Trump 2.0

basilio said:

The destruction of US soft power and influence around the world is appalling. It makes China look balanced and reasonable. It could make the EU a formidable political/economic alternative. Maybe..

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One issue is big business when looking to invest is extremely conscious of sovereign risk and will use any blemish as a negotiating tactic.

Big business isn't run by fools. They do their research and drive a hard bargain. Any blemish becomes a point to be argued over.

So whatever happened to all the white supremacists that supported Trump? That was big news last time around why isn't that getting anywhere?

Proud boys whatever happened to them? Antifa where are they at these days? Even a little BLM would be good. Aren't there parts of Minnesota that need to burn down?

This Trump term is getting a bit boring. Tariffs tariffs tariffs boring.

Good news for the USA keeps coming.

And the Cult keeps cheering.....

Donald Trump's executive order on showerheads seems trivial but it's a subtle power grab​

"And at 2am Friday, the US Senate completed the politicisation of the military when it confirmed Retired Air Force Lieutenant General John Dan "Razin" Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caine has served in none of the seven previous jobs required by law for this position, but the president can overrule that law "in the national interest", which he has done to install a loyalist as the most senior ranking officer in the US armed forces."

"It's usually said that Trump's grandiose pronouncements should be taken seriously, but not literally, that it's just the extravagant rhetoric of a showman who can't help himself.

But what if he should be taken literally?

Here's a reminder of some of the things he has said:

"We pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections … The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within."
"I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution."
"The United States is an occupied country."
"I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by the National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military."
"I am the only one who can save this nation."
"I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason: I was saved by God to make America great again."

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For emergencies that originate within the US, the National Emergencies Act of 1976 gives the US president extraordinary powers. If he declares a national emergency, it gives him control over communications and information, including seizure or control of communications infrastructure, radio, wire services, and probably the internet itself.

He could also control transportation and infrastructure for national defence purposes and tap into funds set aside for disaster relief or military construction.

He could restrict civil liberties, such as movement or gatherings and call up the national guard or military reserves, use the military within America in support roles (but constrained by the Posse Comitatus Act, which requires congressional authorisation).

There are 136 distinct power delegated by Congress in the event of an emergency; only 13 require a declaration by Congress at the time.

It seems only a matter of time before Trump uses a crisis and the National Emergencies Act to bring about a revolution in the United States.

Things are heating up, in the loony world.


California: A Wisconsin teenager has been charged in the killing of his mother and stepfather in what federal authorities allege was as an attempt to obtain the money and autonomy he believed was necessary for a plot to kill US President Donald Trump and overthrow the government.
Nikita Casap, 17, was arrested last month in the deaths of his mother, Tatiana Casap, 35, and stepfather, Donald Mayer, 51, according to the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department.

IFocus said:

And the Cult keeps cheering.....

Donald Trump's executive order on showerheads seems trivial but it's a subtle power grab​

"And at 2am Friday, the US Senate completed the politicisation of the military when it confirmed Retired Air Force Lieutenant General John Dan "Razin" Caine as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caine has served in none of the seven previous jobs required by law for this position, but the president can overrule that law "in the national interest", which he has done to install a loyalist as the most senior ranking officer in the US armed forces."

"It's usually said that Trump's grandiose pronouncements should be taken seriously, but not literally, that it's just the extravagant rhetoric of a showman who can't help himself.

But what if he should be taken literally?

Here's a reminder of some of the things he has said:




For emergencies that originate within the US, the National Emergencies Act of 1976 gives the US president extraordinary powers. If he declares a national emergency, it gives him control over communications and information, including seizure or control of communications infrastructure, radio, wire services, and probably the internet itself.

He could also control transportation and infrastructure for national defence purposes and tap into funds set aside for disaster relief or military construction.

He could restrict civil liberties, such as movement or gatherings and call up the national guard or military reserves, use the military within America in support roles (but constrained by the Posse Comitatus Act, which requires congressional authorisation).

There are 136 distinct power delegated by Congress in the event of an emergency; only 13 require a declaration by Congress at the time.

It seems only a matter of time before Trump uses a crisis and the National Emergencies Act to bring about a revolution in the United States.

Trump's order on showerheads seems trivial but it's a subtle power grab

It seems only a matter of time before Donald Trump uses a crisis and the National Emergencies Act to bring about a revolution in the United States.

www.abc.net.au

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There is talk that the billionaires who supported him now want to get rid of him.
If he declares a national emergency, can they still impeach him? He could try to do what the South Korean President tried to do and declare martial law. Probably have more chance of getting away with it.

"The National Emergencies Act, in its current form, lacks those protections. It allows the president to declare emergencies with nothing more than a signature on an executive order, and presidents can renew those emergencies every year ad infinitum. Congress can vote to end an emergency, but it effectively needs a veto-proof majority to do so."

Knobby22 said:

There is talk that the billionaires who supported him now want to get rid of him.

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They would certainly be missing Joe, but at least they don't have to sit around all day with their hand up Joe's shirt, operating his mouth anymore.

Knobby22 said:

There is talk that the billionaires who supported him now want to get rid of him.
If he declares a national emergency, can they still impeach him? He could try to do what the South Korean President tried to do and declare martial law. Probably have more chance of getting away with it.

"The National Emergencies Act, in its current form, lacks those protections. It allows the president to declare emergencies with nothing more than a signature on an executive order, and presidents can renew those emergencies every year ad infinitum. Congress can vote to end an emergency, but it effectively needs a veto-proof majority to do so."

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Wouldn't happen with the current congress (act against Trump) weakest in decades if not ever its actually looking really stark.

What I found Interesting was reading the comments on a Trump article in the US and MAGA trolls turned up still sprouting the same stupidity as used during the election and plus apparently its all Soros's fault quite extortionary.

IFocus said:

Wouldn't happen with the current congress (act against Trump) weakest in decades if not ever its actually looking really stark.

What I found Interesting was reading the comments on a Trump article in the US and MAGA trolls turned up still sprouting the same stupidity as used during the election and plus apparently its all Soros's fault quite extortionary.

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Irony.....but some are made in the US I believe @ $50

IFocus said:

Irony.....but some are made in the US I believe @ $50


View attachment 197544

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Now that is classic.

Night and day

The Trump administration trapped a wrongly deported man in a catch-22​

Andrew Roth Global affairs correspondent
The US says it can’t aid in his return as he’s in El Salvador; El Salvador says to help would be like ‘smuggling’ him back

Tue 15 Apr 2025 05.43 AEST


It is difficult to find a term more fitting for the fate of the Maryland father Kilmar Abrego García than Kafkaesque.
Abrego García is one of hundreds of foreign-born men deported under the Trump administration to the Cecot mega-prison in El Salvador as part of a macabre partnership with the self-declared “world’s coolest dictator”, Nayib Bukele.

The US government has admitted it deported Abrego García by mistake. But instead of “facilitating” his return as ordered by the supreme court, the administration has trapped Abrego García in a catch-22 by offshoring his fate to a jurisdiction beyond the reach of legality – or, it would seem, basic logic or common decency.

The paradox is this: the Trump administration says it cannot facilitate the return of Abrego García because he is in a prison in El Salvador. El Salvador says it cannot return him because that would be tantamount to “smuggling” him into the US.

The absurdity of the position played out on Monday during an Oval Office meeting between Donald Trump and Bukele where the two men appeared to enjoy mocking the powerlessness of the US courts to intervene in the fate of anyone caught in the maws of the Trump administration’s deportation machine.

“How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I’m not going to do it,” Bukele said when asked about whether he would help to return Abrego García.

There is no evidence that Abrego García is a terrorist or a member of the gang MS-13 as the Trump administration has claimed. But that is not really important here.
“I don’t have the power to return him to the United States,” Bukele said during a meeting with the US president on Monday. “They’d love to have a criminal released into our country,” Trump added.
Trump’s lieutenants also jumped in on Monday, arguing that they could not intervene in the case because Bukele is a foreign citizen and outside of their control.

“He is a citizen of El Salvador,” said Stephen Miller, a top Trump aide who regularly advises the president on immigration issues. “It’s very arrogant even for American media to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens.”

A district court injunction to halt the deportation was in effect, he added, an order to “kidnap a citizen of El Salvador and fly him back here”.

Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, repeated one of the Trump administration’s mantras: that US courts cannot determine Trump’s foreign policy. Increasingly, the administration is including questions of immigration in that foreign policy in order to defy the courts.

Monday’s presentation was in effect a pantomime. Both sides could quickly intervene if they wanted to. But this was a means to an end. Miller said this case would not end with Abrego García living in the US.

More broadly, it indicates the Trump administration’s modus operandi: to move quickly before the courts can react to its transgressions and, when they do, to deflect and defy until the damage done cannot be reversed.

The Triangle said:

So whatever happened to all the white supremacists that supported Trump? That was big news last time around why isn't that getting anywhere?

Proud boys whatever happened to them? Antifa where are they at these days? Even a little BLM would be good. Aren't there parts of Minnesota that need to burn down?

This Trump term is getting a bit boring. Tariffs tariffs tariffs boring.

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The media obviously think they have enough ammo with the tariff issue, to not have to drum up other stories.

They can only print so much, otherwise they look as though they are biased, or trying to influence the narrative.

There is a fine line between China's good Trumps bad, China has to stay the bullied underdog, who is getting picked on.

It has to return to normal, where multinationals make mega profits bringing in cheap junk, the West get fatter and lazier until the piper has to be paid.
We can't say we won't deserve it.
If China paid its workers the same as the West pays and if China had the welfare systems the West has, maybe their junk would be the same price as our junk? But hey let's support China, if it means we get cheap junk, who cares what happens down the track.

Trump Learnings from Viktor Orban's Playback
Friends,

A few days ago I had breakfast with my old friend John Shattuck, who, as president of Central European University in Budapest, saw firsthand how Viktor Orbán took over Hungary’s democracy and turned it into an authoritarian state.

When Trump was elected in 2016, Trump endorsed Orbán, and Orbán started attacking universities — forcing the Central European University out of Hungary.

John believes Trump is emulating Orbán’s playbook. (Steve Bannon once declared that “Orbán was Trump before there was Trump.”)

Orbân’s playbook has 10 parts, according to John:

One: Take over your party and enforce internal party discipline by using political threats and intimidation to stamp out all party dissent.

Two: Build your base by appealing to fear and hate, branding immigrants and cultural minorities as dangers to society, and demonizing your opponents as enemies of the people.

Three: Use disinformation and lies to justify what you’re doing.

Four: Use your election victory to claim a sweeping mandate — especially if you don’t win a majority.

Five: Centralize your power by destroying the civil service.

Six: Redefine the rule of law as rule by executive decree. Weaponize the state against all democratic opponents. Demonize anyone who doesn’t support the leader as an “enemy of the people.”

Seven: Eliminate checks and balances and separation of powers by taking over the legislature, the courts, the media, and civil society. Target opponents with regulatory penalties like tax audits, educational penalties such as denials of accreditation, political penalties like harassment investigations, physical penalties like withdrawing police protection, and criminal penalties like prosecution.

Eight: Rely on your oligarchs — hugely wealthy business and financial leaders — to supervise the economy and reward them with special access to state resources, tax cuts, and subsidies.

Nine: Ally yourself with other authoritarians like Vladimir Putin and support his effort to undermine European democracies and attack sovereign countries like Ukraine.

Ten: Get the public to believe that all this is necessary, and that resistance is futile.

John noted that Orbán’s influence now reaches across Europe.

In Austria, a political party founded by former Nazis will be part of a new coalition government this year headed by a leader who has close ties to Russia and opposes European support for Ukraine. A similar nationalist far-right government has taken over next door in Slovakia.

Europe’s three biggest countries, Italy, France and Germany, have all swung toward the far-right, but so far they remain democracies.

Italy has a nationalist government headed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who’s followed parts of the Orbán playbook but has been pushed toward the center and has softened her position on immigration and Ukraine.

In France, the far-right party of Marine Le Pen won last year’s parliamentary elections, but a coalition of opposition parties, prodded by Emmanuel Macron, united to deny her party a parliamentary majority. Their resistance will be tested by new elections in June.

In Germany, the center-left government headed by Olaf Scholz fell at the end of last year. In late February, parliamentary elections took place that determined whether the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party would become part of a new government. Viktor Orbán, Elon Musk, and JD Vance all endorsed the AfD before the elections, but it came in second with just under 20 percent of the vote, and polls show that 71 percent of Germans believe that the AfD is a threat to democracy because of its overt connections to the Nazi past.

Poland, the biggest new democracy in Eastern Europe, at first adopted but is now resisting the Orbán model. A far-right government elected in 2015 almost destroyed the independence of the Polish judiciary, but opposition parties united to defend the courts and defeated the government in 2023, replacing it with a centrist regime headed by Donald Tusk, with a strong commitment to restore Polish democracy.

What lessons can be drawn from all this?

John believes that the best way to respond to Orbán’s right-wing populism is by building coalitions for economic populism based on health care, education, taxes, and public spending.

He points to historical examples of this, like the American Farmer-Labor coalition that brought together urban workers, white farmers, and Black sharecroppers and led to the Progressive Movement and the New Deal in the 20th century. Today there’s an urgent need for a new populist movement to attack economic inequality.

John says that defending democracy should itself be a populist cause. In the Orbán playbook, the national flag was hijacked by the authoritarian leader. John believes that the flag of American democracy must be reclaimed as a symbol of the rule of law, a society built on human rights and freedoms, and international alliances and humanitarian values.

When these soft-power democratic assets are destroyed, a huge void opens up — to be filled by authoritarians like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who are the ultimate political models for Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump.

John urges that we pro-democracy anti-Trumpers move quickly with protests, lawsuits, and loud resistance. He says that those who believe Democrats should just play dead and wait for the 2026 midterm elections are profoundly wrong. Speed is essential.

I was struck by John’s optimism. He believes that the U.S. is better situated than Hungary to resist authoritarianism. We are 30 times bigger and infinitely more diverse, and our diversity is the source of our economic and cultural strength. The U.S. has an enormous and active civil society, a judiciary that remains mostly independent, a free and open if partially captured and manipulated media, and a constitution that guarantees the rights of the people to challenge and change their government.

Trump won less than 50 percent of the vote in last fall’s election, and his approval rating is well below that in recent polls.

National polls show that 70 percent of Americans today see democracy as a core American value. Resistance to the assault on democracy is not only possible, John says, but it’s essential — and it can work, as shown by the growing number of successful lawsuits that have been brought against Trump’s flood of executive decrees and the rising tide of grassroots mobilization by civil society groups across the country who are organizing demonstrations and lobbying legislators to stand up for democracy.

For two and a half centuries, Americans have fought to expand the right to vote, to achieve equal protection, to oppose intolerance and political violence, to gain freedom of speech and religion, to guarantee due process of law.

These goals may now seem to be blocked by Trump, but the U.S. is not Germany in the 1930s nor Hungary in 2025. Americans across the country are beginning to resist. John believes American democracy will emerge stronger for our efforts.

Robert Reich

4.49 Minutes to rip apart the criminality of the Trump Dictatorship.
Do not look away.

The post I saw by Politics Girl was the first time I had seem her work. She is certainly a force to be reckoned with and the clarity and venom she uses describing the danger the US faces with Trump is palpable.

I found this mash up clip of hers which broadens our perspective of her.

basilio said:

4.49 Minutes to rip apart the criminality of the Trump Dictatorship.
Do not look away.

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Yep its very extreme the silence from Trump supporters and or boosters is telling Congress should act immediately (it wont full of cowards)

Fascism is here right now in the US quite extortionary.

Ian Verrender states the bleeding obvious and doesn't pull the punches the middle paragraph below really sums up the mess Trump is causing and not doubt will add to.


"Mike Wilson, the influential US stock analyst from rival firm Morgan Stanley, fears further upheaval while investors remain exposed to Mr Trump's unpredictability, and the confusing and chaotic policy shifts.

Tariff impositions, repeated backflips, conflicting messages, temporary reprieves, retaliatory tariff lifts in response to retaliation from China, backdowns on repeated assurances, and clearly amateurish arithmetic to justify the blanket protectionism have shattered investor confidence.

It's also unleashed a growing global feeling of distrust in the very country that controls international finance through its global reserve currency, which, ironically, features the word 'Trust' on its banknotes."

This made me laugh. Funny guy.