Want to understand what Trump is doing? Part 2

MaizieD

I wasn't quite sure where to post this. Found on BlueSky this morning

Am not surprised. Which says a lot about how far down this dark road we have come.
A decade or so ago I would have been shocked to the core.

Re - flying the Nazi flag - here is something to cheer - a video showing residents in Cincinnati removing some flag wavers.

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/demonstrators-nazi-flags-leave-cincinnati-area-highway-overpass-reside-rcna191304

However, the very fact they are there - what are matters coming to?

I think the Jewish Lobby in the US might have something to say about this, and quite rightly too.

Babs, how right you are.
Today, having decided to boycott American products as much as possible, I'm off to meet a friend for coffee in the first Starbucks we can find.

Good Point. Trump is counting on them in certain ways atm.

From the Daily Pnut:

“It was a Trumpy Thursday as two (and a half) Trump cabinet nominees were confirmed by the Senate. RFK Jr. was given the green light to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, longtime Trump ally Brooke Rollins was confirmed as the Department of Agriculture head, and Kash Patel was half-confirmed when the Senate Judiciary Committee approved his bid to be appointed FBI head.

RFK’s confirmation comes despite his long history of questionable takes on medicine. His track record on vaccines in particular is so bad that Senator (and polio survivor) Mitch McConnell voted against his party, saying, “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”

RFK’s confirmation could spell trouble for a variety of important government health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Republicans aren’t too big on social spending programs – especially those that provide aid to lower-income populations – and the GOP has argued that Medicaid has grown too large since the Covid pandemic. Also in the crosshairs are federal vaccine policies, federal information resources that doctors use to treat patients, and even federal grants for medical research.”

And you still think this is a good thing FGT?

Nothing new in that list FGT - just read upthread

Daily Pnut its a sort of news digest with a semi satirical bent that takes partial news from MSM sources.

*It prefaced the quote above with
Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” – Haile Selassie*

dailypnut.com/2025/02/cabinet-appointments-controversial-car-purchases-canine-robotics/

Babs03

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/02/11/britain-at-risk-of-trump-tariff-raid-over-vat/

Thought this might raise a few eyebrows.

I was listening to something about this. He doesn't seem to understand VAT.

He dies seem to say the first thing that comes into his head and the whittle it down. Perhaps people will get tired of listening.

PoliticsNerd

Babs03

www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/02/11/britain-at-risk-of-trump-tariff-raid-over-vat/

Thought this might raise a few eyebrows.

I was listening to something about this. He doesn't seem to understand VAT.

The USA isn't losing out on most goods/services re VAT. I don't think Trump does understand it

www.sumup.com/en-gb/invoices/invoicing-essentials/vat-between-uk-and-us/

Trump seems to do a lot of talking without understanding much about anything.
It is a worry.

I am revising my opinion of Trump. I think although his deeper understanding of some things is very limited but he knows exactly what he's doing.

Someone who knows only the shallows doesn't fear the sharks who are basking in deeper water.

Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, the Arab world, many African countries still receiving Chinese and Russian support- they are all watching and preparing to re-assert the nationalistic playbook Trump thinks is his. Even Israel will fail if they continue on this path.

For a man who only understands the language of money he is walking a difficult line against those who have less but appreciate its true value.

Europe and NATO are also observing very closely and Trump thinks he's setting traps, when the those he is hunting have gone to lick their wounds and consider their counter attacks.

There is too much at stake for the rest of the world which is mostly not the US, to allow this clever but highly uneducated man to let rip.

There is nothing to fear from those who think you play politics on screen, but he needs to be careful of the shadowy figures who we rarely see or hear from. They are there and waiting for their turn.

I don't see how the US as we know it can survive this madness.

Babs03

Trump seems to do a lot of talking without understanding much about anything.
It is a worry.

It is. But once everyone realises this is what he does he will become much less listened too, hopefully.

dragonfly46

And you still think this is a good thing FGT?

No reply. The answer would be interesting, to say the least.

No reply because we have just this minute got in from the MacMillan Centre Claremont.

I hate it when people think they can assume or hector. It’s not on.

I read a lot of articles about POTUS Trump.
As I do about say, Keir Starmer.

It’s good to garner a wide range of POV.

Yes, I still admire Trump. As do about half of the voters in America. (Sorry Iamaround but your explicit narrative and fears don’t align with millions of other fellow Americans*.

Yes he will make mistakes, get things wrong. (He’s human, like Starmer). He’s not a warmonger. That’s in his favour. He wants America to be stronger and not get taken for a ride (NATO for instance). He wants the EU to put money where its mouth is. Nothing wrong with that they’ve been a bunch of free loaders (apart from Poland) when it comes to defense spending).

Time will of course tell. But I believe he’s shaken many institutions, departments and countries up and hopefully for America they will understand and appreciate his vision (corruption for example in State departments).

And the hardship he is causing, the deaths as a result of various policies, the instability around the world? The refusal to keep to the rule of law that enable democracy to thrive. Is that all worth it?

As I have said before, when someone shows you who they are believe them.

I would like to be a fly on the wall when Starmer explains VAT to Trump... You mean you charge VAT on chocolate covered biscuits, but not chocolate covered cakes, or chocolate chip biscuits? What type of crazy system is that? Next you'll be telling me that children's education has VAT, if they go to certain schools. It's madness who came up with this nonsense?

imaround

As I have said before, when someone shows you who they are believe them.

Maya Angelou. ✔️

It might be Whitewave. It’s too early to tell.

Remember everyone howling about Starmer ‘only’ six months in? Trump’s been in even less. Give it time.

POTUS Trump told the electorate of his intentions during his campaign, he also gave an accurate indication of who he would appoint in key positions.

He won the Presidency on those promises.

I don’t recall Starmer, threatening the judiciary, or trashing women’s rights or encouraging genocide, or letting a Musk loose in the civil service, or threatening the world order, trying to annex whole countries, or acting like a showman on a massive stage.

Whitewavemark2

And the hardship he is causing, the deaths as a result of various policies, the instability around the world? The refusal to keep to the rule of law that enable democracy to thrive. Is that all worth it?

Ah but, but ... we need to wait and garner a wide range of POV.

Or just see how one's portfolio is doing!

Here is a POV of Trump voters in the US. Only a month in and they aren't happy because they are going bankrupt. Farmers.

farmergeorgiewrites.substack.com/p/the-devastating-impact-of-trump-20?utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&triedRedirect=true