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

more than half of US oil imports come from Canada and most of its fertiliser

’HATE’ is a VERY EXPLOSIVE word. If anyone has even a modicum of Christianity - or equivalent in the other religions- in them that word would not be in their vocabulary. Imagine just hating , as a principal, a country , a culture , a sect, a religion, an individual, etc, etc, etc,etc just because they are DIFFERENT

You are not wrong, and conversely, while I have based my views on Trump directly on what he has said, rather than what other people have said about what he says, it has got to the stage where I can't stand to hear his voice.

Instead of just reacting to comments, why not give us some more proactive thoughts on what impresses you so much about him, why you feel he deserves to be taken seriously.

Can you explain why almost all the western leaders have recently spoken out against him - from a starting point of the US being accepted and respected as the leader of the free world up to the last 9 years or so?

Explain to us the justification for attacking Canada - and Mexico, though Canada seems much more harmless and had a very positive relationship with the US up to a couple of months ago. He seems to have given up on the Panama Canal, unless there is secret work going on that we are not hearing about, but why Canada?

He seems to suggest its an aesthetic thing, he doesn't feel the line across the continent is very pleasing. Is that a reason for attacking? He does give the impression that Canada and Greenland should be handed over just because he wants them. Or Russia wants them, its hard to know. It is hard to deny that he is trashing the economy, he argues that things will be a bit difficult for a while, is there an economist you can quote (not one of his stooges cabinet, they say what they are told to say) who would support this 'slight dip, then vast wealth' approach?

Why would he want Canada? As a state (or more reasonably, several states) it would tend to the left and only help the Democrats, assuming it was given equal and proper rights, which is what he seems to be offering. Surely he is not lying about his intentions?

His base argument seems to be 'the rest of the world has been treating us very badly, they have taken advantage of us'. It is not a point that I have heard much discussion of, either support from his followers or rebuttal from those who criticise him. Is it justified? In terms of trade he argues that other countries will not import low quality US goods; why should they? Produce goods that people want and they will buy them.

To people outside his cult he comes over as a whinging, self-centred, uneducated, irrational brat. I would love to hear your arguments that can actually be discussed.

But you said they think Private Eye, a satirical paper, is trash. So, have they read it or not?

https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-1c8e59d6f2661c6e3c6aeda8ab07a583

Down and down they go in US

The Trump Dump

So, it was Madge Taylor's bf who fed the question about Rosie O'Donnell moving to Ireland at the Oval Office presser the other day. Seems he's a regular when a distraction is needed or a program started (viz. Zelensky):

https://www.rte.ie/news/us/2025/0313/1501966-rosie-odonnell/

"Conservative journalist Brian Green…"

Pity the RTE didn't point out his relationship with MTG. Seems he 'works' for some septic volcano called "Real America Voice."

Your caps lock keeps sticking, maybe a bit of keyboard cleaning?

Also its rare earth, I know Trump said 'rear earth' and other people have repeated it, but there is no point in perpetuating his error.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/13/tech/taiwan-tsmc-us-investment-reactions-intl-hnk/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc

Hong Kong/TaipeiCNN — 

It was a surprise ceremony at the White House presided over by President Donald Trump to unveil a $100 billion investment from what he called the world’s most powerful company, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

…

Taiwan relies on US military and political support. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself against a possible attack by China.

But Trump’s recent rhetoric has cast uncertainty over the future of US-Taiwan relations. He has repeatedly accused Taiwan of “stealing” the US semiconductor industry, a claim that is widely disputed, while saying outright that Taiwan should pay the US for “protection.”

Could one of the Trump supporters please explain to us why Trump should not be considered a mob-boss? Or maybe having a white cat to sit on his lap and be stroked might be appropriate?

But this thread, for example, is an echo chamber. I'm with you on seeking out opposing points of view, but not from trash such as the outlets I mentioned.

Why is trust in the media in the US at an all time low? Across the board.

I don't vote either. I removed my name from the Register of Electors a few years ago. I see nothing wrong with not voting.

I didn't forget about Fox et al. One of the great things about the US, apart from the amazing First Amendment, is that there is lots of opposition there. Here on the other hand there is no opposition of any sort. The radio stations, newspapers, RTÉ, the political parties, the judges, etc, are all identical.

He doesn't have massive support. The only reason they were there when he was being sworn in was to curry favour with him. I suggest you use those magic beans yourself if you think Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerbeg and Sundar Pichai voted for Trump and are staunch Republicans.

And last year a study showed that 89% of the coverage on Trump on CBS, NBC and ABC, all of whom are identical, was "entirely hostile": https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/3125746/unprecedented-positive-media-for-harris-89-negative-for-trump/

I don't know whether they've read it or not. I doubt it, but I can't say for sure. The point I'm making is that one doesn't need to read or watch something to know that it's trash. For example, I've never watched Love Island but I know it's trash.

Do you think none of us have watched a Trump speech? Or one of his press conferences? He is perfectly capable of showing himself up as a hateful lunatic. In terms of the impact of his actions, they're not being misreported on even though you'll claim they are.

What do you mean 'Ireland has no opposition'? Every day we hear Sinn Fein, PBP etc argue against Government policies and they are given ample airtime. You should really visit a country where there is no actual opposition and see how dissent is tolerated.