What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Richard Hakluyt]

But, a nice two fingers from Wisconsin voters to Musk's attempt to buy the election 

[Valmy]

Part of the problem with the US right here :

It is really infuriating. It happens every election. Such a goddamn waste of money.

The 2024 election was just mind boggling how much money was spent.

[Valmy]

Winning in Wisconsin was key to fighting off disaster in the former Blue Wall, but the Florida elections showed we are still very far away from ever defeating the reactionary forces of Trumpism presuming that is even possible. Anyway the Democrats spent 9 million dollars in the 6th Florida District and 6.5 million dollars in the Florida 1st District to only lose by 14% in two 30%+ Trump Districts. I hope it was worth it.

Sure both elections saw big blue shifts, but Trump is still polling well and these were special elections.

Things went better than feared but worse than hoped I guess is the take away.

[Valmy]

So, what are the odds that Trump will call the Wisconsin Supreme Court vote fraudulent and set his lapdogs on it to "investigate" or find excuses to restrict voting access (beyond his previous executive orders)?

It was such a blowout I don't think he will. Besides he has two wins in Florida to bask in.

But the Republicans did get a voter ID law approved in this election in Wisconsin and by a big margin. Though I am not opposed to voter ID laws, my main issue with the one in Texas was not so much that a Voter ID law existed but that it was so narrow. Like if you have a government issued Student ID with a picture, that is not acceptable. There are like five forms of ID that are acceptable, it is crazy. I don't know the details of the Wisconsin law that was just approved so it might not be that big of a deal depending on the details.

[viper37]

Winning in Wisconsin was key to fighting off disaster in the former Blue Wall, but the Florida elections showed we are still very far away from ever defeating the reactionary forces of Trumpism presuming that is even possible. Anyway the Democrats spent 9 million dollars in the 6th Florida District and 6.5 million dollars in the Florida 1st District to only lose by 14% in two 30%+ Trump Districts. I hope it was worth it.

Sure both elections saw big blue shifts, but Trump is still polling well and these were special elections.

Things went better than feared but worse than hoped I guess is the take away.

The Republicans had to go all hands on deck to win this one though.  Halving the margins in these districts is already impressive.  It's going to make Republicans nervous.

[viper37]

So.  Tariff on fentanyl, right? 

[Valmy]

The sad part is by empowering things like Crypto he is doing a great job empowering drug cartels by giving them excellent spaces to launder their money. That is the greatest invention for organized crime in the history of the drug trade. But he doesn't actually give a shit about Fentanyl.

[Maladict]

Oh noes

US officials object to European push to buy weapons locally


WASHINGTON/PARIS, April 2 (Reuters) - U.S. officials have told European allies they want them to keep buying American-made arms, amid recent moves by the European Union to limit U.S. manufacturers' participation in weapons tenders, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The messages delivered by Washington in recent weeks come as the EU takes steps to boost Europe's weapons industry, while potentially limiting purchases of certain types of U.S. arms.

The Trump administration's early foreign policy steps, including briefly cutting military aid for Ukraine and easing pressure on Moscow, have deeply unnerved European allies, prompting many to ask if the United States is a reliable partner.
In mid-March, the European Commission, the EU's executive body, proposed boosting military spending and pooling resources on joint defense projects, as Europe girds for decreased U.S. military engagement under President Donald Trump.
Some of the proposed measures could mean a smaller role for non-EU companies, including those based in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, experts say.
In a March 25 meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that the United States wants to continue participating in EU countries' defense procurements, the sources told Reuters.
According to two of the sources, Rubio said any exclusion of U.S. companies from European tenders would be seen negatively by Washington, which those two sources interpreted as a reference to the proposed EU rules.
One northern European diplomat, who was not part of the Baltic meeting, said they had also been recently told by U.S. officials that any exclusion from EU weapons procurements would be seen as inappropriate.
Rubio plans to discuss expectations that EU countries keep buying U.S. weapons during his visit to Brussels this week, where he will attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, said a senior State Department official.
"It's a point the secretary has raised and will continue to raise," the official said.
A State Department spokesperson said Trump welcomes recent efforts from European allies to "strengthen their defense capabilities and take responsibility for their own security," but warned against creating new barriers that exclude U.S. companies from European defense projects.
"Transatlantic defense industrial cooperation makes the Alliance stronger," the spokesperson said.
The foreign ministries of Latvia and Estonia did not respond to requests for comment. The foreign ministry of Lithuania declined to comment.

[The Minsky Moment]

Damn you, predictable consequences of my actions! 

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Guess they'll just have to ramp up weapons sales to US police departments to compensate.

[Norgy]

Thune. Another Ameri-Norwegian. Boy, am I proud. Why did they all go full retard?

[mongers]

Damn you, predictable consequences of my actions! 

I partially disagree, I think they don't want a properly re-armed Europe, as that way it would be much harder for Putin to dismember Eastern Europe; far better for the trumpists to have a Europe still enmeshed with the American military-industrial complex and have trump with his hand on the tap controlling weapon flows.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I think that the wariness about buying American arms will persist even if the USA returns to rational governance. a couple of months of batshit nonsense was all it took to hobble a major US industry for the forseeable future.

[crazy canuck]

I think that the wariness about buying American arms will persist even if the USA returns to rational governance. a couple of months of batshit nonsense was all it took to hobble a major US industry for the forseeable future.

And not just wariness about arms sales

[HVC]

I think that the wariness about buying American arms will persist even if the USA returns to rational governance. a couple of months of batshit nonsense was all it took to hobble a major US industry for the forseeable future.

Memories are short and money talks. How long after the USSR fell did the west rush to open arms and open wallets?