What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[jimmy olsen]

Reality shows are fake!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-clay-aiken-apprentice_us_5965370ae4b09b587d6307b4?utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&utm_source=entertainment_fb&ir=Entertainment&utm_medium=facebook&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000024

Trump Didn't Even Decide Who Got Fired On 'The Apprentice,' Clay Aiken Says

"NBC made those decisions," the former contestant said.

By Maxwell Strachan

"He didn't make those decisions, he didn't fire those people," Clay Aiken said of Donald Trump. 
 
Donald Trump made the words "You're fired" a part of American pop culture during his time on NBC's "The Apprentice." But it turns out he may have had much less of a role in deciding who got the boot than it seemed, at least according to Clay Aiken.

During a recent appearance on "Domecast," a podcast by North Carolina's News & Observer, Aiken revealed that Trump had very little say in decisions when Aiken was on the "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2012.

"Trump didn't decide who got fired on 'Apprentice,'" he said. "NBC made those decisions."

At another point, Aiken said, "He [Trump] didn't make those decisions, he didn't fire those people. It was very much, 'I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV.'"

According to Aiken, the show even set up little ways to help Trump along through filming.

"There used to be a little thing right on his desk that looked like a phone," Aiken said. "He pretended it was a phone, but it was actually a teleprompter where the producers were sending him notes."

Aiken may be a Democrat who once ran for Congress in North Carolina, but he tried to clarify that he wasn't trying "to be incendiary" with his comments. He simply wanted people to know that "Trump isn't the businessman that people believe he is."

"He did look like he was leading. But on 'The Apprentice' he doesn't lead," Aiken said. "He's told by the producers, 'Here's what happened. Here's who should win.'"

Now that Trump has risen from a TV personality to president of the United States, Aiken can't help but imagine Trump is "leading the country in the same way that he did 'The Apprentice.'"

He said, "I think to myself, the man as president definitely has a teleprompter sitting on his desk right now with people telling him, 'Well such and such is in the healthcare bill, don't say this.'"

But, he added, "I feel like half the time his teleprompter has broken down as president and he doesn't know what's going on."

Aiken finished second during his 2012 run on "Celebrity Apprentice."

[celedhring]

There's a ton of articles/opinions on whether Trump Jr/Kushner/Manafort broke the law with teh meeting, but federal election law says:

The problem is that a federal law says foreign nationals cannot "directly or indirectly" give a "thing of value" to American political campaigns. Moreover, the law says no one is allowed to "solicit, accept, or receive" any thing of value from a foreign national to help a candidate.

So the question is, is "opposition research" a thing of value?

I don't like that case.  Technically, yes information is a thing of value, and so a literal reading would make that a crime, but it would also make it a crime anytime a non-US citizen gives any information to any political campaign.  My guess is if pushed, the statute would either be interpreted narrowly to cover things of pecuniary value, or would be narrowed in scope by the First Amendment.

Ooops, I canvassed for the Obama campaign back in 2008 

Heck, I have a bunch of foreign friends living in the US that were involved in the Hillary campaign. I can't see how that statute resists scrutiny unless you want to jail a lot of people, since I assume work = "thing of value".

[derspiess]

They'll just turn all this into a referendum on what the actual "dirt" was that the Russians had on Hillary.  THATS THE REAL STORY HERE

[alfred russel]

Celedhring, sounds like you are a fellow russian plant. Once Trump mandates cyrillic keyboards for everyone, lets talk to each other in Russian.

[DGuller]

Celedhring, sounds like you are a fellow russian plant. Once Trump mandates cyrillic keyboards for everyone, lets talk to each other in Russian.

Can I talk to both of you? 

[Eddie Teach]

Celedhring, sounds like you are a fellow russian plant. Once Trump mandates cyrillic keyboards for everyone, lets talk to each other in Russian.

Why would he do that when he barely knows English? Trump, not Cel.

[DGuller]

Celedhring, sounds like you are a fellow russian plant. Once Trump mandates cyrillic keyboards for everyone, lets talk to each other in Russian.

Why would he do that when he barely knows English? Trump, not Cel.

Yes, he does barely know English.  I wonder why? 

[derspiess]

Celedhring, sounds like you are a fellow russian plant. Once Trump mandates cyrillic keyboards for everyone, lets talk to each other in Russian.

[Eddie Teach]

Celedhring, sounds like you are a fellow russian plant. Once Trump mandates cyrillic keyboards for everyone, lets talk to each other in Russian.

Why would he do that when he barely knows English? Trump, not Cel.

Yes, he does barely know English.  I wonder why? 

Certainly he never went through kgb language training.

[celedhring]

I actually report to a Russian IRL.

[Solmyr]

I actually am Russian IRL.

[Grey Fox]

New spy, I mean hire, in the office this week. He's Russian.

Corporate security must be so happy with us.

[CountDeMoney]

They'll just turn all this into a referendum on what the actual "dirt" was that the Russians had on Hillary.  THATS THE REAL STORY HERE

Never figured the day would come when Republicans would actually support Russians over their own countrymen.  Men over women's rights? Not suprising.  Biblethumping over education and personal freedom? Naturally. Teabagger racists over a negro? Disappointing, but also not shocking. 

But Russia?  The bad guys?  Shameful, shameful.  Hopefully your unvaccinated children will live through their teenage pregnancies to see the error of your decision.

[derspiess]

My cousin was once married to a Russian IRL.

[derspiess]

Never figured the day would come when Republicans would actually support Russians over their own countrymen.  Men over women's rights? Not suprising.  Biblethumping over education and personal freedom? Naturally. Teabagger racists over a negro? Disappointing, but also not shocking. 

But Russia?  The bad guys?  Shameful, shameful.  Hopefully your unvaccinated children will live through their teenage pregnancies to see the error of your decision.

  Remember that time Mitt said the Russians were the biggest threat and you laughed at him?  Do you... do you remember that?