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#21

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by PRC - December 17, 2025, 06:07:11 PM

Maduro could also try flattering Trump... that might buy some time.

#22

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by Jacob - December 17, 2025, 05:39:27 PM

Yeah, I agree with you and with Otto. It's most likely bluster.

#23

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Jacob - December 17, 2025, 05:38:13 PM

He's such a dipshit

[Trump's Face Will Replace Images of National Parks on Some Annual Passes, Environmental Group Sues to Stop Change]

#24

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Tonitrus - December 17, 2025, 04:55:11 PM

Another recent atrocity:

https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/11/trump-s-face-will-replace-images-national-parks-some-annual-passes-environmental-group

Trump's Face Will Replace Images of National Parks on Some Annual Passes, Environmental Group Sues to Stop Change
CNN | December 11, 2025, 3:13 pm
   
(CNN) — The Trump administration is ruffling more feathers with some fans of America's national parks — this time by replacing images of the picturesque parks on some annual passes with an image of President Donald Trump's face.

#25

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by grumbler - December 17, 2025, 04:52:00 PM

A former US ambassador has put forth the idea trump is planning to attack Venezuela to line up with the epstein files being released..... Which does make sense

If and when Trump actually countenances the use of the American forces to enact regime change it will be the crossing of a significant line. Typically it requires a certain level of moral clarity and taking of responsibility that is anathema to Trump's core being.

How well will his equivocating, wink-wink nudge-nudge blame games and bluster play out when people start dying in numbers as a direct result of his decisions?

Traditionally Americans exhibit a significant level of rallying around the flag when they engage in a new military conflict. How much will that play out here?

I expect the success of the endeavour will also have an impact. If it's an unmitigated disaster for Americans, that will play out differently than if it's a surgical display of pure American dominance (though social media will play a role here, no doubt).

It certainly will be interesting to see what happens in a scenario where Trump overcomes his aversion to deploying the US military, if it becomes habitual (whether he's actually making a decision himself, or whether it's a pro-war clique inside his administration who pushed it through).

Also, I feel like for a traditional American regime change intervention, we should be seeing a massive media ramp up explaining why the Venezuelan regime is evil and how it would be morally wrong to not overthrow them right now. I've basically seen none of that - either they're not doing it, or they're doing it but I'm so far outside the target group that I'm not even seeing it second hand.

The problem for Trump is that he has no cards. Maduro knows that the Law of TACO will save him if he just holds out, and Trump surely knows that he hasn't assembled anything like the force necessary to actually invade.

Venezuelans largely hate Maduro, but that doesn't mean they'd greet an invasion.

#26

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by The Minsky Moment - December 17, 2025, 04:49:19 PM

Otto was right in the other thread; invasion is not on the menu.  It's always about putting on a show.

#27

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by grumbler - December 17, 2025, 04:45:04 PM

It's a shame that all the media sources I could find focused only on the recent past, I would have liked to have learned what Trump thought about James Garfield or Martin van Buren.[/font]

You mean "Sleepy James" and "Crooked Martin?" I'm willing to bet that they are all jst copypasta from the ones Trump cares about.

This isn't one of the  ten must puerile things Trump has done, but it's not far from making the list.

[White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the inscriptions are "eloquently written descriptions of each president," and that "many were written directly by the President himself."]

#28

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Savonarola - December 17, 2025, 04:31:45 PM

From Newsweek

Trump Adds New Captions for Biden and Obama in Walk of Fame

President Donald Trump has added new plaques to his "Presidential Walk of Fame" beneath portraits of America's 45 presidents, most notably targeting former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

The display, installed along the West Colonnade of the White House, was unveiled Wednesday during a media preview ahead of a dinner Trump hosted near the exhibit.

Why It Matters

The installation sits on the direct path from the White House residence to the Oval Office, allowing Trump to showcase the gallery to guests and dignitaries. The display is now inscribed with what Trump has labeled "descriptions of past Presidents, good, bad, and somewhere in the middle."


Portraits with new plaques of explanatory text are seen on the Presidential Walk of Fame on the Colonnade of the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the inscriptions are "eloquently written descriptions of each president," and that "many were written directly by the President himself."

What To Know

The newly unveiled plaques deliver sharp attacks on Democratic leaders including Biden, Barack Obama, and Jimmy Carter, while praising Republicans like Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon.

Biden's pair of plaques, displayed beneath a portrait featuring an autopen, label him "by far, the worst President in American history" and claim he took office "as a result of the most corrupt election ever seen in the United States." The text blames Biden for inflation, border security failures, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and foreign conflicts.

"Nicknamed both 'Sleepy' and 'Crooked,' Joe Biden was dominated by his Radical Left handlers," one reads, ending with: "President Trump would get Re-Elected in a Landslide, and SAVE AMERICA!"


New plaques of explanatory text are seen beneath a framed portrait in the space for former President Joe Biden on the Presidential Walk of Fame on the Colonnade of the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Obama's plaques accuse him of weakening the U.S. economy and foreign policy, criticizing the Affordable Care Act, the Iran nuclear deal, and the Paris Climate Accords. One plaque reads: "He crippled small businesses with crushing regulation and environmental red tape," and claims he "spied on the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J. Trump" and promoted the "Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax".

His successor, Hillary Clinton, the plaque says, "would then lose the Presidency to Donald J. Trump."

George W. Bush's plaque, while less personal, still delivers a rebuke of his war record: "He started wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which should not have happened." It also notes the 2008 financial crisis during his final year in office.

The Reagan plaque, by contrast, praises him as a conservative icon who "won the Cold War," rebuilt the military, and "restored National Confidence, Spirit, and Will." It claims Reagan was "a fan of President Donald J. Trump long before President Trump's Historic run for the White House," and adds, "Likewise, President Trump was a fan of his!"


New plaques of explanatory text have been placed underneath presidential portraits on the Colonnade at the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Washington.

Another notable inclusion was President Jimmy Carter's, who died in December 2024. The plaque focuses on economic troubles during his presidency, referencing "high inflation, high unemployment, and a rising 'misery index.'" It also highlights the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during his term.

However, the text ends on a positive note: "Many feel that President Carter was more successful after his presidency than during it. He did wonderful things for humanity!"

Trump's own plaques on the Walk of Fame highlight his outsider status and policy record. They note that in 2016, he became the first person elected president without prior political or military experience, defeating 16 Republican rivals and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by flipping key battleground states.

The text credits him with tax cuts, deregulation, military expansion, ending NAFTA, defeating ISIS, and launching Operation Warp Speed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also lists the Abraham Accords and U.S. withdrawals from the Iran deal and Paris Climate Accords among his accomplishments.

A plaque dedicated to Trump's second term claims he won the 2024 election in a "Historic Victory," with 312 Electoral College votes, becoming the first president in 132 years to serve non-consecutive terms. The plaque declares the start of the "Golden Age of America," citing early efforts to end multiple foreign conflicts, lower inflation, secure the border, and attract investment.

It also lists new tariffs, expanded NATO contributions, a missile defense project dubbed the Golden Dome, and the construction of the Trump Presidential Ballroom at the White House.

Joe Biden Plaque Caption

"Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American History. Taking office as a result of the most corrupt Election ever seen in the United States, Biden oversaw a series of unprecedented disasters that brought our Nation to the brink of destruction. His policies caused the highest Inflation ever recorded, leading the U.S.

Dollar to lose more than 20% of its value in 4 years. His Green New Scam surrendered American Energy Dominance and, by abolishing the Southern Border, Biden let 21 million people from all over the World pour into the United States, including from prisons, jails, mental institutions, and insane asylums. His Afghanistan Disaster was among the most humiliating events in American History, and resulted in the murder of 13 brave American Servicemembers, with many others gravely wounded. Seeing Biden's devastating weakness, Russia invaded Ukraine, and Hamas terrorists launched the heinous October 7th attack on Israel.

"Nicknamed both "Sleepy" and "Crooked," Joe Biden was dominated by his Radical Left handlers. They and their allies in the Fake News Media attempted to cover up his severe mental decline, and his unprecedented use of the Autopen. Following his humiliating debate Love to President Trump in the big June 2024 debate, he was forced to withdraw from his campaign for re-election in disgrace. Biden weaponized Law Enforcement against his political opponent, while deo persecuting many other innocent people. He left office issuing blanket pardons to Radical Democrat criminals and chugs, is well as members of the Biden Crime Family — But despite it all, President Trump would get Re-Elected in a Landslide, and SAVE AMERICA!"

Barack Obama Plaque Caption

"Barack Hussein Obama was the first Black President, a community organizer, one term Senator from Illinois, and one of the most divisive political figures in American History. As President, he passed the highly ineffective "Unaffordable" Care Act, resulting in his party losing control of both Houses of Congress, and the Election of the largest House Republican majority since 1946. He presided over a stagnant Economy, approved the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal, and signed the one-sided Paris Climate Accords, both of which were Later terminated by President Donald J. Trump.

Under Obama, the ISTS Caliphate spread across the Middle East, Libya collapsed into chaos, and Russia invaded and took Crimea, in Ukraine. He crippled small businesses with crushing regulation and environmental red tape, devastated American coal miners, and weaponized the IRS and Federal bureaucracies against his political opponents. Obama also spied on the 2016 Presidential Campaign of Donald J. Trump, and presided over the creation of the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, the worst political scandal in American History. His handpicked successor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would then lose the Presidency to Donald J. Trump."

Donald Trump First Administration Plaque Caption

In 2016, campaigning under the slogan "Make America Great Again," Donald J. Trump became the first person in American history to be elected president without previously holding political office or serving as a military officer. After defeating 16 other candidates in the Republican primary, he went on to beat former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in an Electoral College landslide of 304 to 221, marking a major political realignment that flipped the so-called "blue wall" states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin into future election battlegrounds.

During his historic first term in office, President Trump signed the largest tax cut in history, oversaw a booming economy, eliminated a record number of federal regulations, rebuilt the United States military, withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Accords, ended the NAFTA agreement, destroyed the ISIS caliphate, signed the historic Abraham Accords, and presided over what he described as the greatest economy in world history. His administration also launched Operation Warp Speed, which he said saved millions of lives worldwide in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

What Happens Next

The updated display is expected to remain in place for the duration of Trump's term, but its future beyond his presidency is uncertain.

It's a shame that all the media sources I could find focused only on the recent past, I would have liked to have learned what Trump thought about James Garfield or Martin van Buren.

#29

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Tamas - December 17, 2025, 04:15:20 PM

On the might as well visit China point: indeed, I guess now I have about equal chances of being randomly disappeared in a detention centre in either countries.

#30

Off the Record / Re: Trump's Venezuela Vendetta

Last post by Josquius - December 17, 2025, 04:11:04 PM

I guess its weird with venezeula as its a long standing embodiment of socialism = bad = woke liberal left which is already pretty built up as fact with the maga crowd. Not quite the same as some random middle eastern dictatorship which clearly isn't linked to anything at home.