Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[DelW]

The Supreme Court hasn't backed Trump in his attempt to overturn the judgement against him in the E Jean Carroll defamation case:

Supreme Court rejects Trump's appeal of E Jean Carroll's sexual abuse case

The decision means the US president will now have to pay her the $5m (£3.6m) in damages she had been awarded.

www.bbc.co.uk

The US Supreme Court will not hear an appeal requested by President Donald Trump to review the civil case that found he defamed and sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll.

A New York jury awarded Carroll $5m (£3.6m) in damages in 2023 over her civil claim that Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, and then branded the incident a hoax on social media.

Trump denied the allegations and repeatedly claimed that the judge who oversaw the civil trial improperly allowed evidence to be presented that affected how the jury viewed him.

A federal appeals court agreed with the jury's verdict last year and said a new trial was not warranted. Trump then asked the highest court to intervene.

The Supreme Court gave no details about their decision not to take up the case, as is customary.

Trump of course appointed six of the current nine Supreme Court judges, and doubtless expected them to do his bidding. Another sign of his waning power of patronage perhaps?

 

[najaB]

Trump of course appointed six of the current nine Supreme Court judges, and doubtless expected them to do his bidding. Another sign of his waning power of patronage perhaps?

I've personally never understood why Supreme Court justices feel the need to do his bidding - they are appointed for life and could only be removed by impeachment by Congress. They literally owe him nothing.

 

[The exile]

I've personally never understood why Supreme Court justices feel the need to do his bidding - they are appointed for life and could only be removed by impeachment by Congress. They literally owe him nothing.

Well, in one sense they do owe him their position. They are, however, not beholden to him for their continued occupancy of that position.

 

[DelW]

I've personally never understood why Supreme Court justices feel the need to do his bidding - they are appointed for life and could only be removed by impeachment by Congress. They literally owe him nothing.

I think perhaps it's more that he appointed people who shared his agenda and philosophy (if one can call it that), and that they may at last be diverging from his path and intentions.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jun 2026 ==

Add these two, meaning Trump has lost three out of three reported today:

Supreme Court blocks Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook

The decision, seen as a win for central bank independence, sends the fight over removal back to the lower courts.

www.bbc.co.uk

The US Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to fire a governor of the US central bank, in a ruling seen as affirming the Federal Reserve's independence.

In a 5-4 decision, justices from the country's top court said the administration had not provided Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sufficient "due process" for her to contest her removal.

The decision sends the matter back to lower courts, where the administration will have to prove its allegations that Cook has committed mortgage fraud if it wishes to proceed with the firing and where Cook would have a chance to challenge the accusation.

Supreme Court allows late-arriving mail-in ballots in defeat for Trump

The decision could affect voting deadlines of more than a dozen states that will be pivotal in deciding the control of Congress after the midterm elections.

www.bbc.co.uk

The Supreme Court has ruled that states may count postal ballots received late if they were postmarked by election day, rejecting the Trump administration's push to block it.

The 5-4 decision upholds a Mississippi law that had permitted the counting of mail-in ballots that were postmarked before election day but arrived up to five days afterwards.

The ruling marks a significant political defeat for Donald Trump, who called the decision a "tremendous loss". The president has repeatedly stated that mail-in ballots are vulnerable to fraud.

The states that allow late-arriving postal ballots are mostly Democratic-leaning, although a few Republican-led jurisdictions also allow a grace period.

One would imagine he's incandescent with fury at the realisation that the Supreme Court will no longer conform to his whims.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I think perhaps it's more that he appointed people who shared his agenda and philosophy (if one can call it that), and that they may at last be diverging from his path and intentions.

I think he also expected blind loyalty to his position on any subject that may reach the Supreme Court. Probably even if that issue reached court twice, and Trump had changed his position in between.

Another example of what a bad judge of character Trump is

 

[DelW]

Conversely, the Supreme Court upheld the right of the president to fire and replace Federal regulators (effectively rendering them powerless?), overturning a century old ruling. Trump posted gleefully:

"Ninety years of precedent has been completely and unequivocally overruled," Trump exclaimed in a Truth Social post after the decision, "greatly increasing presidential power at a time when it is most needed!"

No doubt Republicans will still be fully supportive when a future Democrat president fires all the Republican appointed regulators and appoints Democrat supporters instead.

One big win and three defeats for Trump in dramatic day at Supreme Court

While Trump celebrated a ruling expanding presidential power to remove and replace regulators, other decisions were major setbacks.

www.bbc.co.uk

On the second-to-last day of Supreme Court decisions for this term, the justices delivered a big win for Donald Trump.

But beneath the headline-generating ruling on expansive presidential power, the court gave some indications that this particular president may not always get what he wants – and the three liberal justices may have a few unexpected allies amongst the six conservative justices on the high court.

 

[jon0844]

BBC News - US Supreme Court strikes down Trump's order limiting birthright citizenship

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvg0d38y873t?app-referrer=push-notification

• The US Supreme Court has struck down President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship
• The president says on social media that the ruling is "too bad for our country" and suggests Congress can legislate an end to the Constitutional law
• In a 6-3 decision, the justices upheld a 150-year-old precedent giving automatic American citizenship to babies born in the US - how it works
• Trump earlier issued an order to end automatic citizenship for babies born to parents who are in the country illegally or on temporary visas
• The ruling definitively slams the door on Trump's efforts, and there is little the president can do to reverse it, our correspondent writes

 

[najaB]

BBC News - US Supreme Court strikes down Trump's order limiting birthright citizenship

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvg0d38y873t?app-referrer=push-notification

As well they should. An Executive Order cannot explicitly override a provision of the Constitution.

 

[AndrewE]

As well they should. An Executive Order cannot explicitly override a provision of the Constitution.

I wonder how many people have been deported or disappeared into detention who should not have been?

 

[najaB]

I wonder how many people have been deported or disappeared into detention who should not have been?

Many. I don't think even the Administration knows. And, even worse, they probably will say that they have no obligation to even attempt to repatriate them.

 

[Ediswan]

As well they should. An Executive Order cannot explicitly override a provision of the Constitution.

Trump sought to re-interpret the wording, not to override it.

 

[AndrewE]

Trump sought to re-interpret the wording, not to override it.

that really is semantics, or splitting hairs! Presumably that would be a defence in all the cases where he has over-ridden the constitution as well.

I can imagine an exchange between a miscreant and a Bobby:

"No Officer, I didn't break the law, I just re-interpreted it!"
"Shut it sonny, save that for the magistrate!"

 

[brad465]

Normally when rehearsing for a performance, making sure the stage is intact is not part of the process:

Aaron Parnas (@aaronparnas.bsky.social)

The stage is falling apart at the rehearsal for Freedom 250's July 4th celebration.

bsky.app

The stage is falling apart at the rehearsal for Freedom 250's July 4th celebration.

Video embedded

 

[dorsetdesiro]

Greenland... here we go again...

Another distraction tactic for the Orange Ogre, he must be pretty sore over the World Cup loss and humiliation of the 250th anniversary mishaps

 

[The Ham]

Greenland... here we go again...

Another distraction tactic for the Orange Ogre, he must be pretty sore over the World Cup loss and humiliation of the 250th anniversary mishaps

I saw a map of the countries of the works supporting Belgium in the world for that match, near universal support!

 

[martin butler]

At some point NATO will just decide that the US, is just more trouble than it's worth, and say to Trump's face, " It might be better then if you do leave, we accept your notice of wishing to leave the alliance"

 

[jupiter]

trump is just a moral and intellectual vacuum. There's no point overthinking "how to deal with him".

With his incessant meddling he's managed to unite most of the world behind the Belgian football team, further demean himself and by association the entire country, and single-handedly ruined 'his' football team's really quite impressive achievements and advances.

If one person could bankrupt a casino...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Greenland... here we go again...

Another distraction tactic for the Orange Ogre, he must be pretty sore over the World Cup loss and humiliation of the 250th anniversary mishaps

That's presumably also why he's started his war up again overnight? *sigh*

 

[Harpo]

That's presumably also why he's started his war up again overnight? *sigh*

Trump must surely have the record for the greatest number of ceasefires ever achieved by now?

 

[AlterEgo]

Trump must surely have the record for the greatest number of ceasefires ever achieved by now?

A true man of peace.

 

[Annetts key]

A true man of peace.

A man whose brain is in pieces (as in dementia) IMHO.

 

[jupiter]

Look how many times he’s won that war though. He’s such a genius he’s won it again and again.

 

[brad465]

In other news, GOP Senator Mitch McConnell is believed to still be in hospital, and lack of credible updates on his health have led to a viral running joke about him. My favourite so far is Thomas Massie's: "Is America ready for my term limit legislation titled "Three strokes and you're out"?

 

[najaB]

In other news, GOP Senator Mitch McConnell is believed to still be in hospital, and lack of credible updates on his health...

There have been somewhat credible reports, just nothing official.

The logs of the emergency services have been leaked and show that they responded to his address for someone found unconscious and in cardiac arrest. They performed CPR for several minutes and took the patient to hospital. Then there have been credible, though anonymous, reports that he's been unconscious and on a respirator since he was admitted to hospital.

 

[brad465]

A man whose brain is in pieces (as in dementia) IMHO.

His latest dementia manifestation is him saying "The Islamic Republic of Japan"

(Video of Trump at NATO summit saying "The Islamic Republic of Japan")

 

[jon0844]

He also referred to Zelenskyy as Putin not once but twice.

 

[brad465]

He also referred to Zelenskyy as Putin not once but twice.

Given Biden also did that but only once, it, in a systematic way, proves Trump is even more unfit than Biden was as President.

 

[najaB]

Given Biden also did that but only once, it, in a systematic way, proves Trump is even more unfit than Biden was as President.

I can't remember, was Zelenskyy sitting next to Biden at the time?

 

[brad465]

Lindsey Graham has died out of nowhere, which could have major ramifications for the next few months and the Senate race (South Carolina is a strong Republican state, however Trump's unpopularity combined with losing the incumbency factor could cause problems):

US Senator Lindsey Graham dies after 'brief and sudden illness', his office says

US Senator Lindsey Graham dies after 'brief and sudden illness', his office says

www.bbc.co.uk

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has died following a brief and sudden illness.

His office has released a statement saying he died on Saturday evening. "Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period."

This is also against the backdrop of huge speculation around Mitch McConnell's state of health. If he is dead/about to die, the GOP will have lost two senators very quickly.

 

[jon0844]

Lindsey had just been to Ukraine? I'd be checking for poison in case someone on the trip/mission might have been an agent of Putin. Lindsey was very much against Putin and I am sure very unhappy with Trump's actions on Russia and the whole conflict - but was unable or unwilling to do anything but toe the Trump line.