Trump+Musk: Folie à Deux - Trump thread #137

[Spandauer]

The clock is already ticking and he's an old man. Mid-terms: November 3, 2026

Thanks to @AcrossThePond55 for the thread title.

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5206120-the-grown-ups-have-left-the-building-trump-thread-136

Presumably he's going to run all US citizens data through an AI engine to help spot subversives and other undesirables. As long as he says it's about immigration and DEI then his MAGA shield will protect him.

So, as a retired Fed I'm sure that Musk now has all my personal and banking info. Funny that when there have been prior 'data breaches' we were notified and offered 4 years of free credit monitoring. This time I expect it'll just be 4 years of, ahem, 'monitoring'.

The El Salvador thing is interesting. I'm sure that they aren't 'volunteering' to take our prisoners out of the goodness of their hearts. So what's the quid pro quo and how much of it will end up in Bukele's pocket and/or the pockets of US fat cat 'contractors'? As far as US nationals, this is going to end up in court. But if SCOTUS decides it's OK, then how long before we have 'deportation at will' for US citizens that disagree with policies?

Trump et al are also talking about creating a 'Sovereign Wealth Fund'. So how long before Trump declares himself 'Sovereign' and that the fund belongs to him?

www.forbes.com/sites/callumbooth/2025/02/04/trump-launches-sovereign-wealth-fund-and-the-internets-angry/

Also, I understand why Canada and Mexico did what they did. Their main concern is and should be their own Country's welfare. But 'caving' to Trump's tariffs only empowers him and makes him think he has yet more authority. Caving to a bully tends to do that. I only hope that sometime, somewhere some governmental body is able to stand firm and tell him to fuck off. I don't care if I have to do without because of it. It will be worth it.

I wonder what would happen if they expelled the US from the G7 and cited Trump as the reason? They expelled Russia over Crimea, so it's not like there isn't precedent.

I was hoping they'd take the hit so he would take the hit, but they didn't really cave - they pretty much gave what they were already giving or pledge to give, allowing him to save face.

Isn't Musk now arguing for the use of AI in the nuclear weapons systems?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/27/musk-wozniak-hawking-ban-ai-autonomous-weapons

My understanding is that all Canada and Mexico did (possibly in concert) was (re) announce previous decisions. Unless Canada can draft legislation in less than 24 hours ?

Remember this is RealPolitik. The truth is immaterial to the message. If this has boosted Trumps US popularity, then it's highly likely that was the end goal. Nothing to do with trade.

Remember, he still has to find a way to win the 2028 election.

I feel slightly comforted that the UK has Peter Mandelson batting for us.I would be amazed if he wasn't much more attuned to what is really going on, and how best to engage with it. Although I do now (didn't then) think that Starmer actually missed a trick by not making Farage US ambassador. Because that would probably have crushed Farage into nothingness.

RFKnutcase jr Cabinet Nomination underway.

I was watching CNN, but DH is now watching Gillian Anderson simpering at Jeremy Clarkson on a decade old Top Gear.🤬
Anyway - I think the vote went along party lines with the deciding Yey to Crapo.

Bloody hell. That's an informative and very scary article, @Spandauer

Just naming it here, in case we need to find it again without the share token.

And if someone knows how to archive that, I'd suggest they do it. I have a feeling this will come up again later, and I don't have confidence the newspaper will be able to withstand any pressure to take it down.

New York Times, Feb. 3, 2025
Inside Musk’s Aggressive Incursion Into the Federal Government
The billionaire is creating major upheaval as his team sweeps through agencies, in what has been an extraordinary flexing of power by a private individual.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/musk-federal-government.html?smid=url-share

Who had a brief pine for a simpler era ?

https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lhefdbwrqy2b

here's video of every single Republican on the Senate Finance Committee voting in favor of making RFK Jr the director of HHS

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/musk-cronies-dive-into-treasury-dept-payments-code-base

Overnight, Wired reported that, contrary to published reports that DOGE operatives at the Treasury Department are limited to “read only” access to department payment systems, this is not true.
A 25-year-old DOGE operative named Marko Elez in fact has admin privileges on these critical systems, which directly control and pay out roughly 95% of payments made by the U.S. government, including Social Security checks, tax refunds and virtually all contract payments

Here is the paywalled Wired article

https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-associate-bfs-federal-payment-system/

Consequences of the CDC not being allowed to do its job and communicate appropriately

https://bsky.app/profile/rebjunn.bsky.social/post/3lhechfzxh22q

A Tuberculosis outbreak in Kansas has now spread to Ohio. Trump doesn't want you to know that or you would have been informed.

We are in for another pandemic where no one gives a shit in the Oval Office except to probably sell fake inhalers or more Ivermectin.

Do as we say, or we'll cut your check.

Good advice here. (That I need to take 😬)

https://open.substack.com/pub/martinrobbins/p/denial-of-service?r=4ji4tf&utm_medium=ios

Dreadful (but expected) news that RFK jr is one step closer to being confirmed as HHS.
(I know it's not MN 'good behaviour' to comment on someone's appearance but every time I see him I wonder which peat bog they dug him up from...)

Bumper sticker

https://bsky.app/profile/georgetakei.bsky.social/post/3lhei4os2mv26

As a person who receives a retirement pension from the US Govt this really has me nervous.

I'm microscopically minuscule beans as far as 'influence' goes, but who knows at what point this shit will become purely punitive agains the 'good' as well as the 'great'. I'm not on SM other than here but DH is pretty active on FB & other sites and makes no bones about his opinions. Will I be told to shut him up or my pension will be 'suspended'?

We'd also considered moving to Canada for the next 4 years but feared that the Regime may decide to ban paying US govt 'sources of income' into foreign banks to keep people from leaving.

I know, my paranoia is showing.

There would need to be more competence than I have seen for anything concerted to work, if that helps. Anglophone nations for some reason simply don't seem to develop the same efficiencies some other countries have.

However, once grabbed, never forgotten. Something that never really gets explained to the public in any detail.

However, you know that constitution you have made into a religion ? This will be a test of it's worth. And bearing in mind it allowed McCarthyism - which was a fireside chat compared to this - I would be wary too.

@AcrossthePond55 DH receives his US pension here in the U.K. and we have been musing about the fact he may be someone they could decide to target as he is now also a U.K. citizen... so traitor!... has lived in the U.K. for 35+ years... dirty foreigner!.. so presumably by Elon's thought process doesn't deserve any US $$$.
He'd still have to pay his US taxes naturally!

Didn't a certain N. Farage once hint that the UK should stop paying benefits to overseas residents (apart from himself, naturally) ?

Seems that the DoE is the next victim of Trump’s executive orders.

People on US soil are subject to the requirements and protections of the US constitution. That was why people suspected of terrorism were sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. They could be tortured there and denied basic rights. If US citizens are sent to El Salvador there will be one hell of a stink.

TBH I would have thought the Canadians should be tariffing the US to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal weapons going North rather than South.

Was on the news last night. The Chinese make the fentanyl. Selling to the mexicans who are using drones to transport it across the border. Where it's made into saleable drugs. How the heck does anyone police that.

Quite right. I don't want sensors to tell me how to drive - my dad did that in the 90s.

I'm surprised the UK haven't thought about applying the US model here.

Does Peat Bog RFK use the same tanning products as DT?