Trump 2.0

[Ferret]

I like that Trump is President, but let me be the first to admit that he is a narcissist and a troll (hence my many tongue in cheek posts [God Emperor etc]).

Perhaps the Pope one was a bit ill advised, but I see that his motive is absolutely clear and that is to drive the left absolutely bananas, and it's working.

You think Trump is off the charts? Have a look at how the left is behaving in the US, completely unhinged and psychopathic... to the extreme and to the point where the vast majority of people, even most moderate Democrats cannot countenance how they are behaving. Their approval ratings at absolute historic lows.

It seems to me that this is very intentional. Will it work in the long term especially with mid terms not very far away?

Dunno about that and we shall see, but even Bill Maher is distancing himself from the bizzare TDS clown show.

Sure, he loves to troll the left and does a pretty good job of it.

But if this Pope image is trolling, why couldn't he see that Catholics would be offended? The more devout Catholics, who would be most offended, are more likely to be right leaning.

To me, it just seems a bit more crazy than in the past.

 

[wayneL]

Sure, he loves to troll the left and does a pretty good job of it.

But if this Pope image is trolling, why couldn't he see that Catholics would be offended? The more devout Catholics, who would be most offended, are more likely to be right leaning.

To me, it just seems a bit more crazy than in the past.

Yeah I wouldn't do it, but not sure devout Catholics, or even other devout Christians are necessarily right wing.

In fact the trajectory of a Catholicism, because of the deceased Pope and his Cardinal appointments are more left wing/progressive. Just my observation.

Certainly there is the other side and in my particular echo chamber there is much cynicism about the papacy, even among Catholics. They see the point made.

To reiterate, I wouldn't have done it if I were him, but it will be soon forgotten.

 

[IFocus]

Indeed Ferret .. Yes declaring he would like to be Pope and posting a picture of himself from the White House in full mufti seems a little...strange ?
But honestly mate have you been checking out how trump has behaved ever since he has been in office or trying to get back in ? On a scale of 1-10 The Pope pic is probably a solid 8.

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Today Donald Trump, The President of the United States, said he doesn't know if he needs to uphold the US Constitution. "I;m not a lawyer " he says.

Today Donald Trump also said he won't rule out using military force to take control of Greenland a NATO allie, WTF ?

He is also very serious about wanting to annex Canada to the US.

Trump says he doesn’t know if he needs to uphold constitutional due process

President also says he sees himself as leaving office at the end of his current term and not seeking a third one

www.theguardian.com

Trump says he ‘doesn’t rule out’ using military force to control Greenland

President has repeatedly expressed idea of expansion into autonomous territory within fellow Nato member Denmark

www.theguardian.com

Relax he is just trolling the left

 

[DB008]

​

 

[basilio]

President Trump shared an AI generated image of himself as pope which some consider to be a sign he’s an Antichrist and honestly they might be right (Composite / Photos: Whitehouse on X / Shutterstock)

The Department-Store God-King​

by William Kristol

Why is Donald Trump’s second term so much more dangerous than his first?

There are several reasons, but here are two.

The first: Trump is worse than he was eight years ago. The second: Those around him now are worse than those around him then.

Trump has always been a narcissist. But what do you call it when success and power go to a narcissist’s head? Megalomania?

As Trump said in his recent interview with the Atlantic: “The first time, I had two things to do—run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys . . . And the second time, I run the country and the world.”

Now, most presidents wouldn’t say in the first place that they “run the country.” They might recognize that other branches of government play a role, and that other national institutions matter. They might grasp the fact that this is a free country, not one the president “runs.”

So the narcissism is jarring. But Trump’s self-described progression from “I run the country” to “I run the country and the world” seems to represent a progression from narcissism to megalomania. Running the world sounds . . . God-like.

Tariffs are one of the miraculous ways that Trump believes will enable him to run the world. As he explained to Time magazine:

You have to understand . . . I’ve made all the deals. . . . The deal is a deal that I choose. View it differently: We are a department store, and we set the price. I meet with the companies, and then I set a fair price, what I consider to be a fair price, and they can pay it, or they don’t have to pay it. They don’t have to do business with the United States, but I set a tariff on countries. . . . So I will set a price.

What an image: The United States as Trump’s department store. It’s a store where he sets the prices, where neither Congress nor companies nor markets nor other countries have any say. It’s all him.

President Trump: the God-King CEO of the universal department store. It’s a vulgar Trumpian picture. It’s a picture of untrammeled power. It’s a narcissistic vision. It’s also a megalomaniacal one.

And let’s not forget the military parade planned for June 14, which providentially happens to be both Trump’s birthday and the birthday of the United States Army. The Army had planned a reasonably modest 250th anniversary festival on the National Mall. Trump is now demanding a large military parade—we must assume with the commander-in-chief looking down from on high on the reviewing stand.

And then there’s Trump’s oft-expressed wish to retake the Panama Canal and to seize Greenland—and for that matter Canada. Trump realizes that territorial expansion is a mark of a certain kind of powerful national leader.

Then there’s the matter of Trump’s aides. The people around Trump this time are far more sycophantic and far more authoritarian than those with him eight years ago.

Early in Trump’s first term it was the crazed Michael Flynn who was purged and Steve Bannon who was stopped from attending NSC meetings. In the second term, it’s the relatively sane Mike Waltz who is purged and Stephen Miller who attends NSC meetings. And Miller is now a strong candidate to become national security adviser, as Trump himself has confirmed.

In the first term, the relatively normal types prevailed for at least for a while in the internal struggles. For much of that term those aides and cabinet secretaries constrained a narcissistic Trump.

In the second term, we have sycophants like Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, and Marco Rubio prostrating themselves before the megalomaniacal Trump. And we have authoritarians like Miller, Russell Vought, JD Vance, and Kash Patel encouraging Trump to even greater dreams of omnipotence.

We have a megalomaniac surrounded by sycophants and authoritarians.

This will not end well.

Our Megalomaniacal President

Trump has always been a narcissist. But it’s gotten much worse.

www.thebulwark.com

 

[DB008]

 

[DB008]

Pete Hegseth

This is what the people voted for

 

[IFocus]

"Musk has drawn the ire of a former richest man in the world: Bill Gates. The co-founder of Microsoft turned philanthropist told the Financial Times that “the picture of the world's richest man killing the world's poorest children is not a pretty one.” Gates pointed to Musk’s cuts to USAID, which reduced grants to a hospital in Mozambique that was preventing women from transmitting HIV to their babies. “I'd love for him to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut that money,” Gates said of Musk."

 

[sptrawler]

"Musk has drawn the ire of a former richest man in the world: Bill Gates. The co-founder of Microsoft turned philanthropist told the Financial Times that “the picture of the world's richest man killing the world's poorest children is not a pretty one.” Gates pointed to Musk’s cuts to USAID, which reduced grants to a hospital in Mozambique that was preventing women from transmitting HIV to their babies. “I'd love for him to go in and meet the children that have now been infected with HIV because he cut that money,” Gates said of Musk."

That is an interesting issue, when you consider that the U.S has a debt of $130k per person and Australia has a debt of $30k per head, maybe we should take over the heavy lifting in Mozambique?

The U.S has a poverty and homeless problem, yet there you have one of the richest men in the World, criticising the richest man in the world for trying to reduce the tax burden on U.S workers.

Ironic, everyone's an expert at spending other people's money, maybe the U.S should have a referendum on where and how much the taxpayers want of their taxes to be sent overseas as aid?
Rather than the 5th richest man in the World telling the richest man in the World where to spend taxpayers money, let's be honest does someone really need to have $169B

How much personal money does Bill Gates have?
# 5 Bill Gates $168B.


In 2024, a record-high 771,480 people experienced homelessness in the U.S. This represents a significant increase from previous years, with the homeless population rising by 18% from 2023 to 2024, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The issue is complex, with poverty and lack of affordable housing cited as major drivers, as well as historical factors like gentrification and deinstitutionalization.

• Record Highs:
  The number of homeless people in the U.S. reached a record high in 2024, surpassing previous peaks.
  
  
• Increased Homelessness:
  Homelessness has increased in recent years, with the number of people experiencing it rising by 32% from 2022 to 2024.
  
  
• High Shelter Occupancy:
  In January 2024, 64% of homeless Americans were living in shelters.
  
  
• Unsheltered Increase:
  The number of unsheltered homeless people also increased significantly, reaching a record high of 256,610 in 2023.

Overseas aid:


Key Takeaways

• Only three OECD countries met the foreign aid target: 0.15% of their national income in 2022.
• They are: Luxembourg, Sweden, and Norway.
• The U.S. is the largest single-donor by dollar amount

ODA-to-GNI ratioAustralia's ODA as a proportion of Gross National Income (GNI)—the official measure of development assistance—is expected to remain at the 2021–22 level of 0.20%. This continues to place Australia well below the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) country average of 0.32%.

 

[IFocus]

That is an interesting issue, when you consider that the U.S has a debt of $130k per person and Australia has a debt of $30k per head, maybe we should take over the heavy lifting in Mozambique?

I think the biggest issue is the way it was done which was not only brainless but lacked basic humanity.

The U.S has a poverty and homeless problem, yet there you have one of the richest men in the World, criticising the richest man in the world for trying to reduce the tax burden on U.S workers.

Musk is not reducing the tax burden on US workers he is reducing the tax burden on the extreme wealthy.

Workers wont get tax cuts.

Ironic, everyone's an expert at spending other people's money, maybe the U.S should have a referendum on where and how much the taxpayers want of their taxes to be sent overseas as aid?
Rather than the 5th richest man in the World telling the richest man in the World where to spend taxpayers money, let's be honest does someone really need to have $169B

How much personal money does Bill Gates have?
# 5 Bill Gates $168B.

The actual numbers of dollars saved by cutting aid programs has been reduced almost daily in the grand scheme its not huge.

In 2024, a record-high 771,480 people experienced homelessness in the U.S. This represents a significant increase from previous years, with the homeless population rising by 18% from 2023 to 2024, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The issue is complex, with poverty and lack of affordable housing cited as major drivers, as well as historical factors like gentrification and deinstitutionalization.

• Record Highs:
  The number of homeless people in the U.S. reached a record high in 2024, surpassing previous peaks.
  
  
• Increased Homelessness:
  Homelessness has increased in recent years, with the number of people experiencing it rising by 32% from 2022 to 2024.
  
  
• High Shelter Occupancy:
  In January 2024, 64% of homeless Americans were living in shelters.
  
  
• Unsheltered Increase:
  The number of unsheltered homeless people also increased significantly, reaching a record high of 256,610 in 2023.

Overseas aid:


Key Takeaways

• Only three OECD countries met the foreign aid target: 0.15% of their national income in 2022.
• They are: Luxembourg, Sweden, and Norway.
• The U.S. is the largest single-donor by dollar amount

ODA-to-GNI ratioAustralia's ODA as a proportion of Gross National Income (GNI)—the official measure of development assistance—is expected to remain at the 2021–22 level of 0.20%. This continues to place Australia well below the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) country average of 0.32%.

As for the homeless that's US culture and wealth distribution remembering the US is far and away the richest nation ever.

 

[IFocus]

Just had a mate come back from China (cannot remember the city he went to for business) went to a smaller industrial city and said we have no idea how advanced China is he was blown away by how fast it had all changed plus the sky was blue.

80% to 90% of vehicles were EV. Any petrol cars were Porches, Maserati's etc.

He said Trump has NFI if he thinks he can push China around recons they are way way ahead have invested in tech beyond his imagination city was clean no homeless etc people were genuinely happy ..... did have lots of camera's

 

[sptrawler]

Just had a mate come back from China (cannot remember the city he went to for business) went to a smaller industrial city and said we have no idea how advanced China is he was blown away by how fast it had all changed plus the sky was blue.

80% to 90% of vehicles were EV. Any petrol cars were Porches, Maserati's etc.

He said Trump has NFI if he thinks he can push China around recons they are way way ahead have invested in tech beyond his imagination city was clean no homeless etc people were genuinely happy ..... did have lots of camera's

Which is exactly what we have been saying on here, that if the U.S doesn't tackle the trade imbalance now, the West is destined to become third world.

That is precisely what Scott Bessent is talking about and why the tariffs have been put in place.

Mozambique is a typical example of what Bessent describes as mission creep by the World Bank and the IMF, the country is a mess and is in political turmoil, where it has plenty of natural resources, but they don't get developed because they are constantly at war with each other.

Then they survive on foreign aid, which no doubt is funnelled into who knows where.

The economy needs to be grown, so that it can sustain itself, but with the political turmoil nothing gets done from what I've read.
But that is actually what the IMF and World Banks role is, to get these countries to stabilise and develop and what Bessent says needs resetting to get the World Bank and IMF, back to its core function.

2019

Mozambique LNG - Project to build world-class LNG facility

Mozambique LNG Project began with the discovery of natural gas off the north coast of Mozambique in 2010, leading to a FID in 2019

www.mozambiquelng.co.mz

Mozambique LNG - Project to build world-class LNG facility​

Now:
TotalEnergies' Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project, one of three under development in Mozambique, has been suspended since 2021 due to the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, which led the oil company to invoke 'force majeure' and withdraw all personnel from the construction site.19 Mar 2025

From Scott Bessent:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0094

The IMF must refocus its lending on addressing balance of payments problems. And its lending should be temporary.

When done responsibly, IMF lending is at the very core of its contribution to the global economy: when markets fail, the IMF steps in and makes resources available. In exchange, countries implement economic reforms to resolve their balance of payments issues and support economic growth. The reforms undertaken during these programs are some of the IMF’s most important contributions to a strong, sustainable, and balanced global economy.

But not every country is so deserving. The IMF must hold countries accountable for implementing economic reforms. And sometimes, the IMF needs to say No. The organization has no obligation to lend to countries that fail to implement reforms. Economic stability and growth should be the markers of the IMF’s success—not how much money the institution lends out.

Like the IMF, the World Bank must be made fit for purpose again.

The World Bank Group helps developing countries grow their economies, reduce poverty, increase private investment, support private-sector job creation, and reduce dependence on foreign aid. It offers transparent and affordable long-term financing for countries to invest in their own development priorities.

The Bank, along with the Fund, provides extensive technical support to promote debt sustainability among low-income countries, which empowers those countries to stand up to coercive and opaque lending terms from creditors.
These core functions of the World Bank complement the Trump Administration’s efforts to foster safer, stronger, and more prosperous economies in the United States and the world.

But the Bank, like the IMF, has strayed in certain respects from its initial mission.

The Bank should no longer expect blank checks for vapid, buzzword-centric marketing accompanied by half-hearted commitments to reform. As the Bank returns to its core mission, it must use its resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. And it must do so in ways that demonstrate tangible value for all member countries.

 

[Knobby22]

Which is exactly what we have been saying on here, that if the U.S doesn't tackle the trade imbalance now, the West is destined to become third world.

That is precisely what Scott Bessent is talking about and why the tariffs have been put in place.

Mozambique is a typical example of what Bessent describes as mission creep by the World Bank and the IMF, the country is a mess and is in political turmoil, where it has plenty of natural resources, but they don't get developed because they are constantly at war with each other.

Then they survive on foreign aid, which no doubt is funnelled into who knows where.

The economy needs to be grown, so that it can sustain itself, but with the political turmoil nothing gets done from what I've read.
But that is actually what the IMF and World Banks role is, to get these countries to stabilise and develop and what Bessent says needs resetting to get the World Bank and IMF, back to its core function.

2019

Mozambique LNG - Project to build world-class LNG facility

Mozambique LNG Project began with the discovery of natural gas off the north coast of Mozambique in 2010, leading to a FID in 2019

www.mozambiquelng.co.mz

Mozambique LNG - Project to build world-class LNG facility​

Now:
TotalEnergies' Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project, one of three under development in Mozambique, has been suspended since 2021 due to the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado, which led the oil company to invoke 'force majeure' and withdraw all personnel from the construction site.19 Mar 2025

From Scott Bessent:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0094

The IMF must refocus its lending on addressing balance of payments problems. And its lending should be temporary.

When done responsibly, IMF lending is at the very core of its contribution to the global economy: when markets fail, the IMF steps in and makes resources available. In exchange, countries implement economic reforms to resolve their balance of payments issues and support economic growth. The reforms undertaken during these programs are some of the IMF’s most important contributions to a strong, sustainable, and balanced global economy.

But not every country is so deserving. The IMF must hold countries accountable for implementing economic reforms. And sometimes, the IMF needs to say No. The organization has no obligation to lend to countries that fail to implement reforms. Economic stability and growth should be the markers of the IMF’s success—not how much money the institution lends out.

Like the IMF, the World Bank must be made fit for purpose again.

The World Bank Group helps developing countries grow their economies, reduce poverty, increase private investment, support private-sector job creation, and reduce dependence on foreign aid. It offers transparent and affordable long-term financing for countries to invest in their own development priorities.

The Bank, along with the Fund, provides extensive technical support to promote debt sustainability among low-income countries, which empowers those countries to stand up to coercive and opaque lending terms from creditors.
These core functions of the World Bank complement the Trump Administration’s efforts to foster safer, stronger, and more prosperous economies in the United States and the world.

But the Bank, like the IMF, has strayed in certain respects from its initial mission.

The Bank should no longer expect blank checks for vapid, buzzword-centric marketing accompanied by half-hearted commitments to reform. As the Bank returns to its core mission, it must use its resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. And it must do so in ways that demonstrate tangible value for all member countries.

It's hard. You want political stability, a project like this may help but if it doesn't then it's a mess.

 

[Knobby22]

Just had a mate come back from China (cannot remember the city he went to for business) went to a smaller industrial city and said we have no idea how advanced China is he was blown away by how fast it had all changed plus the sky was blue.

80% to 90% of vehicles were EV. Any petrol cars were Porches, Maserati's etc.

He said Trump has NFI if he thinks he can push China around recons they are way way ahead have invested in tech beyond his imagination city was clean no homeless etc people were genuinely happy ..... did have lots of camera's

He showed he can push the UK around but they are in a bad spot. I saw they said they were easy on them and whoever does the deal next is more likely to get a better deal. Let's see what happens. Europe is probably whom they are trying to crack.

 

[sptrawler]

It's hard. You want political stability, a project like this may help but if it doesn't then it's a mess.

If it doesn't work, China will become the reserve currency and they will dictate what the West pays for their gear and because they will be the sole supplier the ACCC wont be able to help. Lol

 

[IFocus]

Donald Trump Actually Quite Good At Uniting A Nation When It’s Not His Own

​

EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | CONTACT In an ironic twist, U.S. President Donald Trump has emerged as one of the most effective unifying forces in modern politics – provided it’s not his own country. Following recent progressive wins in both Canada and Australia, analysts have noted a curious pattern – the mere mention of Trump’s name is enough to send voters running toward the nearest left-wing candidate.​

 

[Knobby22]

Donald Trump Actually Quite Good At Uniting A Nation When It’s Not His Own

​

EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | CONTACT In an ironic twist, U.S. President Donald Trump has emerged as one of the most effective unifying forces in modern politics – provided it’s not his own country. Following recent progressive wins in both Canada and Australia, analysts have noted a curious pattern – the mere mention of Trump’s name is enough to send voters running toward the nearest left-wing candidate.​

View attachment 199169

To be fair. In Australia we just saw the worst Conservatives effort ever.
Albanese had it easy! Well it rhymes.

 

[Knobby22]

If it doesn't work, China will become the reserve currency and they will dictate what the West pays for their gear and because they will be the sole supplier the ACCC wont be able to help. Lol

I don't think he is going about it the right way. Wholesale Protectionism, to me is not a long term successful policy. Used to be considered left-wing.

Hopefully it does work, at least partially.

 

[sptrawler]

I don't think he is going about it the right way. Wholesale Protectionism, to me is not a long term successful policy. Used to be considered left-wing.

Hopefully it does work, at least partially.

The problem is, the U.S has no other leverage, other than the fact that it purchases the most Chinese gear by a long way.

If the U.S doesn't buy the stuff, Chinese factories end up with a huge amount of surplus inventory and they would have to reduce production heaps.

This in turn will mean they would have to lay off a lot of workers, that would cause a massive social shock, especially when they have been climbing the afluence ladder rapidly.

 

[basilio]

Blind Freddy, anyone with one functioning neuron, ect recognised that the production the Trump Meme Coin was crypto turbo charged corruption.

How does one buy this government ? Let me show you a special shiney new coin. Is there any surprise in this statement. ?

→ This is how the Trump economy works: Let’s say you run Freight Technologies, Inc., a cross-border shipping logistics company. Heavy new tariffs seem like a risk to your business, right? Maybe not! All it takes is this one weird trick called Buying Trump’s Crypto Token, which is a scam “currency.” As the chief executive officer of Freight Technologies, Inc. put it in a recent press release: “We believe that the addition of the Official Trump tokens are an excellent way to diversify our crypto treasury, and also an effective way to advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and the U.S.” Buying $TRUMP tokens—$TRUMP is the official name of the corruption coin, not some mockery I’ve made up here—is how you advocate for yourself these days. Want to keep doing business in Indonesia? Buy some $TRUMP first, you globalist piggy. Pulled over for speeding? Go to CoinBase.com, get yourself a $TRUMP card, and we’ll see about the points on your license. Skip the IRS bill, and instead pay taxes directly in $TRUMP. It’s that easy! There was a song popular in my youth called “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and it’s been stuck in my head for weeks. Soon our only currency will be baseball cards with Eric and Don Jr.’s faces on them, and I’ll be the poor sucker with nothing but Tiffany’s...

TGIF: In This $TRUMP Economy?

America’s homegrown pope, socialists’ love affair with free trade, MAGA art fit for a museum, Free Press faces in the White House, a prison perfect for tech lords, AI job loss, and much more, writes Nellie Bowles.

www.thefp.com

Freight Technologies Secures up to USD $20 Million to Create an Official Trump Token ($TRUMP) Treasury​

-Capital dedicated for the strategic accumulation of Official Trump ($TRUMP) cryptocurrency-
-Creates diversified crypto treasury strategy alongside recent purchase of FET tokens-


HOUSTON – April 30, 2025 — Freight Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FRGT, “Fr8Tech” or the “Company”), a logistics management innovation company, offering a diverse portfolio of technology-driven solutions, today announced that it has entered into an agreement for the issuance of convertible notes (the “Agreement”) through a facility of up to USD $20 million with an institutional investor signed on April 29, 2025. Capital from the financing is exclusively earmarked for purchasing Official Trump Tokens ($TRUMP), making Fr8Tech one of the first public companies to make $TRUMP a cornerstone of its digital asset strategy.


Javier Selgas, Chief Executive Officer of Fr8Tech added, “At the heart of Fr8Tech’s mission is the promotion of productive and active commerce between the United States and Mexico. Mexico is the United States’ top goods trading partner, with Mexico being the leading destination for US exports and the top source for US imports. As US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently stated, ‘I wish to be clear: America First does not mean America alone. To the contrary, it is a call for deeper collaboration and mutual respect among trade partners.’”
“The recent acquisition of FET Tokens to our treasury combined with the AI solutions FET supports, continues to help us develop our technology. We believe that the addition of the Official Trump tokens are an excellent way to diversify our crypto treasury, and also an effective way to advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and the US.”
Pursuant to the financing, the Company intends to initially issue notes in the aggregate principal amount of USD $1 million in its first tranche, with additional capacity of up to USD $19 million available in subsequent drawdowns, subject to certain conditions. This transaction to purchase Official Trump tokens advances Fr8Tech’s strategy to build a diversified digital asset treasury, following its recent acquisition of FET tokens (currently valued at approximately $8 million as of April 29, 2025).
The foregoing description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Company’s current report on Form 8-K dated April 30, 2025, announcing the execution of the Agreement.