(07-26-2017, 02:25 PM)CageTheBengal Wrote: I have no idea why anybody would be angry at the BSA for what happened at the Jamboree. The President should be able to give an appropriate speech at an event like that and even I thought he was capable of doing so. It should've been an easy win for him. All he had to do was give an inspiring speech to some Boy Scouts and he gets positive publicity.
I bet if he had read the speech that was written for him it would have been fine.
He just can't resist the easy pops by hitting his talking points. Plus he really believes he knows how to adlib. He doesn't, but he thinks he does.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
(07-26-2017, 02:37 PM)GMDino Wrote: I bet if he had read the speech that was written for him it would have been fine.
He just can't resist the easy pops by hitting his talking points. Plus he really believes he knows how to adlib. He doesn't, but he thinks he does.
Exactly this. You can tell that the speech was likely good for the setting, but he inserted things in that were just really inappropriate.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
Just in: @BoyScouts exec apologizes for "political rhetoric..inserted into the jamboree", says event "overshadowed" by POTUS remarks pic.twitter.com/26SYG6aLE6
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
Jesus, it's not the HHS Secretary's job to get votes for Senate bills. McConnell is the majority whip. It's his job. But, I'm not surprised the guy learning on the job doesn't know that 7 months in.
Quote:WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump received applause on Friday when he endorsed police brutality while delivering a speech to law enforcement officers on Long Island, New York.
The president suggested that officers should hit suspects’ heads on the doors of their police cars.
“When you see these towns and when you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon, you just see them thrown in, rough, and I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice,’” Trump said.
“Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over, like, don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody, don’t hit their head, I said, ‘You can take the hand away, OK?’” he added.
His remarks received significant applause.
JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
Police officers laugh at a line by President Donald Trump as he delivers remarks at the Long Island University campus in Brentwood, New York, on Friday.
Trump also made the dubious claim that laws were “horrendously stacked” against police officers and said he wants to change those laws.
“For years and years, [laws have] been made to protect the criminal,” Trump said. “Totally protect the criminal, not the officers. You do something wrong, you’re in more jeopardy than they are. These laws are stacked against you. We’re changing those laws.”
In his speech, Trump also said that police officers in many parts of the country couldn’t do their jobs because they had a “pathetic mayor” or a mayor “who doesn’t know what’s going on.” Those comments also received a lengthy applause.
“It’s sad, it’s sad. You look at what’s happening, and it’s sad,” Trump said. “We’re going to support you like you’ve never been supported before.”
Trump also spoke about violence in Chicago, which was a consistent theme of his speeches throughout the campaign and is a topic he has continued to reference during his presidency. Trump recalled speaking to an “impressive” and “rough cookie” police officer from Chicago, and said the officer had told him he could straighten out the city’s violence problem in a “couple of days” if he was given the authority.
Quote:Police cannot treat every community like an invading army, and encouraging violence by police is irresponsible and reprehensible.Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs at Amnesty International USA
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Trump may not be getting along these days, but the two are on the same page when it comes to policing. Sessions has had the Justice Department pull back from “pattern or practice” investigations that look into widespread constitutional abuses in police departments.
Zeke Johnson, senior director of programs at Amnesty International USA, said Trump’s “inflammatory and hateful speech will only escalate tensions between police and communities,” putting both officers and civilians at risk.
“Police cannot treat every community like an invading army, and encouraging violence by police is irresponsible and reprehensible,” he said.
Vanita Gupta, who headed the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under former President Barack Obama, said Trump’s remarks were “unconscionable” and undermined the positive efforts of local law enforcement to build up community trust.
“The president of the United States, standing before an audience of law enforcement officials, actively encouraged police violence,” Gupta said. “We call on the president to immediately and unequivocally condemn police brutality. We can all respect our law enforcement officers without sanctioning unjust and illegal behavior.”
Robert Driscoll, a former Justice Department Civil Rights Division official under the President George W. Bush administration, was also critical.
When he was campaigning here in Dayton, some yahoo rushed the stage. Trump quickly hid behind security as they drug the guy away. He then assured the crowd that "I would have got him. I was ready for him.".
I'm gonna break every record they've got. I'm tellin' you right now. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but it's goin' to get done.
That came between his whining yesterday about the Senate needing 60 votes for some things, his anger that China makes money off of trade deals with us and hasn't blown up NK for us yet, and going back to tell Senators to go with nuclear option to get healthcare replaced.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
(07-30-2017, 01:56 PM)GMDino Wrote: Can anyone explain this one?
Not really... maybe because some said Sessions and his early endorsement were so important for Trump... but that doesn't make too much sense either. So that's probably it :)
Quote:Five memorable moments from Trump's interview with the Wall Street Journal
Last week, the Wall Street Journal had a one-on-one interview with President Trump. But when the outlet didn't publish a full transcript of the interview, Politicostepped in and published it. Here are five of the most interesting moments. On Jared Kushner
IVANKA TRUMP : And I liked your editorial today, very nice. (Laughs.)
GERRY BAKER: Oh, good, good. Well, you see, you know, my colleagues write those, so they’ll be – they’ll be –
PRESIDENT TRUMP: You did a good job.
IVANKA TRUMP: Yeah, you really did.
GERRY BAKER: Thank you very much. Thank you.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: You did a good job. He’s a good – he’s a good boy.
IVANKA TRUMP: They wrote a very nice editorial, so very good.
The editorial in question, "The Kushner Statement," lauds President Trump's son-in-law for his disclosure last week that detailed his Russian contacts.
On population sizes PRESIDENT TRUMP: So, you know, and these are like countries, you know, fairly large, like 300 million people. You know, a lot of people say – they say, well, but the United States is large. And then you call places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and you say, you know, how many people do you have? And it’s pretty amazing how many people they have. So China’s going to be at 7 or 8 percent, and they have a billion-five, right?
The president had been discussing his repatriation tax on offshore earnings when he went off on this tangent.
@dandrezner
STAFF: Trump on line 2!
MODI: God, not again. [Picks up phone] Hello Mr. President!
TRUMP: So how many peopl-
MODI: MORE THAN A ZILLION OK?! 5:22 PM - Aug 1, 2017
On his Boy Scout speech PRESIDENT TRUMP: And I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful. So there was – there was no mix.
Trump's speech last week at the Boy Scouts of America's national jamboree was filled with political rhetoric, resulting the Boy Scouts' chief executive apologizing for the speech in an open letter.
On Southampton GERRY BAKER: It was nice to see you out in Southampton a couple weeks ago.
Baker apparently saw into Ivanka Trump while the two were in the Hamptons, likely for a party thrown last month Washington Post heiress Lally Weymouth.
On his staff GERRY BAKER: But we can’t expect any more staff changes in the immediate – in the immediate future?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, I don’t think so.
GERRY BAKER: No?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: But I’m very happy with Anthony (Scaramucci). I think Anthony is going to do amazing.
This interview took place on Tuesday, July 25. Three days later, Reince Priebus would be ousted as chief of staff. Six days later, Anthony Scaramucci was out the door as well. View image on Twitter
@brianstelter
1 week ago today: More staff changes coming? "No, I don't think so," POTUS said. Reince out 3 days later, "amazing" Anthony out 6 days later 4:15 PM - Aug 1, 2017
(07-26-2017, 02:25 PM)CageTheBengal Wrote: I have no idea why anybody would be angry at the BSA for what happened at the Jamboree. The President should be able to give an appropriate speech at an event like that and even I thought he was capable of doing so. It should've been an easy win for him. All he had to do was give an inspiring speech to some Boy Scouts and he gets positive publicity.
In Trump's defense he has managed to (for good or ill) inspire the ever-loving hell out of the multitudes by acting like an unhinged maniac, bragging about how awesome he is, and insulting his detractors. You just can't blame a guy for sticking with a bafflingly successful formula, regardless of the venue and audience.
I should note that on the comment from Trump about the BSA speech, there was no such call. And this isn't anything from a news source, this is from friends working in Irving.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
(08-02-2017, 04:47 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I don't understand why there's a need to lie about something as petty as a phone call from the Boy Scouts saying he gave the greatest speech ever.
Quote:White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday denied that President Donald Trump was a liar.
Trump had claimed that the president of Mexico and the head of the Boy Scouts both called him to praise his presidential abilities. But both people refuted Trump’s claims.
“Did he lie?” asked ABC News correspondent Cecilia Vega during a press briefing.
Sanders said Trump was referencing a conversation with the president of Mexico he had at the G20 Hamburg summit and praise he had received from members of the Boy Scouts.
Quote:“But the president specifically said he received a phone call from the president of Mexico,” Vega pressed.
“They were direct conversations, not phone calls,” Sanders interrupted.
“So he lied,” Vega shot back. “He didn’t receive that phone call.”
“I wouldn’t say it is a lie. That’s a pretty bold accusation,” Sanders replied. “The conversations took place.”
Watch video below:
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
(08-02-2017, 04:47 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I don't understand why there's a need to lie about something as petty as a phone call from the Boy Scouts saying he gave the greatest speech ever.
He is delusional. I really don't know of any other explanation. From what we saw in the campaign, to everything since he has been in office, I don't think there can be any explanation other than he lives in his own warped reality and believes everything he says is true even though it isn't.
"A great democracy has got to be progressive, or it will soon cease to be either great or a democracy..." - TR
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." - FDR
Quote:Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Gerard Baker said his newspaper would not refer to false statements from the Trump administration as “lies,” because doing so would ascribe a “moral intent” to the statements.
Baker appeared on NBC’s “Meet The Press” Sunday, where he described some of President-elect Donald Trump’s falsehoods as “questionable” and “challengeable.” But, he said, “I’d be careful about using the word ‘lie.’ ‘Lie’ implies much more than just saying something that’s false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead.”
He said reporters should state the facts, but leave classifying them to readers, citing the example of Trump’s claim that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey were celebrating on 9/11 (which is false).
“I think it’s then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, ‘This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I don’t think that’s true.’”
The New York Times editorial board has used “lie” to describe Trump’s rampant abuse of facts. And Washington Post conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin has taken the media to task for not using the word. Other outlets ― including MSNBC, New York
Magazine and HuffPost ― will use the word when it’s merited.
But Baker said that in doing so, “you run the risk that you look like you are, you’re not being, objective.”
Baker also suggested that Trump is being treated differently than other politicians. “This is happening all the time now, people are looking at what Donald Trump’s saying and saying, ‘This is false, it’s a false claim.’ I think people are saying, ‘You know what, Hillary Clinton said a lot things that were false.’ I don’t remember the press being quite so concerned about saying she lied in headlines and stories like that.”
'Cause he's a liar.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
Starting to worry about troop morale and executive branch morale.
Some rich lying turd is your boss and firing people left and right.
Threats to our commander in Afghanistan from some delusional draft dodger who kisses up to the country arming the enemies we are fighting.... Sorry you dedicated your entire adult life to the service of our country. This silver spoon spoiled prick who doesnt know shit doesnt approve.. And his favorite line is your fired.
Quote:President Trump made building a wall along the southern U.S. border and forcing Mexico to pay for it core pledges of his campaign.
But in his first White House call with Mexico’s president, Trump described his vow to charge Mexico as a growing political problem, pressuring the Mexican leader to stop saying publicly that his government would never pay.
“You cannot say that to the press,” Trump said repeatedly, according to a transcript of the Jan. 27 call obtained by The
Washington Post. Trump made clear that he realized the funding would have to come from other sources but threatened to cut off contact if Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto continued to make defiant statements.
The funding “will work out in the formula somehow,” Trump said, adding later that “it will come out in the wash, and that is okay.” But “if you are going to say that Mexico is not going to pay for the wall, then I do not want to meet with you guys anymore because I cannot live with that.”
He described the wall as “the least important thing we are talking about, but politically this might be the most important.” Read transcripts of Trump's calls with Mexico and Australia. VIEW GRAPHIC The heated exchange came during back-to-back days of calls that Trump held with foreign leaders a week after taking office. The Post has obtained transcripts of Trump’s talks with Peña Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Produced by White House staff, the documents provide an unfiltered glimpse of Trump’s approach to the diplomatic aspect of his job, subjecting even a close neighbor and long-standing ally to streams of threats and invective as ifaimed at U.S. adversaries.
The Jan. 28 call with Turnbull became particularly acrimonious. “I have had it,” Trump erupted after the two argued about an agreement on refugees. “I have been making these calls all day, and this is the most unpleasant call all day.”
Before ending the call, Trump noted that at least one of his conversations that day had gone far more smoothly. “Putin was a pleasant call,” Trump said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “This is ridiculous.”
The White House declined to comment. An official familiar with both conversations, who refused to speak on the record because the president’s calls have not been declassified, said, “The president is a tough negotiator who is always looking to make the best possible deals for the American people. The United States has many vital interests at stake with Mexico, including stopping the flow of illegal immigration, ending drug cartels’ reach into our communities, increasing border security, renegotiating NAFTA and reducing a massive trade deficit. In every conversation the president has with foreign leaders, he is direct and forceful in his determination to put America and Americans first.”
The official noted that Trump has since met both the Australian and Mexican leaders in person and had productive conversations with them.
The transcripts were based on records kept by White House notetakers who monitored Trump’s calls. Known as a “memorandum of conversation,” such documents are commonly circulated to White House staff and senior policymakers.
Both documents obtained by The Post contain notes indicating they were reviewed and classified by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg Jr., who serves as chief of staff on the National Security Council.
Portions of Trump’s strained conversations with Turnbull and Peña Nieto were reported earlier this year. But the transcripts trace the entire course of those calls from greeting to confrontation to — in the case of Turnbull — abrupt conclusion.
Both calls centered on immigration-related issues with high political stakes for Trump, who built his campaign around vows to erect new barriers — physical and legal — to entry to the United States.
But there was little discussion of the substance of those plans or their implications for U.S. relations with Australia and Mexico. Instead, Trump’s overriding concern seemed to center on how any approach would reflect on him.
“This is going to kill me,” he said to Turnbull. “I am the world’s greatest person that does not want to let people into the country. And now I am agreeing to take 2,000 people.” The agreement reached by the Obama administration actually called for the United States to admit 1,250 refugees, subject to security screening. A White House readout of the Trump call,issued at the time, said only that the two leaders had “emphasized the enduring strength and closeness of the U.S.-Australia relationship.”
Trump spent much of his call with Peña Nieto seeking to enlist the Mexican president in a deal to stop talking about how the wall would be paid for. Two days earlier, Trump had signed an executive order mandating construction of the wall, but funding for it remains unclear.
“On the wall, you and I both have a political problem,” Trump said. “My people stand up and say, ‘Mexico will pay for the wall,’ and your people probably say something in a similar but slightly different language.”
Trump seemed to acknowledge that his threats to make Mexico pay had left him cornered politically. “I have to have Mexico pay for the wall — I have to,” he said. “I have been talking about it for a two-year period.”
To solve that problem, Trump pressured Peña Nieto to suppress the issue. When pressed on who would pay for the wall, “We should both say, ‘We will work it out.’ It will work out in the formula somehow,” Trump said. “As opposed to you saying, ‘We will not pay,’ and me saying, ‘We will not pay.’ ”
Peña Nieto resisted, saying that Trump’s repeated threats had placed “a very big mark on our back, Mr. President.” He warned that “my position has been and will continue to be very firm, saying that Mexico cannot pay for the wall.”
Trump objected: “But you cannot say that to the press. The press is going to go with that, and I cannot live with that.”
Searching for an exit, Peña Nieto reiterated that the border plan “is an issue related to the dignity of Mexico and goes to the national pride of my country” but agreed to “stop talking about the wall.”
The exchange suggests that even at the outset of his presidency, Trump regarded the prospect of extracting money from Mexico as problematic but sought to avoid acknowledging that reality publicly.
Trump reiterated that vow as recently as last month, when he said during a summit of foreign leaders in Germany that he “absolutely” remained committed to forcing Mexico to pay for the wall. Weeks later, however, the House approved a spending bill setting aside $1.6 billion for a structure that is projected to cost as much as $21 billion.
Trump told Peña Nieto that he knew “how to build very inexpensively . . . and it will be a better wall and it will look nice.”
He has suggested the money could come from border taxes and even threatened to block remittance payments that flow from workers in the United States to relatives in Mexico, but has yet to provide complete plans or funding details.
Trump also lashed out at Peña Nieto over the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico and the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
“We have a massive drug problem where kids are becoming addicted to drugs because the drugs are being sold for less money than candy,” Trump said. “I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den.”
He described Mexican drug cartel leaders as “pretty tough hombres” and promised U.S. military support, saying that “maybe your military is afraid of them, but our military is not.”
Peña Nieto responded by saying that drug trafficking in Mexico is “largely supported by the illegal amounts of money and weapons coming from the United States.”
Trump also threatened to impose tariffs of up to 35 percent on imports from Mexico, saying that as president he had been given “tremendous taxation powers for trade,” even though tariffs are mainly the province of Congress.
Despite the friction, Trump at other moments sought to sweet-talk Peña Nieto, telling him that “you and I will always be friends,” and that if they could resolve their disputes over the border and trade, “We will almost become the fathers of our country — almost, not quite, okay?”
Though Australia is one of the United States’ closest allies, Trump’s call with Turnbull was even more contentious. The prime minister opened by noting that he and Trump have similar backgrounds as businessmen turned politicians. Trump also inquired about a mutual acquaintance, the golfer Greg Norman.
But the conversation devolved into a blistering exchange over a U.S. agreement to accept refugees from Australian detention centers on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island and the island nation of Nauru. The Obama administration had agreed to accept some of those being detained on humanitarian grounds after intervention by the United Nations.
At one point, Trump expressed admiration for Australia’s refusal to allow refugees arriving on boats to reach its shores, saying it “is a good idea. We should do that too.” In a remark apparently meant as a compliment, Trump told Turnbull,
“You are worse than I am.”
But the conversation rapidly deteriorated.
“I hate taking these people,” Trump said. “I guarantee you they are bad. That is why they are in prison right now. They are not going to be wonderful people who go on to work for the local milk people” — an apparent reference to U.S. dairy farms. Turnbull tried to salvage the deal, noting that the detainees were economic refugees who had not been accused of crimes.
He explained that they were being denied entry into Australia because of a policy aimed at discouraging human smuggling.
“There is nothing more important in business or politics than a deal is a deal,” Turnbull said. “You can certainly say that it was not a deal that you would have done, but you are going to stick with it.”
Trump only became angrier, saying the refugees could “become the Boston bomber in five years.”
“I think it is a horrible deal, a disgusting deal that I would have never made,” Trump said. “As far as I am concerned, that is enough, Malcolm. I have had it.”
Turnbull tried to turn to Syria and other subjects. But Trump refused. The call, which began at 5:05 p.m., ended 24 minutes later with Turnbull thanking the still-fuming Trump for his commitment.
“You can count on me,” Turnbull said. “I will be there again and again.”
“I hope so,” Trump said before saying thank you and hanging up.
Your anger and ego will always reveal your true self.
Quote:Trump probably thought the report bolstered his “Let Obamacare fail” chest thumping with acknowledgment that the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) is in a death spiral (it isn’t).
But what Trump didn’t seem to understand is that the report put much of the blame on him for the premium hikes. Yes, even Fox News said so.
Of course, Fox tried to put the Trump-friendliest face on the news. Its article, which is based on reporting by The Wall Street Journal, seemed to validate
Trump in its opening paragraphs:
Quote:Top health insurance companies in numerous states are looking to hike premiums by double-digits – some by roughly 30 percent or more – for ObamaCare plans in 2018, according to newly released figures that could light a fire under stalled efforts on Capitol Hill to fix the program.
“A lot of us have lost focus on the fact that the system we have doesn’t work,” White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, referring to the proposed premium hikes.
But the article concludes:
Quote:However, while the premium hikes could energize GOP efforts to upend the Affordable Care Act, they also could fuel Democrats’ criticism over how Republicans are handling to repeal/replace debate.
The Journal reported that insurers are concerned about Trump’s threat to halt payments to the industry that in turn help bring down costs, as well as whether Republicans will continue to enforce the individual mandate to buy insurance.
According to the Journal, one insurer in Montana linked the bulk of its proposed 23 percent increase to those two concerns.
In other words, rather than validating Trump, the article depicts him as hurting consumers and potentially helping Democrats in the process.
Did Trump not bother to read the article before he promoted it? Or did he not understand it? And which is worse?