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

I've long said that those who voted for Trump were motivated primarily by 1 or more of 3 things. Racism. Sexism. Ignorance. And I've also said I feel the most significant factor was the ignorance one.

You could add other elements there of patriotism (misguided by ignorance in my view) and being in his inner circle where you knew his policies would favour you (less than a couple of % in real terms) but I feel a lot of the 70M+ voters who voted for him were motivated largely by those first few factors.

Maybe I could be generous and suggest that some of them truly believed he would be a peacemaker and would lower grocery prices and the likes but I thought at the election and still do now that people who truly believed that were ignorant as to what the problems were and what he could and would do about them.

IMO I think that the 51% Trump voters / majority of the electoral college thought that Trump was going to MAGA ie more money left for discretionary expenditure , better education system , a more available health service, cheaper medicines, increase in employment, better housing, bringing back to the US overseas US manufacturing companies, create businesses to replace imports. America would be much better off if Trump concentrated his energies on those areas and had real strategies to improve them.
But , as Bernie Sanders said in His analysis of Trumps Congress speech, there was not ONE WORD on all of the above areas re how he going to improve on them.

In other words the 51% were TOTALLY HOOD WINKED

I can see how they voted - at least some of them- for Trump re a fresh start, give the GOP another shot of running the economy, Trumps energy/dynamism , etc compared to Biden’s / Harris’s, better chance of the economy improving / more money left in the pocket

I would throw in authoritarianism as well. Many of the right wing populists are closet authoritarians and love the idea of a "strong man" as leader.

It's the first time I've heard a western leader speak so bluntly to Trump and not show him any deference whatsoever. Many of the others are tiptoeing around him.

You know when MAGA start lecturing Europe on free speech what they’re really saying is, “we’re getting rid of free speech”

Are you trying to say that DJT had a hand in this?😕

He sold a “dream” and they fell for it - not just MAGA nuts- traditional Democrat voters too - for me it’s a sign of a very helpless and downtrodden society - America might be classed as a wealthy country but it has a hell of a lot of poverty - currently 11.5% or 37 million people. And I’d watch that statistic over the next 4 years as it will only rise

Stupid and desperate people voted for liars based on the lies they told. The lies they told about the economy, the lies they told about the people they don't like, the lies they told about the state of the nation, the lies they told about the opposing party, the lies they even told about themselves.

It's not that difficult a conundrum really.

By the way, not everyone in the USA is wealthy. There are, literally, millions who live in conditions that would curl your hair. It's a wealthy nation, for sure, but most of that wealth is concentrated.

"By the way, not everyone in the USA is wealthy. There are, literally, millions who live in conditions that would curl your hair. It's a wealthy nation, for sure, but most of that wealth is concentrated"

I've heard the USA being described as a third class country wearing a Gucci belt...

Russia andUS , apparently, are ‘ concerned ‘ about the breakout of hostilities in Syria and have expressed same.

I can understand why Ru would do so because it has sided with Assad all along and by implication with the Alawite sect. Ru had seaport access in the Alawite stronghold . Ru is also trying to ‘ court ‘ the current regime. - tryical Russia . It is currently trying to ‘ stick its oars’ into Syria again to see if there is any ‘ developing opportunity ‘ there.

BUt the US ? I understand that the US were involved in supporting some of the anti- Assad fighting groups, but now that Assad is gone - to Russia- and the new regime is fairly firmly in power/control , why is The US expressing its concern.

I thought that part of the strategy. to MAGA was to pull out of all of its overseas ‘engagements’ and NOT TO START / get involved in current future overseas conflicts if at all possible

Has the US unfinished business in Syria? Has it’s concern something to do with the US /Israeli Jews to make sure that Hamas need to be exterminated? - as they might go to Syria on Trumps orders . - as he has INSRptRUCTED them to leave but he did not say where to go.

Or has it to do with being ‘ afraid that Ru might get the upper hand there?

Or is possible that now that Putin and Trump are friends. the US wants to offer all of its assistance to Russia so that it can get its access to ports there. ? - would be a help. To Ru if it has ‘ designs for the area in the longterm

From an Israeli defense point of view the more fractured your surrounding opponents are the better. However I don't see Russia getting a foothold again while Turkey who it has fought proxy wars against in recent years are the main backers of the Assad ousters.

I wonder if there is a movement in the States to support Canada by buying Canadian goods in preference to US goods.

So long as American agression to its neighbours continues that might be a way to pick the right side and to punish deviant behaviour at home.

Firstly, Trump will just say that he had nothing to do with causing any recession and his followers will swallow that. He'll be aided and abetted in this by various news networks, like Fox News and Newsmaxx, each terrified of losing even one percent of their audience due to not being one hundred percent pro-Trump. And then there's the army of trolls online waiting to do the same kind of thing.

Of course, there'll be plenty of objective people who'd see through all of this, but the vast majority of them must already be iffy on Trump, if not outright dislike/hate him, so it's kind of status quo there.

The genuine floating voters may be moved to the other side by a Trump recession, but they won't have a chance to voice that change really until November 2026, and god knows where the ability to vote freely and fairly will sit by then.

As for Trump's rich friends potentially influencing his course of action, it's worth remembering that the rich can get even richer in an economic downturn, due to being able to purchase valuable assets at knockdown prices.

"Firstly, Trump will just say that he had nothing to do with causing any recession and his followers will swallow that"

Saw this cartoon which sums this sentiment up..

Mod - no memes please

Trump was claiming credit for crypto rises

Now that they are down 25% despite his crypto reserve announcement and light touch regulations, he’s awful quiet

That sneaky Biden still running things via the deep state 😈