a dedicated thread for trump's second term which begins january 20th 2025, inauguration day
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alasdair
related:
alasdair
US Politics the 2025 trump presidency thread
- Thread starter alasdairm
- Start date
Trump selects Pam Bondi for attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
let's talk about trump's pick for ag, pam bondi the former attonrney general of the state of florida.
moving on from the alleged pedophile and trafficker of underage girls, matt gaetz, is a good thing - he's awful. but the replacement pick is equally awful.
pam bondi is, simply, corrupt.
between 2008 and 2001, the office of the ag in florida received over 20 complaints about trump university, the trump institute and associated businesses.
in 2013 the ag of the state of new york, filed a lawsuit against trump university for “engaging in persistent fraudulent, illegal and deceptive conduct,”. the office of the florida ag said at the time they were reviewing the lawsuit and considering joining.
a few short days later, the donaldj. trump foundation made a $25k contribution to "and justice for all" (a political group backing pam bondi). the donation was personally solicited by bondi from trump (and was, at that time, illegal for a 501(c)(3)).
on or around october 18th 2013, bondi's office reviewed the complaints about trump uni. etc. and "weeded out" most of the them, then claiming there was a single complaint (having previously acknowledged 22 complaints).
in its tax return for 2013 the trump foundation made no donations to political entities and replaced "and justice for all" with a similarly-named group in kansas (to which they would legally have been allowed to donate).
citizens for ethics recognizing that the donation was illegal, filed a complaint.
represemtatives of trump's business admitted to the illegal donation blaming a series of "clerical errors".
citizens for ethics then filed complaints with the ig for florida’s office of the ag against bondi and the state’s commission on ethics for potentially violating the law. they further filed a series of complaints with the irs
see: CREW files IRS complaint against Donald Trump & Trump Foundation
citizens for ethics (now renamed crew) filed criminal bribery complaints against both trump and bondi with the doj and called for a criminal investigation into whether the trump foundation broke federal criminal law by making numerous false reports to the irs on its tax forms.
trump responded by closing down the trump foundation.
see: CREW statement on Trump Foundation closing
and, for the part she played what does bondi get? she gets nominated to the top legal job in the land.
only the best people... draining the swamp... the usual trump bullshit.
alasdair
let's talk about trump's pick for ag, pam bondi the former attonrney general of the state of florida.
moving on from the alleged pedophile and trafficker of underage girls, matt gaetz, is a good thing - he's awful. but the replacement pick is equally awful.
pam bondi is, simply, corrupt.
between 2008 and 2001, the office of the ag in florida received over 20 complaints about trump university, the trump institute and associated businesses.
in 2013 the ag of the state of new york, filed a lawsuit against trump university for “engaging in persistent fraudulent, illegal and deceptive conduct,”. the office of the florida ag said at the time they were reviewing the lawsuit and considering joining.
a few short days later, the donaldj. trump foundation made a $25k contribution to "and justice for all" (a political group backing pam bondi). the donation was personally solicited by bondi from trump (and was, at that time, illegal for a 501(c)(3)).
on or around october 18th 2013, bondi's office reviewed the complaints about trump uni. etc. and "weeded out" most of the them, then claiming there was a single complaint (having previously acknowledged 22 complaints).
in its tax return for 2013 the trump foundation made no donations to political entities and replaced "and justice for all" with a similarly-named group in kansas (to which they would legally have been allowed to donate).
citizens for ethics recognizing that the donation was illegal, filed a complaint.
represemtatives of trump's business admitted to the illegal donation blaming a series of "clerical errors".
citizens for ethics then filed complaints with the ig for florida’s office of the ag against bondi and the state’s commission on ethics for potentially violating the law. they further filed a series of complaints with the irs
see: CREW files IRS complaint against Donald Trump & Trump Foundation
citizens for ethics (now renamed crew) filed criminal bribery complaints against both trump and bondi with the doj and called for a criminal investigation into whether the trump foundation broke federal criminal law by making numerous false reports to the irs on its tax forms.
trump responded by closing down the trump foundation.
see: CREW statement on Trump Foundation closing
and, for the part she played what does bondi get? she gets nominated to the top legal job in the land.
only the best people... draining the swamp... the usual trump bullshit.
alasdair
jasperkent
Bluelighter
it's no secret that the economy - and in particular high grocery prices - were a successful campaign issue for trump.
according to a survey in october and november 2024 by "ap votecast", 96% of voters said “high prices for gas, groceries and other goods” factored in to how they cast their ballots.
the trump campaign used the issue. a lot.
"Grocery prices have skyrocketed; how can a family afford that? So, when I win, I will immediately bring prices down," (trump press conference, new jersey, august 15th 2024, my emphasis)
"PRICES ARE TOO HIGH! THE CONSUMER IS ANGRY AT THIS INCOMPETENT ADMINISTRATION. KAMALA HAS NO IDEA HOW TO BRING PRICES DOWN. SHE IS AFRAID TO EVEN DISCUSS IT WITH THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA. EVEN WORSE THAN HER V.P. CANDIDATE, SHE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A CLUE….BUT I DO, AND IT WILL HAPPEN FAST!" (trump post on truth social, october 3rd 2024, my emphasis)
“A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper.” (trump rally, november 4th 2024)
et. al.
and since the election? he's not even in office yet and he's already walking back these promises:
Trump now says bringing down grocery prices, as he promised, will be 'very hard'
"President-elect Donald Trump campaigned relentlessly on grocery prices in the 2024 race, vowing to bring down costs quickly for American families if given four more years in the White House.
But in an interview with Time in conjunction with being named the magazine's "Person of the Year," Trump now says doing that will be a "very hard" task.
Trump was asked if his presidency would be considered a "failure" if he didn't deliver on his promise to slash Americans' food bills.
"I don't think so. Look, they got them up," referring to the Biden-Harris administration. "I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard," Trump said."
i guess he's working hard on ending the war in ukraine which he promised to do before he even took office. he's got 35 days.
ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
alasdair
according to a survey in october and november 2024 by "ap votecast", 96% of voters said “high prices for gas, groceries and other goods” factored in to how they cast their ballots.
the trump campaign used the issue. a lot.
"Grocery prices have skyrocketed; how can a family afford that? So, when I win, I will immediately bring prices down," (trump press conference, new jersey, august 15th 2024, my emphasis)
"PRICES ARE TOO HIGH! THE CONSUMER IS ANGRY AT THIS INCOMPETENT ADMINISTRATION. KAMALA HAS NO IDEA HOW TO BRING PRICES DOWN. SHE IS AFRAID TO EVEN DISCUSS IT WITH THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA. EVEN WORSE THAN HER V.P. CANDIDATE, SHE DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A CLUE….BUT I DO, AND IT WILL HAPPEN FAST!" (trump post on truth social, october 3rd 2024, my emphasis)
“A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper.” (trump rally, november 4th 2024)
et. al.
and since the election? he's not even in office yet and he's already walking back these promises:
Trump now says bringing down grocery prices, as he promised, will be 'very hard'
"President-elect Donald Trump campaigned relentlessly on grocery prices in the 2024 race, vowing to bring down costs quickly for American families if given four more years in the White House.
But in an interview with Time in conjunction with being named the magazine's "Person of the Year," Trump now says doing that will be a "very hard" task.
Trump was asked if his presidency would be considered a "failure" if he didn't deliver on his promise to slash Americans' food bills.
"I don't think so. Look, they got them up," referring to the Biden-Harris administration. "I'd like to bring them down. It's hard to bring things down once they're up. You know, it's very hard," Trump said."
i guess he's working hard on ending the war in ukraine which he promised to do before he even took office. he's got 35 days.
ever get the feeling you've been cheated?
alasdair
it hasn't started yet but. if the last 24 hours predict what the new trump administration will look like, expect an even bigger chaotic dumpster fire than his last term.
trump looks pretty weak and elon has demonstrated clearly he knows nothing about getting shit done in washington.
to quote rep. chip roy of texas: "it's embarrassing. it's shameful."
he doesn't seem too worried by trump's lame threat to end his political career unless he gets behind the bill, does he?
indeed.
alasdair
trump looks pretty weak and elon has demonstrated clearly he knows nothing about getting shit done in washington.
to quote rep. chip roy of texas: "it's embarrassing. it's shameful."
he doesn't seem too worried by trump's lame threat to end his political career unless he gets behind the bill, does he?
indeed.
alasdair
p.s.
during the debate trump claimed he'd end the war in ukraine before his inauguration:
"If I'm President-Elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president."
he's got 32 days.
alasdair
during the debate trump claimed he'd end the war in ukraine before his inauguration:
"If I'm President-Elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president."
he's got 32 days.
alasdair
trump threatened to primary any republicans voting for the house bill.
170 republicans voted for the bill.
alasdair
170 republicans voted for the bill.
alasdair
you can't make this shit up...
Trump’s transition is happening over private emails. Federal officials are nervous.
"Federal officials say they’re worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump’s transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data."
lock him up.
alasdair
Trump’s transition is happening over private emails. Federal officials are nervous.
"Federal officials say they’re worried about sharing documents via email with Donald Trump’s transition team because the incoming officials are eschewing government devices, email addresses and cybersecurity support, raising fears that they could potentially expose sensitive government data."
lock him up.
alasdair
Having worked in (local) government I can say that all e-mail correspondence using governmental e-mail addresses are subject to FOIA requests and other types transparency related regulations. Keeping their correspondence outside of government e-mails makes it more difficult to allow for any oversight of what is being discussed. Keeping it private avoids this entirely. It would require a court order/warrant/subpoena to gain access to any private e-mail correspondence which is obviously not going to happen under his justice department.
right. plus the hypocrisy is just staggering. but not that surprising.
alasdair
alasdair
SvnLyrBrto
Bluelighter
That may be what they claim in order to justify themselves. But it is a lie based on a false narrative. The valid metric is not the price in dollars. That does not account for salary and other income increases over the same period. The valid metric is actual purchasing power, taking into account both price inflation and increased wages and investment appreciation. I actually went through that exercise about halfway through 2023. The math is easy and numbers do not lie. Yeah, it's a psychological hit to see those higher numbers at the cash register or gas pump. But that is purely psychological and irrational and is to be disregarded. The math tells the truth. And the truth is that my purchasing power was significantly higher in mid-2023 than it was at the end of 2020. The aggregate national data at the time showed that while I did do better than average, actual purchasing power was also up nation-wide. And economic circumstances have not changed significantly in the year and a half since.
So, no. They don't get to claim "inflation" or "gas is too expensive" or any other such claptrap to justify themselves. The math objectively reveals that narrative to be a lie. The real reason is obvious. It's the same malevolence they've always worked under... malevolence towards immigrants, malevolence towards LGBT people, malevolence towards brown people, malevolence towards women, malevolence towards the rule of law, malevolence towards other nations, malevolence towards any sort of non-WASP, malevolence towards anyone they've decided is lesser-than themselves.
I've done the math. They can't fool me. Don't let them fool you.
Electrum1
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2021
- Messages
- 29,116
We should take the UK and Ireland too. Just deport their existing populations to Australia and make the islands a giant U.S. military base next to Europe. He could take 1st place from James Polk for the largest territorial expansion in U.S. history
you're obviously trolling but trump's lost it.
the panama canal is owned by the republic of panama. how does he plan to take control?
alasdair
the panama canal is owned by the republic of panama. how does he plan to take control?
alasdair
jasperkent
Bluelighter
Existential angst aside, at least the next 4 years will be fertile for comedy.
the cracks are really starting to show...
elon "free speech absolutist" musk.
lol
alasdair
elon "free speech absolutist" musk.
lol
alasdair
brokedownpalace10
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2022
- Messages
- 2,723
Musk and Ramaswamy vs the peasants
A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.A culture that venerates Cory from “Boy Meets World,” or Zach & Slater over Screech in “Saved by the Bell,” or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in “Family Matters,” will not produce the best engineers.
A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.A culture that venerates Cory from “Boy Meets World,” or Zach & Slater over Screech in “Saved by the Bell,” or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in “Family Matters,” will not produce the best engineers.
during the debate trump claimed he'd end the war in ukraine before his inauguration:
"If I'm President-Elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president."
he's got 24 days.
alasdair
"If I'm President-Elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president."
he's got 24 days.
alasdair
No ‘price tag’ for mass deportations, says incoming border czar
"Incoming Trump administration border czar Tom Homan tells NewsNation’s Ali Bradley there is no “price tag” for the mass deportations planned by the incoming administration, citing “national security” concerns.
“What price do you put on national security? I don’t think it has a price tag,” Homan said. “What price do you put on the thousands of American moms and dads who buried their children? You want to talk about family separation; they buried their children because their children were murdered by illegal aliens that weren’t supposed to be here. I don’t put a price on that. I don’t put a price on national security. I don’t put a price on American lives.”
Homan further defended the mass deportations’ $86 billion price tag, saying it would save American taxpayers money in the future." (my emphasis)
$86B!
for context, the total budget for u.s. customs and border protection in 2024 was $19.6B
alasdair
"Incoming Trump administration border czar Tom Homan tells NewsNation’s Ali Bradley there is no “price tag” for the mass deportations planned by the incoming administration, citing “national security” concerns.
“What price do you put on national security? I don’t think it has a price tag,” Homan said. “What price do you put on the thousands of American moms and dads who buried their children? You want to talk about family separation; they buried their children because their children were murdered by illegal aliens that weren’t supposed to be here. I don’t put a price on that. I don’t put a price on national security. I don’t put a price on American lives.”
Homan further defended the mass deportations’ $86 billion price tag, saying it would save American taxpayers money in the future." (my emphasis)
$86B!
for context, the total budget for u.s. customs and border protection in 2024 was $19.6B
alasdair
SvnLyrBrto
Bluelighter
And on that note, if I were the president of Panama I'd already have the nation's military mobilized and ready... not to try to repel an invasion by trump's forces, but with enough explosives ready to move into place to destroy the canal system entirely and utterly. Thieves are scum. And if I knew in advance they were for sure coming for my property, I would burn it all to the ground before I'd let them get their filthy mitts on it.
brokedownpalace10
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2022
- Messages
- 2,723
Trump's going to let Putin have (parts of) Ukraine and then play the imperialist game himself. You know he adores Putin to the point of homoeroticism.