Donald J Trump

[RoverAndOut 4,746]

I make that 91 charges across the 4 criminal trials in New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington DC. Extraordinary. And this one could be televised. Updated version of the article summing up the charges and his chances: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61084161

[Whitehouse 872]

His political pals already trying to change Georgia law. In any other state a governor can pardon him. Not in Georgia. This all comes from a time when a corrupt governor in the 1800's sold pardons for the highest bidder. Was a Democrat ( aka present day Republican) by the way.

[arrowsmith 448]

1 hour ago, Whitehouse said:

His political pals already trying to change Georgia law. In any other state a governor can pardon him. Not in Georgia. This all comes from a time when a corrupt governor in the 1800's sold pardons for the highest bidder. Was a Democrat ( aka present day Republican) by the way.

An important point of order as the president cannot pardon state crimes either. If they fail to change the law, and he’s convicted in Georgia, it seems like he’ll serve his time no matter what. 

[TQR 14,408]

It’s increasingly rare nowadays but sometimes Twitter still has gold on it

[maryportfuncity 10,660]

4 hours ago, TQR said:

It’s increasingly rare nowadays but sometimes Twitter still has gold on it

 

 

Harsh, but fair!

 

[Life Is Beautiful 718]

On 08/08/2023 at 06:23, RoverAndOut said:

Can I just point out the utter absurdity of suggesting that 70 million Americans would consider voting for an ex-President who has been incarcerated for either a) hoarding classified government documents or b) inciting a riot on the Capitol and who has promised to subvert the constitution and the rule of law by pardoning themselves and taking office? I mean, that's what we've been discussing for the past 7 posts. I mean, actually discussing it. Whether it's legal, whether it's ethical, whether it's morally appropriate or politically expedient. IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

 

 

I just want to point out that this is EXACTLY what people said in 2016, and we all know what happened next. AND this was back in the time where Hilary was pulling like 99 per cent in some polls right before election day. Right now, Trump is virtually tied with Biden in the polls, and has continued to climb in the last weeks. Let us also remember that he BARELY lost in 2020 (and would probably still be office if it were not for COVID). Yes, Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million, but in the swing states where it actually mattered, the difference was around tens of thousands of votes. Next year, the states who have voted for Biden with a large margin will probably vote for him again, no reason not to, and ditto for Trump barring maybe North Carolina. All that it would take for Trump to get the WH back is to flip three states out of the five that are PA, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. I am not saying that it will definitely happen, but there is a growing chance that it just might. 

 

Let us remember that nothing about this election cycle is normal. For the first time in more than 100 years, a former president is having another try at the presidency, against the same guy who beat him 4 years ago.

[Toast 16,156]

 

Haven't they got anyone else?

[RoverAndOut 4,746]

3 hours ago, Life Is Beautiful said:

I just want to point out that this is EXACTLY what people said in 2016, and we all know what happened next. AND this was back in the time where Hilary was pulling like 99 per cent in some polls right before election day. Right now, Trump is virtually tied with Biden in the polls, and has continued to climb in the last weeks. Let us also remember that he BARELY lost in 2020 (and would probably still be office if it were not for COVID). Yes, Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million, but in the swing states where it actually mattered, the difference was around tens of thousands of votes. Next year, the states who have voted for Biden with a large margin will probably vote for him again, no reason not to, and ditto for Trump barring maybe North Carolina. All that it would take for Trump to get the WH back is to flip three states out of the five that are PA, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. I am not saying that it will definitely happen, but there is a growing chance that it just might. 

 

Let us remember that nothing about this election cycle is normal. For the first time in more than 100 years, a former president is having another try at the presidency, against the same guy who beat him 4 years ago.

 

None of this is like 2016. In 2016 he was a buffoon with big words and no track record. In 2020, he had the track record and lost. Since 2020, he has tried to overturn the election he lost and been indicted in 4 different states. America is completely batshit crazy, I fully accept that, but the rump of the Republican party don't decide presidential elections, independents and swing voters do and if Trump is the Republican nominee they are going to swing firmly and decisively behind Biden. The crazies associated with Trump lost the Arizona governor's race and the Georgia Senate race in 2020, both races they were tipped to win. It shows that when push comes to shove, there are some things that even natural conservatives can't turn a blind eye to. I would think that Trump's actions post-2020 election and the subsequent court cases aren't going to do him any favours (regardless of how many more Republicans back him the more he's indicted). I accept Trump doesn't seem to conform to any logical electoral math, but no President in history has got more votes in a third election, and none of them have been criminally indicted in the intervening period. He. Won't. Win. (And if he does, then America might as well pack up and go home, because there's nothing left to fight for.)

[YoungWillz 21,076]

You know what I miss?

 

Fox News. We used to get it here. I'm very much for getting some sort of balanced view, you see. Just so I can understand - you see both sides, no matter how crazy they are and make up your mind.

 

If I understand right from various things I have seen, there aren't many who want a re-run and would be content with both major parties ditching Biden and Trump completely. In the event that these are the nominees, there's a huge gap in US politics for a third candidate who could conceivably prevent either getting the Electoral College votes needed. 

 

Obviously we don't want another George Wallace scenario. 

 

I hear something along the lines of "these prosecutions of Trump are electoral interference and the relevant prosecutorial authorities should be arrested in other states and incarcerated". I also hear a lot of disillusionment with America's support for Ukraine  and the billions of dollars going there instead of being spent at home.

 

As an observer only, it seems to me that both sides think the Republic is at risk if the other wins - in the political world. In the country, perhaps folks are more interested in their pocket book, their K401s (Have I got that right?) their mortgages, gas payments etc. I don't think they care about the machinations of the parties.

 

In my view, whatever you think the successes of Trump are, the fact is he rode the Obama economic recovery for 2 years and did little in the year before COVID hit. Both Biden and Trump would be lame duck Presidents serving a final term.

 

The two party system is broken, just as it is in the UK Parliament. So I do not know, America. My heart is with you, but I do not envy your options here. If both Biden and Trump for whatever reason do not survive the winter, who could be your choice?

[Windsor 2,233]

The thing I'm having difficulty with are the people who genuinely believe he did nothing wrong. Because its their opinion. 

Perhaps this is the natural conclusion to democratic societies; ill-placed entitlement to always get what you want, because you wanted it.

 

The other issue in America is the fact that the white male is increasingly losing ground. The useless ones are increasing losing their natural and traditional birth right advantage over blacks, Hispanics and women. I think thats the main reason Trump is so popular.

[Life Is Beautiful 718]

21 hours ago, RoverAndOut said:

 

None of this is like 2016. In 2016 he was a buffoon with big words and no track record. In 2020, he had the track record and lost. Since 2020, he has tried to overturn the election he lost and been indicted in 4 different states. America is completely batshit crazy, I fully accept that, but the rump of the Republican party don't decide presidential elections, independents and swing voters do and if Trump is the Republican nominee they are going to swing firmly and decisively behind Biden. The crazies associated with Trump lost the Arizona governor's race and the Georgia Senate race in 2020, both races they were tipped to win. It shows that when push comes to shove, there are some things that even natural conservatives can't turn a blind eye to. I would think that Trump's actions post-2020 election and the subsequent court cases aren't going to do him any favours (regardless of how many more Republicans back him the more he's indicted). I accept Trump doesn't seem to conform to any logical electoral math, but no President in history has got more votes in a third election, and none of them have been criminally indicted in the intervening period. He. Won't. Win. (And if he does, then America might as well pack up and go home, because there's nothing left to fight for.)

 

There are a few factors that are firmly against Biden. He is unpopular right now, like scary unpopular. Those are not good numbers for an incumbent. His disapproval ratings right now are even worse than  those of Trump around the same time in their respective terms. The independents and swing voters who haved rallied around Biden might simply sit this one out if they are dissatisfied with him. Remember, in 2020 most Americans voted AGAINST Trump, not FOR Biden. A low turnout, coupled with a probable third party candidate like Joe Manchin, might be enough to tip the scales in Trump's favor. 

 

That is not to say that Biden has been a failure, far from it. I think that Biden (or at least his administration, in case someone wants to be cute about it) has been really good so far. Don't let that Brandon baloney fool you: Republicans secretly like him. It is why he has been able to accomplish so much behind the scenes. He has achieved in 3 years what Barack Obama could not do in 8. To me, he is, in many ways, the LBJ to Obama's JFK: much more effective, got more things done, has a better ability to compromise and work with Congress, but lacking in charisma, popularity and communication skills. It's unfair, but that's what politics is most of the time, a popularity contest. Part of this reputation also resides in the fact that Joe Biden was never able to boast correctly about his accomplishments due to the aforementioned lack of communication skills. In the same way that COVID was the worst thing that could have happened to Trump in his election year, it was actually the best thing to have happened to Biden. Biden's campaign in 2020 was basically "I am not Trump". All he did was make a few Zoom interviews from his basements and a couple of masked speeches here and there in mostly empty fields. He also encouraged Americans to vote in any way, shape or form, while Trump commited the UNBELIEVABLY stupid mistake of telling his supporters NOT to vote by mail-in ballots and to go wait for hours to vote outside, in person, in the middle of a freaking pandemic.

 

This time, things will be drastically different. Biden will actually NEED TO campaign and sell his brand of president to independents and swing voters. Because the "hey at least I'm not Trump!" routine can only get you so far with voters who could not care less about the Georgia phone call or Stormy Daniels. Some of them might have buyer's remorse if they are not happy with how things are at the moment and as I said before, for the first in all of our lifetimes, American voters will have on the ballot the same guy who was in charge before the incumbent. For the first and most probably only time in their lifetime, they will have the choice to get the previous guy back in office again. That is tempting. Some of them might even see the different Trump trials as mere political witch hunt, especially with them coinciding suspiciously with election season and also with the different treatment the Hunter Biden story is getting. 

 

I still think that Biden will win, but it's not going to be the lopsided victory many Democrats are hoping for. Also, a lot of things can change in a year and as we both said, this election is unique and nearly impossible to predict.

[lilham 759]

46 minutes ago, Life Is Beautiful said:

 

There are a few factors that are firmly against Biden. He is unpopular right now, like scary unpopular. Those are not good numbers for an incumbent. His disapproval ratings right now are even worse than  those of Trump around the same time in their respective terms. The independents and swing voters who haved rallied around Biden might simply sit this one out if they are dissatisfied with him. Remember, in 2020 most Americans voted AGAINST Trump, not FOR Biden. A low turnout, couble with a probable third party candidate like Joe Manchin, might be enough to tip the scales in Trump's favor. 

 

That is not to say that Biden has been a failure, far from it. I think that Biden (or at least his administration, in case someone wants to be cute about it) has been really good so far. Don't let that Brandon baloney fool you: Republicans secretly like him. It is why he has been able to accomplish so much behind the scenes. He has achieved in 3 years what Barack Obama could not do in 8. To me, he is, in some ways, the LBJ to Obama's JFK: much more effective, got more things done, has a better ability to compromise and work with Congress, but lacking in charisma, popularity and communication skills. It's unfair, but that's what politics is most of the time, a popularity contest. Part of this reputation also resides in the fact that Joe Biden was never able to boast correctly about his accomplishments due to the aforementioned lack of communication skills. In the same way that COVID was the worst thing that could have happened to Trump in his election year, it was actually the best thing to have happened to Biden. Biden's campaign in 2020 was basically "I am not Trump". All he did was make a few Zoom interviews from his basements and a couple of speeches here and there in mostly empty fields. He also encouraged Americans to vote in any way, shape or form, while Trump commited the UNBELIEVABLY stupid mistake of telling his supporters NOT to vote by mail-in ballots and to go wait for hours to vote outside, in person, in the middle of a freaking pandemic.

 

This time, things will be drastically different. Biden will actually NEED TO campaign and sell his brand of president to independents and swing voters. Because the "hey at least I'm not Trump!" routine can only get you so far with voters who could not care less about the Georgia phone call or Stormy Daniels. Some of them might get the buyer's remorse if they are not happy with how things are at the moment and as I said before, for the first in all of our lifetimes, American voters will have on the ballot the same guy who was in charge before the incumbent. For the first and most probably only time in their lifetime, they will have the choice to get the previous guy back in office. That is tempting. Some of them might even see the different Trump trials as mere political witch hunt, especially with them coinciding suspiciously with election season and also with the different treatment the Hunter Biden story is getting. 

 

I still think that Biden will win, but it's not going to be the lopsided victory many Democrats are hoping for. Also, a lot of things can change in a year and as we both said, this election is unique and nearly impossible to predict.

In 2020, suburban women swung the vote: perceived criminality is a huge turnoff to that demographic. In 2016, FBI director James Comey made Hillary look like a criminal a few days before the election, when it was actually FBI's NY division that was causing problems, and there have subsequently been charges against Rudy Guiliani and this guy: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/retired-fbi-agent-expected-to-plead-guilty-for-working-with-russian-oligarch/4572444/

 

A big issue right now is abortion rights, which has brought out the vote in special elections these past 2 years, gaining support from both parties. Swing state Ohio just voted for abortion rights earlier this month. Red state Nebraska is talking about putting it on the ballot in 2024; their red state neighbor Kansas voted in favor of abortion rights. This is a day-to-day issue in my opinion, because it impacts our access to birth control, diagnoses and medical treatment of STDs and reproductive disorders (ie, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis, etc.)  In states that are taking the strictest stances against abortions, doctors are moving out, and pharmacies are denying women access to medication that treat disorders such as arthritis and acne as it could be an abortificant. There's constant stories about pre-teens being forced to give birth after a grown man rapes them. Normies don't like this.

I think the media is trying to generate a horse race, and over-highlighting the absolute craziest supporters. This does create problems obviously and can swing the vote toward Trump. The media's inability to report on George Santos and Lauren Boebert's criminal activity prior to November 2022 absolutely did have an impact on those two being in the House right now. However, the House election was still very narrow and not the "red wave" the media said it would be. I was actually getting the impression that the media is stressed out that the upcoming election would NOT be a horse race, so their ratings would be lower.

[msc 18,487]

I don't understand this belief in the media that only a horse race election would interest viewers/voters. A lot of folk are expecting a landslide in the next UK election. If that happens I intend to enjoy the fuck out of every televised second of it.

[maryportfuncity 10,660]

So, the latest and probably predictable development, someone implicated within Trump's organisation (sorry, organization), switches lawyers and implicates Trump: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66589807

 

Somewhere within 91 charges and over a dozen co-defendents in the big case in Georgia you'd think the defensive stronghold might unravel. Never forget, for all the atrocities and trail of bodies, when Al Capone fell it was the mundane stuff - tax evasion and the way he used the US mail to do his work both figured when law enforcement wanted to find reason to arrest him. 

 

Just a guess, more low-level insiders might follow this guy, and Trump's rearguard action might draw resources from his full-frontal attacks and electioneering. 

[Brad252 809]

Rudy Giuliani among others who've surrendered today have had mugshots taken, so we could look forward to one tomorrow from Trump:

 

 

[RIP Wee Jum 1,559]

1 hour ago, Brad252 said:

Rudy Giuliani among others who've surrendered today have had mugshots taken, so we could look forward to one tomorrow from Trump:

 

 

 

Hope he gets locked up with Trump

[TQR 14,408]

13 hours ago, Brad252 said:

Rudy Giuliani among others who've surrendered today have had mugshots taken, so we could look forward to one tomorrow from Trump:

 

 

 

He looks like every single Scooby Doo villain.

[Insane 349]

Getting Arrested at 7:30 PM EST, 12:30 AM gmt for the British people here 

(He spelt stolen wrong lol)

[arghton 6,773]

Stollen election? That sounds tasty.

[TQR 14,408]

"Cake news"

[Brad252 809]

Booking sheet released, claiming he weighs 215lbs (97.5kg) and is 6'3'':

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-66605845

 

 

[Death Impends 8,008]

And now the mugshot:

 

[RIP Wee Jum 1,559]

5 minutes ago, Death Impends said:

And now the mugshot:

 

Sorry to the dog for comparing him to that clown Trump

[ajlposh 548]

12 minutes ago, Death Impends said:

And now the mugshot:

 

This is going to be meme fodder for a long time

[markb4 902]

3 hours ago, Death Impends said:

And now the mugshot:

 

This is gonna be the most famous mugshot in history.