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

I wonder will they have one open to the general public in the US embassy when the time comes and could you get away with writing something really really obscene?

Or option 3: the man sending the ship and its crew into harms way is an idiot. The world has been given enough proof of his idiocy being accepted by his country as an expert way of getting the deal of the century. How much longer does the world have to wait for the actual adults in the U.S to SWAT him?

I think a big problem with social media is that political parties everywhere are just as caught up in using and abusing the medium. Leo Varadkar was a prime example of someone in government dragging down the tone with his over indulgence in tweeting.

I'd be pissed off as a government member if my I was being asked about what my leader just tweeted. It's exhausting and dilutes effective governance.

As I've said previously I didn't bother following the first Trump term as I wrote it off as a consequence of the social media age, but once reelected the consequences of not tackling social media regulation (properly holding people accountable for spreading misinformation) became unavoidable and now we're feeling the real world consequences in this fuel crisis.

Gravity has finally caught up with Trump as Iran will not yield to his bullying.

I got similar vibes when I read about tumultuous events such as the English Civil War or the Thirty Years War. The invention and proliferation of the printing press led to a tsunami of pamphlets and booklets. This let ideas and information spread completely unchecked since printing was so cheap. Anyone could print anything and there was no such thing as regulation, fact-checking or established media. Over the centuries, we introduced libel laws, codes of conduct, measures to protect journalists and their sources, and regulations.

We're at a similar stage with social media. The companies lie and say that they're publishers but they are patently not. They're bad actors who push specific right wing narratives for the goal of engagement. We've allowed them to operate untrammelled for decades now and we're seeing the consequences of that choice.

They don't pay proper tax, they barely employ anyone, they're poisoning the environment (figuratively and literally) and they're undermining the social contract. They need to be brought to heel through taxation and proper regulation. This is why they hate the EU. It's the only entity willing and able to do this.

He's doing somersaults over the shark at this stage. When is America going to decide that enough is enough ?

It also rhymes with 'lance', as in what you do to a boil.

Yes, and in a very calm way, which is the only way to deal with idiotic loudmouths. ON his way to Algeria, as it happens. His first trip as Pope was to Lebanon. I don't think he'll be visiting his 'old sod' anytime soon.

Pope says he has 'no fear' of Trump after scathing criticism

In response, the Pope told reporters on board his plane to Algiers that he did not see his role as that of a politician but as one of spreading the message of peace.

"I have no fear of the Trump administration, or speaking out loudly of the message of the gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do," he told reporters.

"I don't want to get into a debate with [Trump]," he added.

"Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say: there's a better way to do this."

Trump's depiction of himself as Jesus's mercilessly skewered by cold War Steve

Let me guess "he's only joking", "it's what he does", "don't take it too seriously" etc.

Well if they want an expert on pussy snatching/grabbing, the know who to call…….

Well as you note ... I can at least go part way down that road with you...ultimately oil is needed or greater problems start happening

However, at the back of everyone's mind must be the asymmetric nature of this....

Iranians only have to get one (much cheaper) weapon to score a hit on something to cause havoc and put even greater doubt going forward of what their capabilities might be......real or imagined beyond such an event ..... its a problem.

It doesn't have to be a US warship it takes out either.

Fair play to RTE, didn’t know they were that invested. 🤗

Anyone know what happened to all that oil from Venezuela? You know, the oil that we were told is going to help Americans out?