2024 OT Election Day Thread: Donald Trump elected POTUS, GOP wins Senate and House of Representatives

The art of being too lazy to figure these things out in advance 🙄. The art of not having a clear objective, which would have made it possible to have a more targeted approach.

The art of incompetence I suppose 🤷‍♂️

After his acolytes never shutting the **** up about it, going on about how he was American Jesus and it was all part of the 4D plan, now a meme synonymous with failure. Good job.

https://x.com/Acyn/status/1910731154220868082

I just checked the date for the Trump/Zelenskyj meeting and it was February 28th. That's 1,5 months ago. It felt like a really dramatic moment and like everything was sort of exploding. But it seems to me that not a lot has happened since on the Russia/Ukraine front. Russia has done pretty much nothing to move towards peace and Ukraine still refuses to sign the minerals deal. After a brief pause US resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine. I'm not saying everything is great and no damage was done. But the process is moving slowly in the background now.

I'm thinking it will be similar with tariffs. The hot phase is over. Now more (hopefully) qualified people will take over and start to slowly clean up the mess and reduce the damage done. Today the tariffs on some electronic devices were removed. I expect a lot more of slowly rolling back things (like removing some of the poorer African countries from the list etc). Maybe some sort of deal with one of the Asian countries to have some kind of victory point to. Maybe some partial deal with the EU.

@Sushiglutton: These big "Trump events", they always seem to go the exact opposite of their intended purpose,

He's like an orange Elmer Fudd where every time tries to shoot the rabbit hole barrel's popped out the other end aimed at his ass.

Yeah he and his team does not seem to think these through to say the least. He identifies some problem area, does something shocking, see what happens and then try to fix it.

The next big thing coming up is what to do about Iran getting close to a nuclear weapon. That feels like a very high stakes situation. And if he makes the wrong decision, there may be no do-overs...

It makes sense if you ignore the complete BS rationale that Trump and his cronies spew, alongside a large helping of managerial incompetence. There's no upside, it's only the bad piled underneath the worse.

These are all reactionary concessions to unbelievable economic imbecility that was given zero consideration prior to their implementation aside their performative benefits. Now that the actual economic ramifications are in the mail, Trump's going to be scrambling to make concessions while trying to maintain the initial posture he desired to send.

I'm sure he's being screamed at by many, many people, at least to the extent their sycophancy, fear, and considerations towards their political futures would allow for. But yeah, these are things that should have been done beforehand. The worst thing about all of this is it didn't NEED to happen. Which is what makes me heavily tend towards the goal of market manipulation, even if that's not the plan altogether. Dude's nothing but a criminal.

Elect a criminal, institutionalize criminality.

I know it was forever ago on the Trump failure calendar, but did anyone end up getting fired over that whole "Inviting a journalist into your war room on an unsecured app" drama?

Part of me is wondering whether this tariff thing was announced just to distract from all of that, because they clearly didn't plan any of it.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/A2hi6LtVTMo

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Looks like Elon and Trump are headed for a messy breakup—and the split has already begun. At a recent cabinet meeting, it was made clear Elon wasn’t invited. But he showed up anyway… how he got in is anyone’s guess. Trump looked him dead in the face and said, “I don’t need anything from Elon. I just keep him around because I like him.” That wasn’t small talk—that was a public humiliation framed a complaint… And then came the Wisconsin disaster. Elon threw $20 million behind a conservative judge, paraded around in a cheesehead, made the race about himself—and still lost by 10 points. It was embarrassing. And Trump’s team knows it. As POLITICO reported: “Trump administration insiders and many outside allies have become frustrated with his unpredictability and increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability, a dynamic that was thrown into stark relief Tuesday when a conservative judge Musk vocally supported lost his bid for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat by 10 points.” Elon already hates Peter Navarro, Trump’s top economic guy, and the feeling’s mutual—Trump’s cabinet reportedly finds Elon annoying, unfunny, and exhausting to deal with. And while I’m sure this breakup will be spun into some “strategic distancing” nonsense, we all know what’s really happening—Trump and his inner circle are fucking tired of Elon Musk. The writing’s on the wall.

I missed the story that Trump staffers have illegally falsified government records by falsely listing over 6,000 immigrants as dead, in order to deny them social security benefits and the ability to gain incomes.

Washington Post is reporting that the senior executive who opposed this move - because it was illegal and inhumane - was promptly removed from office.

Oh, and he's also issuing executive orders to attack law firms that have opposed him or his administration.

Cool and normal stuff, guys. Well done.

More Art Of The Deal.

Another excellent video by Fareed

He discusses how tariffs inevitably leads to corruption. Companies will come to the white house to get excemptions from the tariffs. In Trump's first term, after the 25 % tariffs on steel etc, they got more than 500 000 applications. The president can personally decide which ones to except. This is not rule of law, or a fair market!

Apparently it worked like this to FDR changed the system back in the day. Corruption will be back! Studies shows that in Trump's first term companies that donated to the republican party were more likely to get excemptions. Trade lobbying increased by 50 %.

This does not only apply for companies, but is also true for countries. Vietnam for example is trying to please the administration, by for example allowing starlink to operate. Trump also has about 19 realestate projects around the world. Fareed compare to India where he grew up. A country that had a lot of tariffs, which produced stagnation, poverty and courruption.

Summary: The tariffs creates a situation in which companies/countries have to go to the president and beg for excemptions. This will inevitably lead to corruption. It is the opposite of free and fair trade and how capitalism is supposed to function.

@Sushiglutton:the thing that sucks is I feel so powerless to stop it.

Me and literally everyone I know is like "Get the money out of politics". I just don't know how we do that. Marjorie Taylor Greene was apparently worth 700K going into her position and now she is worth 22 million. And she is not alone, just the latest and best/worst example.

But like...what do I do? Write a letter? Tell a guy who is rich because of politics to not be rich? Ask them to overturn Citizens United?

Who watches the watchers?

We live in a society of "don't **** with the money" but the only thing we can do right now to fix all our problems is to literally "**** with the money"

Yeah I can understand that it is really stressful and frustrating. I feel the same. Like what can we "normal people" really do? I think writing to politicians is better than nothing (not to Taylor Greene, that would be a waste lol). And discuss with co-workers, paricipating in demonstrations etc. But realistically it won't make a difference 🤷‍♂️. But then again, it might.

It feels like the entire world is moving in a super dangerous direction, not just US. Sometimes I think the best thing to do is look away and try to live like normal.

I have nothing smart to say. I feel lost.

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Bill Ackman now calls for pausing the tariffs on China for 90 days. Last time he posted like this the president did almost exactly as he suggested. Maybe it will happen again?

I was probably naive. But I am still shocked over how incompetently the tariffs were implemented. If you are too lazy to do any homework, at least don't make them take effect immediately...

BREAKING: China suspends exports of certain rare earth minerals crucial for the car, semiconductor and aerospace industries.

To refresh:

•Get a criminal con man into the heights of power ✅

•create DOGE and appoint a billionaire to oversee the stripping of governmental oversight under the pretense of removing fraud and increasing efficiency ✅

•announce ”Liberation Day” in the most antagonistic, dramatic, and public way possible, announcing ridiculous tariffs, causing markets to plummet in panic ✅

•use ”manufacturing” and ”unfair trade” as an “American 1st” cover to gain support and distract attention away ✅

•have yourself and your billionaire buddies get while the gettin’s gooood… ✅

•say, ”nah, just joking, it’s all good for 90 days” ✅

•sit back and watch the markets soar ✅

•PROFIT! ✅

Rinse & repeat in 3 months. Anyone want to investigate? Oops sorry, those folks got let go for efficiency and “fraud” by Elon.

Yes, they most certainly did.

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.....and now for the proof:

3-1/2 hours before Trump announced the raising of the tariffs, he posted "This is a great time to buy!! DJT"

Cute, as DJT is just Donnie's initials, yet it's also the stock symbol for "Trump Media & Technology Group Corp" on the stock market. Of course, him posting DJT after the exclamation points gives him plausible deniability to claim he was only using his initials to sign off instead of him suggesting people to buy DJT stock.

But that doesn't stop him from blatantly bragging about his billionaire buddies enriching themselves at the expense of our economy and the destroyed investments of countless.

This guy isn't even attempting to hide his corruption and criminality. Maybe the one remaining person at the SEC can start an investigation.

@MirkoS77: Yep. This administration is just a bunch of rich oligarchs and tech bros fleecing the country. Sad to see.

Here's Donnie's official medical report, for anyone who wants a quick laugh at his fictional height and weight.

PA governor Josh Shapiro had his home as the target of an arson.

Usual suspects are silent...

@Maroxad: Why does Donnie look like he’s doing his best Benito Mussolini impression in that side profile that they used as a template for those goofy looking lapel pins?

@nintendoboy16: Saw that earlier. Disgusting.

I don't even know what to say at this point. The Trump administration is using international prisons to get rid of legal residents without due process, and then using the fact that they're no longer on US soil to argue they have no responsibility to get them out of that prison.

Trump administration contends it has no duty to return illegally deported man to US

Yeah, as I’m reading it, this effectively doesn’t deprive us of due process, but in technicality of jurisdiction, effectively does.

If the government can snatch you up for whatever reason it deems suitable and ship you off to a 3rd world torture prison before the courts can say anything…..welp, sorry, you DID have your due process rights while you were here, but now you’re not, so enjoy your new life in prison that required no evidentiary substantiation whatsoever…..aside the discretion of the con man president who deemed it so.

Man, I tell ya…..I really could use some reassurances to talk me down from my “silliness” and “hyperbole” these days.

The White House has just issued a clarification on their clarification about whether or not smartphones and computers will be tariffed.

Contrary to the exclusion they announced on Friday, smartphones and other devices won't actually be excluded from all tariffs.

Once again, it looks like the US government forgot about the standing 20% Fentanyl tariff it announced a few weeks earlier.

So yeah, just more confusion, mismanagement, and mistrust from the US. While the US is burning bridges with its hostile negotiations, China is taking advantage of the chaos by strengthening its economic partnerships around the world and waiting for the US to destroy itself.

I'd be shocked if China doesn't come out of this trade war in a much better position than it started in.

To be fair, poor non white people are subhuman rapists who eat kittens.

https://x.com/front_ukrainian/status/1911663925340348700



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https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/trump-threatens-cbs-with-substantial-punishment-over-latest-60-minutes-broadcast/ar-AA1CSI7F


Part of interview -

@uninspiredcup said:

https://x.com/front_ukrainian/status/1911663925340348700

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https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/trump-threatens-cbs-with-substantial-punishment-over-latest-60-minutes-broadcast/ar-AA1CSI7F

Part of interview -

Loading Video...

They did two negative stories and one of them was not the stupid tariffs... They should be sued for trying to cover up for the president.

A normal reaction for a democratically elected leader… That he even name the FCC chairman to put extra pressure on him to carry out Trump’s revenge…

Uh huh.

@uninspiredcup: A gentle reminder to everyone that Russia is the aggressor. If they want it to stop, they can simply stop.

But they don't, no matter how much their foreign asset cries to the contrary.

@mattbbpl: Part of this response is most likely the "mineral deal", where he scams them, not going through. Pressure, attempting to replace the government and demonize its leader hasn't worked. So we are getting partial rejection with a genuine believe he can make a deal with Russia have dangled trinkets and woo'd his officials.

As we were talking about a couple of posts or a page back, everything Trump has attempted to do has failed.

By demonizing Ukraine and Zelensky he's actually magnified his support to the point it's practically double of his polling in America. Even if he forced an election, Zelensky would win, it would be pointless.

Further, a puppet government would be wholly rejected.

Pressure, disabling weapons, Ukraine might not be around, indirectly killing them, hasn't worked.

Zelensky proposing to use EU funds to actually buy 50b of weapons (from what I can tell a record amount), puts Trump is a position of going against Putin directly above and beyond, or refusing to help Ukraine, Western allies and more or less betraying America, even if you take it as people getting work and earning profits, money back from Ukraine.

Timing this as well, after an event where people have been mass murdered, with repetitiveness "do nothing against puting", "zel le bahd", "BIden le bad", would have never have something something.. has reached a point of sheer hollowness imo that only the most die hard MAGA will chomp.

Aside from the mineral scam, it's seem obv directly related to that 60 minute episode where Zelensky gives him and his goobers complete and valid criticism which is like kryptonite to Trump.

Overall, basically what rambling on about, is think this is further deterioration of Trump himself and whatever credibility he had as opposed to anyone else.

He can keep saying bla bla bla would have never have happened etc.. but it might as well be TV static at this point.

And here Trump is flat out saying he wants to do the same thing with US citizens.

@mattbbpl: Impeach his ass. I know the likelihood of that happening is next to nothing thanks to his enablers controlling the House and Senate, but the American people need to be raising a huge ruckus at their congresspeople for this tinpot dictator to be impeached and prosecuted for his crimes and dereliction of duty.

@agent_stroud: Yeah, this can't stand. This is the "throwing citizens in concentration camps without due process and losing the key," moment. Every other line including, "throwing non-citizens in concentration camps without due process and losing the key," has been crossed. We're into "the worst parts of Nazi Germany," territory.

So....

• our economy is swirling down the toilet
• our trading partners are alienated and hostile, negotiating trade without us
• we've alienated our closest allies and groveled/praised at the feet of our enemies
• our values have taken a complete 180
• we've threatened allies
• we're responsible for the destruction of world markets and the retirements of millions
• programs that help the poor and disabled have been gutted
• funding for science, education, and medical research has been decimated
• our national forests have been opened up for harvesting
• we're paying up to 140% more on many goods, and higher prices then we were only a few months ago
• we're throwing immigrants in third world torture prisons without the due process they have a right to
• .....and are now threatening the same for American citizens
• the courts are being ignored, as are 9-0 unanimous SCOTUS rulings
• Americans are being targeted by the government under the claim of "treason"
• universities are having funding stripped if they don't do the administration's will
• law firms are being coerced to be Trump's own personal legal bully

Any that I missed?

84 days, quite an achievement. Is America "Great Again" yet, MAGA?

Didn't see posted, more corruption.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/politics/government/did-ultra-maga-loyalist-marjorie-taylor-greene-cash-in-on-trump-s-tariff-announcements/vi-AA1CUNCw

The U.S can 100% win this trade war against China.

Despite only making up for 5% of the global population, The U.S makes up for 30% of the consumer market worldwide.

He is not a U.S citizen, he is an El Salvador citizen.

The U.S can not demand that El Salvador do anything with their citizen.

Trumps administration is correct, they cant demand a foreign country transport one of their citizens to America. They have no authority to either.

Hey Sarge! I was wondering if that was you. 👋🏻

@drfecalstein: China is negotiating with other countries. The US has no one left to negotiate with except Russia, which is not economically sound and North Korea. Also not a win. China is poised to replace the US at the top.

That sounds like a colossal ****-up for Trump then.

He put pressure on ICE to deport huge numbers of people. ICE bungled the job and deported the wrong man. And now you're saying Trump is totally powerless to reverse the decision.

That's awful. I hope everyone involved in this decision, and their current deportation process, loses their jobs. Also, they really should overhaul the process for verifying who they're sending to the offshore concentration camps. Maybe there could be, like, trials. Or due process.

But it's interesting, right? You're saying that Trump is too bad of a negotiator that he can't secure the release of one man. You're saying the president of El Salvador doesn't respect Trump, and Trump has no sway with other nations. That's a real breakthrough for you, Sarge.

This is BS on it's face, and I think you're smart enough to know that.

But as a thought experiment, let's presume it's true. In that case Trump sent a LEGAL immigrant to a foreign prison without due process and is powerless to rectify his mistake. If that is accurate, it's a massive violation of the constitution and human rights. He deserves immediate impeachment followed by imprisonment.

To reiterate, this is straight up Nazi shit.

Bye 1.6 billion

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/tariffs-war-halts-us-beef-exports-to-china-as-australia-fills-the-gap/ar-AA1CLJos

Tariffs war halts US beef exports to China as Australia fills the gap

About 300 abattoirs in the United States still have not had their export licences renewed to export beef to China — and it seems Australia is filling the gap.

Before Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff hikes, American beef exporters were already facing problems with their third-largest market.

According to the US Meat Export Federation, American pork and poultry plants had their export registrations with China renewed on March 16, but China "had still not renewed the eligibility of any US beef establishments".

"The majority of US beef production is now ineligible for China," it said.

"This impasse definitely hit our March beef shipments harder and the severe impact will continue until China lives up to its commitments under the Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement."

While some US beef has trickled into China in the past few weeks, ABC Landline has been told the trade has now ground to a halt — especially after China announced retaliation tariffs.

In 2024, the United States exported $US1.6 billion ($A2.57 billion) worth of beef to China, making it the third-largest export destination.

Australian grain-fed beef in demand

Statistics from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) show Australian grain-fed beef exports to China have ramped up significantly, with 21,885 tonnes shipped in February and March — up nearly 40 per cent on the same period last year.

Speaking at a meat processing industry conference on the Gold Coast this week, Bindaree Food Group's Andrew Simpson said the trade war was creating indirect opportunities.

"If there's a tit-for-tat around the globe and countries like Japan or China push up reciprocal tariffs, it may prevent American beef becoming commercially viable into those regions [and] Australian beef will fill the gap, which could present a short-term opportunity," he said.

Global meat analyst Brett Stuart said Australia would be a clear winner going forward.

"Australia is now the lone supplier of high-quality white fat marbled beef into China," he said.

"[US beef] sales to China have fallen to zero … and not only is the market now closed based on the March 16 production date, but the combined retaliation tariffs by China now take the tariff on US beef to 116 per cent, a level that will quickly halt trade."

Seems like Americans are about to have all the beef they can eat.

@theformless: For a season. The price of beef falls, all the MAGA ranchers in TX whine like little *****es, and then they start culling herds.

Some comments on here are going to age like milk.😂

He didn't claim he's a U.S. citizen, he said he is a legal resident. Which he is....legally residing in the U.S. under the protection of a court order that protects (or should) protect him from deportation until his case can be adjudicated and his status here finalized.

Y'know.....due process?

The Trump regime is hiding behind a technicality to excuse themselves from doing the right thing and having to obey the law, the Constitution, and the courts, pushing a lie to justify it. If you honestly have to cower behind this technicality to dodge the law, the Constitution, and the courts, then you have sacrificed all semblance of what is to value in this country. I don't know how you people can sleep at night. There is no justifying this.

Utterly, utterly shameful and disgusting. I am really beginning to dislike MAGAs.