What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[DGuller]

I find it interesting how much Vance hates Europe. Perhaps he was treated as an uncultured yokel on a vacation to Paris or something?

I think Vance is a total phony.  I think everything that comes out of his mouth is calculated to demonstrate his loyalty to Trump.

That's my read as well, that dude oozes the corporate empty suit vibes.

[Sheilbh]

So *now* you're a language purist. 

Always on words.

But I know zero grammar and will not learn

[mongers]

So *now* you're a language purist. 

Always on words.

But I know zero grammar and will not learn

That's a liberal democrat position, I however, am the anti-grammar and have a 1970s comprehensive 'education' to prove it.   

[Admiral Yi]

But I know zero grammar and will not learn

I was born in a castle.

If I were a rich man, all day long I'd beedle beedle dum.

Easy peasy.

[Norgy]

Did someone mention grammar? 

[Tamas]

I find it interesting how much Vance hates Europe. Perhaps he was treated as an uncultured yokel on a vacation to Paris or something?

I think Vance is a total phony.  I think everything that comes out of his mouth is calculated to demonstrate his loyalty to Trump.

That's my read as well, that dude oozes the corporate empty suit vibes.

Yeah. Problem is when Trump croaks he will feel obliged to dial the retard level up still since all other heir apparents will also be working to be more Trumpian than Trump

[Norgy]

Their ideal is McKinley's administration, but I'd say there is a touch of Grant there as well. Without the battlefield skill.

[fromtia]

I find it interesting how much Vance hates Europe. Perhaps he was treated as an uncultured yokel on a vacation to Paris or something?

It is sort of funny. I think a big part of it is that he is the creature of silicon valley, spawned in the techno vat like one of Sarumans Uruks. The Dark Elfs cannot tolerate the regulating and fining and law enforcing that the EU has done against American tech companies.The "Europe is over" sentiment comes from there largely I think. Not to understate the importance of deep conservative internet culture however, thats part of it too. The JD Vance memes are the best thing about this administration so far.

[Grey Fox]

Trump starts the sham elections process early.

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-voting-elections-executive-order/

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping order Tuesday that, if it stands, would vastly expand the executive branch's power over federal elections and could potentially disenfranchise millions. The move is certain to  be swiftly challenged in court.

The order attempts to wrest control from the states, which are primarily responsible for regulating and administering elections for federal office, while punishing states that do not comply. It also attempts to make registering to vote more difficult.

The Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias was among those who said he will sue over Trump's order, and Democratic election officials quickly decried the order. (Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.)

"Trump's executive order is unlawful," Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) said in a statement. "It would prevent eligible Americans from exercising their sacred right to vote. The Trump administration is weaponizing the federal government and trying to make it harder for voters to fight back at the ballot box."

"This is not a statute," Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) told Democracy Docket. "This is an edict by fiat from the executive branch, and so every piece of it can be challenged through the regular judicial process."

"But what is most disturbing is the attitude behind it, and that is that it appears as though this is another one of the administration's building blocks in an attempt to avoid having to face the voters in 2026," Fontes added. "I genuinely believe that the Trump administration wants to cancel the 2026 elections so that he and his party can stay in power, and we have to fight like hell against that by every means available."

The Trump administration claimed the executive order was necessary to prevent election fraud, specifically noncitizens voting in federal elections, which is exceptionally rare in U.S. elections.

Trump's order in general attempts to make registering, and remaining registered, to vote more difficult.

It directs the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an agency created by Congress to operate without direct control from the White House, to require eligible voters to provide documentary proof of their citizenship when registering through a federal registration form.

The change would prevent Americans who lack easy access to documents, such as passports, from registering to vote through the national mail voter registration form, which was originally created to make registering to vote more accessible.

"The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is carefully reviewing the President's Executive Order and determining the next steps in enhancing the integrity of voter registration and state and federal elections," said EAC chair Donald Palmer in a statement. "We also anticipate consulting with state and local election officials."

The order also directs that states which accept ballots that arrive after election day — a common practice used states like California, Illinois and Nevada — would lose federal funds to support their election operations.

And the order charges Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with using federal databases to review state voter registration lists. As part of this effort, DOGE and DHS can subpoena state records to prove supposed voter registration fraud.

The Social Security commissioner must share federal databases with state and local election officials verifying the eligibility of registered voters and those attempting to register, the order directs.

Attorney General Pam Bondi must also take action against states that do not comply with federal  list maintenance requirements.

The EAC normally assists state and local officials in improving how elections are conducted, by distributing grants to improve election infrastructure and certifying voting equipment.

The commission would be required to amend the guidelines it uses to determine if voting systems are accessible and secure then re-certify voting systems under those new standards. The order comes after Trump in recent weeks has repeatedly called on state leaders to pass laws eliminating mail and electronic voting, falsely claiming they are sources of election fraud.

[Sheilbh]

It is sort of funny. I think a big part of it is that he is the creature of silicon valley, spawned in the techno vat like one of Sarumans Uruks. The Dark Elfs cannot tolerate the regulating and fining and law enforcing that the EU has done against American tech companies.The "Europe is over" sentiment comes from there largely I think. Not to understate the importance of deep conservative internet culture however, thats part of it too. The JD Vance memes are the best thing about this administration so far.

I agree - I think a huge amount of it is the Silicon Valley stuff.

I think the "Europe is over" stuff has some other sources thought that particularly converge on Vance. One is that I think many Americans have quite a "blood and soil" idea of Europe (which makes sense because it's often the identity they're referring to as "Irish-American" or "Italian-American") which doesn't reflect contemporary Europe - which includes many countries (the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands) with a higher population share of immigrants than the US. I think that's congealed particularly on the American far-right with stuff about "x has fallen".

The other bit is that I've mentioned it before but there is a very specific conservative (often convert) Catholic culture in America. Think Archbishop Vigano at the January 6 rally. They're often basically very right-wing Protestants who have moved to Catholicism as much for the aesthetics as anything else. They hate the Pope a lot right now. But I think there's a fair bit of Europe as entering a bit of a dark age because religion doesn't really matter here any more, there aren't many believers etc. But it's a really weird force within the Catholic Church and, I think, the American right (including the Supreme Court) - and it's not entirely new, there were National Review writers who pined for Franco and there's a bit of that.

I suppose it makes sense to an extent for people leaning white nationalist to be underwhelmed or enraged (maybe in Freudian terms) by the place or "culture" they identify as the source (think of all of those "aesthetic" accounts that are never more than two posts away from "oops Fascism") of their "superior" culture/racial identity when it turns out Europe is simply another place dealing with the same strains and challenges of modernity, just with French Tacos stores and teenagers smoking Gauloises.

[Zanza]

Heard about travel warnings in some German firms for the US now. The TSA (or whoever) make you unlock your devices at the airport on arrival and take them away for a while. So the suggestion now is to travel with new blank devices or none at all.

[crazy canuck]

Heard about travel warnings in some German firms for the US now. The TSA (or whoever) make you unlock your devices at the airport on arrival and take them away for a while. So the suggestion now is to travel with new blank devices or none at all.

Yes, this has been standard practice for some time for Canadians traveling to the US and have confidential information on their device. We give an annual lecture to everyone in the firm to remind them about their duty to keep our clients' information confidential.  That means no work related phones go South.

[Zanza]

25% import tariff on cars and car parts announced. EU trade commissioner expects general 20% tariff on EU goods as the US administration sees value added tax in Europe as an import tariff, which it is not.

The EU will have to think about taxing digital services again as that's where the US has a massive surplus.

This trade war will be bad for everyone.

[Syt]

How do they argue VAT which applies to all goods foreign and domestic is a tariff or disadvantages them vis-a-vis EU companies?

[HVC]

Betting in the average person not knowing what VAT is. It's not like Fox News will tell them.