The Art of the Donald Trumpocalypse

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:28 am

Criticized for his twitter response, Trump doubles down.

He has already renewed his call for a Muslim ban. At the link, he first claims that NATO is only now noticing terrorism (and takes credit for it), then suggests that Obama might be secretly colluding with terrorists.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:53 am

Holman wrote:Criticized for his twitter response, Trump doubles down.

He has already renewed his call for a Muslim ban. At the link, he first claims that NATO is only now noticing terrorism (and takes credit for it), then suggests that Obama might be secretly colluding with terrorists.

You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

-Joseph Welch to Joseph McCarthy at the Army McCarthy Hearings, 1954

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:09 pm

Holman wrote:Criticized for his twitter response, Trump doubles down.

He has already renewed his call for a Muslim ban. At the link, he first claims that NATO is only now noticing terrorism (and takes credit for it), then suggests that Obama might be secretly colluding with terrorists.

(1) Trump only really has one response to anything, and that is to double down.
(2)

It says something that it barely gets an eyeroll that Trump is suggesting -- not very implicitly -- that a sitting president is colluding with terrorists. Nothing he does is shocking any more.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:25 pm

Kurth wrote:
Holman wrote:Criticized for his twitter response, Trump doubles down.

He has already renewed his call for a Muslim ban. At the link, he first claims that NATO is only now noticing terrorism (and takes credit for it), then suggests that Obama might be secretly colluding with terrorists.
(1) Trump only really has one response to anything, and that is to double down.
(2)

It says something that it barely gets an eyeroll that Trump is suggesting -- not very implicitly -- that a sitting president is colluding with terrorists. Nothing he does is shocking any more.

The thing is that prominent Republican leaders have been suggesting that Obama is colluding with terrorists, and is generally intentionally undermining the United States, for years. This isn't something that Trump came up with.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:29 pm

Plus he said it on Fox.

Archinerd · Post by **Archinerd** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:29 pm

I'm taking this as evidence that Trump is colluding with 4chan.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:52 pm

Thank you, John Oliver, for the perfect response to Trump.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:12 pm

Archinerd wrote:I'm taking this as evidence that Trump is colluding with 4chan.

Or some obscure reddit subforum. A bunch of punk kids hacking the electoral college for the lulz would actually explain a lot of what's been going on this cycle.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:56 pm

This should have been a .gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ECs2-Cv7Fo

Too bad it's not in synch.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 2:46 pm

LordMortis wrote:This should have been a .gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ECs2-Cv7Fo

Too bad it's not in synch.

Don't ever say that the Boomers never did you a solid.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 2:51 pm

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:11 pm

Is "tripling down" a thing?

Trump advisor Roger Stone suggests that Clinton's aide Huma Abedin may be a terrorist spy or a Saudi agent.

Only Trump, Roger Stone said on Sirius XM's "Breitbart News Daily," will be able to draw the necessary amount of attention to the theories, which have drawn significant blowback from Democrats and Republicans alike.

“I also think that now that Islamic terrorism is going to be front and center, there’s going to be a new focus on whether this administration, the administration of Hillary Clinton at State was permeated at the highest levels by Saudi intelligence and others who are not loyal Americans," Stone said. "I speak specifically of Huma Abedin, the right-hand woman, now vice-chairman or co-chairman of vice—of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign."

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:17 pm

Trump lies are the biggest, juiciest lies you can buy! And you can only find them at Donald Trump!

<I will never be able to hear the name Trump without also hearing his pitch for Trump Steaks immediately afterwards>

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:18 pm

Greetings citizen, are you now or have you ever been a Communist Mutant Traitor? Friend Trump needs to know.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:50 pm

Trump supports a free press by attempting to free the press from the burden of reporting on him. I'm sure that will work out just fine.

U.S. Republican Donald Trump said on Monday he will no longer issue press credentials to the Washington Post, stopping the publication from gaining access to press areas at his presidential campaign events. The Washington Post, based in the U.S. capital, is one the country's the most influential newspapers and has one of the largest circulations. "They have no journalistic integrity and write falsely about Mr. Trump," his campaign said in a statement explaining the decision. "Mr. Trump does not mind a bad story, but it has to be honest." Trump's campaign repeated criticism the candidate has made of Post owner Jeff Bezos, who also owns online retailer Amazon.com.

It is unusual for a presidential campaign to refuse to issue credentials to news organizations. Credentials are needed for reporters, photographers and other staff to gain access to press seating, travel with the campaign and attend media-only events, like press conferences. "Donald Trump's decision to revoke The Washington Post's press credentials is nothing less than a repudiation of the role of a free and independent press," the newspaper's editor, Marty Baron, said in a statement. "When coverage doesn't correspond to what the candidate wants it to be, then a news organization is banished. The Post will continue to cover Donald Trump as it has all along -- honorably, honestly, accurately, energetically, and unflinchingly. We're proud of our coverage, and we're going to keep at it." A source close to the campaign said the ban could be temporary and pointed out that Trump has already barred other news organizations, including Politico, from obtaining press credentials and then reversed course.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:27 am

Look at all the money the Post cost him.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:47 am

I was thinking that we need a new bingo card that lists media outlets instead GOP candidates. Although Trump may have pre-empted that by having already revoked enough credentials to trigger a bingo at the outset. And The Donald®'s flip-flops evolving positions might make it too much trouble to stay current.

A source close to the campaign said the ban could be temporary and pointed out that Trump has already barred other new organizations, including Politico, from obtaining press credentials and then reversed course. Ben Smith, executive editor of Buzzfeed, responded that his news organization, which targets millennials, is also banned from covering official Trump events. The Huffington Post posted on Twitter that its reporters are also barred.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:37 am

In the end there shall be only one.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:01 am

Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan stood by his criticism of Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim immigration Tuesday, saying it was against the country’s interests.

“I stand by remarks,” Ryan said today in a news conference at the Republican National Committee. “I do not think a Muslim ban is in our country's interest. I do not think it is reflective of our principles.”

The Wisconsin Republican, referencing the House GOP's election-year national security agenda and the House's vote last year on a proposal to pause Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States, said the "smarter way to go is to have a security test and not a religious test."

Scraper · Post by **Scraper** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:39 am

Isgrimnur wrote:Ryan

House Speaker Paul Ryan stood by his criticism of Donald Drumpf’s proposed ban on Muslim immigration Tuesday, saying it was against the country’s interests.

“I stand by remarks,” Ryan said today in a news conference at the Republican National Committee. “I do not think a Muslim ban is in our country's interest. I do not think it is reflective of our principles.”

The Wisconsin Republican, referencing the House GOP's election-year national security agenda and the House's vote last year on a proposal to pause Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States, said the "smarter way to go is to have a security test and not a religious test."

It's pretty crazy that the Republican presidential candidate is making the Republican Congress seem sane concerning the issues of religion and race.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:51 am

Scraper wrote:
It's pretty crazy that the Republican presidential candidate is making the Republican Congress seem sane concerning the issues of religion and race.

Which just might be their strategy for keeping control of congress. Clever.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 12:29 pm

Horrifying view of a Trump rally. Series of tweets describing the rally.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:05 pm

You got your belly-flops, and your flip-flops. Is belly-flip-flop a thing? At the least, I expect some splash...

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:05 pm

Pyperkub wrote:Horrifying view of a Trump rally. Series of tweets describing the rally.

It's like visiting another planet, one I don't want to live on anymore.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:08 pm

Pyperkub wrote:Horrifying view of a Trump rally. Series of tweets describing the rally.

It makes me sick to my stomach that there are so many Americans that have so much casual hatred for other people.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:12 pm

Max Peck wrote:You got your belly-flops, and your flip-flops. Is belly-flip-flop a thing? At the least, I expect some splash...

Excellent, another wedge issue to take Trump apart with.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:14 pm

What amazes me more is their brazen "shout it from the rooftops" attitude associated with their ignorance. It seems like people are feeling genuine pride by publicly sharing what I guess was only whispered behind closed doors? Maybe that's freeing - to know they aren't alone in their views?

I also don't know how you go back to living a life where you can only hate people in secret after being able to ride the Trump campaign train for so long. Above and beyond whatever happens post-November I don't think these troglodytes are going to slink back into the darkness.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:15 pm

tgb wrote:In the end there shall be only one.

As long as they keep Judge Jeanine Pirro, I'm all for it.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 1:29 pm

Smoove_B wrote:What amazes me more is their brazen "shout it from the rooftops" attitude associated with their ignorance. It seems like people are feeling genuine pride by publicly sharing what I guess was only whispered behind closed doors? Maybe that's freeing - to know they aren't alone in their views?

I also don't know how you go back to living a life where you can only hate people in secret after being able to ride the Trump campaign train for so long. Above and beyond whatever happens post-November I don't think these troglodytes are going to slink back into the darkness.

That's a disturbing point even just politically. What happens to the Trump constituency in 2020? Do they just knuckle under and line up to vote for that mild-mannered Paul Ryan?

Trump's going to lose, but the 2018 mid-term candidates in Trump country are going to be an ugly bunch.

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 6:54 pm

Trump is again threatening to take his ball and go it alone:

Donald Trump slammed GOP leaders on Wednesday for not lining up behind him, implying that he's willing to go forward without their help.
"We have to have our Republicans either stick together or let me just do it by myself. I'll do very well. I'm going to do very well. OK? I'm going to do very well. A lot of people thought I should do that anyway, but I'll just do it very nicely by myself," Trump said, though he did not elaborate on what doing it "by myself" would mean.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee also accused his party's leaders of being weak and told them to "please be quiet."

"You know the Republicans, honestly folks, our leaders, our leaders have to get tougher," Trump said during a rally in Atlanta. "Our leaders have to get a lot tougher. And be quiet. Just please be quiet. Don't talk. Please be quiet. Just be quiet to the leaders because they have to get tougher, they have to get sharper, they have to get smarter."

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:11 pm

Sometimes, you just can't do enough to keep people happy.

Md.'s GOP governor says he doesn't plan to vote for Trump

Maryland's Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday that he will not vote for his party's presumptive presidential candidate, Donald Trump. The governor was visiting Prince George's County, east of Washington, when he was asked about voting for Trump. He replied, "No, I don't plan to," The Washington Post reported. Hogan elaborated: "I guess when I get behind the curtain I'll have to figure it out. Maybe write someone in. I'm not sure." Hogan had endorsed and campaigned for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to be the GOP's presidential nominee. But when a reporter asked Hogan if he would support Trump if he puts Christie on the ticket, Hogan said no. Hogan has made no secret of his disdain for Trump, and has said repeatedly he won't attend next month's Republican National Convention.

In March, Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat, sent a truck with a large sign on it to drive around the statehouse, demanding Hogan say whether he supported Trump. Earlier this month, Hogan was asked about the presumptive GOP nominee three times at a news conference. He replied, "I'm not interested in talking about Donald Trump any further." Hogan is a Republican governor in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. The Maryland Democratic Party said in a statement Wednesday: "Not voting for Trump doesn't go far enough. Marylanders deserve a governor who will speak out forcefully against Trump's hate and bigotry.

Elsewhere, someone is getting back to his birther roots, and then (you guessed it) doubling down. I mean, why stop at secret Muslim when you can insinuate secret Muslim traitor.

Trump's new Obama claims thrust him into uncharted territory

Donald Trump's latest accusation against President Barack Obama - that he's putting U.S. enemies ahead of America's own people - is thrusting him into uncharted territory for the presidential candidate of any major political party. Trump spent the first days following the Orlando nightclub massacre hinting Obama was sympathizing with or even supporting terrorists. Some of those times he said he was repeating what "many people" believe - one of the presumptive Republican nominee's favorite ways to sprinkle conspiracy theories into the presidential campaign. By Wednesday, Trump abandoned the innuendo and embraced a more pointed accusation against Obama. "Media fell all over themselves criticizing what Donald Trump 'may have insinuated about @POTUS.' But he's right," Trump posted on Twitter. The message included a link to a story by Breitbart News, a Trump-friendly website, that claimed to have proof the Obama administration backed a terror group in Iraq. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the candidate was retweeting a message from another Twitter user. Still, it was an effort by the GOP's White House pick to explicitly link the sitting Democratic president with those seeking to harm Americans, just days after 49 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Florida.

"Trump's comments regarding the president crossed every line," John Weaver, the senior strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich's failed Republican presidential campaign, wrote on Twitter. He cast Trump as a "peddler of lies, fantasies and half-baked conspiracy theories." For years, Trump has been the most high-profile proponent of the "birther" movement that falsely claims Obama is a Muslim who was born outside the United States, when in fact he is a Christian born in Hawaii. The businessman has also floated debunked conspiracy theories about former rival Ted Cruz's father being involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Hillary Clinton playing a role in the death of former White House aide Vince Foster. For Republican officials already struggling with whether to fully embrace him, Trump's willingness to engage in stories usually limited to supermarket tabloids is only making their options more complicated. "I don't go for these conspiracy theories and the "birtherism" nonsense," said Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa. The congressman, who has not endorsed Trump, said that while it's fair to criticize aspects of Obama's approach to combatting terrorism, "I part company with those then who want to get into these conspiracy theories." In a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Trump said Obama "continues to prioritize our enemy over our allies, and for that matter, the American people."

Trump's suggestions about Obama come as the president takes a more active role in the White House race. In a blistering speech Tuesday, Obama said Trump was a "dangerous" threat to national security and was putting America's religious freedoms at risk by calling for a temporary ban on foreign-born Muslims entering the U.S. But the White House has avoided commenting on Trump's attempts to link Obama to terrorism, calling the matter "small."

Ha! Like his hands, get it?

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:29 pm

So what's the over/under on Trump getting assassinated if he reaches the White House? Or goes through the drive-through at White Castle for that matter.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:40 pm

GreenGoo wrote:So what's the over/under on Trump getting assassinated if he reaches the White House? Or goes through the drive-through at White Castle for that matter.

Depends on who the VP is. It's hard to imagine anyone less qualified/more dangerous than Trump himself in that role, but unimaginable things are becoming routine lately.

Wife wondered today what happens if he's assassinated during the campaign. I guessed Republicans would draft a white knight rather than default to Cruz -- despite his previous disavowals Romney might accept if he didn't have to campaign (much). I reckon much would depend on how close to November it happens.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:05 pm

Kraken wrote:
GreenGoo wrote:So what's the over/under on Trump getting assassinated if he reaches the White House? Or goes through the drive-through at White Castle for that matter.
Depends on who the VP is. It's hard to imagine anyone less qualified/more dangerous than Trump himself in that role, but unimaginable things are becoming routine lately.

Wife wondered today what happens if he's assassinated during the campaign. I guessed Republicans would draft a white knight rather than default to Cruz -- despite his previous disavowals Romney might accept if he didn't have to campaign (much). I reckon much would depend on how close to November it happens.

Given the nature of their respective supporters, Trump isn't the reason I've been hoping that the Secret Service is on their game this year. Just sayin'...

If I was the éminence grise lurking atop the throne of skulls deep within the subterranean lair of the RNC, my plan would be to invite Trump in for a sit-down and offer him the hand of friendship, and my promise of support, all for the low, low price of accepting Cheneybot2.0 as his running mate. Of course, clasped within my other withered claw, I would have the impeachment papers already drawn up, signed and ready to be sealed and delivered as soon as the blank space reserved for the specific offense was filled in. I expect that the plan would advance to Phase II sometime within the iconic First Hundred Days.

Xmann · Post by **Xmann** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:21 pm

Pyperkub wrote:Horrifying view of a Trump rally. Series of tweets describing the rally.

That is really really disturbing.

What the hell is happening to people? Have I just been naive for years thinking that people don't act and think like this?

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:37 pm

People have sucked, do suck, and will continue to suck. Not sucking takes effort, and there are plenty of people that have no knowledge how and/or desire to not to suck.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Jun 15, 2016 10:47 pm

Xmann wrote:
Pyperkub wrote:Horrifying view of a Trump rally. Series of tweets describing the rally.
That is really really disturbing.

What the hell is happening to people? Have I just been naive for years thinking that people don't act and think like this?

A Trump event must be the real-life equivalent of a right-wing forum or comment feed. It's still anonymous, but the feedback and the validation are more visceral and more immediate, and they're fueled by shared adrenaline. It's the echo chamber with all the mediation stripped away. Unlike online, everyone (rather than just the few loudest) is seduced into extreme expression.

I've felt these things at marches and high-stakes sports, but there the messages are mostly positive and inspiring. Trump's message is defensive and darker. It's a hate rally.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:15 am

I'm amused watching the Republican leadership squirm when asked about Trump, now they just basically plead the 5th and refuse to comment. From this Trump vows to go it alone article:

The aftermath of the deadliest shooting in American history presented the party with an opportunity to show leadership in a time of crisis and anxiety, and at a time when voters believe the country is on the wrong track and think Trump is better at handling national security and terrorism issues than Hillary Clinton.

Instead, GOP leaders and lawmakers find themselves again wringing their hands over Trump's actions, going to great lengths to avoid mentioning his name altogether. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the GOP's whip, told Politico he wouldn't comment on Trump until November 8. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters at his weekly press conference he would not answer questions about his party's nominee. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who once ran for president, told an AP reporter that the party didn't technically have a nominee yet.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 9:46 am

Probably over the next month Trump will make a big show of walking back his extremes and moderating his tone. He'll make speeches that stand out for sounding so much more presidential than before. We'll be expected to believe that this 70-year-old scam-artist has completely changed himself in the course of a few weeks, and his ability to do so will be presented as a sign of leadership, adaptability, and political genius.

All the offensive idiocy of the past will be laughed off as just the heated rhetoric of the campaign. We'll be expected to take Trump seriously, and lots of people will.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Jun 16, 2016 10:04 am

Holman wrote:Probably over the next month Trump will make a big show of walking back his extremes and moderating his tone. He'll make speeches that stand out for sounding so much more presidential than before. We'll be expected to believe that this 70-year-old scam-artist has completely changed himself in the course of a few weeks, and his ability to do so will be presented as a sign of leadership, adaptability, and political genius.

All the offensive idiocy of the past will be laughed off as just the heated rhetoric of the campaign. We'll be expected to take Trump seriously, and lots of people will.

He's my GoG. #IStillRemember