[Discussion] The Donald Trump Administration

Let's follow and discuss what our newest presidential administration gets up to, the good, the bad, the lawsuits.

At least it wasn't a tan suit.

Again, the Onion can't beat the truth these days.

Jesus H Roosevelt Christ.... It's like a game of "how far off message can we go?"

I keep waiting for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and say we've all been punked.

Well, the article states she did not where the jacket after landing in Texas. It was just when boarding ant Andrews.

Jayhawker wrote:

Well, the article states she did not where the jacket after landing in Texas. It was just when boarding ant Andrews.

Right, because no doubt some handler on the plane was like, "What the f*ck are you doing?"

I can't even believe that that is real.

DSGamer wrote:
Jayhawker wrote:

Well, the article states she did not where the jacket after landing in Texas. It was just when boarding ant Andrews.

Right, because no doubt some handler on the plane was like, "What the f*ck are you doing?"

I would hope someone would say something. But it was too late. This may be the last we see of Melania in public. The last time she disappeared it was right after Be Best was mocked for its plagiarism and hypocrisy. I have to imagine this might be worse.

Talk about a lack of self awareness!

Uh have you guys seen what is apparently the next Times magazine cover??

SallyNasty wrote:

Talk about a lack of self awareness!

Bull. Her wardrobe is vetted by many, many people so this was a very clear message to their base.

"We really don't care but we have to pretend"

Bfgp wrote:

Uh have you guys seen what is apparently the next Times magazine cover??

The Story Behind TIME's Trump 'Welcome to America' Cover

The photographer's narration is crushing.

"Photographing this for me was very different this time. Because although the families didn't know what was coming next, I did."

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DgPyxROUYAAYt8z.jpg:large)

farley3k wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

Talk about a lack of self awareness!

Bull. Her wardrobe is vetted by many, many people so this was a very clear message to their base.

"We really don't care but we have to pretend"

See, I disagree. I think she is the one person in that building that has anything left resembling a soul. I think she was going on this visit with actual positive intent.

DSGamer wrote:

no need to post his face twice]

What message is he suggesting she was trying to send to "fake news"? That she doesn't care? Really? Nothing says "I don't care" more than making a huge show of saying "I don't care."

SallyNasty wrote:

See, I disagree. I think she is the one person in that building that has anything left resembling a soul. I think she was going on this visit with actual positive intent.

Then the only conclusion I could draw is that she was oblivious to what message her jacket would send. Which kind of doesn't mesh with the positive intent angle. She is caring but clueless?

Exactly

Today's Fresh Air was all about a new book about the trumps. Well worth listening to.

'Born Trump' Examines The 'Emotional Hold' The President Has On His Family

There is a section in the interview talking about Melania. I was left believing she was not a clueless pawn (as I had kind of seen her). The author was quite clear that she doesn't do anything she doesn't want to.

SallyNasty wrote:
farley3k wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

Talk about a lack of self awareness!

Bull. Her wardrobe is vetted by many, many people so this was a very clear message to their base.

"We really don't care but we have to pretend"

See, I disagree. I think she is the one person in that building that has anything left resembling a soul. I think she was going on this visit with actual positive intent.

I agree. I read that she and Ivanka were actually instrumental in changing Trump's mind on the separation issue.

Melania Trump Pressured President Trump To Change Family Separation Policy

There was a private lobbying force behind President Trump's change of heart on his controversial policy that resulted in thousands of family separations at the southern U.S. border: first lady Melania Trump.

A White House official confirmed to NPR's Sarah McCammon that Mrs. Trump pressed her husband to act to keep undocumented immigrant families together.

There were other Trump family members who also pressed the president to reconsider his stance. NPR's Kelsey Snell reported that when the president met with House GOP members Tuesday he told them that Ivanka Trump, who serves as a White House adviser, has also pushed him to act to stop family separations.

"He mentioned that his daughter Ivanka had encouraged him to end this and he said he does recognize that it needs to end, that the images are painful," Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., said. "He discussed the optics and the policy itself and I think he's not comfortable with either."

Animation of the Time cover.....

https://www.facebook.com/colbertlate...

Perhaps donald's compaion coat to his wife's

IMAGE(https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/35932362_10210693547004991_8042939643219410944_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=d00bcc8fc7f3a94675724e2349908886&oe=5B9F32D9)

I like the headline on Huffingtonpost right now

"MEL ANTOINETTE"

Jayhawker wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:
farley3k wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

Talk about a lack of self awareness!

Bull. Her wardrobe is vetted by many, many people so this was a very clear message to their base.

"We really don't care but we have to pretend"

See, I disagree. I think she is the one person in that building that has anything left resembling a soul. I think she was going on this visit with actual positive intent.

I agree. I read that she and Ivanka were actually instrumental in changing Trump's mind on the separation issue.

Melania Trump Pressured President Trump To Change Family Separation Policy

There was a private lobbying force behind President Trump's change of heart on his controversial policy that resulted in thousands of family separations at the southern U.S. border: first lady Melania Trump.

A White House official confirmed to NPR's Sarah McCammon that Mrs. Trump pressed her husband to act to keep undocumented immigrant families together.

There were other Trump family members who also pressed the president to reconsider his stance. NPR's Kelsey Snell reported that when the president met with House GOP members Tuesday he told them that Ivanka Trump, who serves as a White House adviser, has also pushed him to act to stop family separations.

"He mentioned that his daughter Ivanka had encouraged him to end this and he said he does recognize that it needs to end, that the images are painful," Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., said. "He discussed the optics and the policy itself and I think he's not comfortable with either."

I think this is bullsh*t, it's spin so that Donald Trump can back down while seeming like he's not weak, he's just listening to his wife and daughter (who are totally good people, nevermind about the jacket or Ivanka's complete public silence). He didn't even end the policy, he just signed an EO that further detains whole families and attempts to create additional concentration camps run by the military.

We're going full Australia here.

It is indeed just a cover. Rahmen posted this in a different thread but it's all about the false narative that Ivanka and Melania have any moderating effect on what Trump does.

Rahmen wrote:

I thought this article was on point:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...

"The women of Trump’s family are doing what medieval queens regularly did: They are helping him project an image of strength, even when he is forced to back down, by framing his many reversals as responses to their pleas and not admissions of political weakness. It’s a time-honored, convenient trope. Don’t be taken in."

DSGamer wrote:

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DgPyxROUYAAYt8z.jpg:large)

Ah.. It's the "I meant to do that" defense!

A Republican close to the White House sent along a note to say that this explanation of the coat is "revisionist history."
This Republican, who is supportive of Trump, but skeptical of some of what they consider to be the administration's ham-handedness, says there was an urgent meeting among communications staff about how to fix this after it was becoming a story.
It's unclear who, exactly, first had the idea to say her coat's message was directed at the media. But it quickly won approval in the West Wing and by the President.
This Republican is citing conversations with people in West Wing who "were proud of themselves" for coming up with the explanation. It is true that they knew the media would overplay it, so that's why they devised it.

I'm going to put this as politely as I can. Anyone falling for the Melania and/or Ivanka is a moderating influence line of spin is a giant sucker.

Especially when the 'moderation' is sneaking a proposal for indefinite detention and military concentration camps in under the radar.
Brittany Packnett

Perhaps the plan all along was to do a thing so egregious that, when you stop doing it, you still get to do what you wanted to do all along. Detain entire families. Indefinitely. In camps. And call it humane.

I can't remember if I've already said this here, but we have just IMPROVED to Japanese Internment Camp levels.

Yonder wrote:

I can't remember if I've already said this here, but we have just IMPROVED to Japanese Internment Camp levels.

Agreed. And Japanese-Americans were US citizens. These aliens won't get the same "quality" treatment.

I was stationed at one of the proposed bases. It houses top-secret, highly secure facilities as most military bases do. A significant level of security will be needed to make sure these kids can't wander off from their concentration camp onto the main base grounds.

I don't think I am a sucker and I don't believe Melania is a moderating influence on Trump. I also maintain that she is the only one out of that bag of bastards that had a shred of decency.

Fair enough. I don't know that we will ever know for sure. Perhaps some in depth biography years from now but probably not in my lifetime.

SallyNasty wrote:

I don't think I am a sucker and I don't believe Melania is a moderating influence on Trump. I also maintain that she is the only one out of that bag of bastards that had a shred of decency.

The thinnest of shreds. About the only redeeming quality I can see that she possesses is that she doesn't like Trump either.

SallyNasty wrote:

I don't think I am a sucker and I don't believe Melania is a moderating influence on Trump. I also maintain that she is the only one out of that bag of bastards that had a shred of decency.

agreed, at least she plagiarizes Ms. Obama. Unfortunately she's married to a man who plagiarizes Mr. Goebbels. She holds no cards in this game.