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

Worth examining the "journalists" that were in the room yesterday too (mainly from whacky news channels and journals).

The first question about Zelensky's attire was dreadful and the manner in which it was put to him as well. The "journalist" also happen to be the boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Green.

That was clearly intentional to set the tone and make Zelensky uncomfortable.

So on Tuesday he is addressing Congress and he has moved 3k troops to the Mexican border. What is the likely hood he calls for a state of emergency based on some nonsense about being overrun with illegal immigrants. It will give him extreme executive power in a state of emergency. I feel like he has been trying to manufacture an excuse for it for a while.

Russia is winning the war, thats the view of most experts. Its making very slow progress but its progress nonetheless.

Its clear to see that you are definitely more sympathetic to Russia the aggressor.

Thats untrue, dont let your heart rule your head.

“The war cannot be won” is the cry of Putin apologists. Of course it can be won. Winning is outlasting Russia, who’ve put all of their energy into a war that was supposed to last less than a week.

Its not, its the voice of reason. 3 years the war is going on with no end in sight.

You are correct it is about outlasting Russia and thats why Trump has the much stronger hand and should be tougher with Putin should he wish to play it that way.

There will be a settlement at some point, Ukraine want it, Russia wants it, NATO wants it, the nonsense at the moment is the necessary preamble they all need to play out.

Agreed, Id like to see a different outcome but that is what will happen.

The US have refused to recognized Russia as the aggressor(including refusing to back the condemnation), have tried to plunder Ukraine and meanwhile Russia are set to see no consequences in the supposed peace negotiations. On top of that the US just behaved atrociously towards the leader of Ukraine including calling him a dictator. Meanwhile Trump refused to call Putin a dictator... Yep, Trump absolutely is sympathetic towards Putin to the point where leaders are wondering if the US are gonna be trustworthy partners in the future.

But sure you'll claim it's 4d chess or something. You've also previously implied that Russia had some basis for the invasion so you're not exactly a plausible voice on this.

Trump has a pretty clear affinity towards Putin. He could treat Putin more harshly, but appears thoroughly unprepared to do so. If we leave aside any conspiracy theories involving urine, I can only think it's for two reasons: 1. that he sees Russia as potential economic partner or because Russia is a major nuclear power who can only be pushed so far.

Now the problem comes that if you're a smaller nation who wants to ensure its continuing existence and maybe have nothing of any great value to offer Trump, economically, then the other alternative is to get a few warheads of your own. What better way to remind people not to mess with you than to tell them that messing with you means the potential end of civilisation?

But that also makes for a much more dangerous world with all these nations having their finger on that trigger, and this is what I fear Trump's attitude to foreign policy is going to lead to. The time on the Doomsday Clock is getting ever shorter and Trump is absolutely no remedy in that regard.

On the "ocean" remark by Zelenskyy that really got to Trump and Vance concerning the war being away from their country's borders [not on their doorstep], I think some other poster commented here maybe 20 or so pages back on there being 2 oceans surrounding the US from Russia but it might have been some-one else somewhere else, maybe even Trump himself commenting about the oceans protecting the US from a distant war.

Is there an easy way of backtracking to find the source other than scrolling through all the pages of this thread?

Why was AP and Reuters banned while TASS was allowed to attend.

https://x.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1895375885341262199

I wouldn't be one of Galloway's fans at all, not one bit. Sometimes the left can make rational arguments. He's covered alot of good points here which relate to your question.

They'd probably be barred from the Whitehouse press room for that little 'offence'.

Well said, threats of financial bombs under Dublin come to mind. Some folk could do with a little history lesson on that one:

Troika warned 'a bomb will go off' in Dublin unless bondholders repaid

Trump's latest stunt is to repeat his taking of boxes of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago. I suppose he thinks that he makes the law on this.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/28/politics/trump-seized-boxes-returned-air-force-one/index.html

What a petulant child he is.

On Friday night when the VZ Trump meeting was wall to wall on the news , a BBC journalist asked a previous Trump ambassador to Demnark from 2017 to 2020 who was to blame for the war. Her answer was Biden. Let that sink in. The Republicans are so delusional and corrupted by their blind allegiance to Trump.

Trump playing golf again, the day after telling VZ that he made him a tough guy and berating him.

Trump wouldn’t have a breeze what to do if he was in VZs position.

Aside from the main Trump news, I'm surprised that MAGA agitator, Laura Loomer, has not claimed a prominent position in Trump's administration. He seemed pretty keen on her before the election took place.