The Trump Presidency, Season 2

[Innula Zenovka]

Rachel Reeves: EU trade relationship ‘more important’ than US

The chancellor met Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary, during a trip to Washington in the hope of making a breakthrough in getting a deal with the US

www.thetimes.com

Evernote Link

People have been saying this for years, literally, but I think this is the first time a British chancellor has publicly expressed the view.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Lisa Murkowski reveals the ugly nature of Trump's rule

It's not about persuasion. It's about fear.

www.publicnotice.co

Free to read, I think

Murkowski’s remarks are alarming because there’s no reason she should fear “retaliation” in any normal political sense. She held off a primary challenge in 2022 and isn’t up for reelection until 2028. But everyone understands that defying Trump can bring dangers more grave than well-funded primary challenges.

After all, on January 6, Trump sicced a violent mob on his own vice president when he wouldn’t follow his illegal orders, and since returning to office, Trump has behaved more like a mob boss than a commander in chief. Indeed, Murkowski sounds sadly resigned to this fact, like someone bravely fighting a terminal illness with no hope of a cure.

Trump is not a normal president who governs through persuasion and political savvy. He constantly resorts to coercive threats. A system where that becomes normal isn’t a democracy. It’s a reign of terror.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Link to Guardian article

 

[Tigger]

Why would anyone consider it unlikely? He's already attempted to take over the electoral system and to shut down democrat fund raising. These are the same moronic commentators who keep on trying to fit him into conventional behaviour patterns and get flummoxed when he goes ahead and does, illegally, exactly what he said he would do.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Link to Guardian article

Grifters gotta grift.

Also, DJT may not be able to run again (though I'm sure he'll try), but that won't stop his offspring from running.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

China is starting axing American pork orders, it cancelled an order about 12.000 metric tons.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5266321-china-cancels-us-pork-ships/

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Grifters gotta grift.

Also, DJT may not be able to run again (though I'm sure he'll try), but that won't stop his offspring from running.

I'd love it if Don Jr or Eric ran for President in his place. Those fuckwits do not have the same cult charisma to get away with being so fucking stupid. The Trump cult would let them get the nomination, but they'd be much easier to beat in the general.

 

[Noodles]

China is starting axing American pork orders, it cancelled an order about 12.000 metric tons.

https://thehill.com/policy/international/5266321-china-cancels-us-pork-ships/

It's going to hurt us, but I am kind of Glad China's response to Trump is basically, "Ok, fuck off then, we don't need you" and never looking back.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Trump had a meeting with the CEO's of America's biggest retailers - so Walmart and Target, warning about empty shelves in the coming weeks.

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

So today I read that California is now the 4th largest economy in the world. If California were to secede - would the United States even be a first world nation anymore?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

I'd love it if Don Jr or Eric ran for President in his place. Those fuckwits do not have the same cult charisma to get away with being so fucking stupid. The Trump cult would let them get the nomination, but they'd be much easier to beat in the general.

I thought one of the cunning plans to circumvent the 22nd amendment was to have either Jnr or Eric run for president, with the Orange Menace as his VP, and then to resign from the presidency immediately after being sworn in.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

Twitler can not run as Vice President, as the Constitution says that anyone barred from holding the office of President can not be Vice President.

To make this scheme work, they would need to run two people who could get elected but are willing to resign. As soon as they are sworn in, the House of Representatives could then elect Mangolini as Speaker. The Constitution does not require that the Speaker be a Representative, and in fact has no qualifications for the office. The Speaker is, however, third in line to the Presidency.

Gerald Ford is the only Speaker to become President by succession, as Rockefeller had resigned due to his own tax scandal before Nixon had resigned, and the Senate had not voted on a replacement VP.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

So today I read that California is now the 4th largest economy in the world. If California were to secede - would the United States even be a first world nation anymore?

The difference in GDP between the U.S.(#1) and China(#2) is roughly 2 California's.

So, even if we seceded, the rest of the U.S. would still be in first place. At least for now. Mango Moron's trade policies may shrink that gap a lot.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Twitler can not run as Vice President, as the Constitution says that anyone barred from holding the office of President can not be Vice President.

To make this scheme work, they would need to run two people who could get elected but are willing to resign. As soon as they are sworn in, the House of Representatives could then elect Mangolini as Speaker. The Constitution does not require that the Speaker be a Representative, and in fact has no qualifications for the office. The Speaker is, however, third in line to the Presidency.

Gerald Ford is the only Speaker to become President by succession, as Rockefeller had resigned due to his own tax scandal before Nixon had resigned, and the Senate had not voted on a replacement VP.

That's what I thought, but the clever-clever argument (too clever by half, to my mind) is that what the 22n Amendment says is

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

Doesn't say anything about their being not being able to be elected as Vice President and then becoming President should the incumbent resign/be impeached/be unable to continue in offices.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

The road to Trumpdom

How libertarians became authoritarians

nickcohen.substack.com

Free to read, I think. How the right-wing libertarians came to embrace Trump.

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

I think it's kind of cute you all think we're ever going to have another election.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

That's what I thought, but the clever-clever argument (too clever by half, to my mind) is that what the 22n Amendment says is

Doesn't say anything about their being not being able to be elected as Vice President and then becoming President should the incumbent resign/be impeached/be unable to continue in offices.

Last line of the 12th Amendment:

But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

The road to Trumpdom

How libertarians became authoritarians

nickcohen.substack.com

Free to read, I think. How the right-wing libertarians came to embrace Trump.

Libertarians have always been short-sighted idiots. "Crime's a problem? Get rid of the government labelling things as crimes and let the free market straighten things out! When everyone is acting in their own self-interest equally, we'll all be free! The government that governs least, governs best!"

Their method of fixing a burned out lightbulb is to close the door to that room, lock it, plaster it over and pretend like the room never existed in the first place.

They are a party of useful idiots constantly bickering and eroding defence of our laws and regulations "For Freedom" so that corruption and wealth can form a new hierarchy answerable only to itself, and useless idiots can ride those coattails into a reasonably comfortable life as thugs/lackies/muscle.

 

[Free]

Ah yes, the "LAW & ORDER" president.

Trump pardons Nevada politician who paid for cosmetic surgery with funds to honor a slain officer

President Donald Trump has pardoned a Nevada Republican politician who was awaiting sentencing on federal charges that she used money meant for a statue honoring a slain police officer for personal costs, including plastic surgery.

Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman and state lawmaker who ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for state treasurer, was found guilty in October of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was out of custody ahead of her sentencing, which had been scheduled for next month.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Last line of the 12th Amendment:

I agree. But I think the counter argument is that this refers to people who are ineligible because aren't natural-born citizens (or too young).

I don't find it particularly persuasive, but I don't know much about US theories of legal interpretation, and I can understand (just) the force of the argument that the framers of the 22nd Amendment could easily have said "no person who has twice been elected to the office of President shall serve as president for any subsequent term or terms" rather than "shall be elected" if that's what they meant.

We'll probably find out what the Supreme Court makes of it sooner or later.