What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[dps]

Things became strained under GWB. I wonder if this is the logical conclusion. Then, the U.S. wanted to lead, and not everyone was willing to follow, leading to serious friction (this forum being testament to it). This time the Trump U.S. says, "fuck it all."

It does seem to be a follow through on the isolationist strain in the American polity. However it seems to be implemented via incompetence rather than as a coherent and sophisticated policy. Seems to me that it will cost the US more in terms of influence and other benefits than it would have if done better.

Obviously, as garbon says, the US still has a mighty military and very important economy but at present it seems like the administration doesn't know to what ends it wants to deploy the military might (and accumulated political capital), nor does it have any idea how to serve the needs of the economy (beyond, of course, enriching a select group of wannabe oligarchs which seems a wasteful and insignificant use of the might of the US).

I don't think that Trump is isolationist per se.  I think his foreign policy (to the extent that he has any coherent foreign policy, which is very little) seems to be largely a blend of "American First" and realpolitik carried to an extreme.  And it's a "real"politik that has very little connection to "real"ality.

[Jacob]

I don't think that Trump is isolationist per se.  I think his foreign policy (to the extent that he has any coherent foreign policy, which is very little) seems to be largely a blend of "American First" and realpolitik carried to an extreme.  And it's a "real"politik that has very little connection to "real"ality.

Fair enough.

I think that it's accidental isolationism, in that it's pissing away US influence and alliances through incompetence, and justifying it with a retroactive "we'll fuck 'em, we don't need 'em anyways" which plays well enough with the base who mistake it for toughness and "realism".

[Grinning_Colossus]

Russia inquiry expands to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen

President Donald Trump's lawyer has received requests for information from two congressional panels investigating alleged Russian political meddling.
Michael Cohen confirmed to US media that he had been asked to "provide information and testimony" about any contacts he had with the Kremlin.
Mr Cohen said he turned down the request because it was "overly broad" and "not capable of being answered".
Last week Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was named in the Russia probe.
Mr Cohen is the latest Trump associate to rebuff the House and Senate investigations into the matter.

"I declined the invitation to participate, as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered," he told ABC News.
He later told CNN that lawmakers "have yet to produce one single piece of credible evidence that would corroborate the Russia narrative".
The widening inquiry into Russia's alleged interference in the US election and whether Trump campaign officials colluded with the Kremlin is threatening to engulf his fledgling presidency.

They can't convict a husband and wife for the same crime!

[11B4V]

But of course it is.

[CountDeMoney]

You know shit just got real when your lawyer needs a lawyer.

[jimmy olsen]

Refusing to endorse Article 5 is at least as worthy of impeachment as anything else he's done so far.

[Ed Anger]

 

[crazy canuck]

You know shit just got real when your lawyer needs a lawyer.

I don't really care so much anymore about how much he is screwing up the US domestically, or even how much he could screw up North American trade.  When the Germans say they need to becoming militarily self reliant again - shit just got real.

[CountDeMoney]

I don't really care so much anymore about how much he is screwing up the US domestically, or even how much he could screw up North American trade.  When the Germans say they need to becoming militarily self reliant again - shit just got real.

You've got bigger problems than German rearmament right now since you're well within the North Korean horseshoes-and-hand-grenades Circular Error Probable for Fairchild AFB, Captain Pacific Norkwest.

[11B4V]

You know shit just got real when your lawyer needs a lawyer.

I don't really care so much anymore about how much he is screwing up the US domestically, or even how much he could screw up North American trade.  When the Germans say they need to becoming militarily self reliant again - shit just got real.

Go for it. They'll be the good guys this time. Third time's the charm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SndPb5XohYM

[citizen k]

You've got bigger problems than German rearmament right now since you're well within the North Korean horseshoes-and-hand-grenades Circular Error Probable for Fairchild AFB, Captain Pacific Norkwest.

Hey, that's in Spokane County! 

[Syt]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/31/what-is-covfefe-donald-trump-baffles-twitter-post

What is covfefe? Donald Trump baffles with late night Twitter post

If you haven't looked it up already - don't bother.

Just after midnight in Washington, Donald Trump tweeted: "despite the constant negative press covfefe". That was it. No more. Just that word 'covfefe' left hanging there.

It left many of his 31 million followers on Twitter baffled, and slightly concerned.

The tweet had been active on Trump's account without comment or clarification for two hours at time of writing. It had been retweeted 61,000 times and received more than 75,000 favourites, and climbing.

That it had not been immediately deleted was confusing to users, who leapt to speculate what, exactly, Trump might have meant by "covfefe".

The Merriam-Webster dictionary, which has a track record of fact-checking Trump's tweets and neologisms on Twitter, decided to sit this one out.

Others suggested the tweet had taken the heat off US comedian Kathy Griffin, who had earlier been under fire for posting a video in which she held a replica of Trump's severed bloody head.

[...]

[garbon]

I like the Kathy Griffin bit. As if anyone cares about her.

[Zanza]

He fell asleep on the shitter.

[Syt]