President 'The Donald' Trump and Surprising Consequences - Mod warning in OP

InTheTrees

I think it was more about trump trying looking forceful to the Chinese premier who is visiting the US right now.

It's also a message to bannon that trump is firmly on Kushner's side in the current white house power struggle.

El_Duderino 09

InTheTrees wrote:

I think it was more about trump trying looking forceful to the Chinese premier who is visiting the US right now.
It's also a message to bannon that trump is firmly on Kushner's side in the current white house power struggle.

I'll tell you one thing it wasn't about; taking a position on the Syrian conflict. There's no way that anything about this is definitive including the position on Assad as leader, or alliances with any of the factions operating in Syria (except Isis).

Today's position is just that - today's position. I feel sorry for the republicans who will need to justify the switch when he does another about-face on Assad.

Either way, it served its purpose as it set the news agenda for the entire weekend. There's no point in dwelling on the meaning of the attack. It was just yesterday's headline. Now it's on to tomorrow's crisis.

Water John

If Bannon threatened to resign, lets have another push or two and get rid of the dangerous svengalii.

aloyisious

This might up the ante as far as Don and Vlad are concerned...

https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwij_b6D8pXTAhUGBMAKHSJxByYQqQIILigAMAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2Fnews%2Fnationworld%2Fct-syria-khan-sheikhoun-airstrike-20170408-story.html&usg=AFQjCNHj6ijr8mHV-Q6lvlB9DlQiBSUwJw

mattser

I notice this thread has slowed down a little since the tomahawks.

Nody

mattser wrote: »

I notice this thread has slowed down a little since the tomahawks.

Weekend slow down in general though; in other news Trump is on his 15th golf trip in 11 weeks since becoming president. At the current going rate assuming he somehow makes it for 8 years he'll cost the US tax payers close to a billion dollars ($970MM) and has already racked up $23MM compared to Obama's total travel bill for 8 years of $97MM.

And as mandatory inclusion let's not forget Trump's view on spending to much time golfing...
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/521813597799067648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fdonald-trump-xi-jinping-golf-trip-fifteenth-eleven-weeks-mar-a-l-ago-syria-air-strikes-a7674301.html

And let's not forget Trump's only new source view on things:
https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/375071259643879425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fdonald-trump-xi-jinping-golf-trip-fifteenth-eleven-weeks-mar-a-l-ago-syria-air-strikes-a7674301.html

But this is Fox so actually doing the airstrikes then it's ok to go golfing but considering airstrikes and going golfing is bad...

El_Duderino 09

Nody wrote:

Weekend slow down in general though; in other news Trump is on his 15th golf trip in 11 weeks since becoming president. At the current going rate assuming he somehow makes it for 8 years he'll cost the US tax payers close to a

For republicans it was different when president Black Satan was spending taxpayer money golfing, they probably think he shouldn't be on a golf course to begin with. Now that a proper president is doing the job, they can do what they like as normal.

As with other scandals like Hillary's emails and Benghazi, it was just a political stick to beat the opposition rather than any kind of generalisable principal.

Water John

Seems Kuschner and Bannon have agreed to 'bury the hatchet'. Just wished, that was in each other.

Igotadose

Another non-talent off the US NSC. Good riddance, KT Mac Farland, now ambassador to Singapore. Hopefully public caning awaits her.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kt-mcfarland-national-security-council-singapore-ambassador-stephen-bannon-michael-flynn-donald-a7675361.html

aloyisious

Igotadose wrote: »

Another non-talent off the US NSC. Good riddance, KT Mac Farland, now ambassador to Singapore. Hopefully public caning awaits her.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kt-mcfarland-national-security-council-singapore-ambassador-stephen-bannon-michael-flynn-donald-a7675361.html

I'm wondering if she'll have the nerve to decline Don's offer of appointment. The NSC members are also presidential appointees and serve at his/her grace.

I'l lol'ing as it was set up under Harry Truman in 1947 as the State Dept was thought inadequate to contain the USSR. Both B Obama and D Trump have altered the NSC set-ups, Steve Bannon being the most senior deletion by Don to date.

rossie1977

Republicans got what they wanted, their man in the supreme court. Trump can do what he likes now given a Republican will now occupy that seat for the next 40 years.

Harika

Putin now playing Trump with the claim that the US wants to bomb Damascus and blame Assad for then fake gas attack. The troll army is already on the move claiming there never was a chemical attack in Syria and it was fabricated by the US, so expect a lot of news in this direction for the next few weeks.
So Trump can attack further and will be blamed for any civilian casualties or they can step back and change their position from Assad can stay, to Assad has to go to Assad can stay again.

aloyisious

Harika wrote: »

Putin now playing Trump with the claim that the US wants to bomb Damascus and blame Assad for then fake gas attack. The troll army is already on the move claiming there never was a chemical attack in Syria and it was fabricated by the US, so expect a lot of news in this direction for the next few weeks.
So Trump can attack further and will be blamed for any civilian casualties or they can step back and change their position from Assad can stay, to Assad has to go to Assad can stay again.

To be honest, I'm surprised that accusations of supply and fake end-user certs haven't been put into play. No one waving a shell fragment with made in US or Federation marking on it yet.

demfad

Carter Page is under FISA investigation. Washington Post

Below are pasted the prerequisites for getting a FISA warrant on an individual.

Ergo Carter Page named by Trump as one of his aids is believed by the FBI to be a Russian spy.

Page has commented saying its an Obama/Clinton conspiracy. This explanation just makes him less believable. Page would be advised to be smart now and cut a deal. You have only one life. He should not completely waste it in loyalty to Trump now.

Billy86

demfad wrote: »

Carter Page is under FISA investigation. Washington Post

Stolen off Reddit, and very interesting, here is a video of Page admitting with Roseneft representatives - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MEmg4DNVFSE&feature=youtu.be&t=1620

What's interesting about that? Well he has apparently been constantly denying having ever met with Roseneft representatives ever since the Steele dossier came out.

Itssoeasy

I see Sean spicer disengaged his brain yesterday and decided to start a sentence with the name "hitler.." I mean why would you do that ? He then had to apologise for making stupid comments like that when asked about the attack in Syria. I mean Sean spicer is one of the few people in the trump administration who should what he's doing given his experience in the RNC.

Harika

Itssoeasy wrote: »

I see Sean spicer disengaged his brain yesterday and decided to start a sentence with the name "hitler.." I mean why would you do that ? He then had to apologise for making stupid comments like that when asked about the attack in Syria. I mean Sean spicer is one of the few people in the trump administration who should what he's doing given his experience in the RNC.

Still not sure what to think about the use of "Holocaust centres" for concentration camps.

Water John

We'll let Chechnya decide that as they are active in using such places for their Gay minority.

El_Duderino 09

Yeah I get that what he said was stipud. He meant that they never used chemical weapons on ww2 battlefields. Then he kept digging his way out.

This isn't a big problem in and of itself.

It's pandering to the Jewish community in a way that wouldn't be necessary for any other genocide, then splitting hairs about the terminology used.

Trump is openly racist/sectarian about Mexicans and Muslims and this coment was a gaff more than anything intentionally racist/sectarian

Akrasia

Itssoeasy wrote: »

I see Sean spicer disengaged his brain yesterday and decided to start a sentence with the name "hitler.." I mean why would you do that ? He then had to apologise for making stupid comments like that when asked about the attack in Syria. I mean Sean spicer is one of the few people in the trump administration who should what he's doing given his experience in the RNC.

It was hilarious.

He only realised that he messed up, and he tried to backpeddle when the reporters questioned him.

It was an obvious 'oh sh1t' moment when he remembered all those gas chambers during the Holocaust.

Akrasia

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Yeah I get that what he said was stipud. He meant that they never used chemical weapons on ww2 battlefields. Then he kept digging his way out.

This isn't a big problem in and of itself.

It's pandering to the Jewish community in a way that wouldn't be necessary for any other genocide, then splitting hairs about the terminology used.

Trump is openly racist/sectarian about Mexicans and Muslims and this coment was a gaff more than anything intentionally racist/sectarian

It was a horrific gaf, first, without any real prompting, he was trying to say that Assad is worse than Hitler, and then he completely forgot about the holocaust, which is why everyone hates hitler so much.

Hitler didn't use gas against his own people?
What an utterly ridiculous thing to even try to say.

El_Duderino 09

Akrasia wrote: »

It was a horrific gaf, first, without any real prompting, he was trying to say that Assad is worse than Hitler, and then he completely forgot about the holocaust, which is why everyone hates hitler so much.

Hitler didn't use gas against his own people?
What an utterly ridiculous thing to even try to say.

Yeah it was a gaff not something intentionally racist. Very little to see here and will offer trump an opportunity to demonstrate again how pro Jewish he is

Billy86

Well, after a few quiet days that must have been hugely welcomed by Trump, it's all flowing again.

Records show former Trump campaign manager Manafort received payments detailed in once-secret ledger he suggested was fake.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Last August, a handwritten ledger surfaced in Ukraine with dollar amounts and dates next to the name of Paul Manafort, who was then Donald Trump's campaign chairman.

Ukrainian investigators called it evidence of off-the-books payments from a pro-Russian political party — and part of a larger pattern of corruption under the country's former president. Manafort, who worked for the party as an international political consultant, has publicly questioned the ledger's authenticity.

Now, financial records newly obtained by The Associated Press confirm that at least $1.2 million in payments listed in the ledger next to Manafort's name were actually received by his consulting firm in the United States. They include payments in 2007 and 2009, providing the first evidence that Manafort's firm received at least some money listed in the so-called Black Ledger.

Another strike in Syria, Iraq or an aggressive move in North Korea over the long weekend, perhaps?

Leroy42

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Yeah it was a gaff not something intentionally racist. Very little to see here and will offer trump an opportunity to demonstrate again how pro Jewish he is

Racism is not the only reason for people to be shocked at something.

Hitler/Jews etc has nothing to do with me personally but that doesn't mean that I cannot see how incredible crass and unprofessional his comments were, never mind how they come across to Jewish community etc.

His job is to portray the message of POTUS to the world. It is meant to give unified, single consistent message. To act as a calming voice when things are starting to get out of hand and to let the world know the messages that POTUS wants to portray.

Whilst Trumps WH seems to be chaotic, Spicer is only adding to that issue, rather than helping reverse it. A good PS is able to refocus the media to topics or trends that suit POTUS. Everytime he speaks he makes things worse.

Either he comes across as authoritarian and tries to degrade the journalist or he get totally lost in whatever it is he is trying to say.

We are facing into a possible confrontation with North Korea, possibly China and this is the man in charge of the press briefings?

Really Interested

Leroy42 wrote: »

Racism is not the only reason for people to be shocked at something.

Hitler/Jews etc has nothing to do with me personally but that doesn't mean that I cannot see how incredible crass and unprofessional his comments were, never mind how they come across to Jewish community etc.

His job is to portray the message of POTUS to the world. It is meant to give unified, single consistent message. To act as a calming voice when things are starting to get out of hand and to let the world know the messages that POTUS wants to portray.

Whilst Trumps WH seems to be chaotic, Spicer is only adding to that issue, rather than helping reverse it. A good PS is able to refocus the media to topics or trends that suit POTUS. Everytime he speaks he makes things worse.

Either he comes across as authoritarian and tries to degrade the journalist or he get totally lost in whatever it is he is trying to say.

We are facing into a possible confrontation with North Korea, possibly China and this is the man in charge of the press briefings?

But very few now talking about Russia and connections to Trump team.

Water John

Maybe not at a public level. But the wheels of investigation grind on. Senate Committee will be coming.
You have further info on Carter Page and FISA surveillance, based on him being a probable Russian spy, and Manafort, whose black ledger is proved authentic. That's just today.

El_Duderino 09

Leroy42 wrote: »

Racism is not the only reason for people to be shocked at something.

Hitler/Jews etc has nothing to do with me personally but that doesn't mean that I cannot see how incredible crass and unprofessional his comments were, never mind how they come across to Jewish community etc.

His job is to portray the message of POTUS to the world. It is meant to give unified, single consistent message. To act as a calming voice when things are starting to get out of hand and to let the world know the messages that POTUS wants to portray.

Whilst Trumps WH seems to be chaotic, Spicer is only adding to that issue, rather than helping reverse it. A good PS is able to refocus the media to topics or trends that suit POTUS. Everytime he speaks he makes things worse.

Either he comes across as authoritarian and tries to degrade the journalist or he get totally lost in whatever it is he is trying to say.

We are facing into a possible confrontation with North Korea, possibly China and this is the man in charge of the press briefings?

Yeah I get it doesn't have to be racist, so he apologised and it should be over right?

Trump isn't trying to play down the chaos, he thrives in chaos as nobody really knows what's happening next do they can't prepare. Spicer represents that perspective perfectly.

He was making a Simple point about how dreadful Assad is "sure even Hitler never did that" which was both trivial and true to the extent that Hitler's didn't do what Assad did. But it was also a gaf which he apologised for. End of story for me.

Trump will be delighted as long the media stay focused on things other than the stuff of substance. He can do what he likes while the media are persecuting spicer for a gaff and splitting hairs.

Non-story should go away

Leroy42

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Non-story should go away

Yes I get the perspective but I think that allowing them to makes 'mistakes' like this only serves to normalise it.

Trump was played along with at the start because it was new and different and people thought he would change etc. He didn't and letting Spicer (or anyone) away with this type of stuff only serves to embolden them.

When he makes a future mistake people will claim its not as bad as previously so not worthy of bother. These people should be held to the highest standard not the lowest.

And in terms of taking the attention away from Russia and trump etc., the press already got Flynn and seriously wounded Sessions. They are continuing to work on Manafort and Paige and Jared.

It is very difficult to take down the top person, the better strategy is to go after those around him and crack them that way. Flynn is gone, Conway has been sidelined. Get Spicer replaced and another huge dent in Trumps team.

El_Duderino 09

Leroy42 wrote: »

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Non-story should go away

Yes I get the perspective but I think that allowing them to makes 'mistakes' like this only serves to normalise it.

Trump was played along with at the start because it was new and different and people thought he would change etc. He didn't and letting Spicer (or anyone) away with this type of stuff only serves to embolden them.

When he makes a future mistake people will claim its not as bad as previously so not worthy of bother. These people should be held to the highest standard not the lowest.

And in terms of taking the attention away from Russia and trump etc., the press already got Flynn and seriously wounded Sessions. They are continuing to work on Manafort and Paige and Jared.

It is very difficult to take down the top person, the better strategy is to go after those around him and crack them that way. Flynn is gone, Conway has been sidelined. Get Spicer replaced and another huge dent in Trumps team.

Sure hold them up high standards. He made a balls of his analogy and apologised. If he refused to apologise then you'd gave a story.

I'd love to see trump taken down but this us just the type of media nonsense breeds distrust and that trump used to his advantage last year.

Trump will stop his inferiors like a hot snot when they pose a threat to him. He hasn't been touched by the investigations and his associates are taking all the bullets and falling like flies.

I hold myself to the standard I would hold the media and other anti trump people to. This is a non story and is the kind of gotcha stuff that I can't stand.

Billy86

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

I hold myself to the standard I would hold the media and other anti trump people to. This is a non story and is the kind of gotcha stuff that I can't stand.

It's really dumb and shows his utter incompetence (again) but I would have to agree - far more important is what is going on with the daily Russian developments, for a start.

That said, that his apology came on CNN is f***ing golden! :pac: