Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[Gloster]

It needs hardly be said that Trump is a greedy, vain, unscrupulous and vindictive egotist, but he has also been very cunning throughout his career. In the past he has had a large number of setbacks, but in most cases he has left others with mud (or worse) on their faces; he hasn’t got away scot-free or with his reputation untarnished (hardly), but he has hardly ever been really hit badly.

I wonder if either his age, health or the medicines he is taking mean that he is, at least at times, not as crafty as he used to be. This would explain not just the occasional drowsiness, but also the way that he sometimes reacts to things in his usual way, not that is particularly pleasant or to the general good, and at other times he becomes almost completely irrational, even by his normal standards. And of course his handlers are taking advantage of this, knowing that if he thinks he did something he will not backtrack: they just keeping him thinking he did the things that they did. Keep him alive and the faithful will support him, while the handlers get on with doing what they want

The Last Days of Brezhnev…or Andropov…or Chernenko…

 

[brad465]

It's almost funny to see the blame being passed around in the USA right now as everyone eats each other. Stephen Miller is apparently being blamed by Kristi Noem, but Miller is saying he was told by Greg Bovino.. and Melania is enraged that all this happened when people should have been enjoying her new documentary screening at Mar-a-Lago.

She's now calling for 'peace' but it seems more because she wants people to go to see her film, not anything else. Ticket sales are so bad that people are sharing pictures of unsold tickets at theatres all over the country.

Now Stephen Miller, seeing himself 'at risk', is apparently going to the base to say that Trump is wavering.

If the latter is true, this could be the beginning of the end for Trump - unless he acts fast to get rid of Miller. Otherwise Miller will try to oust Trump and take over properly, putting someone else in power to carry on his mission.

Fascists always eat their own children.

(Btw, is there a source for the specifics here?)

 

[GusB]

We're back to Iran again.

Threat of US-Iran war escalates as Trump warns time running out for deal

US president says armada heading towards Iran is ‘prepared to fulfil its missions with violence if necessary’

www.theguardian.com

Threat of US-Iran war escalates as Trump warns time running out for deal​

US president says armada heading towards Iran is ‘prepared to fulfil its missions with violence if necessary’

Patrick Wintour and Andrew Roth
Wed 28 Jan 2026 19.12 GMT


The threat of war between the US and Iran appeared to loom closer after Donald Trump told Tehran time was running out and that a huge US armada was moving quickly towards the country “with great power, enthusiasm and purpose”.
Writing on social media, the US president said on Wednesday that the fleet headed by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was larger than the one sent to Venezuela before the removal of Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and was “prepared to rapidly fulfil its missions with speed and violence if necessary”.

Trump said: “Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/26/iran-prepares-possible-attack-us-navy
“As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”
It was the starkest indication yet from Trump that he intends to mount some kind of military strike imminently if Iran refuses to negotiate a deal on the future of its nuclear programme. The post also reflects a remarkable shift in the White House’s stated rationale for sending a carrier strike group to the region, moving away from outrage over the death of protesters to the fate of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

I don't know what Trump hopes to achieve by taking further action against Iran. Did "Operation Midnight Hammer" not obliterate Iran's nuclear ambitions the first time around? What does America intend to bomb if the nuclear sites have already been destroyed? Hasn't Israel already killed all Iran's scientists?

Also, why the need to "MAKE A DEAL" on the future of Iran's nuclear programme? There isn't a huge step between smashing atoms together to make electricity and doing the same to create a bomb. If you allow one, surely you're opening the door to the other.

If it's not about the nukes and the actual goal is regime change, I think it will fail miserably. There's only so much that air strikes can do and I doubt that the US is going to put boots on the ground; if was stupid enough to do so, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp) will ensure that lots of Americans will be going home in bags.

 

[The exile]

Fascists always eat their own children.

Any dictators or absolute monarchs…

 

[Bantamzen]

They will get the living daylights beaten out of them preemptively by some foreign fans. It will be unsafe for ICE to be there.

Indeed. I've had the pleasure of going to a Milan derby at the San Siro. Yikes that gets tasty, and these guys are neighbours! Those ill-trained, unfit ICE agents would be eaten alive!

We're back to Iran again.

Threat of US-Iran war escalates as Trump warns time running out for deal

US president says armada heading towards Iran is ‘prepared to fulfil its missions with violence if necessary’

www.theguardian.com

I don't know what Trump hopes to achieve by taking further action against Iran. Did "Operation Midnight Hammer" not obliterate Iran's nuclear ambitions the first time around? What does America intend to bomb if the nuclear sites have already been destroyed? Hasn't Israel already killed all Iran's scientists?

Also, why the need to "MAKE A DEAL" on the future of Iran's nuclear programme? There isn't a huge step between smashing atoms together to make electricity and doing the same to create a bomb. If you allow one, surely you're opening the door to the other.

If it's not about the nukes and the actual goal is regime change, I think it will fail miserably. There's only so much that air strikes can do and I doubt that the US is going to put boots on the ground; if was stupid enough to do so, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp) will ensure that lots of Americans will be going home in bags.

Rattling the Middle East is practically a go-to to any beleaguered US President. Because it's nailed on that action over there will trigger terrorists, which will then give the excuse to escalate and cause even more of a distraction to what's happening back in the US. The only slight problem with all of this are the innocent that will die in pursuit of cover from domestic problems. Oh and it's good for any futures traders they are friendly with...

 

[Harpo]

Oh and it's good for any futures traders they are friendly with...

That Venn diagram might have some overlap between the circles.

 

[nlogax]

I don't know what Trump hopes to achieve by taking further action against Iran. Did "Operation Midnight Hammer" not obliterate Iran's nuclear ambitions the first time around? What does America intend to bomb if the nuclear sites have already been destroyed? Hasn't Israel already killed all Iran's scientists?

Operation Rubber Mallet, you mean?

As for ICE presence in Italy I've read they'd be unmasked and free of any weaponry. That would render them fairly pointless.

 

[pdeaves]

That would render them fairly pointless

But surely the main 'point' is to be able to say America's there and without them everything would fall apart. Just being there is the important bit.

 

[najaB]

As for ICE presence in Italy I've read they'd be unmasked and free of any weaponry.

Indeed. I can't see any circumstances under which they would be allowed to carry weapons outside of a very tightly defined area of the athlete's village (if that).

But surely the main 'point' is to be able to say America's there and without them everything would fall apart. Just being there is the important bit.

There's already significant a number of US forces in Italy under NATO agreements - well-trained forces at that.

 

[BAFRA77]

If I were the Italian Government - I'd be placing a call to Mr Macron asking if they could "borrow" the CRS for a few weeks...

 

[nlogax]

But surely the main 'point' is to be able to say America's there and without them everything would fall apart. Just being there is the important bit.

The underlying point of ICE being there is as a middle-finger to the vast opposition that protests against their very existence. In other words the 'eff you, we don't care, watch us double down' standard MO of the Trump White House.

 

[DarloRich]

Why is it that these ICE agents need to be masked up like criminals? Could it be that they are up to no good?

 

[AlterEgo]

Operation Rubber Mallet, you mean?

As for ICE presence in Italy I've read they'd be unmasked and free of any weaponry. That would render them fairly pointless.

And vulnerable. Hopefully.

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

Why is it that these ICE agents need to be masked up like criminals? Could it be that they are up to no good?

Because they are ashamed of who they are and future repercussions.

 

[DarloRich]

Because they are ashamed of who they are and future repercussions.

But aren't they just honest decent American patriots?

 

[jon0844]

(Btw, is there a source for the specifics here?)

Nothing in particular as I was giving my own take on what I've seen from various sources.

One source that does a good job of bringing lots of information together into one place is Keith Edwards. It's worth noting he is on the left, so there is a natural bias, but the recent videos do summarise things quite well.

[The videos contain swearing, including the video titles]

Keith Edwards

New videos every day. Keith Edwards makes sense of the madness, condensing the day’s news into sharp, witty analysis while uncovering stories the corporate media ignores. Subscribe to support fearless independent media. ✉️: keithsdebateclub@gmail.com

www.youtube.com

Above are three embedded videos talking about the various goings on within Government as people rush to distance themselves from the aftermath of the shooting last weekend.

Again, please look at other sources for balance!

 

[Krokodil]

Because they are ashamed of who they are and future repercussions.

Yes, it's difficult to sue them as individuals if you can't identify them.

 

[edwin_m]

Why is it that these ICE agents need to be masked up like criminals? Could it be that they are up to no good?

They will blame Biden for making them take anti-Covid precautions.

 

[jon0844]

Why is it that these ICE agents need to be masked up like criminals? Could it be that they are up to no good?

We now know that;

1. Wearing a face covering is perfectly safe and you don't suffocate.
2. Carrying a gun, whatever the law and the Second Amendment says, is bad.

Who knew?

 

[najaB]

Might be a good time to buy shares in Bombardier Aviation for the inevitable bounce when the TACO happens?

In a social media post late Thursday, President Donald Trump said that he would be “hereby decertifying…all Aircraft made in Canada, until such time as Gulfstream” and its G500, G600, G700 and G800 jets are “fully certified” by Transport Canada — a stunning move that could affect a huge swath of the U.S. mainline, regional and commercial aircraft fleet, along with business aircraft, helicopters and U.S. military aircraft.

The Air Current spoke with nearly a dozen industry and government officials, none of whom knew the degree to which the social media post did or did not represent a real-time, authoritative — or legally permissible — action. A preliminary review of data from ch-aviation indicated there are just over 2,000 active U.S.-registered commercial and business aircraft that were made in Canada, which includes over 600 formerly Bombardier CRJ jets and Airbus A220-100s.

White House claims Trump de-cert threat won’t impact Canadian-made aircraft in service

Uncertainty persists over Trump’s decertification threat to Canadian aircraft

theaircurrent.com

 

[styles]

Trump now telling Canada that China will stop them playing ice hockey if they do a trade deal:

Panicked Trump, 79, Ramps Up Deranged Hockey Warnings to Canada

Donald Trump veered unexpectedly into a rant about Canadian ice hockey when asked about London’s efforts to reset relations with Beijing. Speaking on Thursday, the 79-year-old president warned that closer ties with China could have far-reaching consequences for Canada, suggesting that Beijing...

uk.news.yahoo.com

Donald Trump veered unexpectedly into a rant about Canadian ice hockey when asked about London’s efforts to reset relations with Beijing. Speaking on Thursday, the 79-year-old president warned that closer ties with China could have far-reaching consequences for Canada, suggesting that Beijing could one day exert influence even over the country’s national sport. The off-topic remark came in response to a reporter’s question about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing this week, part of a broader effort by the U.K. and China to improve bilateral relations.

Video of interview in link above.

 

[dosxuk]

Might be a good time to buy shares in Bombardier Aviation for the inevitable bounce when the TACO happens?

White House claims Trump de-cert threat won’t impact Canadian-made aircraft in service

Uncertainty persists over Trump’s decertification threat to Canadian aircraft

theaircurrent.com

The White House has since clarified that he didn't mean that existing Canadian built aircraft would be de-certified.

But a White House official later told the Reuters news agency that Trump was not suggesting decertifying Canadian-built planes currently in operation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74vyr44xn3o

A theory doing the rounds on the socials is that he's heard the Canadians were about to certify the aircraft, so he's kicking up a stink so when they do he can claim it as a win.

 

[najaB]

The White House has since clarified that he didn't mean that existing Canadian built aircraft would be de-certified.

I guess they've got as far as heating the tortillas for the TACO.

 

[dgl]

What next, Trump announcing the next days day and date so that he can say "see I knew today would be Friday the 30th, like I told everyone yesterday"

 

[martin butler]

Just wait until Canada starts building Gripen f models, to replace the F35's, then other countries Turn to Canada and place orders that otherwise would have gone to US manufacturers, The Tantrum will be epic.

 

[GusB]

Just wait until Canada starts building Gripen f models, to replace the F35's, then other countries Turn to Canada and place orders that otherwise would have gone to US manufacturers, The Tantrum will be epic.

It's already ruffling eagle feathers!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/norad-canada-us-f35-9.7059800

U.S. President Donald Trump's ambassador to Canada is warning of consequences to the continental defence pact if Canada does not move forward with the purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets.

"NORAD would have to be altered," U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told CBC News in an exclusive interview at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

He says the United States would likely need to purchase more of the advanced fighter aircraft for its own air force, and would fly them more often into Canadian airspace to address threats approaching the U.S.

"If Canada is no longer going to provide that [capability], then we have to fill those gaps," said Hoekstra.

The North American Air Defence Command (NORAD) is a decades-old partnership between Canada and the United States which tracks inbound threats and scrambles armed jets to intercept where appropriate.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Also, why the need to "MAKE A DEAL" on the future of Iran's nuclear programme? There isn't a huge step between smashing atoms together to make electricity and doing the same to create a bomb. If you allow one, surely you're opening the door to the other.

In fairness, this isn't quite true. Civilian nuclear power reactors are rather different to ones that produce plutonium for military purposes, and even the Soviet Union which planned for the RBMK to have dual civilian/military use abandoned the idea quite early on. It's not clear as to why, but the general belief is that it was just too difficult to meet the specific thermal parameters needed for plutonium production.

It's not to say that it's not possible to create at least some form of nuclear bomb from a civilian reactor, but it's pretty pointless when you can just hide a military reactor somewhere. Having said that, I suspect Trump has very little grasp on what Iran's nuclear capabilities actually are right now.

If it's not about the nukes and the actual goal is regime change, I think it will fail miserably. There's only so much that air strikes can do and I doubt that the US is going to put boots on the ground; if was stupid enough to do so, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp) will ensure that lots of Americans will be going home in bags.

I'm not sure, you know. Air strikes pretty much brought Yugoslavia to her knees, and Iran isn't really in a much better situation than Yugoslavia in 1999. Iran's air defences aren't exactly top quality, and whether they've even managed to restore their air defences to the level before Mossad ruined them is another question. Then again, Iran doesn't have the structural problems that Yugoslavia had (reliance on bridges, which were easily severed). But honestly, I doubt they'll even get involved unless they can repeat the same trick as in Venezuela, and that won't be happening.

As for Trump himself, there was some special election in Minnesota the other day. While Harris won the seat in the 64A district by 71% over Trump, this time round, the Democrat candidate won 95% of the vote. Essentially, the Democrat won massively, and it's a sign that the Republicans are in major trouble. If this sort of thing repeats itself in the actual congressional elections at the end of the year, then the House will easily swing to the Democrats, and the Senate will end up 51-49 at worst. If it does become clear that Trump is electoral poison, then I really wouldn't be surprised to see a bipartisan deal to remove him in early 2027 so that the Republicans can save themselves.

 

[styles]

I do feel like a lot of this tariff war is going to backfire. Countries are just going to stop dealing with the US.

It is a bit of a special case in Scotland where so much of our whisky is sold to the US (during US prohibition, around two thirds of Scottish distilleries closed!), but honestly for a lot of things just stop dealing with them surely?

 

[Annetts key]

I do feel like a lot of this tariff war is going to backfire. Countries are just going to stop dealing with the US.

It is a bit of a special case in Scotland where so much of our whisky is sold to the US (during US prohibition, around two thirds of Scottish distilleries closed!), but honestly for a lot of things just stop dealing with them surely?

That's partly why countries are being friendly with China at the moment, despite their record on various things, China is seen as a stable trading country where trade deals that last can be done. Unlike Trumps U.S.A. where you never know what will set him off and when new tariffs will be announced...

 

[Tracked]

What next, Trump announcing the next days day and date so that he can say "see I knew today would be Friday the 30th, like I told everyone yesterday"

"Melania is a good film, the best film, in fact. Thank you for your attention to this matter"

 

[Ediswan]

I'm not sure, you know. Air strikes pretty much brought Yugoslavia to her knees, and Iran isn't really in a much better situation than Yugoslavia in 1999. Iran's air defences aren't exactly top quality, and whether they've even managed to restore their air defences to the level before Mossad ruined them is another question. Then again, Iran doesn't have the structural problems that Yugoslavia had (reliance on bridges, which were easily severed). But honestly, I doubt they'll even get involved unless they can repeat the same trick as in Venezuela, and that won't be happening

Yugoslavia ceased to be in 1992.