Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[AlterEgo]

Well he is King of Australia too. They should have flown the flags of all 15 realms.

He isn't going in that capacity though. It's a state visit for the United Kingdom.

 

[The Ham]

He isn't going in that capacity though. It's a state visit for the United Kingdom.

And even if they were to argue that they'd then be questioned as to why they didn’t include the flags for the full of 15 countries which he is head of state for:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Belize
Canada
Grenada
Jamaica
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu
United Kingdom

 

[AM9]

And even if they were to argue that they'd then be questioned as to why they didn’t include the flags for the full of 15 countries which he is head of state for:

Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
The Bahamas
Belize
Canada
Grenada
Jamaica
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Solomon Islands
Tuvalu
United Kingdom

A Canadian flag would fire up the MAGA shower.

 

[edwin_m]

Technically this is number three, no? There was the "shooting" at Butler, and the gunman discovered hiding on his golf course.

A conspiracy theory for Butler would have to account for one of the audience members and the perpetrator being shot.

 

[najaB]

A conspiracy theory for Butler would have to account for one of the audience members and the perpetrator being shot.

Given the sociopathic tendencies displayed by members of the current administration, it's not difficult to believe that the audience member was "collateral damage", nor that the shooter was intentionally set up to fail as an acceptable loss.

 

[DarloRich]

it shouldn't need saying (although it does pain me to say it)

Trump is a odious, disgusting, demented whopper. HOWEVER, you cant go around shooting ( or hoping to shoot) democratically elected leaders. I KNOW the yanks have a history of shooting at political opponents that we don't have in this country but still. It just isn't cricket.

 

[Krokodil]

Given the sociopathic tendencies displayed by members of the current administration, it's not difficult to believe that the audience member was "collateral damage", nor that the shooter was intentionally set up to fail as an acceptable loss.

I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters.

 

[brad465]

it shouldn't need saying (although it does pain me to say it)

Trump is a odious, disgusting, demented whopper. HOWEVER, you cant go around shooting ( or hoping to shoot) democratically elected leaders. I KNOW the yanks have a history of shooting at political opponents that we don't have in this country but still. It just isn't cricket.

Furthermore, assassinations are more likely to strengthen the ideology of whoever is assassinated, rather than eliminate it. Trump and Netanyahu more than anyone know this, given assassinating the Ayatollah has emboldened and Iran and backfired to the point regime change is more likely to impact the US and Israel than Iran.

Sadly though, this didn't happen when Yitzak Rabin was killed in 1995; his peace pursuit pretty much evaporated after and the rest is history.

 

[Killingworth]

A report in The Times has Allen travelling to Washington from LA via Chicago - by train.

 

[Annetts key]

it shouldn't need saying (although it does pain me to say it)

Trump is a odious, disgusting, demented whopper. HOWEVER, you cant go around shooting ( or hoping to shoot) democratically elected leaders. I KNOW the yanks have a history of shooting at political opponents that we don't have in this country but still. It just isn't cricket.

I agree that Trump is not a nice person and that democratically elected persons should not be subjected to violence.

However, in this latest incident, the attacker did not get anywhere near the ballroom. He was stopped only a handful of yards/metres in to the security zone and far from the ballroom. On this occasion the president and the others in the ballroom were not actually at any risk of being harmed.

As is typical for the current administration in the USA, they are milking this for all they are worth, to distract the media from.other things. But I don't think this was staged.

New York Times

Security at Correspondents’ Dinner Worked as Intended, Experts Say
Officials noted that the suspect never made it into the hotel ballroom, where President Trump and hundreds of journalists were gathered for the White House correspondents’ dinner.

By Devlin BarrettEileen Sullivan and Chelsia Rose Marcius
Devlin Barrett and Eileen Sullivan reported from Washington, and Chelsia Rose Marcius from New York.

April 26, 2026

The gunman who sprinted through a security checkpoint on Saturday night at the Washington Hilton believed that the Secret Service was poorly prepared to guard top administration officials against him, according to writing he left behind. Agents, in turn, stopped him in a matter of seconds.

The episode raised fresh questions about whether the Secret Service was sufficiently prepared to protect the president in an age of rising threats and spasms of political violence. But officials insisted that the security measures had worked as intended, pointing to the fact that the suspect never made it into the hotel ballroom where President Trump and hundreds of journalists were gathered for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“The system worked,” Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, recounting how the suspect made it only feet past the security perimeter.

The suspect’s writing was shared with The New York Times by two law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose the information.

Even as some politicians and pundits contended on Sunday that security should have been tighter and that the suspect should never have gotten that close, former law enforcement officials said in interviews that the appropriate safeguards appeared to have been in place.

“From experience, this could have been a massacre,” said Paul Eckloff, who served on President Trump’s security detail during his first term. “It wasn’t, because armed, trained professionals stood between the attacker and a ballroom full of people. The question is not, how did he get close? The question people should be asking is, why is everyone alive? It’s because the security plan worked.”

 

[Bantamzen]

Listening to some reports from media correspondents that were there, one odd thing stands out, the security, or in this case the lack of it. From experience of previous events many have noted that usually events involving the President or members of his cabinet have had security blocks around the entire hotel, even occasionally involving blocking the entire road in front if there were protestors in the area. But seemingly at the weekend the security only started at the lobby of the event area, meaning that guests to the hotel were not screened and indeed according to some reports even at the metal detector check, IDs weren't being properly checked. Now you'd think an event with the President and his entire cabinet being in one place would have seen a ring of steel around the hotel, but seemingly not which meant that the suspect appears to have been able to sprint through the single check after having arrived at the venue with the weapons he allegedly had on his person.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but this just seems strange as hell. Why such little security when the protocol was usually so much more in place to lock the hotel down? I have other concerns about the sequence of events, but I'm going to hold on until the suspect goes up for charges and hopefully more information comes out (and not just what Trump splurges on social media).

A report in The Times has Allen travelling to Washington from LA via Chicago - by train.

That's a long journey, albeit one that would have allowed him to carry weapons without any checks.

 

[DarloRich]

However, in this latest incident, the attacker did not get anywhere near the ballroom. He was stopped only a handful of yards/metres in to the security zone and far from the ballroom. On this occasion the president and the others in the ballroom were not actually at any risk of being harmed.

Still - a man with a gun tried to get into a position where he could potentially shoot the president of the United States. There was at the very least intent and motive!

As is typical for the current administration in the USA, they are milking this for all they are worth, to distract the media from.other things. But I don't think this was staged.

of course - they are floundering

 

[Annetts key]

Listening to some reports from media correspondents that were there, one odd thing stands out, the security, or in this case the lack of it. From experience of previous events many have noted that usually events involving the President or members of his cabinet have had security blocks around the entire hotel, even occasionally involving blocking the entire road in front if there were protestors in the area. But seemingly at the weekend the security only started at the lobby of the event area, meaning that guests to the hotel were not screened and indeed according to some reports even at the metal detector check, IDs weren't being properly checked. Now you'd think an event with the President and his entire cabinet being in one place would have seen a ring of steel around the hotel, but seemingly not which meant that the suspect appears to have been able to sprint through the single check after having arrived at the venue with the weapons he allegedly had on his person.

I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but this just seems strange as hell. Why such little security when the protocol was usually so much more in place to lock the hotel down? I have other concerns about the sequence of events, but I'm going to hold on until the suspect goes up for charges and hopefully more information comes out (and not just what Trump splurges on social media).


That's a long journey, albeit one that would have allowed him to carry weapons without any checks.

Still - a man with a gun tried to get into a position where he could potentially shoot the president of the United States. There was at the very least intent and motive!

of course - they are floundering

The security checkpoint that the attacker tried to run through was not even on the same level as the ballroom. CNN has some floor plans here
(mods - I'll see if I can quote this later, I'm on a mobile and don't have time at the moment)

 

[Bantamzen]

The security checkpoint that the attacker tried to run through was not even on the same level as the ballroom. CNN has some floor plans here
(mods - I'll see if I can quote this later, I'm on a mobile and don't have time at the moment)

It wasn't, but he still got close to the stairs down to it. But my point was that previously the security was at the entrance to the hotel and all guests were subject to it, unlike on Saturday.

 

[AlterEgo]

A report in The Times has Allen travelling to Washington from LA via Chicago - by train.

That's a beautiful trip, I hope he enjoyed it. Though it's much better westbound. Did he get a roomette or did he stink a seat out for four days?

 

[edwin_m]

Given the sociopathic tendencies displayed by members of the current administration, it's not difficult to believe that the audience member was "collateral damage", nor that the shooter was intentionally set up to fail as an acceptable loss.

it shouldn't need saying (although it does pain me to say it)

Trump is a odious, disgusting, demented whopper. HOWEVER, you cant go around shooting ( or hoping to shoot) democratically elected leaders. I KNOW the yanks have a history of shooting at political opponents that we don't have in this country but still. It just isn't cricket.

Especially as the person killed, by virtue of attending the rally, was almost certainly a Trump supporter. And even if they'd sabotaged the weapon or done something else to affect the aiming, there was still a chance of hitting Trump more seriously than he claimed he was actually hit.

Furthermore, assassinations are more likely to strengthen the ideology of whoever is assassinated, rather than eliminate it. Trump and Netanyahu more than anyone know this, given assassinating the Ayatollah has emboldened and Iran and backfired to the point regime change is more likely to impact the US and Israel than Iran.

Sadly though, this didn't happen when Yitzak Rabin was killed in 1995; his peace pursuit pretty much evaporated after and the rest is history.

I wonder if Rabin was the most influential assassination since Archduke Ferdinand.

That's a beautiful trip, I hope he enjoyed it. Though it's much better westbound. Did he get a roomette or did he stink a seat out for four days?

Almost certainly motivated by the relative ease of transporting firearms relative to airlines. Although Amtrak imposes conditions I would guess enforcement is much less stringent: https://www.amtrak.com/terms-and-co...b2ba0aacfac746fbb#baggageInformation-firearms

Amtrak accepts reservations of firearms and ammunition for carriage between Amtrak stations and on Amtrak trains within the United States that offer checked baggage service. Thruway Bus Services are not be included in this service. The following policies are in effect:

• Notification that the passenger will be checking firearms/ammunition must be made no later than 24 hours before train departure by calling Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL. Online reservations for firearms/ammunition are not accepted.
• Passengers must travel on the same train that is transporting the checked firearms and/or ammunition.
• All firearms and/or ammunition must be checked at least 30 minutes prior to scheduled train departure. Some larger stations require that baggage be checked earlier. Call 1-800-USA-RAIL for more details.
• All firearms (rifles, shotguns, handguns, taser guns, starter pistols) must be unloaded and in an approved, locked hard-sided container not exceeding 62" L x 17" W x 7" D (1575 mm x 432 mm x 178 mm). The passenger must have sole possession of the key or the combination for the lock to the container. The weight of the container may not exceed 50 lbs./23 kg.
• Smaller locked, hard-sided containers containing smaller unloaded firearms such as handguns, taser guns and starter pistols must be securely stored within a suitcase or other item of checked baggage, but the existence of such a firearm must be declared.
• All ammunition carried must be securely packed in the original manufacturer's container; in fiber, wood, or metal boxes; or in other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. The maximum weight of all ammunition and containers may not exceed 11 lbs./5 kg.
• The passenger is responsible for knowing and following all federal, state, and local firearm laws at all jurisdictions to and through which he or she will be travelling.
• All other Amtrak checked baggage policies apply, including limits on the number of pieces of checked baggage, the maximum weight of each piece (50 lbs./23 kg).
• Firearms/ammunition may not be carried in carry-on baggage; therefore, checked baggage must be available on all trains and at all stations in the passenger's itinerary.
• At the time of check-in, passengers will be required to complete and sign a two-part Declaration Form.
• BB guns and Compressed Air Guns (to include paintball markers), are to be treated as firearms and must comply with the above firearms policy. Canisters, tanks, or other devices containing propellants must be emptied prior to checking and securely packaged within the contents of the passenger's luggage.

Passengers failing to meet the above-mentioned requirements for checking firearms will be denied transportation.

United Airlines (selected at random) has more stringent conditions including a ban on automatic weapons.

https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/contract-of-carriage.html

 

[najaB]

Especially as the person killed, by virtue of attending the rally, was almost certainly a Trump supporter. And even if they'd sabotaged the weapon or done something else to affect the aiming, there was still a chance of hitting Trump more seriously than he claimed he was actually hit.

I'm not making the positive claim that the Butler "shooting" was actually staged, but rather saying that I don't find it totally implausible. Also, the reason that I consciously use quotes around shooting is that, regardless of if it was staged or not, there is no way that DJT was hit in the ear by a rifle bullet and the wound healed as quickly and completely as it did.

I'm not a ballistics expert but I hold that, if he was hit by anything, it was a fragment of the teleprompter screen or other shrapnel.

 

[Krokodil]

I'm not making the positive claim that the Butler "shooting" was actually staged, but rather saying that I don't find it totally implausible. Also, the reason that I consciously use quotes around shooting is that, regardless of if it was staged or not, there is no way that DJT was hit in the ear by a rifle bullet and the wound healed as quickly and completely as it did.

I'm not a ballistics expert but I hold that, if he was hit by anything, it was a fragment of the teleprompter screen or other shrapnel.

Or else he got an accidental cut from an SS agent's holster or something when he was forced down by them.

 

[Killingworth]

I'm not making the positive claim that the Butler "shooting" was actually staged, but rather saying that I don't find it totally implausible. Also, the reason that I consciously use quotes around shooting is that, regardless of if it was staged or not, there is no way that DJT was hit in the ear by a rifle bullet and the wound healed as quickly and completely as it did.

I'm not a ballistics expert but I hold that, if he was hit by anything, it was a fragment of the teleprompter screen or other shrapnel.

Trump has been lucky in many ways and getting nicked by a glass splinter when others near him were certainly hit by gunfire was about his luckiest. Corey Comperatore died and 2 others were reported as having received life changing injuries. I don't consider that to have been staged and seriously suggesting it was doesn't help the left leaning cause. Nevertheless the shooting certainly helped Trump's sympathy vote.

This latest attempt has been another apparent nut job and in that description he seems to be right. His good luck comes into play once again for nobody got seriously injured. However, like the golf club lurking gunman, there may be doubts as to how determined this guy was. More a cry for attention than much hope of injuring anyone on his vague hit list.

But Trump's luck holds further. His MAGA hardcore will target all left leaning citizens as potential nut jobs and US society will become ever more polarised.

 

[Tester]

Donald Trump said:

I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters.

I never would have guessed that Donald Trump was on the forum

 

[Cowley]

I never would have guessed that Donald Trump was on the forum

If he was I can assure you that he’d be on moderation…

 

[martin butler]

If he was I can assure you that he’d be on moderation…

And every last one of us would be on medication,

 

[brad465]

I wouldn't be surprised if there are patients in mental health wards who were sectioned for less than what Trump churns out on a daily basis.

 

[Bald Rick]

A couple of thoughts:

Considering this is an enclosed venue and having looked through lots of news articles, why is no one asking how on earth someone with a gun even managed to get into the main room? An Airport seems more secure than the evening dinner with Trump.... Does make you wonder. If this happened in the UK, our media would be criticising it immediately.

Those questions are very definitely being asked.

There was an interview on Radio 5 yesterday morning with an ex Navy Seal and FBI agent that runs an event security company. He does private security for big events such as this in North America and Europe.

To say he was dumbfounded was an understatement. He simply couldn’t understand how someone could (again) get to within the maximum effective range of the weapon(s) they were carrying (notingthis may not have been the case here).

He didn’t go as far as to say that someone *let* it happen, although it seemed to be on his mind; but he did say that whoever was repsonsible for conducting the threat assessments and security planning for this event needed to be fired.

 

[Cowley]

I wouldn't be surprised if they are patients in mental health wards who were sectioned for less than what Trump churns out on a daily basis.

If you had an elderly relative that was up all night shouting mad stuff, running around the neighbourhood with no clothes on and naming the garden gnomes, local streets, house etc after themselves, you’d probably intervene right?

He’s already doing two out of those three things.

 

[Annetts key]

I wouldn't be surprised if they are patients in mental health wards who were sectioned for less than what Trump churns out on a daily basis.

More likely, if he was in the U.K., he would be in a care home (with his own room including a TV) and given medication (maybe including sedatives) to keep him calm and "manageable".

 

[Harpo]

If you had an elderly relative that was up all night shouting mad stuff, running around the neighbourhood with no clothes on and naming the garden gnomes, local streets, house etc after themselves, you’d probably intervene right?

He’s already doing two out of those three things.

Brilliant! Maybe three out of four if you include dismissing your own carers?

 

[Tester]

Brilliant! Maybe three out of four if you include dismissing your own carers?

I feel a rather longer list coming on!

 

[The Ham]

Those questions are very definitely being asked.

There was an interview on Radio 5 yesterday morning with an ex Navy Seal and FBI agent that runs an event security company. He does private security for big events such as this in North America and Europe.

To say he was dumbfounded was an understatement. He simply couldn’t understand how someone could (again) get to within the maximum effective range of the weapon(s) they were carrying(notingthis may not have been the case here).

He didn’t to as far as to say that someone *let* it happen, although it seemed to be onhis mind; but he did say that whoever was repsonsible for conducting the threat assessments and security planning for this event needed to be fired.

I was watching a clip with Emily Maitlis where she was basically saying that she thinks that are likely to be a number of people in the UK are of the view that given how many guns there are in the US and that they are unwilling to change, that actually it's surprising just how few attempts on Trump's life there have been.

 

[najaB]

I was watching a clip with Emily Maitlis where she was basically saying that she thinks that are likely to be a number of people in the UK are of the view that given how many guns there are in the US and that they are unwilling to change, that actually it's surprising just how few attempts on Trump's life there have been.

It helps that there's a not-insignificant overlap between Second Amendment people and MAGA faithful.