Tag: The Trump Administration

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Donald Trump Elections The Trump Adminstration

Former Staffer: Some Republicans Already Consider Trump To Be A ‘Lame Duck’ President

A top staffer who briefly worked in the first Trump administration says there are more than a few Republicans in Congress who see Donald as little more than a “lame duck” president who can be challenged on many fronts because he’s weaker than he was during his first term.

Anthony Scaramucci explained that the abrupt withdrawal of Matt Gaetz’s nomination to be attorney general proves that some in the GOP will not bow down to Trump and let him run roughshod over them.

“Obviously, a lot of the things that [former] Rep. Gaetz did was disqualifying, but I think the tide has changed a little bit,” Scaramucci said during an appearance on CNN. “I think there’s been a shapeshift by the Republicans in the Senate. You know, they see Trump as a lame duck. They know there’s one more election that he can have lots of influence on, which is the congressional election in two years, and I think they are fortifying themselves to block some of the things that he’s done in the past, and so the Trump season, you know, this is ‘The Apprentice: White House Edition’ season two. I think the cast members up on Capitol Hill are ready for Donald Trump this time. I don’t think they were as prepared as they are now, and I think the messaging [to Gaetz] was, behind closed doors: ‘You’re not going to make it, don’t embarrass the president and withdraw.'”

Other nominees could face the same disgraceful end as Gaetz, Scaramucci predicted.

“Now, the other questions are, you know, about some of these other candidates,” Scaramucci said. “Well, Pete Hegseth ended up having to do the same thing, and I will predict if there’s more information about Pete that comes out, he’ll be No. 2 to go that way. But I think Pam Bondi, by the way, will do well. Pam Bondi says the things that Donald Trump likes to hear, but she won’t do the things that Donald Trump likes to do, and so I think that’s someone that respects the system, and I think she’ll get it. I think she’ll get through.”

 

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Donald Trump The Trump Adminstration

Missing In Action Vance Ridiculed As A Flunky Who ‘Can’t Find Himself A Seat At The Cool Kids’ Table’

Has anyone seen Vice President-elect J.D. Vance recently? Come to think of it, has anyone seen him since Election Day nearly three weeks ago? He’s become as scarce as the infamous Waldo, and no one can find him.

Who has been making public appearances with Donald Trump in Vance’s place? Twitter CEO Elon Musk, which is weird because he hasn’t been elected to anything at all.

What in the hell is going on here? Well, it’s all part of Musk and Trump’s larger plans for who will wield power and influence in the second Trump administration, according to former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele, who currently works as a host on MSNBC and writes in an opinion piece for the network, “America is witnessing what happens when a private citizen amasses power solely based on their proximity to the president of the United States.”

Musk’s rise comes at Vance’s expense, Steele continues.

“As for Trump’s actual incoming vice president, he just can’t find himself a seat at the cool kids’ table.”

If anyone needed visual proof that Musk is now working as Trump’s unofficial Veep, they wouldn’t have to look any further than a photo that made waves on social media almost a week ago.

“Last weekend, Trump shared a picture of his inner circle on his private plane enjoying McDonald’s,” Steele observes. “Trump was surrounded by Musk; his son Don Jr.; House Speaker Mike Johnson; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Not pictured: Vance.”

Also consider that Musk has been given one of the most powerful jobs in the incoming administration, one which will potentially allow him to recommend cutting billions of dollars in federal spending.

“The Tesla founder will oversee a wholly made-up ‘Department of Government Efficiency‘ alongside Vivek Ramaswamy. How dumb is that? They are creating an agency to get rid of other agencies.”

Vance, on the other hand, is stuck doing all the shit jobs for Trump, including trying to get his Senate colleagues to vote for Donald’s pathetic appointees, including former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was supposed to be the next attorney general but had to withdraw his name from consideration as more evidence surfaced suggesting that he allegedly paid dozens of underage girls to sleep with him, which is the only way the Florida Republican can get any non-comatose woman to share an intimate encounter with him.

“Vance was given the thankless task of convincing Senate Republicans to confirm Trump’s menagerie of misfit MAGA sycophants to the Cabinet,” Steele wrote. “While Musk is sitting in on phone calls with Trump, Vance wasted his time trying to convince his fellow Republican senators to back Matt Gaetz, just a day before Gaetz withdrew his nomination for attorney general. That must be the worst assignment for a vice president since President Joe Biden charged Vice President Kamala Harris with solving the root causes of global migration.”

So what will become of VP Vance? Steele suggests that may well be up to Musk in the long run because it’s clear J.D. is not part of Trump’s inner circle.

“Vance is just along for the ride — if only he could get in the car.”

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Donald Trump The Trump Adminstration

Trump Refusing To Let FBI Do Background Checks On Cabinet Nominees

Failed former president Donald Trump is refusing to let the FBI do background checks or vetting on some of the people he has nominated for top jobs in his new administration.

According to CNN, Trump is instead using private companies to do background checks, but it’s unclear if those companies are capable of such a job.

“Trump and his allies believe the FBI system is slow and plagued with issues that could stymie the president-elect’s plan to quickly begin the work of implementing his agenda, people briefed on the plans said. Critics say the intrusive background checks sometimes turn up embarrassing information used to inflict political damage.”

“The discussions come as Trump has floated several controversial choices for high-level positions in the US government – including Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.”

Gaetz and Gabbard could never pass an FBI check because both have questionable backgrounds that include alleged illegal activity and connections to nations hostile to the United States, including Russia.

 

“Gaetz has been mired for years in Justice Department and House ethics investigations related to sex trafficking. The Justice Department declined to charge Gaetz, and the House ethics probe, days away from being completed, was effectively ended when the Florida congressman resigned from his seat this week. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.”

“Gabbard, meanwhile, has frequently appeared to take positions more favorable to foreign leaders widely considered not just American adversaries but, in some cases, brutal dictators, including the presidents of Syria and Russia, raising questions from allies and critics alike.”

The CNN report set has set off alarm bells for some in Congress, including Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who remarked, “This is an alarming step that, frankly, should alarm every American citizen who wants the basic function of government to work, who wants to ensure that the FBI, as you were reporting earlier, is able to investigate terrorist threats,” she said. “The fact that they would avoid a traditional background check process to me means they know they can’t pass it, and what it means is that information that would be available to the FBI just won’t even be considered.”

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Donald Trump Elections GOP

Trump’s Fragile Political Coalition ‘May Not Survive’ For Long – Here’s Why

 

According to some in the Republican Party, Donald Trump’s unexpected win last week and the gains made by the GOP suggest that a “political realignment” is underway in the country that will make their party a permanent majority.

However, according to political scientists John Judis and Ruy Teixeira, the coalition Trump assembled for his win is incredibly fragile and may not last long.

Writing in the New York Times, Judis and Teixeira warn that Trump’s new GOP has a “great potential for a crackup.”

“He might try to carry out his promise of deporting millions of illegal immigrants, a project that could not just wreak havoc among families and in communities but also cause economic chaos. Or take tariffs… Unlike most Republican initiatives, tariffs, if successful, work by imposing short-term costs in prices in order to achieve long-term gains in jobs from otherwise endangered industries. It’s the short-term costs — another round of inflation, this time imposed by Mr. Trump — that might endanger the Republican coalition.”

Additionally, they write, there’s the fact that Trump is an incredibly self-destructive and unstable person, which doesn’t exactly bode well when you’re trying to lead people.

“The final obstacle to a strong realignment is Mr. Trump himself, who is consumed with the quest for power and self-aggrandizement, and appears eager to seek revenge against his detractors. Many of his difficulties during his first term stemmed from his own misbehavior, and he continues to revel in division and divisiveness.”

“Trump’s dream of a historic Republican realignment may not survive his second term,” they conclude, and it’s hard to argue against such a prediction. After all, we’ve all seen how the twice-impeached president-elect causes chaos everywhere he goes.

Here’s a personal prediction: Within six months, the U.S. economy will be in a deep recession, Trump will be mired in personal scandal, and the GOP will be looking for a way to excuse his actions.

Check back in May and let’s see if I’m right.

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Donald Trump Elections The Trump Adminstration

Bannon Gets Gets His Head Handed To Him In Angry Interview On The Eve Of His Imprisonment

Former Trump political strategist Steve Bannon got his head handed to him by ABC News host Jonathan Karl this morning during an interview on the verge of Bannon’s imprisonment for contempt of Congress.

The interview aired on This Week, and it began when Bannon said he wasn’t the least bit sorry Dr. Anthony Fauci had received death threats after he demanded that Fauci’s head be put “on a pike.”

“I’m not backing off my rhetoric,” Bannon told Karl.

“Are you concerned about those death threats, though?” Karl asked.

“Do you think I don’t get death threats and have security all the time?” Bannon replied. “That comes when you play at the highest levels.”

Karl then asked, “Will you appeal right now, message to all of Trump’s supporters, to respect the results? If you’re going to lose… there will be no violence?”

“Have you asked a Democrat this question, yes or no?” Bannon retorted.

Karl: “I haven’t seen Democrats storm the Capitol to try to stop an election! And by the way, I have no problem asking Democrats if they’re going to respect the election.”

“Here’s the bottom line,” Bannon insisted. “When this is adjudicated and reviewed, if they are certifiable, chain of custody, vote ballots and votes from American citizens, then hey, whatever that outcome is, is totally fair.”

“Until the time that we get that, all bets are off.”

Translation: If Trump loses again, you can expect violence from Trump acolytes, and Bannon will be egging them on, just the way he did in the days before the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. If and when that happens, Bannon belongs behind bars for the rest of his life.