What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[OttoVonBismarck]

So I watched that press conference in full and live, and to be honest I find it to be the worst point of Trump's Presidency. To elaborate, we've had bad Presidents before. We've even had men who didn't measure up intellectually. But at least to this point, the combined UN Speech + Press Conference mark an all time low in the modern era and certainly in my life time for the office of the President. I even include Nixon's resignation (which happened when I was still a toddler), because at least part of what drove Nixon's resignation was in fact the high regard the country held for the office of the Presidency, it was his failure to uphold those standards that turned people against Nixon.

The concerning thing about the UN speech, is we've certainly been at loggerheads with international bodies before, that's normal and to be expected. Never before have I seen a sitting U.S. President, in the well of the UN General Assembly Hall, mocked openly by the representatives of other nations. Note what goes into this, the UN HQ isn't in the United States by chance. Its siting in New York City was a recognition of the immense and overwhelming strength of American political, economic, and military power at the time. From the day of the UN's inception, the U.S. has been its most powerful backer, its largest contributor in almost every military conflict the UN has been formally a party to, the largest financial contributor the UN's budget. While American Presidents and their standing with other countries has always varied--there has always been respect for the office from the UN, for the simple reason that any fool can recognize the power of the American President. It's quite obvious how we got here--Trump speaks, acts like an idiot, makes grandiose and frankly stupid claims with such regularity that it has significantly decreased how seriously anyone outside a Trump rally takes him and his Presidency.

The following press conference, while perhaps not as embarrassing to the country as seeing our head of state openly mocked by the representatives of other nations, is in some ways more concerning. I've heard Donald Trump talk...a lot, in my lifetime. Especially in the last 18 months or so. His base level of poor intellect and bad speaking ability is almost baked in so hard now it's hard for any of his poor public performances to really even register with me. But this press conference represents by far the stupidest and least intelligent series of rambling, incoherent and retarded utterances by anyone I can remember in the history of American public life.

[Tamas]

No wonder his supporters feel like he is one of them. He IS one of them.

[The Minsky Moment]

There's Charlottesville and Helsinki though.  As creative as Trump can be in plumbing new lows he's set a very tough standard for himself.

[OttoVonBismarck]

There's Charlottesville and Helsinki though.  As creative as Trump can be in plumbing new lows he's set a very tough standard for himself.

See for me those aren't as shocking as him finding new levels of stupid. Charlottesville was him plumbing new depths of racism and Helsinki was new depths of slavish adoration for Putin.

[Tamas]

I didn't see this on the lists:

https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1045063120950120457

[Syt]

My sister complained on Facebook that Dr Ford's English isn't very good for someone who's an academic (can't comment, haven't seen any excerpts). Also, if she really was assaulted she should have spoken up then, not 30 years later; basically she should let it go now.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I haven't seen any problems with her language skills. Chuck Grassley has struggled to speak properly more than she has and he does this for a living.

[Admiral Yi]

Stick a fork in Kavanaugh.

[FunkMonk]

Stick a fork in Kavanaugh.

I haven't seen any of the hearing. Is it really that bad for him?

[Sophie Scholl]

In my opinion, he's certainly coming off like trash in his testimony.  The inner bully is certainly surfacing.

[mongers]

There's Charlottesville and Helsinki though.  As creative as Trump can be in plumbing new lows he's set a very tough standard for himself.

See for me those aren't as shocking as him finding new levels of stupid. Charlottesville was him plumbing new depths of racism and Helsinki was new depths of slavish adoration for Putin.

Do you think we're seeing some from of mental decline whilst in office or is this within the 'normal' range of his behaviour, especially as he now seems increasingly less restrained by the now old WH norms? 

[Syt]

Trump supporter with (presumably) her daughters in tow on CNN: "Men groping women is not a big deal"

https://twitter.com/calebecarma/status/1045029337316159489

[Valmy]

Well not to co-dependent enablers, sure.

[garbon]

In my opinion, he's certainly coming off like trash in his testimony.  The inner bully is certainly surfacing.

Seriously. He is acting like a dick as he gets asked questions.

[garbon]

Also, Grassley...so eloquent.