What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[The Brain]

"The media likes to say we have the most cases. But we do, by far, the most testing. If we did very little testing, we wouldn't have the most cases. So, in a way, by doing all of this testing, we make ourselves look bad." (May 6)

"We're going to have more cases because we do more testing. Otherwise, you don't know if you have a case." (May 6)

"We have the ultimate testing. We have the best tests in the world. And we gave more than anybody else. But... I have always said testing is somewhat overrated." (May 7)

"I feel about vaccines like I feel about tests. This is going to go away without a vaccine... Eventually, it's going to go away. The question is, will we need a vaccine? At some point, it's going to probably go away by itself." (May 8)

"If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any." (June 15)

"I personally think testing is overrated, even though I created the greatest testing machine in history. I've created the greatest testing machine in history. And I think testing is overrated... In many ways, it makes us look bad." (June 18)

"You know, testing is a double-edged sword. We've tested now 25 million people. It's probably 20 million people more than anybody else... Here's the bad part. When you do testing to that extent... you're going to find more cases. So I said to my people, 'Slow the testing down, please.'" (June 20)

His genius is incredibly stable.

[Sheilbh]

I don't think that anyone expected to fit one million people in a stadium that seats 16,000.  The prank was mostly to so overwhelm the registration system that people who sincerely wanted to go would be discouraged because a million other people had already signed up.  Getting the Trumpeters to boast about a million applictions might have been an objective as well, but it wouldn't have been meaningful if 16,000 people had actually shown up.

I don't know. Team Trump had announced they were doing their first outdoor/indoor event. Air Force One was going to flyover the overflow outdoor crowd, and Pence and Trump were meant to speak to the thronging outdoor masses. Who, in the event, didn't exist

[grumbler]

I don't know. Team Trump had announced they were doing their first outdoor/indoor event. Air Force One was going to flyover the overflow outdoor crowd, and Pence and Trump were meant to speak to the thronging outdoor masses. Who, in the event, didn't exist

Yes, that was the prank:  to claim so many tickets that Trumpeters would be discouraged from applying.

No one on Trumps' side thought that they would have a million attendees.  Politico says they thought they might get 200-300,000.  It also says that they knew a lot of the 1.1 million requests were bogus. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/21/donald-trump-oklahoma-campaign-debacle-333263

[Sheilbh]

I don't think I'll ever understand why Trump tweets stuff like this:

I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view. He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar.   See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!

[celedhring]

Well, I suppose the trick here is to say that the classified bits are the info that doesn't directly paint him in a bad light. Everything else is a lie.

[Oexmelin]

Love the journalist who asked him why he keeps hiring liars and wackos.

[Admiral Yi]

I don't think I'll ever understand why Trump tweets stuff like this:

I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view. He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar.   See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!

Trump is a vindictive, vain, hypersensitive, petty four year old.  It makes perfect sense.

[Sheilbh]

I don't think I'll ever understand why Trump tweets stuff like this:

I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view. He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar.   See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!

Trump is a vindictive, vain, hypersensitive, petty four year old.  It makes perfect sense.

But he keeps saying "x person is a wacko and not liked by anyone. And I have him a chance!" I just don't get it.

[HisMajestyBOB]

I don't think I'll ever understand why Trump tweets stuff like this:

I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view. He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar.   See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!

Trump is a vindictive, vain, hypersensitive, petty four year old.  It makes perfect sense.

My two year old is both more coherent and has a better temperament than the President.

[Admiral Yi]

But he keeps saying "x person is a wacko and not liked by anyone. And I have him a chance!" I just don't get it.

"I found this guy begging in the gutter and then he writes a book about me launching a nuke by accident because I thought it was a video game."  It doubles the debt of gratitude Bolton (or anyone else) owes him and hence doubles the betrayal.

[Tamas]

I don't think I'll ever understand why Trump tweets stuff like this:

I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view. He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar.   See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!

Trump is a vindictive, vain, hypersensitive, petty four year old.  It makes perfect sense.

My two year old is both more coherent and has a better temperament than the President.

And look which one of them got elected!

[The Minsky Moment]

But he keeps saying "x person is a wacko and not liked by anyone. And I have him a chance!" I just don't get it.

It doesn't make sense if you think of the presidency as an extremely important job involving running the executive functions of government for the most powerful nation on earth.  If you think like that, then it is gross negligence to admit to hiring subpar wackos out of charity.

If instead you view the presidency as the highest rated reality TV show - Celebrity Apprentice White House Edition -  it makes perfect sense. 

[Sheilbh]

But he keeps saying "x person is a wacko and not liked by anyone. And I have him a chance!" I just don't get it.

"I found this guy begging in the gutter and then he writes a book about me launching a nuke by accident because I thought it was a video game."  It doubles the debt of gratitude Bolton (or anyone else) owes him and hence doubles the betrayal.

Yeah I sort of see that. I just can't quite get over someone as bragadocious as Trump repeatedly flagging how much he hires incompetent, unlikeable, wackos and incompetents.

It's like the only things he takes responsibility for are the economy and a series of horrendous (by his account) hiring decisions.

[Tamas]

But he keeps saying "x person is a wacko and not liked by anyone. And I have him a chance!" I just don't get it.

"I found this guy begging in the gutter and then he writes a book about me launching a nuke by accident because I thought it was a video game."  It doubles the debt of gratitude Bolton (or anyone else) owes him and hence doubles the betrayal.

Yeah I sort of see that. I just can't quite get over someone as bragadocious as Trump repeatedly flagging how much he hires incompetent, unlikeable, wackos and incompetents.

It's like the only things he takes responsibility for are the economy and a series of horrendous (by his account) hiring decisions.

It's because he is that stupid. People have been struggling to accept this fact since 2016. He is a moron.

[Admiral Yi]

Yeah I sort of see that. I just can't quite get over someone as bragadocious as Trump repeatedly flagging how much he hires incompetent, unlikeable, wackos and incompetents.

It's like the only things he takes responsibility for are the economy and a series of horrendous (by his account) hiring decisions.

As I read in the Economist, Trump is perfectly happy playing both sides of a story, and his bonehead supporters are too.  "I magnificently responded to this terrible Chinese virus, which is a hoax, and saved millions of lives."