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

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364676#Comment_123364676

In fairness to you, you’ve admitted that you don’t know a lot about how China operates - especially in its own country. It’s truely frightening.

If you can find a way to watch this brilliant BBC documentary, then do so - it certainly opened my eyes to just how far AI can go in terms of citizen control .

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001wkcr

Saying all of that, I can also appreciate how China might be seen as the “good guy” right now - it’s probably a reflection on just how bad things have got, that China is looking like a choirboy compared to MAGA

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364682#Comment_123364682

Chomsky 2017 on the Republican party

"Has there ever been an organisation in human history that is dedicated, with such commitment, to the destruction of organised human life on Earth?"

Peregrinus

How China (or the US) operates in its own country isn't really relevant here. For everyone who isn't Chinese or American, the relevant question is how China and the US treat people outside their country — which of them is more benign, or more malign, as a regional/global hegemon?

In this regard Trump's trampling on democracy within the US is actually irrelevant. But the shredding of international agreements, including agreements that the previous Trump administration made; the undermining and repudiation of alliances; the slashing of development aid; the bulllying, hectoring and disdain for other countries, including allies; the threats to annex the territory of even friendly nations, if necessary by force; the imposition of swingeing tariffs on friendly nations; the support for genocide and ethnic cleansing as a means of creating real estate development opportunities for the elite — these things all make the US look less and less attractive, by comparison with China, as a hegemon.

I'm not saying that China is perfect as a potential hegemon. It certainly isn't. But it doesn't have to be perfect; it just has to be less awful than the alternatives. And, right now, Trump is working very hard indeed to make China look like the better option.

kneemos

They have full employment. Where are they going to get the workers for all these jobs they're supposedly bringing back if they don't want immigrants?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364815#Comment_123364815

Robots! Or 'guest' workers who are basically indentured serfs with no rights who will be deported when their shift is up.

And remember, tariffs are supposed to replace income tax yet Trump doesn't want imports either.

Welcome to MAGA fantasy land of economic and moral bankruptcy.

RickBlaine

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364504#Comment_123364504

There are two interviews with Trump voters from last year that I remember. The first was the owner of a metal works factory whose work was exclusively for the US Military. She said her business boomed during Trump's first term because of his increased military spending, and then reduced when Biden was elected. This meant she had to lay off some staff. She said she'll vote for Trump again for the sake of her business and that was the single issue for her.

The other interview was with a middle aged couple in rural America, a real GOP stronghold. The clip began with them watching one of Trump's rallies and being appalled and angry with what he was saying. They said he is an awful person and actually said would be a terrible president again. But they said they will still vote for him because they would never vote for a democrat.

I can understand the factory owner. At least her decision to vote for Trump is based on reason and facts. The rural couple though are total fools because they voted for a person who they believe would be a terrible president, thus damaging the country they claim t just because of some vague notion that democrats are even worse.

poop emoji

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364821#Comment_123364821

At the rate Trump is destroying the economy there be plenty of Americans from breadlines who will want to work in sweatshops for devalued bucks to make tat for the new Russian and Chinese overlords and their bought oligarch puppets running the US

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364837#Comment_123364837

I'm dubious re: the military contractor. Biden's support for Ukraine was also boosting orders through US suppliers. I don't recall comments from Trump on the campaign about boosting military spending.

When Trump was re-elected, analysts thought it might lead to more defence spending but it was not obvious:

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/11/07/what-a-second-trump-presidency-could-mean-for-the-defense-budget

Trump is all over the place on military spending e.g. there's this article from 2 months ago talking about cuts but then in last 24 hours reports of a massive increase in the budget.

The Trump administration has directed the Pentagon to reduce its budget by 8% annually over the next five years

https://spacenews.com/trump-orders-50-billion-cut-from-2026-defense-budget-shields-iron-dome-initiative/

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364866#Comment_123364866

US defence expenditure rose every year under Biden, and at a faster rate than it had risen under Trump I.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364881#Comment_123364881

Thanks, yes that's why I was dubious. It was a roll of the dice not something based on anything solid or properly reasoned out.

kneemos

Zelensky offered to buy Patriot Missiles to the tune of fifteen billion.

Trump says no.

https://kyivindependent.com/trump-dismisses-zelenskys-proposal-to-buy-10-patriot-systems-blames-him-for-starting-war/

poop emoji

Trump is trying to have it both ways as usual

• one one hand he want a military parade and saying “I will increase military budget to 1 trillion dollars” (insert dr evil laugh here)
• while simultaneously cutting 7-8% across the board with DOGE taking a wrecking ball to defence and other departments

All while US military industrial giants are either on verge of bankruptcy (Boeing) or lost 20%+ since election like LockheedMartin or 10%+ like GeneralDynamics

even the darling of tech bros (and Peter Thiel), Palantir is down because of Trump

So in short he wants to create appearances while reality is the exact opposite

poop emoji

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364900#Comment_123364900

Yup just wrote about that in parallel thread

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364775#Comment_123364775

Once again Trump is all over the shop

everlast75

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364900#Comment_123364900

That poor metal factory owner who makes profit from the military 😞

looksee

I just watched a CNN video of mostly farming people being interviewed about the economy and Trump policies. Some were for and some against, but one soybean farmer discussing tariffs stood out to me when he said 'we are a gracious, gracious nation, feeding the world, but we need to get some return for it'. There is so much wrong with that sentence.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364815#Comment_123364815

YouTube influencers. There are a ton of them.

Patrick2010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364910#Comment_123364910

He won't sell them Patriots because that would help Ukraine and Putin wouldn't like that, its simple.

Leroy42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364910#Comment_123364910

He isn't. He hates Zelensky and blames Ukraine for the war and is completely on the side of Putin.

Complaining about the money, or not saying thank you enough, was just the excuse for coming out against Zelensky s he knows he cannot simply side with Putin.

But Zelensky played him but getting funds together to buy weapons and that puts Trump in a position of having to help what he sees as an adversery.

Not selling them weapons is completely consistent with Trumps stance

valoren

He has supporters because there is a built in cognitive dissonance for everything which serves to protect him.

When you're a pathological liar then repeating the lies embeds the excuses in peoples minds.

He is a rapist? Nah, she can't even remember when it happened.

He is a convicted felon? Nah, Biden weaponised the Justice Department.

He incited a riot? Nah, he said protest peacefully.

He is old and frail? Posts a meme of Sleepy Joe.

These are the kind of people who occupy the echo chambers.

They are like people who fall for what should be an obvious ponzi scheme set up by grifting con artists creaming it off them and they're fully invested in that club and antagonistic to anyone pointing out that they are being fooled.

There is also the cohort of support who know he is a rapist, convicted felon etc. but who look at Trump as a useful idiot who is ultimately beneficial to them personally be it monetarily via tax breaks or things like upholding conservative/religious policies values like fighting LGBT, going America First etc.

looksee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwPEnrCgxkA

Chris Hayes discusses - rather forcefully - the lawlessness of the current US administration's sending people to El Salvador prison. Every aspect of it is lawless, and its hard to argue with it.

The only possible arguments are along the lines of 'Trump knows what he is doing, he is getting gangs out of America' and 'there are more important things to talk about that a few illegal aliens being deported, good riddence to them'. If those arguments are acceptable, well there is a lot further to go before they get to the 'and then they came for me' stage.

Wolf359f

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123364900#Comment_123364900

Ukraine should enter discussions with Italy and France about spending 15 billion on their SAMP/T systems (it's also half the price).

But it's public announcements like that, European countries spending money on European arms that may make Trump change his mind. That and pressure from the US defense industry.

poop emoji

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123365155#Comment_123365155

I think the plan here was to expose Trump and his nonsense by offering money Ukraine doesn’t have and getting a public rejection from Trump before going to European manufacturers

Zelensky is playing the cards he was dealt well and just called Trumps bluff and nonsense out

Now when Ukraine spends money in Europe and he complains they can say “well remember that time”

Ash.J.Williams

Looks like great deals are being negotiated all over the world now without America

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123365205#Comment_123365205

Exactly as predicted, the rest of the world will adapt and work around the US.

Everyone was willing to stick it out for the first 4 years of nonsense but the rest of the world has come to the same consensus after the last 2 weeks that this is not a blip it is a trend and they are adapting to the new trend.

Infini

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123365205#Comment_123365205

The biggest gains across the board can easily be made in Europe for the forseeable future as far as I'm concerned as that Orange Bollocks is only concerned about enriching himself and his crony friends and they dont care how much they undermine the US's credibility. You cant do reliable trade with a corrupt criminal regressive government that disregards its own laws.

Strazdas

I saw someone mention today that the US is the wealthiest country in the world, are by far the biggest consumers and the biggest beneficiaries of globalisation and yet somehow have the cheek to complain they are being "ripped off" by everyone else.

looksee

There's not enough respect, not enough thanks.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123365289#Comment_123365289

Indeed Trump nor his idiot followers understand the complex global supply chain that has been built centered around them for the past 80 years and how much it has benefited them, they only see things in an entirely transactional, zero sum way much like a 5 year old.

Wolf359f

Lots of talk lately in this thread about Trump's popularity, well it's crashing fast:

The highest disapproval is in the minority groups and young people.

Tell me how

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123365289#Comment_123365289

Biggest consumers AND they are the ones who sought out cheap locations to manufacture goods outside the country.

Trump is ripping up the American strategic economic focus that has been in play since the 70's.

I don't think he is doing it for any other reason than that he doesn't understand the root cause of trade deficits.