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Well... it's Trump... again. #47, here we go.

 
 
 
This is one angry world, and look how much of it is the doing of one twisted old man. He's got a whole continent loathing us because of his threats and his ignorant mouth. He's got Canadians hating us as a mark of national identity -- again, because of his nasty, insulting mouth. There are organized boycotts of American-made products, especially in Canada, France, and Denmark, and that's bound to intensify. Inbound travel from Canada is freezing up, which has hit our hotel and restaurant sectors -- in some areas, bookings are down by a third. And of course, many of the countries that detest us have an economic weapon they can use if his tariff nonsense goes too far -- they can sell off our debt and cause economic turmoil here. In our country, he's basically going to war with cities and states he has a grudge against, even calling the practice potential 'training' for the military.
I keep remembering my civics class in high school, and how our Constitution was described as a miracle of statecraft, a model of government that had safeguards against any one part of it seizing control of the rest. That seems like a delusion now. We are behaving like the rogue states we've criticized from a position of assumed virtue. Trump must have a reckoning coming, and maybe the whole country will have one. What a stupid time to be American.
 
ideologyhunter said:
And of course, many of the countries that detest us have an economic weapon they can use if his tariff nonsense goes too far -- they can sell off our debt and cause economic turmoil here.
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I have never understood why people think holders of US Treasury debt can hurt the US by selling their holdings on the open market (which deals in truly immense volumes - Google says that if China dumped everything it would amount to about one day's trading volume) or by "calling it in" (which is not something holders of US Treasury debt can do).

A concerted worldwide effort to decline to purchase new issues OTOH...
 
ideologyhunter said:
This is one angry world, and look how much of it is the doing of one twisted old man. He's got a whole continent loathing us because of his threats and his ignorant mouth. He's got Canadians hating us as a mark of national identity -- again, because of his nasty, insulting mouth. There are organized boycotts of American-made products, especially in Canada, France, and Denmark, and that's bound to intensify. Inbound travel from Canada is freezing up, which has hit our hotel and restaurant sectors -- in some areas, bookings are down by a third. And of course, many of the countries that detest us have an economic weapon they can use if his tariff nonsense goes too far -- they can sell off our debt and cause economic turmoil here. In our country, he's basically going to war with cities and states he has a grudge against, even calling the practice potential 'training' for the military.
I keep remembering my civics class in high school, and how our Constitution was described as a miracle of statecraft, a model of government that had safeguards against any one part of it seizing control of the rest. That seems like a delusion now. We are behaving like the rogue states we've criticized from a position of assumed virtue. Trump must have a reckoning coming, and maybe the whole country will have one. What a stupid time to be American.
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Sure he is a demented sociopath. But the GOP is responsible for all the problems. It is rotten.
 
scombrid said:
Sure he is a demented sociopath. But the GOP is responsible for all the problems. It is rotten.
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Stalin would have just been a local gangster and seminary drop-out, without the Bolsheviks.

Hitler would have just been a bitter homeless war veteran with mental health problems, without the NSDAP.

Leaders need followers, or they are nobodies. Whether the reverse is true is less clear. If Stalin, or Hitler, or Trump had died just after they took control, would it have changed things for the better? Once an entire structure of corruption has been established, the loss of the figurehead seems unlikely to be sufficient to roll back the damage.
 
jonatha said:
ideologyhunter said:
And of course, many of the countries that detest us have an economic weapon they can use if his tariff nonsense goes too far -- they can sell off our debt and cause economic turmoil here.
Click to expand...
I have never understood why people think holders of US Treasury debt can hurt the US by selling their holdings on the open market (which deals in truly immense volumes - Google says that if China dumped everything it would amount to about one day's trading volume)
Click to expand...
Surely the volume of trading is not just the only factor. Imagine the blow to the prestige (and ego) of the US if the Treasury debt was attempted to be sold on a single day. The price(s?) would crash and the ripple (or rather tsumani) effects elsewhere would be huge. The next few days trading would be so unpredictable.
On a smaller scale we can see the effects when Soros drove down the pound. Imagine that worldwide.
jonatha said:
or by "calling it in" (which is not something holders of US Treasury debt can do).

A concerted worldwide effort to decline to purchase new issues OTOH...
Click to expand...
 
scombrid said:
ideologyhunter said:
This is one angry world, and look how much of it is the doing of one twisted old man. He's got a whole continent loathing us because of his threats and his ignorant mouth. He's got Canadians hating us as a mark of national identity -- again, because of his nasty, insulting mouth. There are organized boycotts of American-made products, especially in Canada, France, and Denmark, and that's bound to intensify. Inbound travel from Canada is freezing up, which has hit our hotel and restaurant sectors -- in some areas, bookings are down by a third. And of course, many of the countries that detest us have an economic weapon they can use if his tariff nonsense goes too far -- they can sell off our debt and cause economic turmoil here. In our country, he's basically going to war with cities and states he has a grudge against, even calling the practice potential 'training' for the military.
I keep remembering my civics class in high school, and how our Constitution was described as a miracle of statecraft, a model of government that had safeguards against any one part of it seizing control of the rest. That seems like a delusion now. We are behaving like the rogue states we've criticized from a position of assumed virtue. Trump must have a reckoning coming, and maybe the whole country will have one. What a stupid time to be American.
Click to expand...
Sure he is a demented sociopath. But the GOP is responsible for all the problems. It is rotten.
Click to expand...
Not disagreeing -- the GOP is complicit in all the madness. But I am continually struck by how our history is being determined by the mental quirks and malfunctions of one man. Without Donald, we would not have Greenland as a major concern. We would not have the Canadians, normally a placid population, as I've encountered them, livid with rage at us. Same now for most Europeans. I do not think you'll find many Republicans besides Donald who find insulting our nominal allies a good road to take. They're just too chicken -- and, you're correct, rotten -- to object, let alone rebel. Trump is strikingly malicious and unstable. Amazing how many people who are much smarter than him take up his crusade. Lindsey and Ted are just two of the most visible of these slimeballs. There's an army of them, and they've corrupted our government for the foreseeable future.
 
slate.com

It’s Time to Face the Big Question About Trump That No One Wants to Ask

He’s always been odd. But this seems possibly worse.
slate.com slate.com
Donald Trump has been acting a little weird lately, even for him. During a speech he gave in Davos, Switzerland, last week, he kept mixing up Iceland and Greenland. Mistaking one country for another is far from abnormal for him, but it is a touch odd, considering his current obsession with Greenland. An obsession which, as he very publicly wrote to the Norwegian prime minister, is related to the fact that he wasn’t awarded the Nobel Peace Prize—a bizarre conflation, given that Greenland is a Danish territory, not a Norwegian one. During a recent meeting with oil executives, he spontaneously stood up, walked over to the window to gaze at his ballroom construction project, then returned to his seat. When someone fainted in the Oval Office in November, he barely reacted. He’s been dozing off in meetings, which led Dick Cheney’s doctor to call for a medical evaluation. (Then again, it’s hardly the first time he’s slept in public.) He recently underwent advanced imaging of either an MRI or CT scan, neither of which is standard preventive care. And his speech continues to descend into gobbledygook.


Some of the recent episodes have reinvigorated the conversation of whether it’s just Trump being his unfiltered, unbothered Trump self or if it’s possible that, at 79 years old, he’s showing signs of cognitive decline or even dementia.
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Trump is 79. POTUS is a physically, mentally and emotionally draining job for a middle agrd person in top shape. He is not and he is old. I am sure part of this is that he is fatigued.
 
Hypocrisy about immigrant labor

Forbes said:
Key Facts

* In October 2025, Trump’s Department of Labor enacted a rule changing how wages are calculated for some temporary foreign farmworkers on H-2A visas, lowering pay rates for certain jobs.

* Two months later, the Trump Organization filed paperwork seeking approval to hire 36 foreign workers via H-2A visas for its Virginia winery from February through October 2026, saying it could not find enough U.S. workers and that hiring foreign labor would not hurt domestic wages or working conditions.

* The jobs pay $13.90 an hour—$1.91 less than what the winery paid in 2025 and below what it has offered for similar roles since 2021, according to Labor Department records.

* The Trump Organization has sought to bring at least 2,069 foreign workers into the United States since 2008, the first year for which records are available online.

* Trump has largely avoided criticizing the use of foreign labor in agriculture, but his company’s continued reliance on temporary foreign labor contrasts with his political message that foreign workers displace Americans and suppress U.S. wages.

* Spokespeople for the White House and the Trump Organization did not respond to inquiries.
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The Trump family has a history with illegal labor. For example
* Melania Knauss Trump entered the U.S. August 27, 1996 on a B1/B2 tourist visa.
* An Associated Press investigation indicated she worked illegally for 10 modeling jobs between September 10 and October 15, 1996.
* She received her first H-1B visa on October 18, 1996, allowing her to work as a model.
* Melania Trump obtained a U.S. green card in 2001 through an EB-1 visa, often called an "Einstein visa," designed for individuals with "extraordinary ability".
* Rumors that her "extraordinary ability" was in the field of high-priced erotic services have never been proven in court.
 
www.pewresearch.org

Confidence in Trump Dips, and Fewer Now Say They Support His Policies and Plans

Only 27% of Americans say they support all or most of Trump's policies – down since last year, with the change coming entirely among Republicans.
www.pewresearch.org www.pewresearch.org

A new Pew Research Center survey of 8,512 U.S. adults, conducted Jan. 20-26, also finds that – across six key qualities and abilities needed to serve as president – more Americans express little or no confidence in Trump than say they are extremely or very confident in him.

Confidence is down on all six measures since last year, particularly among Republicans.
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  • Democrats overwhelmingly say their congressional leadership should stand up to Trump. Today, 82% (up from 70% last year) want to see their leaders pushing back against Trump, even if that makes it harder to address problems. A smaller majority of Republicans (61%) say Trump should stand up to Democratic leaders. This is similar to their views a year ago.
  • Nearly half of Americans (47%) now say Trump will be an unsuccessful president in the long term. This share is up 14 points since last year, with most of this change occurring among Democrats. A majority of Republicans continue to say Trump will be successful in the long run.
  • Trump’s approval among Republicans is now 73% – down slightly since September. Older Americans, White adults and those without a college degree continue to approve of his performance more than others.
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:cheer:
 
With a sufficiently equipped ICE Army deployed in all American population centers, it won’t take many massacres to train people about the needlessness (already being asserted) of having elections this fall or protesting that needlessness.

The Trump madness has become a panicked rush to habituate the population to heinous acts prior to deploying massively lethal force against elections this fall.
 
India and US have a deal (sure, not yet signed). Tariffs on Indian products reduced to (a manageable) 18%. Trump and Modi declare that they are friends, again.
 
aupmanyav said:
India and US have a deal (sure, not yet signed). Tariffs on Indian products reduced to (a manageable) 18%. Trump and Modi declare that they are friends, again.
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I'm not exactly seeing a drop from 25% to 18% being "manageable". It is BS. Trump and Modi are "friends" until Trump finds some other reason to go out on a tangent.
 
Jimmy Higgins said:
aupmanyav said:
India and US have a deal (sure, not yet signed). Tariffs on Indian products reduced to (a manageable) 18%. Trump and Modi declare that they are friends, again.
Click to expand...
I'm not exactly seeing a drop from 25% to 18% being "manageable". It is BS. Trump and Modi are "friends" until Trump finds some other reason to go out on a tangent.
Click to expand...
Supposedly it was 25% + another 25% for some other egregious act committed by the Indian government and is to drop to 18% total. But looking for exactly when India will stop receiving Russian oil, no sooner than the end of March is expected as contracts for delivery are already in place and the main Indian refiner said they've so far received no notification to stop the purchase of Russia oil. I think tariffs should drop proportionally with the drop in Russian oil purchased.
Trump says Venezuelan oil will make up the difference for India. I suppose the Venezuelan goop will come to the US and lighter crude will go to India. I don't know that India has the ability to breakdown the Venezuelan stuff.
 
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