Donald Trump the Megathread part II - Mod Warning updated in OP 12/2/26

The way Trump rails against renewables I wouldn't be surprised if the primary objective is easy oil, of which Venezuela has a massive reserve. Like with the Bay of Pigs I wouldn't be surprised if Trump had a lot Venezuelan exiles whispering in his ear about mutually beneficial coup.

Haughey's old mantra "never complain, never explain".

They don't need Venezuelans whispering in their ear. Its enough to have American companies interested in the asset to launch an invasion. Just look at the history of bananas in central America and how United Fruit sponsored a war and a coup to suit their interests.

Its where we got the term Banana Republic.

BP pushed for regime change in Iran. Halliburton and others benefitted hugely from the "War on Terror" extending into Iraq. Dick Cheney had extensive ties and was chairman and CEO just 2 years before the invasion.

Well stating the obvious is actually novel in the context of how the USA previously interfered in Latin America. The Monroe Doctrine usually interfered via proxy regimes, so a straight out invasion would be akin to the old European colonial conquest, actual annexation with Trump as President, just as he is over Puerto Rico even though they don't have representation.

Oh, I know. You're dealing with a level of idiot that probably hasn't been witnessed in the history of mankind.

I said about a decade ago that humanity had reached its peak and we were on a slide. MAGATS are just living, breathing evidence that we're further down the road than I anticipated. Social media is exacerbating the slide at an incredible pace.

I see Witkoff and Kushner doing an interview about Gaza where Witkoff, without and ounce of self awareness, says theres been a master plan in place for rebuilding Gaza for over 2 years. So just a tad before October 7th even happened.

Kushners reaction speaks volumes. I think this administration will give the original Nazis a run for their money in the fullness of time.

Imagine being in a fight for your country’s survival and this guy is the negotiator your most powerful ally sends to the enemy:

One of Donald Trump’s top foreign policy envoys has been criticised for being unable to remember the names of the Ukrainian territories that he is negotiating with Russia over.

Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer with no prior diplomatic experience, floundered on TV as he tried to reel off the Russian-occupied districts of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk.

Any randomer on the street chosen for this role would have learned that much before setting off.

"Asked if there would be elections, Mr Witkoff replied: “Yes ... They’ve agreed to it.” He did not give any further details.Talking about Mr Trump’s cordial relationship with Vladimir Putin, he said that the Russian despot had prayed for the US leader at a church in Moscow after the assassination attempt on him last July, when a gunman’s bullet grazed his ear."

Got to be joking if they think Putin goes to a Church to pray for Trump, more likely paying a visit to one of his mistresses, having and keeping several is a status symbol in Russia for men, especially to an ugly little lad like Putin.

https://lumo.feji.io/posts/breaking-neil-young-pull-music-off-amazon-jeff-support-trump-administration-drops-million-lawsuit-donald-trump-explosive-onair-attack-nn-na123

Neil Young ain't taking crap from Trump and Bezos, fair play to him.

I should have clarified more: This isn't some conspiracy.

Witkoff is proven to have close ties to Russia.

https://x.com/visionergeo/status/1957145655874671052

Let’s remember

Steve Witkoff’s deep ties to Russia at the very moment he is leading closed-door Ukraine talks with Vladimir Putin as Trump’s envoy. Behind his image as a real estate developer lies a network of oligarch connections, Kremlin-linked capital, and political positions that have consistently leaned toward Moscow.

Witkoff’s closest partner in business has been billionaire Len Blavatnik, whose Access Industries co-financed some of the largest luxury developments in New York and Miami. Blavatnik, though often branded as a Western investor, made his fortune alongside sanctioned oligarchs Mikhail Fridman, German Khan, and Viktor Vekselberg in the AAR consortium, which sold its stake in TNK-BP to Rosneft for $55 billion. That deal directly enriched them through Putin’s state oil giant, cementing a Kremlin connection at the heart of Blavatnik’s wealth. Blavatnik himself has given millions to Republican politics, including a million-dollar check to Trump’s inauguration, while Ukraine sanctioned him in 2023 for his Russian ties.

From Blavatnik the chain runs deeper: to Vekselberg, sanctioned for advancing Kremlin foreign policy, to Oleg Deripaska, Putin’s favored aluminum magnate and longtime target of U.S. sanctions, and to Alfa Group’s Fridman and Aven, accused of benefiting from security service ties and Putin’s system of controlled oligarchy. These men form the network from which Blavatnik’s billions were built, and Witkoff, by aligning himself with Blavatnik, enters a circle that cannot be separated from Kremlin influence.

As envoy, Witkoff has stepped beyond private business into highly sensitive diplomacy. In 2025 he traveled to Moscow on multiple occasions, often without U.S. policy officials present, instead relying on Kremlin-provided interpreters, an unusual practice that raised questions about transparency and control of the record. In his public appearances, he praised Vladimir Putin as “super smart,” language that U.S. diplomats typically avoid given the adversarial context. More critically, Witkoff appeared to validate Russia’s staged referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories, downplayed Ukraine’s sovereignty by referring to it as a “false state” and promoted negotiation frameworks centered on territorial concessions and land exchanges. Each of these positions aligns closely with longstanding Kremlin objectives: securing recognition of its territorial gains, fragmenting Ukraine’s legitimacy, and shaping peace talks on Moscow’s terms. Russian state outlets amplified his remarks, portraying them as evidence of softening U.S. resolve.

The picture is clear: Steve Witkoff is not simply a Trump friend entering diplomacy. His business network intersects with oligarch wealth tied to Rosneft, his partners are linked to Putin’s circle, and his public statements have echoed Russia’s messaging on Ukraine. In his role as envoy, he has become both a messenger and a potential asset for Moscow, blending U.S. politics, private deals, and Russian state interests in a way that demands serious scrutiny.

Remarkably Scott Bessant seems sure that China will be ready to do a soya beans deal of benefit to the U.S farmers with Trump during his Asia trip and also a rare earths deal beneficial to the U.S. He mentioned both in a recorded interview on CNBC. It's still early in the trip and Trump still has some other countries to visit first before he meets President Ji.

On the issue of Ukraine, Putin seems to be taking Trump's expressions of annoyance seriously enough to be close to rattling the N sabre talking about a new long range missile with a nuclear warhead. This is some days after Medvedev talked about Trump's latest tariffs being an act of war. War comes in two forms, trade and martial and as the world knows some deceased leaders saw no difference between them. Touch wood there are more sensible people in Russia.

Edit: The missile is a nuclear-engine powered missile, which presumably helps it travel further as it has less of a fuel payload. I doubt if it was made with only 1 type of warhead for effect, as it were.

We have our own problems in this country. They are serious and seemingly never-ending. And yet in the context of the current vitriol and tribalism of American politics, it was refreshing to hear the leaders of all political parties congratulating Catherine Connolly's win and saying she is the president for all of Ireland. That is how a normal country should function. It is how America used to function before it went badly off the rails in 2016.

Free speech in America:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/26/ice-detains-british-muslim-journalist-laura-loomer

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/26/us/sami-hamdi-british-commentator-detained

Sami Hamdi, described as a journalist by the Guardian but as a "cimmentator£ by CNN. WHatever the details, I wonder will anyone in government in the UK or anywhare else have the balls to condemn this?