Tag: Donald Trump

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Trump Thanks Himself For Holiday Gas Prices Higher Than Obama’s

Donald Trump

Capping off a Thanksgiving weekend which began with Donald Trump telling reporters he was most thankful for his family and himself, this morning he took to Twitter to thank himself again (in the third person, no less) for falling oil prices.

Trump omitted the fact that gas prices were much lower during President Obama’s last Thanksgiving in office.

For someone unknown reason, the Trumpeter didn’t bother to address the steep decline on Wall Street this week that wiped out all profits for 2018.

And just one more thing…

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Donald Trump On Thanksgiving: I’m Most Thankful For Myself

Donald Trump was asked on Thanksgiving what he’s most thankful for and his answer?

His family and himself.

“This country is so much stronger now than when I took office you wouldn’t believe it,” he said. “I mean you see it, but so much stronger that people can’t even believe it.”

“When I see foreign leaders they say we cannot believe the difference in strength between the United States now, and the United States two years ago,” he continued. “It’s nice to know you’re fighting for something doing well, and that’s our country.”

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Chief Justice John Roberts Claps Back At Trump’s “Obama Judges” Comment

Responding to a reporter’s question about a 9th Circuit appellate judge blocking his administration’s attempt to deny asylum to migrants trying to lawfully enter the country, Donald Trump lashed out saying, “This was an Obama judge and I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to happen like this anymore…We will win that case in the Supreme Court of the United States.”

It turns out the Chief Justice of the United Supreme Court didn’t take that ‘Obama judge’ comment lightly.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement to the Associated Press. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”

The Trumpster couldn’t resist continuing his rant:

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

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Trump’s Political Stunt Sending Troops To Mexican Border Cost $72 Million

Donald Trump’s midterm election campaign stunt of sending nearly 6,000 troops to the Mexican border in order to whip up more anti-immigrant frenzy will apparently cost the American taxpayer $72 million.

For nothing.

From Think Progress:

In the lead-up to the election, Trump insisted that the caravan of migrants traveling to the United States from Central America constituted some sort of “invasion.” Though the group of refugees fleeing violence and persecution bear all the attributes of a humanitarian crisis, Trump repeatedly insisted without evidence that the caravan was full of violent criminals and even terrorists.

To double down on his bluff, Trump deployed 5,000 active duty military personnel to the border weeks before the midterm elections, though that figure ended up topping out at about 5,900 troops.The exact purpose of their deployment remains a mystery, one to which Democrats in Congress are demanding answers.

This “misuse of active duty personnel” was widely panned as a political stunt designed to gin up fears to try to influence and energize Republican voters who are typically susceptible to this kind of fear mongering.

About half the troops are in Southern Texas, far from the Tijuana border into California where the caravan is set to arrive. Furthermore, the law prevents active duty personnel from arresting, detaining, deporting, or otherwise policing any of the migrants on US soil, so they’re only providing auxiliary support to the border agents who can.

As soon as the election was over, coverage of the caravan — particularly on Fox News and Fox Business — nearly vanished. Two weeks later, the caravan is still lingering in southern Mexico, and has even shrunk in size as some of its members have sought asylum in Mexico rather than continue to the U.S. border.

Though the majority of the caravan was not set to arrive until December, the military operation is set to end December 15. Some troops are already coming home, with everyone expected to be home by Christmas.

In related news, a federal judge based in San Francisco temporarily blocked the government late Monday night from denying asylum to those crossing over the southern border between ports of entry.

From CNN:

Judge Jon S. Tigar of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said that a policy announced November 9 barring asylum for immigrants who enter outside a legal check point ‘”irreconcilably conflicts” with immigration law and the “expressed intent of Congress.”

“Whatever the scope of the President’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” Tigar wrote, adding that asylum seekers would be put at “increased risk of violence and other harms at the border” if the administration’s rule is allowed to go into effect.

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Trump Announces He Will Take No Action Over Death Of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Donald Trump has announced, in a stunning statement, that he will take no action against Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump has announced, in a stunning statement, that he will take no action against Saudi Arabia over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

From The New York Times:

President Trump declared his unswerving loyalty to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday, declaring that the prince’s culpability in the killing of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, might never be known.

“It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Mr. Trump said in a remarkable, eight-paragraph, exclamation-point laden statement that appeared calculated to end debate over the American response to Mr. Khashoggi’s killing.

“We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Mr. Trump said in the statement, which read like a verbatim transcript of the president’s off-the-cuff musings. “In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

“Maybe he did, and maybe he didn’t!”

After more than a month of international outrage, confirmation by our intelligence organizations that the Crown Prince knew of the killing, and calls for the US to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for murdering a US resident and journalist, the Trumpster just said that it won’t happen.

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Trump Criticizes Osama Bin Laden Mission: “We Should Have Captured Osama Bin Laden Long Before We Did”

Donald Trump on Fox News

Donald Trump raised eyebrows over the weekend when, during an interview with Fox News‘ Chris Wallace, he not only wouldn’t give credit to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden during the Obama administration, but he criticized the mission saying it took too long.

From The Hill:

“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace noted during a discussion with the president that retired Navy Adm. William McRaven has said Trump’s attacks on the media are the “greatest threat to democracy in his lifetime.”

Trump in response called McRaven a “Hillary Clinton fan” and “Obama-backer.”

“Wouldn’t it have been nice if we got Osama bin Laden a lot sooner than that, wouldn’t it have been nice?” Trump asked. “You know, living — think of this — living in Pakistan, beautifully in Pakistan in what I guess they considered a nice mansion, I don’t know, I’ve seen nicer. But living in Pakistan right next to the military academy, everybody in Pakistan knew he was there.”

“You’re not even going to give them credit for taking down bin Laden?” Wallace asked.

“They took him down but — look, look, there’s news right there, he lived in Pakistan, we’re supporting Pakistan, we’re giving them $1.3 billion a year, which we don’t give them anymore, by the way, I ended it because they don’t do anything for us, they don’t do a damn thing for us,” Trump responded.

Regarding being a “Hillary” fan or “Obama” fan, McRaven told CNN later that evening:

“I did not back Hillary Clinton or anyone else. I am a fan of President Obama and President George W. Bush, both of whom I worked for. I admire all presidents, regardless of their political party, who uphold the dignity of the office and who use that office to bring the nation together in challenging times.”

The McRaven/Bin Laden chat begins around 4:37 mark below:

It’s worth noting that back in 2011, Trump was more than pleased with the results of the Navy Seals and CIA.

On May 2, 2011, Trump gave this statement to Politico:

“I want to personally congratulate President Obama and the men and women of the Armed Forces for a job well done.”

“I am so proud to see Americans standing shoulder to shoulder, waving the American flag in celebration of this great victory.”

“We should spend the next several days not debating party politics, but in remembrance of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and those currently fighting for our freedom. God Bless America!”

I guess that good will goes away when you become a politician?

McRaven responded to the criticism in a statement doubling down on his assertion that Trump’s attacks on the media are “the greatest threat to our democracy” in his lifetime.

And it appears Trump has a short memory, because one reporter says McRaven was on the Trumpster’s short list for national security adviser.

Navy Seal Robert J. O’Neill, who actually shot bin Laden, chimed in saying the mission was ‘bipartisan’ and “We all wanted to get him as soon as we could.”

And when a MAGA troll questioned whether bin Laden was killed as soon as possible, O’Neill responded, “We could only fly so fast, bro.”

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After Calling For Decorum, Trump Labels Political Foe “Little Adam Schitt”

Donald Trump

On Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the press that Donald Trump was fine with CNN’s Jim Acosta being reissued his press pass to the White House, but there will be rules and regulations on how the press should handle itself because “there should be decorum” at the White House.

Tonight, Trump called Dem Rep. Adam Schiff of California ‘little Adam Schitt.’

The tweet has been up for hours, so if it was a typo/mistake, you’d think they’d have pulled it down.

#Decorum

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Trump: “Raking And Cleaning” The Forest Floor Will Solve Forest Fires

Donald Trump toured the devastation of California town of Paradise following the massive forest fires there with Gov. Jerry Brown and Governor-elect Gavin Newsome.

Speaking to the press in the middle of a town that has over 1,000 people missing, Trump displayed a sudden expertise on the science of forestry.

“You gotta take care of the floors. You know the floors of the forest, very important,” Trump said, with Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom listening.

Trump shared that during a recent meeting with the president of Finland, which has 73% forest coverage, told him the secret to avoiding forest fires is ‘raking and cleaning’ the forest floor.

“You look at other countries where they do it differently and it’s a whole different story. I was with the president of Finland and he called it a forest nation, and they spend a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things and they don’t have any problem. And when they do, it’s a very small problem.

What the Trumpster doesn’t mention is most of California forests are on federal land, meaning the federal government is in charge of managing those lands.

Plus, the Trump administration cut funding for fire prevention.

It’s worth noting that Finland is a sparsely populated nation (just over 5 million people) with a land size less than California. Most of that is forests and lakes.

The weather in Finland provides long and cold winters, as well as rain throughout the year.

I imagine that has a lot to do with fewer forest fires.

The president of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, was asked if he’d recommended ‘raking’ as a way to avoid forest fires to Trump. He told the press that he’d mentioned that Finland has “a good monitoring system” and that Fins “take care” of their forests.

But, no, he never mentioned ‘raking.’

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Report: Trump Is Asking Aides ‘Is Mike Pence Loyal?’

Mike Pence (L) and Donald Trump (R)

A New York Times article reports on Donald Trump considering replacing Vice President Mike Pence with a new running mate in order to make inroads with female voters in 2020.

Apparently, the man who likes to “grab’em by the pussy” feels he’s got the evangelical thing sewn up now.

From The New York Times:

In recent weeks, with his electoral prospects two years from now much on his mind, Mr. Trump has focused on the person who has most publicly tethered his fortunes to him. In one conversation after another he has asked aides and advisers a pointed question: Is Mike Pence loyal?

Mr. Trump has repeated the question so many times that he has alarmed some of his advisers. The president has not openly suggested dropping Mr. Pence from the ticket and picking another running mate, but the advisers say those kinds of questions usually indicate that he has grown irritated with someone.

Within the White House, most people he has talked to have assured the president that Mr. Pence has been a committed soldier, engaging in activities that Mr. Trump has eschewed, such as traveling to Hawaii to receive the remains of veterans of the Korean War, or visiting parts of the globe that Mr. Trump has avoided.

But some Trump advisers, primarily outside the White House, have suggested to him that while Mr. Pence remains loyal, he may have used up his utility. These advisers argue that Mr. Trump has forged his own relationship with evangelical voters, and that what he might benefit from more is a running mate who could help him with women voters, who disapprove of him in large numbers.

One name insiders keep coming back to is Nikki R. Haley, the United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley has already announced her plans to leave at the end of the year. A former governor of South Carolina, Haley also enjoys a close relationship with Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner.