All Things Trump: The Return Of The King

[Tero]

eggs were in the news
https://bsky.app/profile/tero88jarvi.bs ... abqlrlfk2k

[Joe]

Declaration of Independence: colonies filing of divorce
https://www.threads.com/@david.heath.wr ... L8aQFlECXg
but it is nevertheless special. Because why would it hang in Trump's office? It does fail to mention tariffs.

Well, there was the part about "cutting off our trade with parts of the world" and "imposing taxes without our consent."

[Tero]

So much accomplished!

Institutionalized anti-science quackery in our health institutions.
Trump’s campaign promise to let anti-vaccine conspiracy loon Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild” on health was bad enough; at the time, I thought he would make RFK Jr. a “health czar” because I could not imagine that the Senate, even Republican-dominated, would ever confirm this man as the head of an actual federal agency. Now, after putting on a mainstream act during the confirmation hearings, our new secretary of health and human services is launching a study that he pledges will get to the bottom of the autism “epidemic” by September—under the leadership of vaccine skeptic David Geier, a vaccine skeptic with a history of dubious practices. While RFK Jr. has grudgingly endorsed the measles vaccine in response to a
multistate outbreak, he has also continued to make ill-informed statements that cast doubt on its effectiveness. The HHS secretary spreading dangerous medical misinformation is something that even most of us folks with Trump Derangement Syndrome would not have predicted.

An administration staffed by a rogues’ gallery of conspiracy theorists, fanatical Trump loyalists, extremists, and “anti-establishment” contrarians.
Trump critics were certainly concerned about this prospect, but the extent of the insane clown show is still appalling. Tulsi Gabbard—whose past flirtations with the Syrian and Russian regimes would have once made it difficult for her to get a security clearance—as director of national intelligence? Kash Patel, the man with fantasies of vendettas against Trump foes, as FBI director? Far-right podcaster and January 6th conspiracy theorist Dan Bongino as FBI deputy director? Ed Martin, a frequent guest on Russia’s RT and Sputnik propaganda outlets, as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and Trump’s pick to fill that role full-time? Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News personality with a trail of Christian nationalist, Trump-worshipping writings as well as a history of alcoholism, extramarital affairs, and alleged abusive behavior toward women, as secretary of defense? Who, prior to the election, could have imagined a scandal around the SecDef discussing sensitive military information in Signal chats from a phone number that is apparently all over the internet?

more
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/100-days-o ... -stupidity

[Tero]

WASHINGTON—Acknowledging that his tariff hikes could result in a frozen supply chain this holiday season, President Donald Trump claimed Friday that any toy shortages Americans experienced could be easily overcome by making the family’s servants dance for their children’s enjoyment. “Maybe instead of 30 dolls this Christmas, children play with the life-size human figurines they already have,” said the commander-in-chief, noting that when he and his siblings were growing up, they often kept themselves entertained with nothing more than a couple of old, beat-up chambermaids whom they berated into acting foolish for their amusement. “Why do children even need dolls when they can play dress-up with the undocumented help, make the day laborers kiss—whatever fun act of humiliation they can imagine.

https://theonion.com/trump-argues-toy-s ... nts-dance/

[Tero]

[Tero]

DEI is almost as dear to Trump as tariffs are. Stock holders do not want the corporations to follow Trump on DEI
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/business ... olders-dei
(subscribers)

"Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been losing with corporate America, with one big exception: the people who actually own the companies.
"This year, investors at some of America’s biggest companies — Costco, Apple, Levi’s, John Deere, Goldman Sachs and others — have overwhelmingly voted against proposals targeting DEI programs. The proposals include requiring companies to scrap their DEI policies entirely or remove diversity goals from executive pay packages and audit the legal risks of pursuing DEI. Two conservative think tanks, the National Center for Public Policy Research and the National Legal and Policy Center, have brought most of the proposals.

"The near-unanimous shareholder votes show two things — large and small investors alike do not want companies’ boards of directors and management to bend to activist shareholders, and investors believe maintaining DEI programs is good for business."
"From Target to Meta, dozens of companies have modified or rolled back their diversity programs in recent months under pressure from the Trump administration, right-wing activists such Robby Starbuck and conservative legal groups. But shareholder votes are a rare area where DEI opponents are losing.

"It’s no surprise. Large institutional investors, such as BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, are the top shareholders of most companies. They typically oppose outside shareholder resolutions, siding with company management in around 90% of the votes."

"Most institutional shareholders like BlackRock and Vanguard still believe having a diverse workforce and customer base are good for business, said Atinuke Adediran, an associate professor of law at Fordham University who studies corporate governance and racial diversity.

“The rhetoric has been DEI is dead, but you have large, multinational shareholders upholding what companies are doing on DEI,” she said."

[Tero]

Repeating the "eating tariffs" thing
Trump: What people don’t understand is.. the country eats the tariff, the company eats the tariff and it’s not passed along at all… China is eating the tariffs

So now the kids get more than 2 dolls?

[JimC]

I remain completely astounded that Americans elected a moron.

Twice.

[Svartalf]

I remain completely astounded that Americans elected a moron.

Twice.

so am I... oh, the humanity.
any faith I had in Murica having enough normal people to go along has been crushed.

[L'Emmerdeur]

He has to check with his lawyers before he's willing to answer whether he needs to uphold the US Constitution or not.
("I don't know.") Despite twice swearing an oath to preserve, protect, and defend it.

Though the oath also says "to the best of my ability." His ability to uphold the US Constitution is hampered by his megalomania and waning mental acuity.

[Tero]

Trump Sunday...still eating tariffs

What people don’t understand is.. the country eats the tariff, the company eats the tariff and it’s not passed along at all… China is eating the tariffs

[Tero]

The "New York Times" Editorial Board laid out the roadmap for defeating the anti-democratic policies of President Trump. Their lengthy lead editorial this weekend is titled, "There Is a Way Forward: How to Defeat Trump's Power Grab."

"The first 100 days of President Trump’s second term have done more damage to American democracy than anything else since the demise of Reconstruction. Mr. Trump is attempting to create a presidency unconstrained by Congress or the courts, in which he and his appointees can override written law when they want to. It is precisely the autocratic approach that this nation’s founders sought to prevent when writing the Constitution."

"The patriotic response to today’s threat is to oppose Mr. Trump. But it is to do so soberly and strategically, not reflexively or performatively. It is to build a coalition of Americans who disagree about many other subjects — who span conservative and progressive, internationalist and isolationist, religious and secular, business-friendly and labor-friendly, pro-immigration and restrictionist, laissez-faire and pro-government, pro-life and pro-choice — yet who believe that these subjects must be decided through democratic debate and constitutional processes rather than the dictates of a single man."

The Board does acknowledge that elections have consequences and that Donald Trump did win a fair election. Thus in many areas, border security is cited as an example, the president is entitled to carry out his policies.

"Mr. Trump has attacked at least five pillars of American democracy in his first 100 days:

Separation of powers -- They cite instances where the president or his cabinet are ignoring or refusing to comply with orders from the federal courts. And they worry about the Republican majorities in Congress are deferring to Trump's demands.

"Wherever the line is, the meekness of congressional Republicans is problematic. They have refused to oppose Mr. Trump’s power grabs and assert their own authority, even though they occupy the branch of government that the many founders considered the first among equals. They are easing the path toward an unchecked presidency."

Due process -- "The starkest denial of due process was the deportation of 238 immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador." But the "Times" also cites the many executive orders against universities, law firms and individuals.

Equal justice under law -- "He is using federal prosecutors and agents as an extension of his political operation."

"Mr. Trump’s punishment of law firms is intended to make it harder for his critics to find legal representation. His withdrawal of protective security from some former officials is meant to chill criticism of him and his administration. On the flip side, his pardoning of the Jan. 6 rioters and the dropping of charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York demonstrate that Trump allies may break the law with impunity."

Free speech and freedom of the press -- "Mr. Trump mischaracterizes legitimate speech as false or anti-American and uses government powers to discipline the speaker. The message to everybody else is: Watch what you say."

Government for the people -- "Amid everything else from the past 100 days, Mr. Trump’s efforts to enrich himself and his allies sometimes go overlooked."
"If a president acts in bad faith, it requires a sophisticated, multifaceted campaign to restrain him. Other parts of the government, along with civil society and corporate America, must think carefully and rigorously about what to do. That’s especially true when the most powerful alternative — Congress — is prostrate.

"The most promising path to stopping Mr. Trump involves making him pay a political price for pursuing his authoritarian dreams. The less popular he becomes, the easier it will be for his targets to stand up to him and the harder it will be for congressional Republicans to remain silent without worrying that they are risking their political careers."

"The best way to support American democracy is to build the largest possible coalition to defend it. It is to call out all Mr. Trump’s constitutional violations while diligently avoiding exaggeration about what qualifies as a violation. Liberals who conflate conservative policies with unconstitutional policies risk sending conservatives back into Mr. Trump’s camp."

"The past 100 days have wounded this country, and there is no guarantee that we will fully recover. But nobody should give up. American democracy retreated before, during the post-Reconstruction era, Jim Crow, the Red Scare, Watergate and other times. It recovered from those periods not because its survival was inevitable but because Americans — including many who disagreed with one another on other subjects — fought bravely and smartly for this country’s ideals. That is our duty today."

[Svartalf]

Trump Sunday...still eating tariffs

What people don’t understand is.. the country eats the tariff, the company eats the tariff and it’s not passed along at all… China is eating the tariffs

is he really that stupid or is he just lying through his teeth?
(a both answer still is acceptable)

[Tero]

Trump understands neither trade or tariffs. The girls can't just cut from 20 barbidolls to 2 because...

And those 15 year old girls better understand they need to keep buying dozens of Chinese-made dolls at their new higher price, because that's how he's going to fund tax cuts.

[Sean Hayden]

It’s weird to see people say we don’t show off our military might — — like, since when?

Goodness, we probably still have the world’s only real blue water navy, and where are they? That’s right, around the world…

—//—

Anyway, I’ll be disappointed to see them go through with the parade, and hope there’ll be some not so subtle protests built-in.