Former President Donald Trump's United States of America

[afransen]

On that much, we can agree: Donald Trump is a complete failure.

Terrible President, or terriblest President?

 

[SunriseChampion]

Even the Proud Boys don’t like him any more.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1351995433925668873

He's too much of a wanker, I guess.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Quips and jokes aside, how will Trump communicate to the American public, especially beyond his far right base? Will Facebook reinstate him? Maybe even Twitter? Both want anything that drives eyeballs, so a lifetime ban of their top draw isn’t good business.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Quips and jokes aside, how will Trump communicate to the American public, especially beyond his far right base? Will Facebook reinstate him? Maybe even Twitter? Both want anything that drives eyeballs, so a lifetime ban of their top draw isn’t good business.

Twitter don't need him, they've got Supreme Leader Khomeini.

Priorities. Er, double standards.


Wait, you said all jokes aside......so hard for me....

The social media oligarchs don't need him anymore as he can no longer do anything for them or to them as he is out of power. They were worried about upsetting him before so as not to invoke any sort of monopoly-busting on the government's part.

 

[Northern Light]

He's too much of a wanker, I guess.

And you've made your opinion of wanking clear!

PM Justin Trudeau's Canada

Listen........terrorism is a high bar. I thought it was as well. But one can be slimy, extremists, homophobic, xenophobic, sexist, prone to violence; and without redeeming value w/o that appellation applying. Yeah, I know some people who fit this description. I wouldn't call them...

urbantoronto.ca

 

[SunriseChampion]

I think I've made my opinion of the-man-who-couldn't-even-make-money-running-a-casino clear.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Trump's business was crashing even before the Capitol riot made his brand toxic​

From link.

Donald Trump's businesses generated nearly 40% less revenue last year as the coronavirus pandemic slammed the hotel industry, putting the former president under financial pressure even before corporate partners and banks ditched him in the wake of the insurrection at the US Capitol.

Posted on Wednesday as he left the White House, Trump's final financial disclosure as president reveals a steep decline in revenue at some of his marquee properties in 2020 and the first 20 days of this year. Sales at the Trump International Hotel Washington plummeted by 63% compared with 2019 to $15.1 million, while revenue fell 62% to $9.8 million at Scottish golf resort Turnberry.

Revenue at one of the former president's biggest businesses, the Trump National Doral golf resort near Miami, declined to $44.2 million from $77.2 million in 2019. Trump has mortgages on the property totaling between $55 million and $75 million, according to the document. The loans from Deutsche Bank mature in 2023.

Federal officials are allowed to disclose their income and the value of their assets in broad ranges. Overall, Trump reported revenue for 2020 of $278 million to $313 million, down from $445 million to $483 million in 2019. Based on the midpoint of those ranges, revenue fell by 37%.

Hotels and other hospitality companies, which form a substantial part of Trump's business empire, have been hit especially hard during the pandemic as travelers stay home and governments impose lockdowns. In Scotland, for example, Trump Turnberry has been forced to close because of government restrictions designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

There were a few bright spots for the Trump Organization. Revenue was fairly steady at his golf courses in Charlotte, North Carolina, Philadelphia and New York's Hudson Valley. Sales at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where Trump returned after leaving the White House on Wednesday, increased to $24.2 million from $21.4 million. (He transferred his permanent residence to the Florida property from Trump Tower in New York in 2019, and spent hundreds of days golfing at courses he owned during his presidency.)

Still, there are major questions about the president's business after his supporters vandalized the Capitol earlier this month in a brazen assault that left five people dead and sparked a major corporate backlash.

Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB) banned Trump indefinitely, taking away his biggest megaphones. Stripe is no longer processing credit card payments for his campaign organization, Shopify stopped operating online stores for the Trump Organization and the campaign and the PGA announced it was pulling a major golf tournament from his Bedminster, New Jersey, course.

New York City is seeking to terminate its business relationships with the Trump Organization. That would prevent Trump from continuing to operate several recreational venues including the Wollman ice skating rink in Central Park, which generated $4.5 million in revenue in 2020, according to the financial disclosure.

Deutsche Bank (DB) has decided to no longer do business with Trump, a source told CNN Business earlier this month. In addition to the mortgages on the Doral property, Germany's biggest bank has also provided loans for the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago and the company's hotel in Washington.

The Trump Organization owes Deutsche Bank approximately $340 million in the coming years, the source said. It's unclear which, if any, other banks will want to loan money to the Trump Organization.

New York state criminal investigators looking into Trump's business practices have subpoenaed the bank about its lending relationship with the Trump Organization. Late last month the two private bankers at Deutsche Bank who worked most closely with Trump resigned their positions.

Signature Bank said following the attack on the Capitol that it had started closing Trump's personal accounts. The former president has a checking account with the bank, according to his financial disclosure.

The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

 

[SunriseChampion]

I still don't know why anyone ever took this fool seriously.

He couldn't make money running a casino. "That's all I need to know about you"

 

[Johnny Au]

MyPillow is being boycotted by major retailers:

Stores drop MyPillow after CEO pushes election conspiracies

NEW YORK (AP) — The founder and CEO of MyPillow, who amplified President Donald Trump's claims of election fraud, said a backlash against his company has begun after a mob stormed the U.S.

www.snopes.com

Did MyPillow Offer Discounts With Codes Like 'QAnon' and More?

The CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, has long promoted false claims and conspiracy theories.

www.snopes.com

This is over accusations made by Lindell pertaining to Dominion Voting Systems as well as offering discount codes pertaining to QAnon, especially given that Lindell has a history of promoting thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories.

 

[adma]

MyPillow is being boycotted by major retailers:

Stores drop MyPillow after CEO pushes election conspiracies

NEW YORK (AP) — The founder and CEO of MyPillow, who amplified President Donald Trump's claims of election fraud, said a backlash against his company has begun after a mob stormed the U.S.

www.snopes.com

Did MyPillow Offer Discounts With Codes Like 'QAnon' and More?

The CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, has long promoted false claims and conspiracy theories.

www.snopes.com

This is over accusations made by Lindell pertaining to Dominion Voting Systems as well as offering discount codes pertaining to QAnon, especially given that Lindell has a history of promoting thoroughly debunked conspiracy theories.

Given that he was alcoholic and crackhead prior to being "born again", I wouldn't be surprised if he's presently "on something" (even if Trump-style Adderall)

 

[Videodrome]

Now Even the QAnon Shaman Disowns Trump: I Was Duped

Referring to his client as “the guy with the horns and the fur,” attorney Al Watkins said the rioter “regrets very, very much” that he was tricked by Trump.

www.thedailybeast.com

The Qanon shaman has disowned Trump. I suspect he is working on an insanity defense.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Now Even the QAnon Shaman Disowns Trump: I Was Duped

Referring to his client as “the guy with the horns and the fur,” attorney Al Watkins said the rioter “regrets very, very much” that he was tricked by Trump.

www.thedailybeast.com

The Qanon shaman has disowned Trump. I suspect he is working on an insanity defense.

(via NPR)

On another note, behind paywall:

Trump and Justice Dept. Lawyer Said to Have Plotted to Oust Acting Attorney General (Published 2021)

Trying to find another avenue to push his baseless election claims, Donald Trump considered installing a loyalist.

www.nytimes.com

AoD

 

[Johnny Au]

Former White Supremacists Are Helping Others Disengage from Hate Groups

Organizations are encouraging people to leave groups like The Proud Boys and hold themselves accountable for harm they’ve caused.

progressive.org

 

[W. K. Lis]

Chronicling Trump's 10 worst abuses of power​

From link.

Former President Donald Trump flouted the limits of presidential power unlike any of his recent predecessors, leaving behind a legacy of unmatched abuses that range from violations of longstanding norms to potentially criminal behavior.
It was hard to keep track amid the daily deluge of controversial tweets and distractions that were a hallmark of the Trump presidency. And some of the most egregious abuses of power weren't clear at the time but came into focus after exhaustive investigations.
To chronicle Trump's most consequential abuses of power, CNN spoke with a politically diverse group of constitutional scholars, presidential historians and experts on democratic institutions.
While these 16 experts did not agree on everything, there was consensus that Trump's pattern of abusing his powers for personal or political gain reached an alarming level that hasn't been seen in modern history, and will have long-lasting consequences for the future of American democracy.
Here is a breakdown of Trump's 10 most significant abuses of power.

#1: Subverting the 2020 election​

There is broad agreement among experts that Trump's most severe abuse of power was his relentless effort to undermine the 2020 election and overturn the legitimate results.
Michael Paulsen, a conservative legal scholar and professor at the University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota, called it a "form of a political coup d'état against our Constitution."
Throughout the 2020 campaign, Trump spread provably false disinformation about the voting process. He even floated the idea of unconstitutionally delaying the election, leading to a bipartisan rebuke....

#2: Inciting an insurrection​

Trump's attempts to cling to power reached a horrifying crescendo on January 6, when he incited a large gathering of supporters in Washington to attack the US Capitol while the electoral votes were being counted.
"This in and of itself puts Trump in the lowest circle of hell among America's presidents, along with the likes of James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson," Amar said.
At a rally before the attack, Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell," telling them, "You'll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength." The protests quickly transformed into a violent mob, which overran police barriers and stormed the building. The occupation was quelled after several hours of violent clashes, which led to five deaths....

#3: Abusing the bully pulpit​

Many of the experts pointed to Trump's inflammatory and divisive rhetoric as a stark abuse of power, albeit not criminal, and probably not impeachable either. But they said Trump abused the bully pulpit by using his platform to brazenly spread lies and conspiracies, attack political opponents of all stripes, and praise bad actors like white nationalists and authoritarian leaders.
CNN and other news outlets fact-checked thousands of lies that Trump told during his tenure, far surpassing the cherry-picked political spin or occasional whoppers told by past presidents.
"Trump abused the bully pulpit to intimidate witnesses, literally bully people and spread disinformation. It's never been done on the scale that he did it," said Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina who testified as a Democratic witness in favor of impeachment in 2019...

#4: Politicizing the Justice Department​

Trump politicized the Justice Department and FBI from the very start of his presidency until the final days. He repeatedly crossed lines and violated norms that have been in place since Watergate to create independence between the White House and federal law enforcement.
"It's extremely important for the integrity of American democracy that the president cannot manipulate law enforcement for partisan, political, self-interested preferences," said Rick Pildes, a former CNN legal analyst who teaches at New York University. "Trump constantly agitated to eliminate the boundaries between a President and the DOJ, which was incredibly disturbing."
The experts ranked this among Trump's worst abuses because his goal was often to twist the Justice Department to serve his own needs -- not the national interest. A clear pattern emerged where Trump leaned on law enforcement to protect him and his allies, and to harass his critics. This created a tense atmosphere with some resignations and public rebukes....

#5: Obstructing the Mueller investigation​

The Mueller investigation dominated the first three years of Trump's presidency. Angry over an investigation that he felt was illegitimate, Trump repeatedly lashed out at Mueller and took steps to undermine and obstruct the sprawling criminal probe. Mueller investigated 10 episodes and found persuasive evidence that Trump's actions fit the legal criteria to warrant criminal charges.
But Mueller decided not to make an up-or-down decision on whether to charge Trump, citing Justice Department rules against indicting a sitting president and the difficult constitutional questions that would make for a challenging prosecution. Instead, Mueller famously said, "If we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."...

 

[W. K. Lis]

#6: Abusing the pardon power​

The Constitution places almost no limits on presidential commutations and pardons for federal crimes, and many past presidents have granted controversial pardons, especially in their final weeks in office. But the experts agreed that Trump took this phenomenon to new extremes.
"I thought Bill Clinton abused the pardon power at the end of his term. But what we're seeing from Trump makes Clinton look trivial in comparison," said Diamond, from the Hoover Institution, referring to Clinton's controversial pardons to associates and allies on his last day in office.
Trump eschewed the regular process and almost never consulted with the Justice Department's clemency office, leading to some highly controversial pardons. Some of the experts said that while allowable, these pardons undercut anti-corruption efforts and undermined the rule of law....

#7: The Ukraine affair and cover-up​

Trump is one of three presidents to get impeached, a fate he first faced in 2019 after pressuring the Ukrainian government to help his reelection campaign by announcing a baseless investigation into the Bidens. As part of the scheme, Trump unlawfully withheld nearly $400 million in much-needed military aid from Ukraine, even though Congress appropriated the funds with bipartisan support.
"This clearly looked like an extremely inappropriate quid-pro-quo offer," said Susan Rose-Ackerman, a law professor at Yale University who has written books about political corruption....

#8: Loyalty oaths and personalizing government​

A recurring theme of the Trump presidency was the personalization of government, with Trump regularly conflating his interests with the national interests, and demanding personal loyalty from nearly everyone around him in government.
"Trump's demand that government actors pledge loyalty to him, as opposed to the law or to the constitution, is a corruption of the rule of law, and it's a corruption of government institutions," Pildes said.
This pattern first came into focus when Comey revealed to the public that Trump demanded "loyalty" from him during a private meeting in early 2017 -- an inappropriate request from any sitting President to an FBI chief. As the years went on, it became clear that Cabinet members and top officials could only survive if they put on a show for Trump, showering him with praise and platitudes....

#9: Firing whistleblowers and truth-tellers​

As someone who demanded absolute loyalty, Trump didn't react well when officials disagreed with him, either publicly or privately. Officials often lost their jobs if Trump felt like they weren't doing his bidding, or if they contradicted him in public, even to stand up for the truth.
There were firings, forced resignations and premature departures, which ramped up in Trump's final year. The experts agreed Trump had the authority to take these actions, but they said he crossed a line by clearly retaliating against officials for personal reasons without good cause....

#10: Profiting off the presidency​

Trump was the first billionaire to ascend to the presidency. When he took the mantle in 2017, he defied the near-universal advice from ethics specialists and refused to divest from his international business empire. Instead, Trump temporarily turned over control of his company to his adult sons, which he said his lawyers cleared from a conflict-of-interest standpoint.
The biggest issue, the experts said, was the appearance of a massive conflict of interest.
"It is reflective of his own moral compass. It is showing the way in which he thinks about his role as president," said Rose-Ackerman, the Yale professor who studies political corruption. "It isn't tied so much to a million dollars here or a million dollars there. It's tied to his perspective about what it means to be president -- that he sees it as giving him free range to do things."
Trump spent considerable time at his own properties and golf clubs, substantially raising their profile, and even making money from the federal government along the way. Trump's company billed the US government millions of dollars, including for Secret Service agents to stay at his properties while protecting him....