Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[ainsworth74]

This from the "anti lawfare" president...

As has long been the case it's one rule for me and another for thee...

It's just that the Republican Party and the right wing in general didn't used to be quite so mask off about it.

(To be clear, the same is true on the other side of the political spectrum as well from time to time, it's just usually a much bigger issue on the right)

 

[najaB]

I don't recall if this was mentioned up-thread, so apologies if it was, but I'm seeing increasing speculation that the reason DJT is so dead-set on getting Greenland is mainly because he's only ever used the Mercator Projection and so believes that Greenland is roughly the same size as Africa.

Link to map showing apparent and actual sizes of Africa and Greenland: www.TheTrueSize.com

 

[Purple Train]

I don't recall if this was mentioned up-thread, so apologies if it was, but I'm seeing increasing speculation that the reason DJT is so dead-set on getting Greenland is mainly because he's only ever used the Mercator Projection and so believes that Greenland is roughly the same size as Africa.

Link to map showing apparent and actual sizes of Africa and Greenland: www.TheTrueSize.com

This is possibly the dead centre of the Venn diagram of things I really want to be true, and things which probably are.

I can't imagine it not being true, though. What's the betting Trump doesn't watch Map Men? 1 to about 10,000 on?

It's probably a very sad indictment of the state of the world that this incompetent, uneducated megalomaniac is using those qualities to make me smile. Sorry.

 

[Broucek]

The Powell thing is deeply, deeply troubling. Damaging the credibility of the Dollar is going to hit a lot of people in the wallet, including some influential people who may for once not keep quiet

 

[The exile]

I should imagine that in many quarters credibility in the dollar is being stretched close to the limit already. One of the disadvantages of an 18th century constitution seems to have been the creation of an over-powerful elected monarchy to replace a hereditary one that was close to ceding its power anyway.

 

[Gloster]

The Powell thing is deeply, deeply troubling. Damaging the credibility of the Dollar is going to hit a lot of people in the wallet, including some influential people who may for once not keep quiet

You wonder how many of the inner circle just happened to make changes to their investments and holdings before the news was announced. Or made bets on the way the dollar will move.

 

[najaB]

One of the disadvantages of an 18th century constitution seems to have been the creation of an over-powerful elected monarchy to replace a hereditary one that was close to ceding its power anyway.

To be fair to the "Founding Fathers" they never foresaw Legislative and Judiciary branches so beholden to the head of the Executive branch.

 

[The exile]

To be fair to the "Founding Fathers" they never foresaw Legislative and Judiciary branches so beholden to the head of the Executive branch.

Nor did they have many other precedents to draw on!

 

[najaB]

You wonder how many of the inner circle just happened to make changes to their investments and holdings before the news was announced. Or made bets on the way the dollar will move.

This video popped up in my feed - it highlights some of the currency moves that have been happening over the last few months, most of which are out of the US rather than in:

 

[nw1]

While a New Year’s resolution of mine is to avoid arguments on social media, I couldn’t help but write a few replies on my local resident’s group on Facebook. Quite a few people seem to think the action taken in Minneapolis was justified. Even if the lady was being daft, she certainly didnt deserve to be shot in the face 3 times. Shooting to kill should be the very very last resort. Bearing in mind she only had a 7 second warning from being asked to get out the car (if she even heard that in the panic) to being killed. And also bearing in mind that it seems law enforcement officers are not even permitted to take such action in the circumstances.
Hopefully the people commenting in favour of the ICE agent are just village idiots who now get a platform on social media, but anyone who thinks the action was justified are honestly so deluded, and it raises big red flags about their personality.
These arn’t just bots or trolls either, these are people I recognise from the local pub, cafe, supermarket etc.

People who constantly complain about society being too "woke" and how we need to clamp down hard on immigrant and trans rights, to name but two?
People who think that Starmer is a raving leftie?
Conformists who think that those in authority are always right and those who challenge them are always wrong?
I guess you live in quite a right-wing area.

Also, why should she even have to get out of the car, just to satisfy the wishes of that bullying authoritarian jerk Ross?

And now I see this:

More than $350,000 raised so far to support federal immigration officer Jonathan Ross as cause promoted by conservative hedge fund billionaire

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...olis-agent-protests-latest-news-b2898720.html

Good grief. How anyone can feel sympathy for Ross and no sympathy for Renee Nicole Good is beyond belief.

 

[Gloster]

Good grief. How anyone can feel sympathy for Ross and no sympathy for Renee Nicole Good is beyond belief.

Because US politics are completely polarised nowadays: it is, ‘four legs good, two legs bad’. If he or she is on my side, then anything they do is justified and they should be supported: I do not want to hear any facts.

 

[AlterEgo]

Really?

Given that it's symptomatic of the Trump presidency, and the actions of the Trump presidency and its agents have impact through much of the world, either directly (e.g tariffs) or indirectly (local politicians wishing to copy Trump), I consider it of the utmost importance. It shows that Trump's agents are executing violent and lethal actions, and shows up the current US regime for what it is.

I think it's plain we live in an era where international affairs are a very important concern, whether that be the USA, Ukraine and Russia, Palestine and Israel, or a whole host of other places. Thus, to my mind, international affairs must not play second-fiddle to relatively unimportant things like the government rowing-back on pub duties, or whatever it was they were rabbiting on about on that day.

The UK is not the only country in the world. Due to its influence, we need extensive news coverage of exactly what is going on in Trump's America.

It doesn't need to be on the front page. We are not a US state.

A woman being killed by the feds in Minneapolis is not and should not be front page news in the UK. Plesse try to resist becoming addicted to the American news cycle!

 

[DoubleLemon]

The USA has been threatening the EU with withdrawal of Visa and Mastercard processing. This is a big stumbling block and could explain why the EU is hedging its bets. There is a plan for a EU wide payment processer back end (there are already lots in place in most eu countries, but they don't join up yet)

One of the European Central Bank’s most complex and controversial projects is heading for a crucial test in the first half of 2026, when the European Parliament is expected to vote on the digital euro.

The plan cleared a key hurdle in late December, when the European Council backed the ECB’s plan to launch an electronic equivalent to cash: a digital currency that works in stores, online and in peer-to-peer transactions.

Member states have supported the proposal, which would give European central bankers greater agency over electronic retail payments, which at present rely heavily on US companies. But it is unclear if the project will win the support of the majority of the 720 MEPs. An official watching the debate closely said the vote “could really go down to the wire”.

‘Down to the wire’: ECB’s digital euro project faces decisive vote in 2026

Central bank aims to introduce the tokens in 2029 but parties in the European parliament are divided

www.irishtimes.com

Edit: It looks like they have settled on wero to be rolled out eu wide.

Wero set to become Europe's first unified payment solution

Wero is set to become Europe's first sovereign payment solution as a key rival to Visa and Mastercard. Its rapid expansion and access to the Single Market positions it as a strong alternative to the US-based networks.

www.euronews.com

Brazil did this a little while ago with its PIX platform, India has UPI since 2018.
PIX is apparently very well implemented. the existence of the PIX system was one of the reasons of the Trump tariff craze against Brazil a few months ago, he mentioned specifically the "threat to the American banking system" when he announced the extra tariffs.

Double Edit:
Just saw a video about India's digital payment system. They jumped from 80% cash usage to like more than 50% of the population using a digital payment system on a daily basis. They totally skipped credit cards. All you need is a smart phone and shops all have QR codes at the cash registers. Some countries are trying to interface with UPI so tourists visiting each others countries and easily pay without have to deal with currency exchange.

After UPI launched Visa and MasterCard lost virtually all market share, because the UPI is government run with no fees. Credit cards still have a place because UPI currently debit based. Which means you need to have cash in your account for the payment to process.

 

[Harpo]

A woman being killed by the feds in Minneapolis is not and should not be front page news in the UK.

Ordinarily no. But this incident, in what ought to be a democracy on a par with our own, and it’s endorsement by the president as right and proper, merits serious discussion.

I am more than pleased that the UK media has exercised its own freedom of speech to analyse it and give it such a high profile.

 

[Krokodil]

This will only embolden other agents and give them the feeling that they are above the law

Already happened:

https://x.com/EdKrassen/status/2010689595994755343

Link to video where a marine veteran describes how ICE agents stopped their vehicle, deliberately reversed into hers, dragged her out and beat her up, saying "Have you not learned? This is why we killed that lesbian [derogatory term]"

Officer lost his **** because he and his colleagues been harassed all day

Just to clarify, the murder happened at 9:35am. The day had barely begun. So "all day" was a bit of a stretch from whichever member of the regime claimed it (I can't remember whether it was Noem or another).

 

[najaB]

A woman being killed by the feds in Minneapolis is not and should not be front page news in the UK.

I would agree if it was just a matter of a citizen killed by law enforcement - this happens literally every day, somewhere in the USA.

However the nature of this killing and the response to it by both the protesters and, more importantly, by the administration raise it to the level of being worthy of a place of prominence in papers here and around the world.

 

[jon0844]

Video by Legal Eagle; 'Can ICE agent Jonathan Ross be prosecuted for murdering Renee Good?'

I'd wager that all police training worldwide is given to tell officers not to put themselves in a position of danger. Even where you stand ALONGSIDE a vehicle is part of training, so walking in front is ridiculous - especially if the 'officer' had an incident before.

Filming while drawing a weapon and shooting? That's also ridiculous. Indeed filming at all, rather than wearing a body camera, is insane and I wonder if this guy was just filming for his own pleasure and to create a snuff movie, given he was going for his gun before she moved.

The slowed down video also shows him drawing the gun when the car wasn't moving forward yet. It's as if he was hoping for a situation to evolve to give him justification to shoot someone, just like Kyle Rittenhouse went out looking for 'drama'.

Interestingly, Kyle was given hero status by many despite having no reason to be where he was (he came from out of state).

But I suspect the murderer (IMO, others may say he's an American patriot) will get a pardon.

 

[najaB]

But I suspect the murderer (IMO, others may say he's an American patriot) will get a pardon.

From any federal charges, yes. However they're almost certain to face state-level charges as well.

 

[Henffordd]

Meanwhile, Trump is threatening action against the Iranian state for killing protesters....

Edited to include source

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6wr4kew08o

Decision time for Trump on Iran but what does he ultimately want?​

Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, Washington

• • Published
    4 hours ago

For President Trump, it's decision time.
Ten days ago, he said the US was prepared to go to the "rescue" of Iranian protesters if their government used violence against them.
The US was, the president said, "locked and loaded and ready to go".
That was before the violent crackdown in Iran had really begun. Now, with its full extent being shockingly revealed, the world waits to see how Trump will respond.
"Nobody knows what President Trump is going to do except for President Trump," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "The world can keep waiting and guessing."

 

[Tester]

Meanwhile, Trump is threatening action against the Iranian state for killing protesters....

I don't think Trump does irony.

 

[Bantamzen]

Sadly I think it is probably only a matter of time before the situation over in the US escalates out of control.

Citizens are now starting to show real resilience to ICE agents and their frankly thuggish approach to "enforcement". There are increasing numbers of accounts, many backed up with video evidence of them simply swiping people off the streets in the hope that they can throw them into the immigration concentration camps going up around the US (and I don't use that word lightly, but this is what they are becoming). And when the citizens prove they are legally in the US, they get kicked around & thrown out of the unmarked vehicles ICE use.

People over there are starting to get very angry, and the ICE agents are clearly out looking for trouble, so I can't help but think that what happened to Renee Good is almost certainly going to happen again & again which eventually going to spark more serious responses from the protestors.

Someone, somewhere in the US political system needs to start putting Trump and his cronies under the spotlight & make them start to face the consequences, otherwise all hell is going to break loose there.

 

[Farang]

The USA has been threatening the EU with withdrawal of Visa and Mastercard processing. This is a big stumbling block and could explain why the EU is hedging its bets. There is a plan for a EU wide payment processer back end (there are already lots in place in most eu countries, but they don't join up yet)

‘Down to the wire’: ECB’s digital euro project faces decisive vote in 2026

Central bank aims to introduce the tokens in 2029 but parties in the European parliament are divided

www.irishtimes.com

Edit: It looks like they have settled on wero to be rolled out eu wide.

Wero set to become Europe's first unified payment solution

Wero is set to become Europe's first sovereign payment solution as a key rival to Visa and Mastercard. Its rapid expansion and access to the Single Market positions it as a strong alternative to the US-based networks.

www.euronews.com

Brazil did this a little while ago with its PIX platform, India has UPI since 2018.
PIX is apparently very well implemented. the existence of the PIX system was one of the reasons of the Trump tariff craze against Brazil a few months ago, he mentioned specifically the "threat to the American banking system" when he announced the extra tariffs.

Double Edit:
Just saw a video about India's digital payment system. They jumped from 80% cash usage to like more than 50% of the population using a digital payment system on a daily basis. They totally skipped credit cards. All you need is a smart phone and shops all have QR codes at the cash registers. Some countries are trying to interface with UPI so tourists visiting each others countries and easily pay without have to deal with currency exchange.

After UPI launched Visa and MasterCard lost virtually all market share, because the UPI is government run with no fees. Credit cards still have a place because UPI currently debit based. Which means you need to have cash in your account for the payment to process.

Thailand has the PromptPay system which works in the same way.

https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/personal/digital-banking/promptpay

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sadly I think it is probably only a matter of time before the situation over in the US escalates out of control.

Someone, somewhere in the US political system needs to start putting Trump and his cronies under the spotlight & make them start to face the consequences, otherwise all hell is going to break loose there.

I agree. I am normally one who rubbishes comments about there being riots over stuff (e.g. COVID restrictions, on which I'm well aware we didn't agree! ) but the US isn't the UK and more sensible Americans won't be very happy about their country being reduced to a pariah on the world stage from the superpower it was ten years ago. Sure, most of the guns are owned by Republicans, but I really wouldn't rule out the possibility of some sort of riots, fighting etc to kick off if the Republicans don't see sense, vote for his impeachment and get rid urgently - maybe even progressing to a genuine split in the Union. Even Vance would be better, and that's saying something given his policies, as at least he isn't senile and is thus predictable and will implement the policies he says he will, even if I may not like them.

 

[Bantamzen]

I agree. I am normally one who rubbishes comments about there being riots over stuff (e.g. COVID restrictions, on which I'm well aware we didn't agree! ) but the US isn't the UK and more sensible Americans won't be very happy about their country being reduced to a pariah on the world stage from the superpower it was ten years ago. Sure, most of the guns are owned by Republicans, but I really wouldn't rule out the possibility of some sort of riots, fighting etc to kick off if the Republicans don't see sense, vote for his impeachment and get rid urgently - maybe even progressing to a genuine split in the Union. Even Vance would be better, and that's saying something given his policies, as at least he isn't senile and is thus predictable and will implement the policies he says he will, even if I may not like them.

I wasn't going to specifically mention guns and the Second Amendment, but I have seen some commentators on the left over there suggest that people who have previously not agreed with or allowed themselves to use the amendment should start to think about it!

If that narrative gains traction, it may be worth watching the gun sales figures in the US! Any uptick could be a precursor for something way more serious happening down the line. I honestly hope that none of that happens, because that would play right into the MAGA narrative, but it's starting to get very tense in the US and who knows where this could lead especially once summer approaches and the temperature figuratively and literally rises in the big cities.

 

[87electric]

The slowed down video also shows him drawing the gun when the car wasn't moving forward yet. It's as if he was hoping for a situation to evolve to give him justification to shoot someone, just like Kyle Rittenhouse went out looking for 'drama'.

So she would have seen the gun pointing at her while she was stationary. And would have also heard another agent telling her to get out of the car at that point as well. But then she decided to drive off.

I don’t know about you but if I had a gun pointing straight at me, I would not move an inch and certainly would not do anything else foolish.
It’s so awful she lost her life.

 

[yorkie]

...It’s so awful she lost her life.

It's so awful she was murdered, you mean.

 

[ainsworth74]

However the nature of this killing and the response to it by both the protesters and, more importantly, by the administration raise it to the level of being worthy of a place of prominence in papers here and around the world.

Agreed, not sure that it warrants front page coverage but I think it's something certainly does warrant coverage and relatively prominent coverage at that. Which, to be fair, seems to be exactly what it's getting/gotten.

Sadly I think it is probably only a matter of time before the situation over in the US escalates out of control.

Citizens are now starting to show real resilience to ICE agents and their frankly thuggish approach to "enforcement". There are increasing numbers of accounts, many backed up with video evidence of them simply swiping people off the streets in the hope that they can throw them into the immigration concentration camps going up around the US (and I don't use that word lightly, but this is what they are becoming). And when the citizens prove they are legally in the US, they get kicked around & thrown out of the unmarked vehicles ICE use.

People over there are starting to get very angry, and the ICE agents are clearly out looking for trouble, so I can't help but think that what happened to Renee Good is almost certainly going to happen again & again which eventually going to spark more serious responses from the protestors.

I must admit I'm surprised that ICE agents haven't yet gotten themselves killed yet. Masked men, often with no identifying marks (or marks that are easy to forge like stencilled on "ICE" or "POLICE" markings), using violence to remove people from their cars or threaten people at home? I'm very surprised they've managed to do it to the wrong person yet and end up in a gun battle. Considering how poorly trained many of them appear to be that might not go all that well for them. Plus many states have very strong "Castle doctrine" laws (the ability to use reasonable force, including lethal, with no need to retreat if someone intrudes on your home/property) or "Stand Your Ground" laws (basically the same as "Castle doctrine" but expanded to anywhere you have permission to be, even on the street).

And then once an ICE agent does get themselves killed the State violence is going to spiral rapidly and things are going to get very ugly (more so than they already are!) very very quickly.

 

[alex397]

So she would have seen the gun pointing at her while she was stationary. And would have also heard another agent telling her to get out of the car at that point as well. But then she decided to drive off.

I don’t know about you but if I had a gun pointing straight at me, I would not move an inch and certainly would not do anything else foolish.
It’s so awful she lost her life.

Having a masked man with a gun approaching the car while shouting isn’t really going to keep people calm is it? When people panic, they do silly things. This is why law enforcement officers should predict this, try to calm the situation, rather than being a trigger-happy lunatic.
Her reaction isn’t the issue here, it’s the ICE officers completely overblown reaction that is the issue.

Bear in mind there was 7 seconds between being told to get out the car, and being shot in the face.

 

[ainsworth74]

So she would have seen the gun pointing at her while she was stationary. And would have also heard another agent telling her to get out of the car at that point as well. But then she decided to drive off.

I don’t know about you but if I had a gun pointing straight at me, I would not move an inch and certainly would not do anything else foolish.
It’s so awful she lost her life.

I will always find it weird that there's a strain of person that expects random members of the public to act perfectly calmly and rationally in a stressful situation, but supposedly trained law/immigration enforcement officers are expected to be panicky and liable to kill with the slightly provocation. Very weird.

Plus, as @yorkie said, she was murdered, she was killed by a deliberate act of someone who was trained. She didn't have an accident.

Bear in mind there was 7 seconds between being told to get out the car, and being shot in the face.

It also questionable whether ICE even have the authority to order people out of vehicles. They're not police. They cannot carry out traffic stops.

 

[The exile]

And the is the USA which, apparently, people now “respect” again. I know language changes meaning as you cross the Atlantic - but DJT is obviously using a different dictionary.