Donald Trump the Megathread part II - Mod Warning added to OP 10/1/26

It won't matter. Once Trump has effectively crossed the line of democracy the next leader is whomever the party decides it will be and the people will be told to like him. The likes of Fox etc will then flood the zone with stories about how amazing and normal Vance actually is and anyone that says otherwise is part of the Fake News.

Popularity or charisma has nothing to do with, apart from allowing one to climb the ranks within the party.

Trump has crossed that line. He is ruling without any input from Congress or the Senate and is ignoring SCOTUS. Nothing now to stop him for calling an emergency and doing an executive order to postpone the elections.

Hope he wore his best eyeliner for the occasion.

I know the feeling. Brother in US since late teens-now a citizen, retired law enforcement. As different in all aspects to me as can be imagined. When I visit,NO politics discussed and have to watch Fox News.

What floored me,on a FBook discussion my sister sent on to me—I am not on FB. Himself and his partner trashing DEI with all the usual lies, people should get jobs only on merit. Their daughter is mmm, I would say is mildly autistic. Has a part-time job bagging groceries at a local supermarket. Most certainly a candidate for a DEI hire and I applaud the supermarket, but Bro cannot see this. Does me head in!

What a load of nonsense, millions of Americans who voted for Trump are not a cult. How about his policies actually resonate with people. His message has been clear for decades, every speech has basically been about trade and immigration. These two issues are now front and center. This is why people voted for Trump.

If that's true then why didn't it happen during his first term?

We know his hotels are entirely dependent on irregular immigrants.

He ran on building a wall and making Mexico pay for it?

How much do you know about his success with that policy?

Do you know that it didn't happen.

Do you know Mexico told him to **** off when he embarrassing asked the Mexican government to not publicly admit that it wasn't going to happen?

Do you know about Steve Bannon, and how he committed fraud by getting people to donate to build the wall, only for him to later misappropriate the money?

Do you know that he pardoned Steve Bannon for defrauding MAGA supporters?

Yeah - sounds very similar to an encounter I had with my cousin last year. It's actually quite disturbing to have someone you grew up with and thought you knew well come out with this nonsense.

Of course Trump supporters and apologists on this thread will hape this as a beautiful deal, the best, wonderfully etc.…

Whilst I don’t support illegal crossings (but do support a fair system for immigration to USA) - in my own view, it’s not that the border is better protected (albeit it probably is)- it’s because a lot fewer people are willing to experience the wrath of ICE and MAGA combined- something that the democrats could also have achieved when in power if they so wished - you don’t have to stop all immigration - you just need to stop the undesirables - and treat them harshly - Democrats didn’t do that so whilst I despise the current regime I do criticise the previous one on illegal crossings - it was simply bizarre what they allowed.

But- agriculture no less many other industries still need immigrants - it’s that simple- so what’s the MAGA view and when will they implement it? Great no one wants to travel to America in case their pecker gets chopped off by an overzealous border guard- fine, message understood- but what about letting in the people who keep the economy going and doing the jobs Americans don’t want to do, but need to be done in order to keep the wheels going around?

I’ll be listening to the farmers in the coming months - they should be a vocal bunch if they’re not finding the labour they need

https://youtu.be/uPREWIv7Qs4?t=502

He might not have policies in the sense of policies being defined goals with roadmaps, plans, funding and staff allocated to achieve a desired end but there are recurring themes running through MAGA which partly explain his behaviour. He's been a racist his entire life so it makes sense that he'd try and make immigrants' lives harder for instance. He subscribes to a zero sum fallacy and much of what he says is explained by this.

Ultimately though, he is simply a deeply unintelligent person who appreciates on some level that he's inferior to just about everyone and that his "success" was something he inherited from his father.

The obsession with bringing back manufacturing is based on both his racism and his inability to comprehend the zero sum fallacy. Manufacturing mostly happens in places like China for a reason. Trump doesn't get this because he is incapable. From Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward:

I grew up on a farm. I spent my childhood doing hard manual labour. No way would I ever want to go back to that. I'd rather by Ryan from The Office in a closet with a computer than back on a farm.

They're not all in a cult. A lot will vote for a mouldy dog turd as long as it has an R beside the name. A lot are not too bright (we're talking two planks territory) and they actually believe what Trump says. Some are in it for the hatred, be that against the LGBTQ community, brown people, wimmin, intelligent and educated people, liberals or anyone who is in any way progressive. Some have a hatred of democracy, government and society itself and some are just deranged conspiracy nuts who believe that Trump was sent by Jesus to do away with all them evil pedophiles.

So, no. Not all are in a cult. But voting Trump is just like buying crack. No matter what your reasons for doing so, it's never a decision borne from sound reasoning and the outcome is never positive in any way, shape or form.

You know things aren't great when someone with the nickname of 'mad dog' can be quoted as a sober voice of reason.