Donald Trump the Megathread part II - mod warnings in OP, Updated 18/03/25

tigerboon · 08-02-2025 04:51AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147237#Comment_123147237

You do know it's not US aid right.....it's US A.I.D....something very different. Nothing to do with saving the starving babies. The list of spending is real. If it distracts from other stuff is not relevant.

Necro · 08-02-2025 07:21AM

Mod: @Hamsterchops drop the trans discussion, it seems like a life long obsession of yours to derail every thread with the same points over and over again. Bring it up again here and you'll face a lengthy ban

Detritus70 · 08-02-2025 07:41AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123146339#Comment_123146339

And would she do her best to help a trans person, or would she tell them they're a man and eff off and die?

Part of not being a bigoted asshole is to accept all people, not just some, something you may wish to consider.

Because that's how being a good person works, you can't pick and choose. And just because *you* go by a very narrow definition, doesn't make that right. You can't invent your own facts, as the old chestnut goes. Viewed from the outside, you fail the old "decent person" test.

Cody montana · 08-02-2025 08:44AM

Trump Dismisses Members of Kennedy Center Board and Reveals Plan to Make Himself Chairman

…Leader for life coming soon.

zell12 · 08-02-2025 08:54AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147321#Comment_123147321

Well.. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy527yex0no

walshb · 08-02-2025 09:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123146711#Comment_123146711

get a grip. Nobody called you a liar. Read up on what a lie/liar actually is.

Netanyahu “wanted” is nothing but an exaggeration. Countries grandstanding is all

francois · 08-02-2025 09:32AM

Federal judges have temporarily injuncted "doge" from accessing treasury records and firing USAID workers. seems the way forward, block them at every turn.

Another Muskrat caught wiping internet posts online, that makes 3 now.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2025/02/07/the-now-deleted-tweets-of-doge-staffer-gavin-kliger/

Igotadose · 08-02-2025 09:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147511#Comment_123147511

"Muskrat…" +1000

non-paywalled article about this wealthy edgelord:

https://archive.ph/krA3b

ceadaoin. · 08-02-2025 09:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147438#Comment_123147438

Well if they were a male trying to access the shelter that is for females then no doubt she would refer them to an appropriate place. As to telling them to 'eff off and die', absolutely not and get a grip. Jk Rowling gets constant rape and death threats by trans activists but still puts her money where her mouth is when it comes to helping women and many other causes around the world. She isn't a hateful person at all. The people who want to rape and kill her just for having opinions though? Well I would say they are the definition of hateful bigots

brickster69 · 08-02-2025 09:58AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147511#Comment_123147511

Speaking of wiping posts online, it appears a certain NGO are wiping details from it's website for some reason. Quite amazing that 95% of income for a non government organization receives 95% of it's income from the government when you think about it.

Looks like Wikileaks are back on the job and coming up with a few bit's and pieces going by it's latest offering posted a few hours ago. Quite an eyeopening thread when you look at it and good to see people looking into where funds have been sent and what they are used for even if nothing criminal is found cutting down on waste.

Now they announced they are looking into the Pentagon and education among other departments it looks likely a fair bit of wasted cash will be found from the look of it. Maybe other countries start to do a bit of digging also now.

https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/1888072129327083979

Oscar_Madison · 08-02-2025 11:07AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147169#Comment_123147169

It will take some adjustment alright - but I think the international community will find its voice - EU appears strong overall at least in terms of any trade war that will break out - I’m hoping that they won’t take the approach of appeasement which is the worst approach you could take with Trump right now especially when you have credible negotiating power behind you.
New markets should also emerge as other countries take a stand.

Canada is finding its feet quickly too. Its places like Ukraine that are on a back foot that will come out badly - America has its eyes on the precious minerals like uranium etc in Ukraine (as has Russia) so the price of an end to the conflict and support with rebuilding will be massive - Trump will not settle for “sharing” - we could see American companies in Ukraine raping the land and leaving behind a toxic sludge by the end of the summer.

But it’s internally in America that’s going to feel it the most - there IS no opposition right now -it’s extraordinary but not unexpected - let’s hope the judiciary can stop things getting too out of hand - the publicity of the executive orders being signed was designed to instil fear and disorientation - hopefully there’s still some common sense left in the courts

deirdremf · 08-02-2025 11:13AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147511#Comment_123147511

Some edgy group of young musicians out there is trying to come up with a name for their band.

I'd suggest Elon and the Muskrats!

deirdremf · 08-02-2025 11:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123146854#Comment_123146854

The world is dedollarising as we speak. BRICS are doing more and more non-dollar trade deals, several countries are selling oil in Euros.

I have read that world trade in dollars pays for US military projection around the world, and as the rest of the world decreases its dependence on the dollar, the US will have to fund its foreign bases etc itself. That will have a huge impact on living standards in the US, until they realise that they have to shut bases down, one by one. I suspect that the last US bases to go will be Israel and the UK.

Another aspect of the US decline is that in 1950 it was probably the most technologically advanced part of the world, with Western Europe close behind, although lagging owing to the war.

Now technology has spread to many other parts of the world, China is hard on the US' heels regarding innovation - if not actually ahead in some fields. Parts of India are up there too. IT has spread so fast as a technology that innovation of sorts can happen almost anywhere.

A last aspect is that as well as technology, relative population size is required for exterior power projection. In 1950 the US contained 6% of world population, today that has dropped to around 4%.

The future won't be American.

ArmaniJeanss · 08-02-2025 11:43AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123146711#Comment_123146711

The passenger manifest wouldn't have to be filed with the countries that the plane is just flying over, only the countries where the plane is landing. So those overfly countries have plausible deniability for knowing that Netanyahu was on any particular flight, and it's not feasible to stop every flight originating from Israel.

Now obviously in reality they did know what flight he was on and could have asked it to land and done an arrest. But no-one particularly wants Netanyahu in a Hague cell - as Israel/Mossad, backed by the US, would almost certainly launch a bloody Entebbe style escape bid with European troops killed by US/Israeli forces on the streets of the Netherlands.

So hypocrisy, or real-politick. We'll all have our views.

gormdubhgorm · 08-02-2025 12:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123146854#Comment_123146854

Sort of like EU/Ireland in Brexit? The problem is Ireland is heavily linked with FDI from the US more so than any other country.

gormdubhgorm · 08-02-2025 12:06PM

I don’t agree with Trump on many things, but I always viewed that ICJ as a grandiose self important talking shop. It is toothless with no real power. If an organisation has no teeth it is just noise.

everlast75 · 08-02-2025 12:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147217#Comment_123147217

Would you define a corrupt country as having one with a convicted felon in charge?

brickster69 · 08-02-2025 12:20PM

Trump revokes Biden's security clearance according to his social media accounts.

AMKC · 08-02-2025 12:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123145732#Comment_123145732

What a wicked nasty small minded bitch.

I guess you are too. So go to hell.

Mod - warned for personal abuse

Oscar_Madison · 08-02-2025 12:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147854#Comment_123147854

I’m not going to claim I’m an expert in the ICJ as I’m not. But regardless of whether it has teeth or not, it is one international and respected forum that is capable of shinning a torch onto injustices across the world. So I’m not surprised Trump doesn’t wish to listen to it.
Trump is trying to negate this voice and its ability to criticise - that’s could be incredibly dangerous - I’m all for pushing the envelope of progress and not standing still - but this is simply dictatorship level behaviour.

But you know what- Trumps biggest weakness, is that he’s telling us all of this - it would be much more frightening if he used stealth right now to carry out actions - what’s happening is all visible and it allows right thinking Europe hopefully, which is where we live, not to react and become hysterical, but to adjust and adapt - but not appease- never appease.

I think it will be much harder for Americans to do that- half of them are caught up in his cult nonsense and the other half are away licking their election wounds and scrambling to look relevant

Patrick2010 · 08-02-2025 12:40PM

I see the pentagon has changed their media providers, out are mainstream providers like CNN,ABC etc to be replaced by oan,newsmax,breitbart ,all Trump supporters

deirdremf · 08-02-2025 12:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147844#Comment_123147844

True, but those US MNCs still need a base in the EU, and Ireland is fairly compliant to the wishes of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland.

One day it may be Chinese companies looking for an EU base, and Ireland may not be the first or even second port of call.

aloyisious · 08-02-2025 12:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147893#Comment_123147893

Trump's statement made it clear why he did so. He said it was a response to Biden cutting off his intelligence briefings AFTER Trump tried to stop his election being certified with incitement of his "peaceful rally" to interrupt the process at the Capitol in 2021. Biden saw there was no point in continuing to let Trump, as a former president, get intelligence briefing from federal and other sources when Trump was clearly intent on illegally trying to usurp him from the office of president.

Trump has made sure the message got out that he is deeply into revenge on people who opposed him in any way, regardless of whom they are.

Roald Dahl · 08-02-2025 01:36PM

When I think of the Rise of the MAGA Movement and the overwhelming misanthropy and behind it I get to thinking of Bono and the quote which is attributed to him. The quote tells the story of a notional rich man and his big house on the top of the hill. The begrudging Irish mindset would vindictively want to one day "get that guy", whereas the Americans with their can-do cheerfulness would aspire to "be that guy".

I think we can now say with certainty that the veneer of the American Dream is well and truly worn off.

I also come around to thinking of William L. Shirer, who was an American correspondent based in Berlin and reported on the rise of Nazism and the first years of the Second World War. He is perhaps best known for his book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, which I read many, many years ago. In it, Shirer sees an inherent flaw in the German national psyche, a lack of sophistication, which led them to following Hitler into their destruction.

Mr. Shirer passed away some 30 years ago and so we can never know what he would make of the Cult of MAGA Trumpism.

Here are some quotes from The Rise and Fall, taken from a quick Google search. They show to me not so much a direct comparison to Hitler and Nazism, but to a nation voting away its democracy:

“No class or group or party in Germany could escape its share of responsibility for the abandonment of the democratic Republic and the advent of Adolf Hitler. The cardinal error of the Germans who opposed Nazism was their failure to unite against it.”

“The street gangs had seized control of the resources of a great modern State, the gutter had come to power.” But — as Hitler never ceased to boast — “legally,” by an overwhelming vote of Parliament. The Germans had no one to blame but themselves.”

“He, who was so monumentally intolerant by his very nature, was strangely tolerant of one human condition — a man’s morals. No other party in Germany came near to attracting so many shady characters. As we have seen, a conglomeration of pimps, murderers, alcoholics and blackmailers flocked to the party as if to a natural haven. Hitler did not care, as long as they were useful to him.”

“Goebbels was unbelievably ignorant of the world outside Germany. He appeared to know absolutely nothing of the history, the literature and the people of any foreign land. He understood no modern foreign language. His ideas of America, for instance, were childish. This was a weakness shared by all the Nazi bigwigs, beginning with Hitler, and it began to occur to me that it might have ominous consequences for the Third Reich, and unfortunately, for much of the rest of the world. There is nothing more dangerous in the shaping of foreign policy than ignorance - of foreign lands and people.”

“Cannot it be added that it was one of the world’s misfortunes that so many in the interwar years either ignored or laughed off the Nazi aims which Hitler had taken the pains to put down in writing?”

I could continue, as there are literally hundreds more quotes which lend themselves to repurposing. There are so many to choose from! Mr. Shirer's magnum opus is truly a treasure trove in this regard. I still have the book and I shall be dipping into it from time to time!

Galwayguy35 · 08-02-2025 01:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123147880#Comment_123147880

He was elected by the people.

That's not what I was talking about anyway.

I'm sick and tired of our government sending hundreds of millions of euros we should be spending on ourselves to these third world countries who are always looking for free money.

They should follow Trumps lead and cut out all this so called aid but they won't.