The aftermath of Trump's acquittal in his second impeachment trial

Let's face, Donald Trump can be a real comedian. Last night he had a great routine on Fox.

Speaking of the Jan. 6 insurrection he incited, Trump told the Fox audience ...

It was zero threat, right from the start, it was zero threat, Look, they went in, they shouldn't have done it. Some of them went in, and they are hugging and kissing the police and the guards, you know, they had great relationships, and a lot of the people were waived in, and then they walked in and they walked out.

They don’t go after those people [BLM], but they go after people, I guess you would call them lean toward the right, and they wave American flags, in many cases, they are waving the American flag, and they love our country.

The riot led to more than 50 injuries and left five dead, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick. threatened members of Congress and called for then-Vice President Mike Pence, who was in the Capitol at the time, to be hanged.

I don't know if Trump meant to be funny, but we do know his remarks were quite comical. We do know that, because his audience was Fox listeners, he was not speaking to the average American voter. He was speaking to the uninformed, intelligence challenged members of his cult. They believe everything Trump says, no matter how outrageous. They don't know any better.

Please note Fox is being sued by Dominion voting machines for its lies about voter fraud. See: Fox News sued by Dominion Voting Systems over election fraud claims

 

Chris Cillizza writes, "Donald Trump's presidency is now behind us. But the debate over how bad a president he was has only just begun.

"In 2019, Siena College released its latest rankings, the result of the combined views of 159 presidential scholars who rated each of the presidents on 20 different aspects of the job. (The categories range from "integrity" to "willing to take risks" to "luck.") In those rankings, Trump placed third to last -- behind only James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.

"The other major recent study of best (and worst) presidents came in 2018 from Brandon Rottinghaus from the University of Houston and Justin S. Vaughn of Boise State University. (Known as the "Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey," this one polled 170 members of the American Political Science Association.)

"Trump ranked dead last in this survey, trailing Buchanan, William Henry Harrison, Franklin Pierce and Johnson, respectively. Broken out by the relative ideology of the panel, Trump fared little better. Among self-identified conservatives, Trump was ranked as the 40th best president. (Buchanan was conservatives' choice as worst president.) Among moderates and liberals in the survey, Trump was ranked dead last."

Officially, I am a conservative Independent, according to the state of California. True conservatives are not represented by a political party. I was a Republican until Trump drove me out, much like many other conservatives.

It is far too early to decide how history will view the Trump Presidency. However, the experts have given us a clue.

We already know there will be no response on the issue from Trump's cult, although I am not ruling out a focus on me from one or two.

 

Donald Trump is back online.

CNN reports, "The former president and first lady, Melania Trump, have launched a website to serve their personal offices. The website, 45office.com, comes after Trump's ban from social media sites in the aftermath of the January Capitol insurrection.

"The site features a lengthy biography for the former president that starts, "Donald J. Trump launched the most extraordinary political movement in history, dethroning political dynasties, defeating the Washington Establishment, and becoming the first true outsider elected as President of the United States."

"It also includes more than a dozen pictures of himself, in which he is depicted boarding Air Force One, greeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and, yes, kissing a baby."

See: Donald J. Trump 45th President

 

Sandy Shanks said. "Trump ranked dead last in this survey, trailing Buchanan, William Henry Harrison, Franklin Pierce and Johnson, respectively. Broken out by the relative ideology of the panel, Trump fared little better. Among self-identified conservatives, Trump was ranked as the 40th best president. (Buchanan was conservatives' choice as worst president.) Among moderates and liberals in the survey, Trump was ranked dead last."

A righteous move by Facebook as Trump made a foolish attempt to get around the Facebook ban. The former President is banned from Facebook along with Twitter and Instagram.

Fox reports, "Facebook removed a video of an interview with former President Trump conducted by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, saying any content "in the voice of Donald Trump" would be scrubbed from the social media platform.

"Facebook permanently banned the former president from their platform in January after the Capitol riot.

"On Tuesday, Lara Trump, a Fox News contributor, posted an image on Instagram of her sitting across from her father-in-law, urging followers to "Join us tonight!"

"A group of Trump officials were sent an email from a Facebook employee, warning that any content posted on Facebook and Instagram "in the voice of President Trump is not currently allowed on our platforms (including new posts with President Trump speaking)" and warned that it "will be removed if posted, resulting in additional limitations on accounts that posted it.'"

Little wonder as to why Trump's followers are avoiding Trump.

 

NBC News reports, "The Pentagon on Wednesday scrapped restrictions on transgender troops imposed by the Trump administration, and unveiled new rules designed to end discrimination and provide medical care for those service members.

"The Defense Department’s new policy will permit troops to serve openly under their self-identified gender and will offer access to medical treatments for gender transition, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters.

"The move restores Pentagon policy on transgender troops to where it stood before Donald Trump entered office in 2017, Kirby said. The Trump administration largely banned transgender people from serving openly in the military."

 

As usual, Trump's own big mouth gets him in trouble. This time it may land him in prison.

CNN reports, "Donald Trump once said he calculated his net worth, to a degree, on his "feelings," and that he put the "best spin" on some of the assets.'

"I think everybody" exaggerates about the value of their properties. "Who wouldn't?"

"Did he inflate values? "Not beyond reason," Trump said, insisting he gave his "opinion" to a key associate and "ultimately" let that person make the decision, according to an exchange in a 2007 deposition.

"The exchange takes on fresh meaning this spring as Manhattan prosecutors investigate whether Trump's "best spin" was common practice in local real estate circles -- or if he crossed the line into illegal activity."

 

I have said on several occasions that Trump can be hilarious at times. He showed us his remarkable humor just the other day.

Trump called for a boycott of Major League Baseball, claiming league officials made their decision because "they are afraid of the Radical Left Democrats who do not want voter I.D., which is desperately needed, to have anything to do with our elections."

Of course, he simplified matters for his intelligence challenged followers. The new Georgia voter law with its harsh restrictions was much more than just voter I.D. Trump needs to keep things simple for his followers.

Trump continued with his statement, "Boycott baseball," Trump urged, "and all of the woke companies that are interfering with Free and Fair Elections. Are you listening Coke, Delta, and all!"

So, now he is calling Major League Baseball, Coke, Delta, some of the huge corporations in Georgia racist. Who is interfering in "Free and Fair Elections?"

Yeah, he can be funny sometimes.

No doubt his looney tunes followers will give up on one their biggest pastimes to accommodate their leader.

 

I have said on several occasions that Trump can be hilarious at times.

Trump is getting hysterical.

Axios is now reporting, "In his new statement, he said: "Boycott Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, ViacomCBS, Citigroup, Cisco, UPS, and Merck."

"Trump accused "Radical Left Democrats" of playing dirty by boycotting companies that offend them. [Trump is doing the boycotting. He even said so.]

• "Now they are going big time with WOKE CANCEL CULTURE and our sacred elections," Trump said.
• "It is finally time for Republicans and Conservatives to fight back — we have more people than they do — by far!" [Now that's funny] he added, before making a series of complaints, including about the 2020 presidential election, and then wishing: "Happy Easter!"

This is the leader of the Republican Party? Little wonder as to why so many Republican lawmakers are quitting.

Of course, Trump is just grabbing attention with his outrageous remarks. He did it for four years as President. No one is shocked by Trump acting like an idiot. It is what he does.

 

Republicans and corporate America are on the outs.

NBC News reports, "In the past week alone, American Airlines and computer company Dell came out strongly against GOP-led bills that place restrictions on voting in their home base of Texas. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a rising star in Republican Party, continued to take heat for nixing a bill that would have imposed a ban on transgender athletes in sports, citing the potential impact on her state's bottom line. And conservatives spent days bashing "vaccine passports" some businesses think are needed to return to normal.

"And then there was Georgia, where the Republican-controlled state House narrowly voted to end a tax break worth millions that Delta enjoys on jet fuel after the airline's CEO. (The GOP-led state Senate did not take up the measure.) The CEO of Coca-Cola, another major Atlanta-based business — condemned new voting restrictions in the state. On Friday, Major League Baseball pulled this year's All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of that same law."

Republicans were outraged.

Such public dust-ups between businesses and members of the GOP are becoming more frequent, The shift is the product of a Republican Party increasingly driven by "culture war" issues that animate a base invigorated by Trump and corporate powerhouses that are under more pressure than ever to align themselves with the left on voting rights, LGBTQ rights and anti-racist efforts.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/po...etween-republicans-corporate-america-n1262797

 

This guy was a member of Trump's devoted flock.

The Times reports, "Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, was one of President Donald J. Trump’s most vocal allies during his term, publicly pledging loyalty and even signing a letter nominating the president for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"In the final weeks of Mr. Trump’s term, Mr. Gaetz sought something in return. He privately asked the White House for blanket pre-emptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies for any crimes they may have committed, according to two people told of the discussions.

"Around that time, Mr. Gaetz was also publicly calling for broad pardons from Mr. Trump to thwart what he termed the “bloodlust” of their political opponents. But Justice Department investigators had begun questioning Mr. Gaetz’s associates about his conduct, including whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old that violated sex trafficking laws, in an inquiry that grew out of the case of an indicted associate in Florida."

Trump is the titular head of the Republican Party. Ironically, his followers avoid him, as shown on this thread and many others.

 

I have said several times the Republican Party is in a heap of trouble. No Republican on this forum has disputed that fact.

The party has spent the first months of the Biden administration rewriting electoral laws to suppress minority votes and denying the truth of Trump's Capitol insurrection.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell unleashed a fearsome attack on "woke" corporations that reacted to a discriminatory voting law in Georgia. McConnell, at least in his rhetoric, sounded a lot like Trump with his countless lies. "Businesses must not use economic blackmail to spread disinformation and push bad ideas that citizens reject at the ballot box," McConnell said.

No one knows what McConnell is talking about. Again, that is reminiscent of Trump's four years in the Oval Office. Half the time, no one knew what he was talking about, either. What economic blackmail and, if so, what caused it? What disinformation? What bad ideas? When did citizens reject bad ideas at the ballot box?

In fact, what Georgia voters rejected at the ballot box -- causing the GOP to change the laws -- was a second term for Trump and two Republican senators.

But, of course, McConnell is speaking to Trump's uninformed, intelligence challenged cult members. They are likely to believe everything McConnell says regardless of reality.

 

According to the Times, "In the final weeks of Mr. Trump’s term, Mr. Gaetz sought something in return. He privately asked the White House for blanket pre-emptive pardons for himself and unidentified congressional allies for any crimes they may have committed."

Today's Republican leaders are so stupidly transparent. Here is what the former Republican President had to say on the subject.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) “has never asked me for a pardon."

Why didn't Trump just keep his mouth shut? Answer: That isn't Trump's way. Gaetz is getting a lot of attention lately. So, Trump wants some of that attention no matter how damaging that attention might be and no matter how stupid it makes him look.

That is Trump's way.

Gaetz was willing to play along.

Gaetz told POLITICO Tuesday night that he stood by a previous statement denying he asked Trump for pardon.

It is one thing to deny an allegation. It is quite another matter to stupidly deny an allegation that was never made. That is exactly what Trump and Gaetz just did.

 

McConnell took back his misrepresentations from the previous day then created new misrepresentations in typical Republican fashion.

ABC News reports, "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., softened his stance on corporations getting involved in politics on Wednesday, a day after he warned companies not to weigh in on hot button issues."

"I didn’t say that very artfully yesterday, they're certainly entitled to be involved in politics, they are," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"My principal complaint is they didn't read the darn bill," McConnell added.

Of course, he is lying. McConnell has no way of knowing that corporate lawyers and CEO'S didn't read the bill. In fact, it is quite likely they did before putting out a statement or moving the All Star game to Denver.

"They got intimidated into adopting an interpretation ... given by the Georgia Democrats in order to help get their way," McConnell said.

Now McConnell is saying the corporate leaders are stupid and politically vulnerable to persuasion. Was it Georgia Democrats or was it the voting restrictions in the new law because Republicans didn''t like that Georgia voted for the Democratic President and two Democratic Senators that gave control of the Senate to Democrats.

More than likely it was the latter.

 

Trump's friend is in serious trouble.

The Post reports, "A Florida politician at the center of an investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz is negotiating with federal prosecutors to resolve his own sex-trafficking and other charges, a potentially ominous sign for Gaetz if his associate decides to cooperate in a bid for leniency.

"Joel Greenberg, the former tax collector for Seminole County, Fla., was initially charged last summer in a bare-bones indictment that prosecutors have since superseded, adding charges of sex trafficking of a minor, stealing from the tax office and even trying to use fraud to get coronavirus relief money while out on bond.

"At a status conference in Greenberg’s case on Thursday, federal prosecutor Roger Handberg told a judge that he expected a plea, though negotiations are ongoing. Fritz Scheller, an attorney for Greenberg, asked the judge to set a deadline of May 15 for the two sides to either reach a deal or move toward a trial in the summer."

Asked after the court hearing if the possible plea could spell trouble for Gaetz, Scheller said, “I’m sure Matt Gaetz is not feeling very comfortable today.”

 

The Times agrees with me. I have been following politics for over 50 years. This is the strangest phenomenon I have ever seen. Essentially, one major political party is destroying itself. I will allow the Times to explain.

It writes, "Republican lawmakers are passing voting restrictions to pacify right-wing activists still gripped by former President Donald J. Trump’s lie that a largely favorable election was rigged against them. G.O.P. leaders are lashing out in Trumpian fashion at businesses, baseball and the news media to appeal to many of the same conservatives and voters. And debates over the size and scope of government have been overshadowed by the sort of culture war clashes that the tabloid king relishes.

"This is the party Mr. Trump has remade.

"As G.O.P. leaders and donors gather for a party retreat in Palm Beach this weekend, with a side trip to Mar-a-Lago for a reception with Mr. Trump on Saturday night, the former president’s pervasive influence in Republican circles has revealed a party thoroughly animated by a defeated incumbent — a bizarre turn of events in American politics.

"Barred from Twitter, quietly disdained by many Republican officials and reduced to receiving supplicants in his tropical exile in Florida, Mr. Trump has found ways to exert an almost gravitational hold on a leaderless party just three months after the assault on the Capitol that his critics hoped would marginalize the man and taint his legacy."

Strangely enough, his followers on this forum avoid him. They allow Trump's critics to have their way with him while remaining largely silent, rarely starting a discussion about him.

 

The Republican Party is in the grip of uninformed, intelligence challenged voters. They are Trump's followers.

That is the hold Trump has on the GOP and there isn't a thing anyone can do about it. As a consequence, the GOP will continue to lose elections.

The first spring donor retreat after a defeat for a political party is typically a moment of reflection and renewal as officials chart a new direction forward.

But with former President Donald J. Trump determined to keep his grip on the Republican Party and the party’s base as adhered to him as ever, the coming together of the Republican National Committee’s top donors in South Florida this weekend is less a moment of reset and more a reminder of the continuing tensions and schisms roiling the G.O.P.

The same former president who last month sent the R.N.C. a cease-and-desist letter demanding they stop using his likeness to raise money will on Saturday evening serve as the party’s fund-raising headliner.

“A tremendous complication” was how Fred Zeidman, a veteran Republican fund-raiser in Texas, described Mr. Trump’s lingering presence on the political scene.

The delicate dance between Mr. Trump and the party — after losing the House, the Senate and the White House on his watch — will manifest in some actual shuttle bus diplomacy on Saturday, as the party’s top donors attend a series of receptions and panels at the Four Seasons Resort before traveling to Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s private club, to hear Mr. Trump speak.

Mr. Trump’s insistence on leading the party “affects every member,” Mr. Zeidman said, as lawmakers and would-be elected officials jockey for a Trump endorsement that was as powerful in a Republican primary as it could be problematic in a general election.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/10/us/politics/trump-republicans-donors.html

 

The Republican Party is in the grip of uninformed, intelligence challenged voters. They are Trump's followers.

Politico reports, "Several Republican leaders on Sunday expressed concern at incendiary comments made by former President Donald Trump during a speech Saturday night at a Republican National Committee donor retreat.

"The former president went off-script in a roughly 50-minute keynote speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida, ripping into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, even calling him a “dumb son of a bitch.” Trump also took aim at former Vice President Mike Pence — saying he was “disappointed” in him for not fighting the certification of the election results in January — as well as Anthony Fauci, who Trump said was “full of crap.”

"Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told us on “Face the Nation,” “As a party, we need to be focused on the future. We need to be focused on embracing the Constitution, not embracing insurrection. I think it's very important for people to realize that a fundamental part of the Constitution, and of who we are as Americans, is the rule of law, it's the judicial process.”

On the other hand, if Trump's followers would talk, they would tell us they loved what Trump said.

 

"The former president went off-script in a roughly 50-minute keynote speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida, ripping into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, even calling him a “dumb son of a bitch.” Trump also took aim at former Vice President Mike Pence — saying he was “disappointed” in him for not fighting the certification of the election results in January — as well as Anthony Fauci, who Trump said was “full of crap,” Politico.

Susan Del Percio, Republican strategist writes, "In four years, the Republican Party lost control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The blame falls squarely on one person, and one person alone: Donald J. Trump. Under normal circumstances, this would be a time for the party to reflect, learn and look toward the future.

"Instead, after licking its wounds for a few months, the Republican National Committee held a spring retreat in south Florida this past weekend whose marquee event was an excursion to Mar-a-Lago to hear the former president speak.

"There’s no question that Trump remains the leader of the Republican Party, though leadership was the last thing he offered during his angry tirade against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Vice President Mike Pence and even Dr. Anthony Fauci.

"One attendee told Politico the speech was “horrible, it was long and negative.” Well, of course it was. Trump has never been anything but long-winded and divisive."

Reader is reminded this is from a Republican strategist.

Total silence from Republicans on this forum.

 

"There’s no question that Trump remains the leader of the Republican Party, though leadership was the last thing he offered during his angry tirade against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, former Vice President Mike Pence and even Dr. Anthony Fauci.

"One attendee told Politico the speech was “horrible, it was long and negative.” Well, of course it was. Trump has never been anything but long-winded and divisive."

Reader is reminded this is from a Republican strategist.

Total silence from Republicans on this forum.

NBC writes, "Tax Day 2009 was the start of the Tea Party protests against Barack Obama’s agenda.

"But as we approach April 15, 2021 — even with the tax-filing deadline extended to May 17 — it’s become noticeable just how quiet the conservative grassroots have been during President Biden’s first three months in office.

"Part of it is due to the fact that Biden has never been the lightning rod for the right that Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and even AOC are.

"But another part is the 2020 defeated candidate who decided to stick around: Donald Trump.

"Also to be sure, there’s always been lots of grassroots energy behind Trump (though that has dissipated after Jan. 6).

"But when we’re talking about grassroots movement and energy to bolster a political party and stop the opposition’s agenda, the energy on the right has been largely MIA.

Or, embarrassed by their support of Trump and the current position of the Republican Party, they have gone silent. The vast majority of Trump's followers are uninformed because they shun reality. They consider all respected news as "fake news."

In addition, they are intellectually challenged, so making intelligent responses is difficult for them.

Nevertheless, they remain highly loyal to Trump and will vote for any candidate Trump endorses.

Since Trump is erratic and a consummate liar, this explains why the GOP leadership is concerned.

They should be.

 

Such devotion to a guy everybody despised, and couldn't wait to stop concerning themselves with? From some of ^^ all of that ^^ seems like you're becoming aware that 75 million voters identify with, and support an America 1st agenda. Trump's been a grassroots organizer and spokesman for all those voters and he had enough money & name recognition to win. I doubt Trump's running again, but the America 1st agenda is going to be on the ballot regardless of who the (R) primary contenders are. (D)s haven't seen the aftermath of that impeachment hoax yet. They'll see it when they count up their losses in mid terms though.

 

I saw Jordan make a complete a$$ of himself today. What a jerk.

The Boston Globe reported, "The nation’s top infectious disease expert and Representative Jim Jordan engaged in a heated exchange during a Congressional hearing on Thursday over when Americans will be able to stop engaging in public health measures that prevent the spread of COVID-19, with Dr. Anthony Fauci at one point telling Jordan: “You’re ranting again.'"

When Fauci began answering the question, Jordan interrupted him and pressed Fauci to “give me a number.”

“We had 15 days to slow the spread, it turned into one year of lost liberty, what metrics, what measures, what has to happen before Americans get more freedoms?” Jordan shouted.

Fauci began responding when Jordan interrupted once more.

“What measure?” Jordan shouted. “Are we just going to continue this forever? What measure, what standard, what objective, outcome do we have to reach before Americans get their liberties and freedoms back?”

Fauci responded: “You know, you’re indicating liberty and freedom. I look at it as a public health measure to prevent people from dying and going to the hospital.”

“You don’t think Americans’ liberties have been threatened the last year, Dr Fauci?” Jordan preached. “They’ve been assaulted. Their liberties have.”

Why is it so many Republican lawmakers are such complete jerks? Jordan, Gaetz, Brooks, Greene, Cruz, McCarthy, the list is endless. Is being a jackass a requirement for being elected in Republican circles.

Judging by some of the remarks made by Republicans on this forum, perhaps.

 

Don't know why (R)s didn't invite some (R) governors to testify, or at least present their states data on covid. Florida, Texas, Arkansas ... covid numbers declining even though mask and social distancing restrictions have been lifted. Blue states with tight restrictions, like Michigan ... are reporting the largest surges in infection. I'm sure Fauci would've very much like to explain the science behind the surges taking place in areas where personal freedoms are most strictly limited and tighty enforced. Maybe next time?