Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[Uncle Buck]

So now that Iran won't open up the straight, America will close the straight.

That's some genius 5D chess there

This is actually one of Trump’s less insane suggestions. The Strait being closed is having dire effects on the world economy, but Iran can still export through it to chosen partners; they have all the upside of its closure.

But if Iran can’t export through the Strait its economy will be severely hampered. Trump has essentially turned this particular table on them.

Whether people who are being bombed/assassinated are going to suddenly cave because of economic pressure does however seem unlikely.

I am coming to the alarming opinion that the middle powers of the world (Britain included) will have to force the Strait open somehow. Its continuing closure is too dire. After all, we used to have the Armilla Patrol to ensure free passage.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I am coming to the alarming opinion that the middle powers of the world (Britain included) will have to force the Strait open somehow. Its continuing closure is too dire. After all, we used to have the Armilla Patrol to ensure free passage.

Though with what Trump is doing that means we would have to declare war (at least de facto) on the United States. I can't see that happening.

 

[JamieL]

But if Iran can’t export through the Strait its economy will be severely hampered. Trump has essentially turned this particular table on them.

Iran isn't exporting through the Strait at present though. They are just allowing selected others to do so.

 

[Krokodil]

After all, we used to have the Armilla Patrol to ensure free passage.

I think that whatever destroyer/frigate we had doing that (HMS Duncan was filmed by Channel 5 patrolling the Persian Gulf in 2019) may have been diverted to the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping passing through there.

There should be a mine countermeasures vessel there too though, but that presumably cannot defend itself against aerial attack.

 

[JamesT]

I think that whatever destroyer/frigate we had doing that (HMS Duncan was filmed by Channel 5 patrolling the Persian Gulf in 2019) may have been diverted to the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping passing through there.

There should be a mine countermeasures vessel there too though, but that presumably cannot defend itself against aerial attack.

The Armilla Patrol was superseded by Operation Kipion. All the Royal Navy vessels involved returned to the UK, with the final part (HMS Middleton) returning last month.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Hungary's Orban has been defeated - the chink in the armour, of the Great Orange One, getting larger?

 

[SuspectUsual]

Hungary's Orban has been defeated - the chink in the armour, of the Great Orange One, getting larger?

Tomorrow morning we’ll wake up to some unhinged nonsense from Trump about how he never rated Orban, told him where he was going wrong, never met him and anyone saying otherwise is peddling fake news etc etc

 

[OuterDistant]

JD Vance hasn't had a good week! Played two, lost two.

 

[brad465]

JD Vance hasn't had a good week! Played two, lost two.

Now Zelensky will say thank you to Vance.

 

[Gloster]

Tomorrow morning we’ll wake up to some unhinged nonsense from Trump about how he never rated Orban, told him where he was going wrong, never met him and anyone saying otherwise is peddling fake news etc etc

Alternatively Trump will call on the people of Hungary to attack parliament In Bucharest because the election was stolen from Orbán by…er..um…Maduro, weakling Starmer, the Iranian leader, etc. Well, maybe, but the trouble is that Trump has become so erratic and unpredictable that we have no idea what he will say next.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Alternatively Trump will call on the people of Hungary to attack parliament In Bucharest because the election was stolen from Orbán by…er..um…Maduro, weakling Starmer, the Iranian leader, etc. Well, maybe, but the trouble is that Trump has become so erratic and unpredictable that we have no idea what he will say next.

Good point. And then by Wednesday he’ll start a blockade of the Hungarian parliament

 

[Uncle Buck]

Though with what Trump is doing that means we would have to declare war (at least de facto) on the United States. I can't see that happening.

I think we can say with reasonable certainty that Trump a) changes his mind three times a day, b) is scared of pressure and c) really, badly needs to get out of this situation. If all middle powers went in together and mine swept the Strait we would be doing him a favour.

I think that whatever destroyer/frigate we had doing that (HMS Duncan was filmed by Channel 5 patrolling the Persian Gulf in 2019) may have been diverted to the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping passing through there.

There should be a mine countermeasures vessel there too though, but that presumably cannot defend itself against aerial attack.

The Armilla Patrol was superseded by Operation Kipion. All the Royal Navy vessels involved returned to the UK, with the final part (HMS Middleton) returning last month.

Of course, most of the countries in whose interests such an action would be are far more militarily weak than they should be, and this is why they/we are at the mercy of this mad American president.

 

[DelW]

Alternatively Trump will call on the people of Hungary to attack parliament In Bucharest because the election was stolen from Orbán by…er..um…Maduro, weakling Starmer, the Iranian leader, etc. Well, maybe, but the trouble is that Trump has become so erratic and unpredictable that we have no idea what he will say next.

Attacking the parliament in Bucharest would be tricky, since it's in Romania ... or were you suggesting that Trump can't tell the difference between Budapest and Bucharest? Which is quite likely of course

 

[Gloster]

Attacking the parliament in Bucharest would be tricky, since it's in Romania ... or were you suggesting that Trump can't tell the difference between Budapest and Bucharest? Which is quite likely of course

Yes, I was indicating my lack of confidence in Trump’s geographical knowledge, something that he has previously demonstrated with claims to have stopped wars between Atlantis and Narnia. Still, there isn’t a war between them, so he must have stopped it and deserve a nice gold Nobel Prize.

 

[Carlisle]

Good riddance to that tyrant Orban, best news I’ve heard in a while !

 

[Cowley]

Good riddance to that tyrant Orban, best news I’ve heard in a while !

Yep. To see one of MAGA’s international pillars collapse in such a resounding way is wonderful to behold.

I think this is all slowly collapsing in on itself now thankfully as dogma hits reality.

 

[thenorthern]

Regarding Hungary, I do question if those who are celebrating Orban going have actually read what Péter Magyar the new guy stands for. Sure he isn't Orban but I think people will be disappointed.

For example he accused Filipinos of eating ducks and goldfish from Hungarian parks.

Who let the ducks out?​

Péter Magyar claimed that Filipino guest workers were kept in such poor conditions in Hungary that they were starving, so they ate the ducks and goldfish from the zoo. He later corrected himself, saying that the animals did not disappear from the zoo, but from the lake in the City Park, which is in front of the zoo. We asked the maintainers of the lake, and it turned out that they hadn’t noticed any animal disappearing from the lake; in fact, they did not install goldfish in that lake at all. There have been similar allegations against Filipino workers in the past, which have proven to be false. The police warned at that time that such accusations could promote prejudice and hatred against ethnic groups.

Fearmongering with AI-generated videos, manipulated speeches and Péter Magyar’s Trump moment – EDMO

edmo.eu

His Record on Ukraine is also not brilliant, he has previously voted against and opposed military aid to Ukraine.

EPP’s new Hungarian members oppose sending weapons to Ukraine​

MEP-elect Péter Magyar says while he supports Ukraine’s right to defend its territory, Hungary won’t be sending “troops or weapons.”

BRUSSELS — Rising Hungarian opposition figure Péter Magyar said he doesn't support sending weapons to Ukraine, moments after bringing his delegation of seven MEPs into the European People's Party group in the European Parliament.

"We share the position of the [Budapest] government: We will not send troops or weapons to the Ukraine from Hungary. You know the sensitive situation of Hungary in that war," Magyar told journalists after the EPP voted to accept the MEPs, who hail from Magyar's Tisza party, as members.

The admission of Magyar's MEPs prompted Hungarian Christian Democratic People's Party MEP György Hölvényi, who ran on a joint list of candidates with MEPs from Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's Fidesz in the EU election, to quit the EPP, citing what he called the EPP's "war doctrine."

EPP’s new Hungarian members oppose sending weapons to Ukraine

MEP-elect Péter Magyar says while he supports Ukraine’s right to defend its territory, Hungary won’t be sending “troops or weapons.”

www.politico.eu

 

[Krokodil]

Now Zelensky will say thank you to Vance.

And wear a suit?

Attacking the parliament in Bucharest would be tricky, since it's in Romania ... or were you suggesting that Trump can't tell the difference between Budapest and Bucharest? Which is quite likely of course

This is the man who claimed to have stopped a war between Albania and "Aberbaijan"

His Record on Ukraine is also not brilliant, he has previously voted against and opposed military aid to Ukraine.

He's not pro-Russian at least so is slightly less likely to be such a thorn in the Council's side. Basically anyone is an improvement upon Orban.

 

[Altnashin]

What still benefits Trump is the same as what benefits Farage in this country, they know that the majority of their core followers will never critically research anything they say (Trump saying China has no wind farms for example)
Any criticism is “FAKE NEWS”

The likes of CNN and MSNBC in The US and The BBC here in The UK, well, they are “woke” and should not be listened to.

Because Trump has greatly reduced Southern Border crossings and cracked down on “forrins”, he will retain a lot of support, because, well, its easier to blame your own failures on “The Other”

Think I am joking, I overheard a genuine conversation last week discussing why Keir Starmer should be arrested ( for not stopping the boats, they were quoting a YouTube channel) I am sure similar is heard in The States about Biden.

It is all quite worrying.

 

[Annetts key]

This is actually one of Trump’s less insane suggestions. The Strait being closed is having dire effects on the world economy, but Iran can still export through it to chosen partners; they have all the upside of its closure.

But if Iran can’t export through the Strait its economy will be severely hampered. Trump has essentially turned this particular table on them.

Whether people who are being bombed/assassinated are going to suddenly cave because of economic pressure does however seem unlikely.

I am coming to the alarming opinion that the middle powers of the world (Britain included) will have to force the Strait open somehow. Its continuing closure is too dire. After all, we used to have the Armilla Patrol to ensure free passage.

Do you really think Trump will order the U.S. Navy to board or fire on Chinese ships? Or Indian ships? I don't think so.
And the U.S. blockading is just as illegal as Iran doing it.

 

[The Ham]

Alternatively Trump will call on the people of Hungary to attack parliament In Bucharest because the election was stolen from Orbán by…er..um…Maduro, weakling Starmer, the Iranian leader, etc. Well, maybe, but the trouble is that Trump has become so erratic and unpredictable that we have no idea what he will say next.

Given how badly (i.e. it's not all over in 2 days) the US military is doing in Iran, I suspect that Cuba is a little relieved that they're less likely to be in the Trump crosshairs.

Regarding Hungary, I do question if those who are celebrating Orban going have actually read what Péter Magyar the new guy stands for. Sure he isn't Orban but I think people will be disappointed.

For example he accused Filipinos of eating ducks and goldfish from Hungarian parks.



His Record on Ukraine is also not brilliant, he has previously voted against and opposed military aid to Ukraine.

Indeed, however, the second article is in the context of him being an MEP and mostly confirming the will of the Hungarian parliament not to send weapons. That could well be a very different position to what he actuality would prefer.

Although, it will be good to see what he is actually like, however it does feel promising that it's such a clean break (given the size of the win) and for someone who is more aligned with the EU than Russia in comparison.

 

[Gloster]

Given how badly (i.e. it's not all over in 2 days) the US military is doing in Iran, I suspect that Cuba is a little relieved that they're less likely to be in the Trump crosshairs.

Unless the US attacks Cuba as a distraction tactic to take attention away from the distraction tactic that was supposed to take attention away from…

 

[The Ham]

Unless the US attacks Cuba as a distraction tactic to take attention away from the distraction tactic that was supposed to take attention away from…

Indeed, I suspect they got a bit more nervous after the Melania statement.

 

[brad465]

Continuing his attacks on the Pope, and going so far as to do an AI image of himself as Jesus:

Trump slams Pope Leo as ‘weak’ and posts picture of himself as Jesus healing the sick

President claims ‘if I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican’ in Truth Social tirade

www.independent.co.uk

President Trump has branded Pope Leo XIV as “WEAK” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy, in a late-night Truth Social blitz which also saw him uploading an A.I.-generated image of himself dressed as Jesus.

Last week, Pope Leo said Trump’s warning that an “entire civilisation will die tonight,” in reference to Iran, was “unacceptable.” The pope has also suggested that a “delusion of omnipotence” is fuelling the war between the United States and Iran.

In his lengthy Truth Social post, the president claimed that the Catholic Church’s leadership had been “arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else” in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and suggested that he preferred the pope’s brother.

(President Trump posted an image of himself dressed as Jesus during the same Truth Social blast that saw him tearing into Pope Leo XIV (@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social))

 

[jmh59]

I'm seriously beginning to wonder if Trump has 666 somewhere on his orange hulk...

 

[BuhSnarf]

Continuing his attacks on the Pope, and going so far as to do an AI image of himself as Jesus:

Trump slams Pope Leo as ‘weak’ and posts picture of himself as Jesus healing the sick

President claims ‘if I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican’ in Truth Social tirade

www.independent.co.uk

Going up against the Pope is a ballsy move, considering how devout born against Catholic Vance is it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[The Ham]

Police are investigating an arson attack at Trump's Mar-a-Lago library

TikTok - Make Your Day

Apparently two books of value to Trump were damaged in the fire, the second he hadn't even finished colouring in yet.

(Makes we think back in a fond way of Bush Junior and the fun that satirists had with him).

 

[ainsworth74]

Going up against the Pope is a ballsy move, considering how devout born against Catholic Vance is it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Vance will hold his nose and hope that he can somehow still pivot his way into the White House following the 2028 election or possibly early 2027 via the 25th Amendment.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Vance will hold his nose and hope that he can somehow still pivot his way into the White House following the 2028 election or possibly early 2027 via the 25th Amendment.

I'm wondering if the 25th Amendment might be a likely 2026/7 thing. Coming in to this year I didn't see it and most political commentators were saying it absolutely wouldn't happen, but after this war and the worrying outbursts on Truth Social I hear more and more commentators saying that it could be a possibility.

 

[ainsworth74]

(Makes we think back in a fond way of Bush Junior and the fun that satirists had with him).

Yeah I've been thinking that the greatest rehabilitation of his reputation has been facilitated by Donald Trump's two presidencies. Trump has made Bush Jnr look like a visionary statesman...