What does the future hold for Donald Trump? - threadbans in OP

Quin_Dub · 03-11-2021 1:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118112271#Comment_118112271

How many of these "Judgement days" have come and gone already though?

They seem to be able to just ignore the failures and move to the next date without missing a beat.

Reality isn't a factor here and that's the scary part - How do you pull someone back from this stuff if they can apparently suspend all rational thought so readily?

dogbert27 · 03-11-2021 3:48pm

Looks like JFK Jr got cold feet in running with Trump!! 😂

extra gravy · 03-11-2021 3:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118112271#Comment_118112271

Apparently they were also supposed to go back to the Julian calendar yesterday! Which, of course, allows them to conveniently play around with dates and bring other calendars into it. No doubt the already deluded disciples will lap up any "explanation" for the no show.

ohnonotgmail · 03-11-2021 3:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113256#Comment_118113256

after being dead for 20 years I doubt there is much of his feet left.

briany · 03-11-2021 4:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118112292#Comment_118112292

“I don’t know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate"

Another perfectly normal thing Trump said while in the White House...

It's also complete hokum to say Trump knows nothing about it. He had retweeted many QAnon shill accounts in his time on Twitter. He had also said in a 2018 speech,

You know, I told the story the other day, I was probably in Washington in my entire life 17 times. True, 17 times. I don't think I ever stayed overnight. You know what I'm getting at, right?

Within QAnon, the number 17 has significance, with Q being the 17th letter, and so is subject to a lot of silly numerology. It's a good thing for Trump to latch onto without ever really being called on it, because there's plausible deniability in there.

Patrick2010 · 03-11-2021 4:11pm

How did the US get into such a state that such a large number of people actually believe this Qanon crap. Also that so many republicans believe that the last election was stolen. Maybe Democrats should refuse to accept the Virginia election result, cry fraud and demand an audit?

Penn · 03-11-2021 4:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113409#Comment_118113409

I think it stems from such a strong desire for the result (Trump/GOP in power, CRT banned, BLM destroyed, no vaccines, pure freedom etc etc) that they're willing to believe absolutely anything once it leads to the result they want. None of them are hoping JFK Jr is alive, they just want Trump back in power and so the idea JFK Jr comes back, sides with Trump, destroys the Dems is easy for them to swallow.

Likewise they want so desperately for the election results to be changed that they're willing to believe there was election fraud etc, and especially since these things are being backed up and propagated by the people they follow, like Trump himself.

briany · 03-11-2021 4:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113409#Comment_118113409

The Democrats doing what you suggest would only serve to further normalise the tactic being used by Trump and his followers. If neither side professes any faith in elections which they lose, then democracy cannot continue in the USA, and that's exactly what Trump and his followers want.

osarusan · 03-11-2021 4:34pm

Interesting to see an 'anti-Trump' Republican get elected in Virginia.

Good news for those Republicans who feel the party needs to move away from Trump and his policies (such as they existed at all), bad news for those who felt the way to win was to offer Trump-esque politics.

I think it's going to become more and more clear that the 2020 election was really a 'Trump out' vote rather than a 'Biden In' vote, and his influence will wane.

kowloon · 03-11-2021 4:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118112315#Comment_118112315

Some people don't seem to come back at all, nothing will dig them out. I've seen anti-vaxxers (almost synonymous with QAnon at this stage) snap out of it after they've spent some time on a ventilator, but I've seen a story about a man bringing covid home and killing his parents blaming his vaccinated sister for infecting them with the vaccine. I'm guessing the sunk cost is enormous at that stage and it's hard for a person to come to terms with the damage they've done to their lives, relationships and even to their health and that of those around them. They're victims of misinformation. Garbage in, garbage out. On the other hand, it seems to come more easily to people who lean into more mean-spirited politics and beliefs.

I'd love to read the history of it all when we can be a little more objective. When did it move from just being crazies that people considered harmless to affecting society more substantively?

Patrick2010 · 03-11-2021 5:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113472#Comment_118113472

That was a bit of a tongue in cheek, just curious to know what the Republicans would say if it was suggested.

Patrick2010 · 03-11-2021 5:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113539#Comment_118113539

I don't know if he was really anti-Trump, he never criticized Trump and seemed happy with Trumps approval of him. I think the local Republican party tried to have the best of both worlds , accepting Trumps approval of their guy while keeping him at arms length and not have Trump actually campaigning in Virginia.

Itssoeasy · 03-11-2021 5:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113539#Comment_118113539

I take it the “anti trump” in quotes is due to you not believing he was an actual anti trump. From what I saw he said and did enough to not alienate the trump base but also kept far enough away to not lose the suburbs which might be some basis of a strategy going forward. The best outcome for the GOP imo is trump been taken off the stage and they aren’t the cause of it. If trump is involved in any way he could hurt the GOP just like he did in Georgia at the start of the year.

duploelabs · 03-11-2021 7:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113921#Comment_118113921

Quite the opposite. He said that Trump tried to call him many times, told him he didn't want him at any rallies, and no endorsement from trump was ever issued

amdublin · 03-11-2021 9:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118097654#Comment_118097654

person woman man camera tv

valoren · 03-11-2021 10:17pm

Cognitive dissonance is powerful and it can explain how people can latch onto ridiculous things such as this JFK Jr running with Trump nonsense. Obviously JFK Jr won't be doing this considering he is dead but these balmpots can be confronted with an inevitable no show and, this being where the cognitive dissonance kicks in, they can start believing that, yes, he is alive and he truly wants to run with Trump but the satanic bad guys (likely) got wind of this and kidnapped him/blackmailed him/murdered him etc. The tragic thing is that this simply fuels and strengthens their dedication all the more to the cause.

briany · 03-11-2021 11:08pm

At this point, I'd kind of like to see what would happen if someone posing as JFK Jr. actually did show up to one of these rallies.

Itssoeasy · 04-11-2021 8:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118115624#Comment_118115624

Haha. I’d say it’s likely they’d collectively **** themselves because well it’d be zombie JFK jr.

04-11-2021 8:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118112315#Comment_118112315

I don't think all of these could be described as "Judgement Days" but here is a list of failed predictions from Wikipedia:

The "Storm" would take place on November 3, 2017. There were no notable events in US politics on that day.
A major event involving the Department of Defense would take place on February 1, 2018. No significant event involving the Department happened that day.
People targeted by the president would commit suicide en masse on February 10, 2018. No prominent people committed suicide that day.
There would be a car bombing in London around February 16, 2018. There was no bombing.
A "smoking gun" video of Hillary Clinton would emerge in March 2018. No video appeared.
Something major would happen in Chongqing on April 10, 2018. Nothing notable happened in Chongqing that day.
There would be a "bombshell" revelation about North Korea in May 2018. There were no notable developments.
The "Storm" would take place on January 20, 2021, the day of Biden's inauguration. No coup took place and Biden was peacefully inaugurated.
The Trump military parade would "never be forgotten". The parade was canceled.
The Five Eyes "won't be around much longer". The Five Eyes still exists as of October 2021.
Multiple failed predictions that John McCain would resign from the US Senate. McCain remained in the Senate until his death in August 2018.
Multiple failed predictions that Mark Zuckerberg would leave Facebook and flee the United States. Zuckerberg remains CEO of Facebook.
Multiple failed predictions that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey would be forced to resign. Dorsey remains CEO of Twitter as of October 2021.
Multiple failed predictions that Pope Francis would be arrested on felony charges. Francis has not been arrested and remains Pope.
Multiple failed predictions that "something big" would happen or the truth would emerge "next week".
Multiple failed predictions that Donald Trump would be re-inaugurated on January 20, 2021, despite losing the election. Joe Biden was inaugurated as planned on January 20.
Donald Trump would be inaugurated on March 4, 2021, as the 19th president. This claim stems from a conspiracy theory stating that the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 made the United States into a corporation (a theory developed by the sovereign citizen movement). Therefore, Trump would have been inaugurated as the 19th president (after Ulysses S. Grant) and the country would cease to be a corporation and once again become the country started by the Founding Fathers. March 4 is the inauguration date because the 20th Amendment changed the date to January 20, and no amendments to the U.S. Constitution since 1869 are recognized. Joe Biden remains the incumbent president of the United States, counted as the 46th.
Donald Trump would be inaugurated again on March 20, 2021. After this failed to transpire, QAnon "delayed" the inauguration date to March 20, then to August 13. Biden remained president.
QAnon's first prediction was that Hillary Clinton was about to be arrested and would attempt to flee the country.

SupplyandDemandZone · 04-11-2021 9:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118113539#Comment_118113539

If people are only realizing now that Biden getting elected was nothing to do with his ability as a politician and all to do with him not being Trump then they are useless at reading the room in America. The big mistake the Dems made is putting a candidate as poor as Joe forward and not someone who could serve two terms (i don't think Biden will even complete one tbh). Trump's stupidity gave the Dems an open goal for the next 8 years and they've completely botched it.

kowloon · 04-11-2021 9:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116408#Comment_118116408

Similar chance that Trump won't make it to the next election. Also in his 70s and much fonder of the cheese burgers. Not necessarily a good thing as his replacement could very well be worse.

Leroy42 · 04-11-2021 10:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116408#Comment_118116408

You made this point before and while I agree with the thinking that Biden got many anti-Trump votes, I don't think it stands up at all that someone else was a better option. Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg. Warren? Anyone the Dems put up would have attracted the ire of the right. The first and most important aim was to win back the WH. They simply could not allow Trump another 4 years, given the complete disaster he was.

As to 2024, again I do agree that the Dems face a decision. But the real problem lies with the GOP. They have tied themselves to Trump. So Trump needs to run in 2024 to bring his supporters and yet by running he will face into the exact same anti-Trump voters then he did the last time. What can Trump do to win over voters? So the Dems can easily replace Biden with any number of candidates in 2024 as they will be facing the same open goal due to Trumps stupidity.

osarusan · 04-11-2021 10:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116674#Comment_118116674

This was always going to be the question for the GOP - to choose the best path for the future.

Do they choose Trump or a Trump-esque character who will energise that cohort of people that Trump energised, while also bringing out the 'Anti-Trump' vote? Or do they choose somebody who is less divisive, and who will energise less both those who were fervently pro and anti Trump?

Youngkin's win is an example that the latter approach can actually win.

Quin_Dub · 04-11-2021 12:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116730#Comment_118116730

The problem they have is, is that there really isn't a "Trump-esque character" out there.

For all of the vast multitude of reasons to despise Trump , he does have a peculiar gift in connecting with that chunk of the GOP base that follows him so slavishly. No other GOP candidate would come even remotely close to gaining the same level of blind loyalty from them.

The Youngkin approach might work in purple States but the risk is that that same approach would turn some red States purple as well.

The model used in Virginia might help help in House/Senate races but it is no use in the Presidential election

The bottom line is that if Trump is available to run in 2024 then that is the only person his "base" will accept.

The results in recent days show that the GOP absolutely have pathways to take and hold the House & Senate , but the existence of Trump makes the WH an extremely difficult challenge for them. They can't win it with him and they can't get rid of him unless he's dead or in jail.

everlast75 · 04-11-2021 2:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118116674#Comment_118116674

"The first and most important aim was to win back the WH. They simply could not allow Trump another 4 years, given the complete disaster he was."

Absolutely. And when one looks objectively at how trump cheated (yes he ****ing did before anyone says to the contrary) and in how many ways, what the Dems had to do was put forward a "steady set of hands". Biden was VP for 8 years and despite all the edgelords on line saying to the contrary, he was just that.

And it worked.

Trump and his ilk needed to be routed. If you don't know what an existential threat he posed to democracy in the US, then simply you are not paying enough attention.

briany · 04-11-2021 5:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118118147#Comment_118118147

Trump was defeated in the 2020 election - and it's just as well that he was - but he wasn't routed. If he was routed, he'd be a spent force in politics, not maintaining a vice-like grip on the Republican party and not positioning himself for another crack at the job. Although Biden won by a clear majority in both the popular vote and electoral college, Trump added 10 million to his own vote tally. You'd have to be a bit disturbed by the idea that not only did Trump not lose his base from 2016 but actually added 10 million more to it. And whether we like it or not, his voter base appears to be far more radical and willing to do whatever it takes to get him back in power in 2024.

Already, the Republican political machine has been doing a fair job of stymying any positive changes by Biden and trying to make him look as ineffectual as possible while the right-wing American media pushes hard on the messaging about Biden being a doddery old man (and that's the more polite side of their spiel). All that leads to political apathy on the Democrat side in 2024 and a potential rerun of 2016 where Trump would have no chance were he not running against someone so uninspiring. And as much as Trump would like to take on a Biden slumping in the ratings, he'd really love to take on Kamala Harris where he could let the whole suite of culture war talking points be unleashed and let the racists and misogynists of his base have a field day with their memes and so on. They hate Biden, but they really hate Kamala.

And that's not even to mention that the Republicans under Trump will probably get back control of the legislature in 2022. I know American politics is as predictable as a pendulum in this regard, but still some doing when it's under the toxic auspices of Trumpism.

everlast75 · 04-11-2021 6:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118119069#Comment_118119069

Routed was probably a poor choice - I meant defeated comprehensively, and he was.

He did of course add to his base, but bearing in mind the way he stacked the cards in his favour, it stands to reason that in a fair fight, Biden would have won by more.

There is no way Trump will run again. None. He can try control the party, and he does to a degree, but whatever problems the Dems have pale in comparison with the Republican party's - is trying to control the monster they created.