Donald Trump discussion Thread IX (threadbanned users listed in OP)

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121876112#Comment_121876112

We should definitely be worried about someone more competent than Trump coming along. But at the same time it is highly unlikely.

The Trump thing is that he had existing celebrity that people believed in. No politician is going to have that. Any of the people hanging around Trump and trying to be a younger version of him are nobodies until they got into politics and started hanging around Trump, and the moment they lose their seat will fizzle away to nothing other than an occasional guest on a TV "news" show.

To have what Trump has you'd need to have pre-existing celebrity before deciding to get into politics. The MAGA heads will most likely lose interest in voting in the same numbers once Trump leaves the scene, so whilst he has exposed weaknesses in the system and messed with the balance of the likes of the Supreme Court for decades, I don't think there is a replacement for him coming along anytime soon.

mewso

Elon Musk just handed me his beer.

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121889247#Comment_121889247

He's South African.

mewso

Ah yes I forgot about that part. Still he could send some money Trump's way to have that rule changed.

Flaneur OBrien

If he didn't get sacked from Fox, I thought Tucker Carlson would have been the MAGA heir apparent.

Only time I was happy with Fox, was them showing him the door.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121889256#Comment_121889256

No he couldn't. It is a constitutional requirement.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121891423#Comment_121891423

I mean it was the core part of his whole "birther" bollocks with Obama...

Tony EH

...and the reason why Arnie never ran.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892406#Comment_121892406

It is one of the great (American) political what-ifs: would Arnie have won had he been able to run for Presidency? Seems broadly accepted that if he could he would have, as he was quite serious about his career. It's so long ago I can't even remember how his term as governor went - or where he sits on key American ideological subjects.

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892466#Comment_121892466

Have no idea about his competence but I’ve seen him speak about the country being divided by politics and he seems well clued in on where the conservatives are heading/gone

Rjd2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888872#Comment_121888872

RDS was basically a more competent Trump, a clearly intelligent man whose worldview was that of what supposedly MAGA wanted politically.

However he was rejected because MAGA don't care about policy, heck I'm not even sure they care about winning , they just want Trump because he annoys the people they dislike.

Looking at 2028 who knows, Donald JR maybe?

I do think we could also get some social media type entrepreneur type with a big social media following going for the MAGA base.

It likely won't be a conventional GOP politician no matter how much they run to the right policy wise as RDS found out the hard way this time round.

Brussels Sprout

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892466#Comment_121892466

As governor he championed independent redistricting in California against the wishes of many sitting politicians from both parties who were unhappy at potentially having to face competitive elections. That's a great legacy to have in a country where so many states are disgustingly gerrymandered.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121893467#Comment_121893467

RDS was rejected because he has the personality of a pebble.

MAGA is about emotion and being "emotive".

They support Trump because he puts on a good show and rouses them - He is a carnival barker and snake-oil salesman perfectly suited to the White Conservative Christian Zeitgeist of frustrated anger at their rapidly declining demographic and the loss of their perceived "moral high-ground".

They don't like change , they don't like different and they absolutely don't like the growth of a secular inclusive society that is rapidly becoming the main-stream norm in the US.

Trump's gift has been tuning into that anger and spinning a story that resonates - Just like the arch con-man that he is..

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121876112#Comment_121876112

People say Trump is stupid, in my opinion he's not, he's extremely smart and knows how to manipulate a large swath of Americans, to the point that he can threaten democracy. Right now there are a young generation of populists studying his every move, learning how to do the same. I have the exact same worry.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121893600#Comment_121893600

I understand this argument, but I don't agree with it. I think he has essentially lucked into the fact that his shtick is wildly popular with certain sectors and that they don't care about logical inconsistency. There is no rhyme or reason to his actions, his cohort just follow his bizarre zig zagging through political issues. He can't control himself at all, he is an inherently deeply impulsive man. There is no thought to his actions at all.

Leroy42

There is nothing in Trumps past to suggest he is intelligent. Certainly not above average.

He lacks self control, lacks the ability to form structured sentences. Seems to have no ability to stay focused or concentrate. He has shown no desire to learn or improve.

Seems to struggle with anything more than a basic amount of information. Shown no ability to either understand or explain complex ideas.

As in the previous post what he has got is an ability to lie continuously and without any regret. He has no shame. He has been lucky to be accepted and idolised by so many that are willing to not only accept all the above but actually support it and gladly accept his lies.

Dohnjoe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121894076#Comment_121894076

Intelligence is multi-faceted. I'm sure he couldn't name a capital in Scandinavia, but he could wrangle himself out of a situation that would sink 99 out of 100 smart politicians. Multiple times.

He might not be "book-smart", but he knows how to manipulate 10's of million of Americans like it's nothing.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121894783#Comment_121894783

He doesn't wrangle himself out of anything. His fanatical supporters wrangle themselves into continuing to support him and the media tags along with ridiculous reporting of him. 99 out of 100 politicians would not get the same framing or treatment as him. When people constantly say that if politician X did Y it would sink them, it doesn't mean Trump is somehow deftly manoeuvring out of consequences for doing Y, it just means that everyone has gone insane and is letting him away with it.

He could do a complete about face on everything he has professed tomorrow and his support would be relatively undiminished.

Does he manipulate them? yes. Does he do it consciously or know how to control it? absolutely not.

Leroy42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121894783#Comment_121894783

He is a good liar, is shameless and has both the money and enough sycophants around him to allow him away with it.

But what he is great at doing is making people change widely accepted definitions to suit the narrative that he is what he clearly isn't.

Intelligence is understood and most people understand what it means. Yes, con men, drug dealers, mafia etc are all intelligent in terms of getting success but they are not considered intelligent as intelligent is understood to mean the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. Trump has shown neither.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121894943#Comment_121894943

He's a brazen liar, not a "good" one.

I wouldn't completely agree otherwise either. I think some con men for example can be quite intelligent in how they go about things and it definitely involves knowledge and skill. Trump just...isn't that. He just has an army of willing dupes.

aloyisious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121894967#Comment_121894967

And lawyers willing to do his bidding for a variety of reasons, not necessarily in the pursuit of justice.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121893600#Comment_121893600

He isn’t extremely smart. He’s cunning, exploitative and amoral.

He taps into peoples fear and hate. That doesn’t take intelligence, it’s actually an incredibly simple tactic that works over and over. You don’t have to be smart to make it work, you really just need to be amoral.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892466#Comment_121892466

Can't say if California was any use under the the Govenator, but Schwarzenegger said he'd "absolutely" run for President in 2024 if he could. What he'd be like as a President is anyone's guess though. But I don't think he's a fan of Trump and his ilk, even though he'd probably be running as a Republican candidate.

I've always thought of the idea of a President Schwarzenegger to be hilarious myself.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121895904#Comment_121895904

He would not be allowed due to not have been born in the US

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121892466#Comment_121892466

The only thing I can remember from his political career was his line about 'economic girlie men' and even that had homophobic overtones that he probably didn't intend. So I'm guessing he governed as a 'no drama' mainstream Republican...

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121896061#Comment_121896061

Yeah I know.

Spon Farmer

Why does one of the prosecutors in the case in Georgia have to step down because two of them had an affair?

I can’t find anything online that explains what difference it makes. They are on the same team.

Quin_Dub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121896958#Comment_121896958

It's a sop to the Trump team in all honesty.

They failed miserably to show any shred of evidence that two consenting adults engaging in a relationship was in any way prejudicial to their case.

But because they've muddied the waters so much the "optics" of them both staying on is now bad.

aloyisious

"Honest Don" crying for attention, as well as cash, while possibly angling for the Auto industry workers vote with his bashing of [they shall not pass when I'm in charge] Chinese cars made in Mexico crossing the border and tossing in the comment that if he loses the election, it'll be a bloodbath.

aloyisious

Trump & family seem to have struck rock bottom in their attempts to agree with insurance Co's and bondsmen to get the US$454 million bond required by Judge Ergeron in connection with the civil fraud trial judgement against him and his family. His lawyers have gone to the full appeal court board seeking to have Judge Ergerons ruling amount reduced as an earlier appeal to a single appeal court judge was unsuccessful.

It seems no one agency is prepared, or are unwilling, to provide the necessary bond amount for Trump even though he is appealing Ergerons ruling on a variety of grounds [Engoron 'committed errors of law and/or fact' and whether he abused his discretion or 'acted in excess' of his jurisdiction].

It's possible that coming on top of the bond deal he had to agree to in the other civil case he's involved in, people may have thought assurances provided by Trump may be of less value than that quoted by Trump.

He's also had a pop at Liz Cheney saying she should be prosecuted for what she did to the country by illegally destroying evidence related to the 06 Jan event and his alleged request for National Guard troops to be in the city that day. I guess that's a sign that he's afraid of the non-Trumpists in the GOP.