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

We keep hearing how the concerns of right wing or conservative voters in the West have been ignored and how this has supposedly led to an increase in support for far right parties. I would question the validity of this though. The far right have been flooding social media with disinformation and conspiracy theories for the best part of a decade, not to mention the emergence of Trump and the MAGA phenomenon. Perhaps this rise in support for such parties was always going to happen, irrespective of what governments were or weren't doing.

I suppose an Irish example is one which we might be more familiar with: the asylum process. There is no mainstream voice speaking out about the abuse going on in the system. Last year the state spent €1bn on a system where we know 66% minimum are bogus claims.

Any objection to the system is always framed as "we must meet our international obligations you far right racist". Those interviewed on the topic are those that are significantly state funded orgs that sit on the left. All of this is a handy way to shut down discussion.

Instead the political system talks about and ties itself up on are relatively trivial sums on bicycle shelters and the like.

People like that may be a minority in every European country, but it's not like they need to become a majority in order to get into power. It really only takes enough people in the centre who are fed up of the regular parties to give those on the hard right a go.

If you take the issue of immigration, you can run the gamut between extremists who think such people are 'untermenschen' all the way to people who think that an influx of more people puts a strain on local markets and infrastructure that they do not need. Now, the former don't really need to be listened to, but the latter do because they're a much larger group. If you do not, you run the real risk of the former trying to weaponise the latter to achieve their ends, via misinformation/disinformation/propaganda.

What makes you think it's AI?

Do you believe everything you see on the internet?

Id see myself a a third type, one that acknowledges that social systems will be abused if strong systems are not in place to protect them. People take advantage, it's just human nature.

By believing that people on the right buy into everything on the right is actually part of the problem and how people end up turning to the radical right. My views are broadly centre right and I don't think I'm particularly unusual. I vote for centre parties despite none really speaking to me. Your understanding lacks nuance, but the internet age never did nuance.

How people become radicalised is if their reasonable views are ignored by the mainstream, where the only one listening is the extreme. Their moderate views end up, if not transitioning to the extreme, but at least willing to ignore the worst parts. With regards to the right, it's how the US has ended up where it is and where Europe is heading.

No, it really doesn't.

BTW, If that pic is AI produced, then it's "hands" down the best AI pic that I've yet seen.

No it doesn't.

What it does do ,is show that you will just assume things you don't like is AI.

Its why you can't explain what makes it seem to be an AI pic.

Is it a coping mechanism for you?

edit: Not by me (if that's what you imply). Where have you seen it was an AI image?

There were a number of news stories about this powwow with the McDonald's feast on Trump's jet. It was while he was assembling his cabinet choices.

Here are 2 I googled.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-inner-circle-shares-mcdonalds-meal-donald-jr-jokes-make-america-healthy-again-starts-tomorrow

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-cabinet-robert-f-kennedy-jr-humiliation-rcna181026

Assuming it is real (!) I think that suggestion in 2nd piece that Trump arranged it to embarrass RFK is plausible, as he does seem to think that humiliating "subordinates" in public like that shows he is a strong and good leader (and not just a nasty asshole!). The articles embed a tweet from one of Trump's children with a "Lord make me healthy - but not yet!" joke, so if it is AI generated, the Trump Admin. wants it out there as something that happened anyway.

those parasites are absolutely spineless. glad it's a real photo.

I agree it's kind of an insane and disturbing image (as other posters said), but that is the world we live in.

Then you have that more recent Oval office sick farce scene with Trump and Musk and his child.

I am guessing that has certainly happened. It was more reported on, and AI generated video has a ways to go yet anyway (I haven't watched/listened to any video of it myself).

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgerr2jvkgo

Anyway I'm not going down that road of is it real/not and doubting everything. It's dangerous, that way lies madness.

Who needs a plan when an idea will do instead.

What could go wrong

I didn't misinterpret anything. You said I either had to be on the religious/traditionalist right or a racist when I'm certain I'm neither.

If it was left wing views you'd hardly have said I could only be an old fashioned communist or a single issue extremist activist?

The characterisation of reasonable right wing views as extreme only serves to embolden those with actual extreme views.

And how exactly will he do that? What will he replace proven medication and vaccines with? What are his qualifications to do so over the qualified doctors and medical researchers?

Most of what he says about food just doesn’t add up. And, the bigger part, he has no chance against the lobbyists that line the pockets of congress and the senate to get this all through.

He has no hope.