tendencies here.

Which will likely outlive you.

If I don't lay off the nachos, that will be Saturday.

[Zarathud]

1. A tax return under audit isn't a fucking top secret document. The IRS agent doing the examination by definition has it as Exhibit #1 once it's filed.
2. Complicated doesn't mean you get audited. You get audited if you're taking questionable positions or operate in a business which takes questionable tax positions.
3. You don't file the same tax return THREE TIMES unless you keep finding questionable tax positions or income you didn't report.
4. Trump just fired Sessions over the Mueller investigation, and arguably obstructed the investigation several times. Do you really think Trump wouldn't do the same with the IRS when his money's on the line?

[LawBeefaroni]

4. Trump just fired Sessions over the Mueller investigation, and arguably obstructed the investigation several times. Do you really think Trump wouldn't do the same with the IRS when his money's on the line?

Why would he have to? He's a straight-talking truth-seeker with a godzillion dollars and master negotiation skills. Also, women love him and men respect him.

[Holman]

4. Trump just fired Sessions over the Mueller investigation, and arguably obstructed the investigation several times. Do you really think Trump wouldn't do the same with the IRS when his money's on the line?

Isn't it pretty certain that Mueller has had Trump's tax returns since Day Two?

The fight over their release is about making them public, as every other recent president has been expected to do.

[Unagi]

4. Trump just fired Sessions over the Mueller investigation, and arguably obstructed the investigation several times. Do you really think Trump wouldn't do the same with the IRS when his money's on the line?

Isn't it pretty certain that Mueller has had Trump's tax returns since Day Two?

The fight over their release is about making them public, as every other recent president has been expected to do.

Zarathud's point (I think) was that there is basically a Zero % chance that his tax returns are not filled with 'obstruction' with regard to filing honest tax returns.

[Sepiche]

1. A tax return under audit isn't a fucking top secret document. The IRS agent doing the examination by definition has it as Exhibit #1 once it's filed.

Wasn't the idea that his tax returns are even being audited debunked a while ago?

[Holman]

4. Trump just fired Sessions over the Mueller investigation, and arguably obstructed the investigation several times. Do you really think Trump wouldn't do the same with the IRS when his money's on the line?

Isn't it pretty certain that Mueller has had Trump's tax returns since Day Two?

The fight over their release is about making them public, as every other recent president has been expected to do.

Zarathud's point (I think) was that there is basically a Zero % chance that his tax returns are not filled with 'obstruction' with regard to filing honest tax returns.

Ack. I did misread. Apologies all around.

[Unagi]

1. A tax return under audit isn't a fucking top secret document. The IRS agent doing the examination by definition has it as Exhibit #1 once it's filed.

Wasn't the idea that his tax returns are even being audited debunked a while ago?

and if not, I know it was certainly debunked that an audit would have any bearing on releasing them. The IRS would have no such restriction. It's just pulled out of thin air.

[Alefroth]

3. You don't file the same tax return THREE TIMES unless you keep finding questionable tax positions or income you didn't report.

I think this is referring to the financial statement he submitted.

[Skinypupy]

We only laugh to keep from screaming.

[GreenGoo]

I just want to acknowledge that that has to be one of the shittiest jobs for an intern to have in the whitehouse. Aside from fluffer, I guess.

[Alefroth]

So laying your hands on a woman gets you banned from the White House?

[Daehawk]

So laying your hands on a woman gets you banned from the White House?

I think it depends on 'where'