Trump crushes his Republican rivals in the Iowa caucus!

Arto1s

Just to make sure you all know - I AM an American citizen.

Thanks for the clarification Arto1s.

I know Maizie, it is their nature; just. As ours is to question.

Just to make sure you all know - I AM an American citizen.

MaizieD

You can't persuade Trump supporters with reason, any more than we could persuade Johnson supporters with reason.

So true. As with Johnson, Trump has an emotional appeal to people who believe Populism is a kick in the teeth to the Establishment. They know the shortcomings of these people but conveniently push these uncomfortable truths to the back of their minds in the hope that something better will come out of it all for them. It won't; it never does. They are tilting at windmills.

You can't persuade Trump supporters with reason, any more than we could persuade Johnson supporters with reason.

GreyhairedWarrior

I live in the USA too. And I know that the soaring inflation in 2021/2 that was largely a consequence of Trump tax cuts and policies and his friendliness to corporations has been largely brought under control - down from 9.1% to 3.5% - by Biden’s policies. Much of the good economic circumstances of Trump’s administration was largely inherited from good stewardship under Obama (who had to pull us out of the Bush recession of 2008.)

The miners were in the early 20th century and some used the term for poor white strikebreakers. But that's a minority use .A citation from 1893 provides a definition as "poorer inhabitants of the rural districts ... men who work in the field, as a matter of course, generally have their skin stained red and burnt by the sun, and especially is this true of the back of their necks". It continued to be used to describe southern poor white farmers.

Me too 😁

Those of you who have subscriptions to the New York Times can read what 17 of his closest Republican colleagues thought of him. It isn’t pretty. www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/01/18/opinion/trump-cabinet-election-2024.html?te=1&nl=opinion-today&emc=edit_ty_20240118

I live in the USA too. And I know that the soaring inflation in 2021/2 that was largely a consequence of Trump tax cuts and policies and his friendliness to corporations has been largely brought under control - down from 9.1% to 3.5% - by Biden’s policies. Much of the good economic circumstances of Trump’s administration was largely inherited from good stewardship under Obama (who had to pull us out of the Bush recession of 2008.)

nanna8

Rednecks originally were striking miners who wore red neckties . I’d be proud to be called one if I lived in the South, they stood for the workers and those standing up for the oppressed . Those calling others rednecks in a derogatory way should take a good hard look at themselves.

If they lived in the South there's a fair chance that they, or their ancestors, were members of the KKK. And you must be aware of what that entailed.

DougWeller

When Trump took office the economy had expanded tremendously. Under Trump the U.S. national debt increased by 39 percent, reaching $27.75 trillion by the end of his term, and the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio hit a post-World War II high. Trump is the only modern U.S. president to leave office with a smaller workforce than when he took office, by 3 million people. Despite all this, Trump also failed to deliver the $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan on which he had campaigned.

Yep. And more broadly, all the evidence - as opposed to the rhetoric - shows that the economy does better under Democrats than under Republicans.

I suppose that’s a teeny upside: if Trump wins he’ll tank the economy again, and I’ll get more economic stimulus checks [sic]

That’s sarcasm, for those who aren’t sure, because
a) there are no upsides
b) the checks ]sic] won’t cover the damage he’ll do to my US pension
c) even if they did, I couldn’t vote with that level of pure self-interest and damn everyone else

Arto1s

Thank you Urmstongran A lone voice in the wilderness. Biden has indeed destroyed the USA. I should know. I live there.

Living there does not make you an American citizen Artols. 8ve lived in many countries but would not think of telling them what to believe and how to vote.

Many, including me, have American relations who do not hold these opinions. Thankfully Urmstongran et al do not have a vote in their election. Those acting as if they are Trump supporters are the very people who would scream very loudly if they thought Americans were telling us how brilliant or bad our candidates are.

DougWeller

When Trump took office the economy had expanded tremendously. Under Trump the U.S. national debt increased by 39 percent, reaching $27.75 trillion by the end of his term, and the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio hit a post-World War II high. Trump is the only modern U.S. president to leave office with a smaller workforce than when he took office, by 3 million people. Despite all this, Trump also failed to deliver the $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan on which he had campaigned.

And failed to build the much lauded Wall! Let alone get Mexico to pay for it.
Trump never does what he says he will…unless it benefits HIM.
As for him speaking well …he’s a Snake-Oil salesman, he gathers a crowd …then repeats and repeats the same things over and over. His vocabulary is highly limited… witch hunt; lunatic, debauched, there’s never been a **( insert anything here ) in the history of the US/ world) , I am fighting for you, and on and on,repeat…. It’s not so much charisma as hypnotism! His pouty little mouth spews poison wherever he goes! 🤮

Summerlove

MayBee70

I keep thinking of an imaginary Mrs Merton interview in which she asks someone ‘ so why would you vote for a misogynistic, racist, tax evading, riot inciting candidate such as Donald Trump’. The very people that he targets votes for him . Someone once told me that people in America depend on the church because they provide the help and social care that the state doesn’t.So I wondered if they supported him because they lose power when there is a more socially aware president? Because I can’t work out a reason why the church should encourage people to vote for him. It’s totally beyond my comprehension.

His anti abortion policies.

Which his views on have changed depending on the way that benefits HIM… he lauds the fact that HE brought about the demise of Roe v Wade, then goes to town on De SANTIS who brought in the 6 week law…
Personally I am not anti-abortion and thank goodness I don’t live in the US…not that it would affect me at 78!

Bottom line. Trump has stated that he will be a dictator on his first day. He intends to scrap civil service independence from politics and a right wing group is training 4000 people to move into office to make sure the civil service reflects right wing politics. He wants to get rid of many private universities through tax laws, etc, taking away their endowments. He wants to "Create a new credentialing body that will be the gold standard anywhere in the world to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values support our way of life and understand that their job is not to indoctrinate children". Indoctrination that means. Not much different from under Hitler. I don' think America will survive as a democratic nation. He's polarised the American people more than anyone I can recall.

The trouble with Trump is that he has no respect. He has no respect for the law, no respect of women and no respect for the truth. It is a mystery for me why anyone would vote for him except that, like many others, I expect they have lost all confidence in career politicians who are generally in it for themselves but try not to show it. I also think the message that he will look after his own country first is very attractive if you don't have an understanding of the fragility of the world's politics.
Would I vote for Trump? Not a chance but there again if the alternative was a an old man who is obviously beyond it, what would I do? I'm in the same position in this country. I couldn't vote Conservative again but don't warm to Starmer. The alternatives are not likely to gain power either. I am beginning to thing Democracy is a double edged sword!

Norah

AmberSpyglass

Just your friendly remind that Trump didn’t win the popular vote in 2016, even if he did win the Electoral College vote.

NO.

'Biden ultimately received the majority in the Electoral College with 306 electoral votes, while Trump received 232.'

'Biden Popular Votes 81,282,916. Trump popular votes 74,223,369.'

NO that was the 2020 result Norah not the 2016 !

Urmstongran

Wars under Obama-7
Wars under Trump - none...and yet Trump is somehow the warmonger? I don’t think so.

He genuinely puts America first. And he has the measure of Russia, Iran and China.

I think the world is a safer place with him leading it.

Trump continued deployments and bombings in Syria (and ordered the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani).

When Trump took office the economy had expanded tremendously. Under Trump the U.S. national debt increased by 39 percent, reaching $27.75 trillion by the end of his term, and the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio hit a post-World War II high. Trump is the only modern U.S. president to leave office with a smaller workforce than when he took office, by 3 million people. Despite all this, Trump also failed to deliver the $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan on which he had campaigned.

Arto1s

Thank you Urmstongran A lone voice in the wilderness. Biden has indeed destroyed the USA. I should know. I live there.

Can you explain how, please? What metrics are you using to decide this?

Economically, the USA is doing well, with record job growth and employment, rising real wages, strong GDP growth, and a rapid fall in the inflation rate to below both global and historical averages.

Socially, child poverty is down 50%, and the Inflation Reduction Act has kept prevented health care plans and drugs getting even more expensive.

There’s a massive investment in public infrastructure, and green energy, all of which will pay significant future dividends.

He has gone a long way to restoring and improving foreign relationships, but has managed to successfully reconfigure supply chain agreements substantially in the USA’s favour at the same time, which is no mean feat.

Trump’s Iowa victory is not quite as impressive as it looks. Out of 750,000 registered Republicans in Iowa only 100,000 bothered to turn out and caucus at all. Of those over 40% did not vote for Trump. So that’s less than 10% of Republican Iowans.

Urmstongran

I am.

WHY.? The election wasn’t stolen …Trump LIES every time he opens his mouth. He’s grifting money from his ‘supporters who probably can’t afford it. He has been found guilty of Rape by a Jury of his peers, and he wants power and money. The only reason he is running is for both ( he took millions for HIMSELF whilst on power ) and to try to get himself out of all the indictments he’s been charged with .. correctly and legally.
Far from “ giving you the shirt off his back “ as a supporter said recently, he would take yours and not look back…he is for TRUMP and Trump only! He is NOT a running for America or you…anything that doesn’t benefit him is a no go!

The thought of another 4 years of that slime ball Trump is terrifying

Rednecks originally were striking miners who wore red neckties . I’d be proud to be called one if I lived in the South, they stood for the workers and those standing up for the oppressed . Those calling others rednecks in a derogatory way should take a good hard look at themselves.

Urmstongran

People obviously remember what the US was like under Trump, before Biden destroyed it.

What has Biden done that the average American thinks has "destroyed" their country? It is, after all, not yours.