Trump's Second Term

[Andy_Ross]

“Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location. Thank you for your cooperation,” a surveillance machine tells a small cluster of National Guard troops as they patrol the fenced off Reflecting Pool in the rain.

video in link

 

[Andy_Ross]

McGowan: Trump’s saying you're going to live in squalor with no food and no housing and no law and order. We have that for many people right now. That's why people are voting for democratic socialists, because they want government to look out for them again.

video in link

 

[Jack by the hedge]

This is what you call sycophants, these days ?

Yup. Trump's instinctive, laser-focussed judgement of character is just part of what makes him the master negotiator and deal-maker.

I mean, remember that dangerous standoff with Iran at the end of February; under Biden that might have spiralled out of control.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

"Welcome, but be good"? What the hell?

Does somebody have to explain to him that US passports are issued to Americans and not to visitors? Why on earth would you tell your own citizens "Welcome, but be good"?

Bearing in mind that he is very confused and stupid, my guess would because he hears people talk about 'wanting to get a US passport' as a euphemism for being naturalised as a citizen and that's far more interesting than the mundane process of applying for a literal passport when you are a citizen he's latched onto it in the same way that the word 'asylum' in 'asylum seekers' connects to mental facilities in his head and can't get detached.

 

[P.J. Denyer]

Prize Hog Drops Out Of Great American State Fair Due To Event’s Political Nature​

Prize Hog Drops Out Of Great American State Fair Due To Event’s Political Nature

WASHINGTON—Expressing concerns about the charged, inflammatory rhetoric used to promote the 16-day exposition, local prize hog Benny “Big Bones”Carmichael announced Friday that he would be dropping out of the Great American State Fair due to the event’s political nature. “After carefully...

theonion.com

When musicians dropped out, Trump inserted himself as a replacement, he could do so again here and chances are no one would notice the difference.

 

[Mojo]

Bearing in mind that he is very confused and stupid, my guess would because he hears people talk about 'wanting to get a US passport' as a euphemism for being naturalised as a citizen and that's far more interesting than the mundane process of applying for a literal passport when you are a citizen he's latched onto it in the same way that the word 'asylum' in 'asylum seekers' connects to mental facilities in his head and can't get detached.

He may be relying on his support base not knowing much about passports.

What percentage of MAGA supporters actually have passports?

 

[jimbob]

Meanwhile a blog post from the long standing and pretty respected Chatham House

https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2026-06/lawrence-freedman-nothing-ive-seen-50-years-compares-trumps?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=organic-social&utm_campaign=twt-jun26-conversation&utm_content=twt-jun26-conversation-content

Because you’ve never had a president like Trump before who is ill‑informed, delusional, impulsive, erratic. And he’s not supported by a team that can counter his worst impulses.

The US government has been hollowed out. There’s hardly anybody left in the National Security Council. State Department key offices have been gutted, and the quality of the people there is not great. It’s a real problem, as we’ve seen with Iran, which is a catastrophic series of foreign policy failures which will cost the international community dear. I remember when Ronald Reagan became president, there were fears that the US would go into some strange right‑wing places, and it did to a degree. But I went there before Reagan’s inauguration, and you could see how Congress would balance things. I remember thinking, we’ll cope.

 

[ThatGuy11200]

“Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location. Thank you for your cooperation,” a surveillance machine tells a small cluster of National Guard troops as they patrol the fenced off Reflecting Pool in the rain.

video in link

"You have 20 seconds to comply!"

 

[psionl0]

Actually the second amendment as it was written and meant to be understood left most of the regulation of weapons* to the states. By making it mandatory to be in the state militia before a person could carry weapons (never mind owning them), the states were to regulate who could have them, except in the case of the federal army, which was meant to be small, very small.

That is a very contorted interpretation of the 2nd amendment which doesn't have any of the word written in your interpretation. It simply says, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The most obvious interpretation is that neither the federal nor a state government may prevent the people from keeping and bearing arms. The preamble serves as a justification for this amendment. (Actually, the word "infringed" is a topic all of itself).

 

[P.J. Denyer]

“Loitering is not permitted in this area. Please proceed to a designated location. Thank you for your cooperation,” a surveillance machine tells a small cluster of National Guard troops as they patrol the fenced off Reflecting Pool in the rain.

video in link

Very distopian..

 

[jimbob]

Very distopian..

The RoboCop vibe is clear.

But also the pandering to the fragile ego of someone who never showed any respect to previous presidents and vandalises as many monuments as he can, just using a supine Congress to allow him to put his name on things as opposed to carving his name in person.


ETA
I'm talking about literal vandalism as opposed to the far worse vandalism of institutions in order to increase his wealth. Because the literal vandalism is a good metaphor

 

[Andy_Ross]

Why the sudden shift to communists?
Is anyone actually falling for it?

Fox News
@FoxNews
BREAKING: President Trump vows to eradicate what he calls a "horrible thread of cancer" quietly moving through the nation, issuing a stark warning against the rise of communism in America.

"We have a country that's just the hottest. It just is so hot and I'm working really hard to make it even better. We're going to get rid of some of the flaws. We're going to make it even better."

"But the biggest thing we have to do is we have to stop this, this horrible thread of cancer that's permeating our country called communism."

video in link

 

[Andy_Ross]

Reflecting Pool Cocktail

2oz rum, 4oz pineapple juice, 1oz blue curacao, one Blue Razzberry Fruit Roll-Up

 

[Mojo]

Why the sudden shift to communists?
Is anyone actually falling for it?

Fox News
@FoxNews
BREAKING: President Trump vows to eradicate what he calls a "horrible thread of cancer" quietly moving through the nation, issuing a stark warning against the rise of communism in America.

"We have a country that's just the hottest. It just is so hot and I'm working really hard to make it even better. We're going to get rid of some of the flaws. We're going to make it even better."

"But the biggest thing we have to do is we have to stop this, this horrible thread of cancer that's permeating our country called communism."

video in link

Well, it worked for McCarthy.

Up to a point, anyway.

 

[jimbob]

"You have 20 seconds to comply!"

View attachment 72719

Yup that's also where my mind went

 

[dudalb]

Well, I hear that Europe is now a muslim hellhole...

I am sure parts of Europe are hellholes, but Muslims have nothing to do with it.

What I found interesting is that Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday:

Texas passes a bill becoming the first state in the nation to make Juneteenth an official state holiday

That is sort of a puzzle to me.

As Trump unironically notes in that very link, "Honest pollsters are rare and hard to find".

A broken clock is right once a day, and there are quite a few pollsters who will give you any kind of poll results you want for a price.

 

[dudalb]

God, I don;t know who the hell to believe about the latest exchange of fire in the Persian Gulf. Both Trump and the Ayatollahs are world class liars and not to be trusted.

 

[Darat]

Trump: Religion is back. Religion is really going up. If it were a stock, we would be very rich. When I first started in 2016, they wanted to take the Christmas out of Christmas

Video in link

Trump: "Remember when I first started in 2016, they wanted to take the Christmas out of Christmas? We ended that."

Video in link

Trump: The last administration carried out a reign of persecution and repression against Christians and people of faith like America has never seen before.

Video in link

Can someone remind me how many Biden hanged in Boston?

 

[malbui]

My understanding is that nowadays if you’re not a vicious sociopath you’re a communist. I’m happy to align myself with Marx and Engels.

 

[malbui]

Can someone remind me how many Biden hanged in Boston?

Don’t you remember? It was even worse than ISIS and their Caliphate.