Want to understand what Trump is doing? Part 2

Yes I think 🤔 will very much be a case of watch this space with Trump. Never a dull moment though right now I think we could all do with a little more dull and a little less insanity.

Reference to the last thread for continuance

www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/a1344939-Want-to-understand-what-Trump-is-doing?msgid=31021603#31021603

I noted on the last thread the first person has died due to USAID pulling out so rapidly.

Well at least one Republican Senator is showing some sanity by voting against unsuitable Trump nominees. I never thought I'd applaud Mitch McConnell but he was the sole Rep Senator to vote against Tulsi Gabbard.
"McConnell cast the lone Republican “no” vote against Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, blasting her as an unqualified candidate with a history of “alarming lapses in judgment”
“The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation, and one we cannot pretend to misunderstand,” McConnell said in his statement Wednesday. “When a nominee’s record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent.”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/12/mcconnell-resistance-trump-votes/

I hope we can continue to document as the last thread did the significant actions of Trump/Musk as they tear down aspects of democracy within the USA as well as the Ukraine issue

Well Putin has gone from pariah to a player on the international stage again thanks to Trump. I imagine Zekensky will be forced to give ground and Putin will feel empowered to once again double down on NATO aided and abetted by Trump whose support for NATO has always been suspect.
All signs atm point towards fascism gaining ground.
We have been here before and it didn’t end well.

foxie48

Well at least one Republican Senator is showing some sanity by voting against unsuitable Trump nominees. I never thought I'd applaud Mitch McConnell but he was the sole Rep Senator to vote against Tulsi Gabbard.
"McConnell cast the lone Republican “no” vote against Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, blasting her as an unqualified candidate with a history of “alarming lapses in judgment”
“The Senate’s power of advice and consent is not an option; it is an obligation, and one we cannot pretend to misunderstand,” McConnell said in his statement Wednesday. “When a nominee’s record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent.”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/12/mcconnell-resistance-trump-votes/

This good news, sadly he was the only one.

Sadly Wyllow3 I think it shows how far the Republican party is prepared to protect themselves against Trump even though they know how damaging he is to the US. Gabbard, Hegseth, Kennedy etc are all unsuitable for the positions for which they have been nominated (and Musk is completely beyond the pale, IMO the conflict of interest is basically at the level of corruption ).

Musk went into the private bank accounts of New York State and took back $70 million in FEMA funds.

Americans are worried because he and his hackers have access to all of our information and bank accounts, for those who get direct deposits.

People are being warned to move money from these accounts in order to protect it, especially because Musk keeps saying he is finding "fraud" in Social Security.

foxie48

Sadly Wyllow3 I think it shows how far the Republican party is prepared to protect themselves against Trump even though they know how damaging he is to the US. Gabbard, Hegseth, Kennedy etc are all unsuitable for the positions for which they have been nominated (and Musk is completely beyond the pale, IMO the conflict of interest is basically at the level of corruption ).

We're saying its as much a rule of fear as respect?

Thank you Whitewave I think your thread might be popular for the next four years. Trump will always polarise opinion - aiding ongoing discussions!

John Simpson BBC

An alternative to Pres Trump’s Ukraine strategy: insist that Ukraine joins NATO and Russia stays out in the cold, until Putin agrees to pull back from some conquered territory and promises never to invade Ukraine again. Have Trump & Hegseth given up their best cards already?

JohnBolton - the former US security advisor has stated that it is highly likely that Trump will take the USA out of NATO.

Everything is breaking down.

I don’t think that the USA can be considered a reliable ally now, and I think Europe must take this into account when making any decisions be it economic, trade, political or military.

Whitewavemark2

I don’t think that the USA can be considered a reliable ally now, and I think Europe must take this into account when making any decisions be it economic, trade, political or military.

Completely agree

Whitewavemark2

I don’t think that the USA can be considered a reliable ally now, and I think Europe must take this into account when making any decisions be it economic, trade, political or military.

I agree, the US by being against NATO, and of course we all know that Trump is anti EU, has shown that the old order when the US had a special relationship with the UK can no longer be relied upon.
When Trump says ‘America First’ that literally means that all other countries are out in the cold and all bets are off.

The UK needs to be part of a bloc that can protect its interests in these difficult and darker days and though we decided to exit the EU we do need to more closely aligned with our European neighbours.

The Senate just voted to confirm vaccine conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. to be Health and Human Services Secretary,

Whitewavemark2

The Senate just voted to confirm vaccine conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. to be Health and Human Services Secretary,

Dear God 😩

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c626eezr76wo

Sigh.

The mass firings have started. Just as predicted, it is not only tens of thousands of federal employees being affected. It has tricked down and every single state is seeing mass layoffs.

There goes the economy.

I can't even start on RFKjr. We are all getting updated on vaccines that we shouldn't need at our age (like Measles). We are also stocking up on any over the counter birth control as there is a fear access will be limited.

In the mean time, we have a measles outbreak in 2 states, at least 10 states with full hospitals due to flu a, another strain of bird flu just popped up in a cow in Nevada and no one had any ides on Covid because the CDC had taken down the reporting. It is back up now, but the data seem to be 2 weeks behind.

It is literally an attack on all sides for Americans right now.

Our jobs, our food supply, our medicine, our rights. They are taking it all away or making it so unaffordable that we can't have it anyhow.

Yes imaround, I saw on the BBC at lunch time that eggs have rocketed in price. I’m very fearful for so many poorer people in the USA and the knock on effects in UK and beyond.

I hope you and yours keep well.

We are blessed to be able to hold out for a while and for now my husbands job is not at risk as he is employed private sector. I have seen this coming and have supplies to keep us going if things go south. The people who are being hardest hit right now are the rural Trump voters who are losing farms, hospitals and jobs right now due to Trumps illegal dismantling of the federal government.

In another blow to women and minorities, Missouri has sued Starbucks because it's workforce has too many women and minorities.

It has been less than a month since he took apart the EEOC, the 1960s law that protected the rights of women and minorities in the workforce.Already they are targeting women and minorities in the work force.

www.wsaz.com/2025/02/12/starbucks-is-being-sued-because-its-workforce-has-become-more-female-less-white/

Perhaps the MAGA folk will begin to 'hit back' when the going gets tough for them.

We have had 6, I think, plane crashes since inauguration. Now this.