An unholy trinity or just a seedy threesome: Trump, Musk and Putin? - Trump thread #138

[Spandauer]

With a side order of Vance, Zuckerberg and Netanyahu.*
(*Other flavours are available)

Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible.
George Orwell

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5258416-trumpmusk-folie-a-deux-trump-thread-137

I thought the comments were hilarious
but then I use both Xtwitter and Bluesky

Leon screamed about 'dead people' getting Social Security, now it's 'dead people' getting federal salaries. He seems to have a bit of a fixation on dead people, doesn't he?

In other news...I'm looking forward to the 'showdown' between Musk & Patel. Musk sending his email 'demands' to FBI staff, Patel jealously screaming "You're not the boss of me my staff!" and both of them probably complaining like scrapping tweens to Scrotus who is happy to have them at each other's throats so they can't conspire against him. It'd be amusing if it wasn't so disastrous for the Country.

I am so, so proud of the federal workforce. I've always been proud to be a (former) member, but with this website my heart is swelling with pride.

I agree. I hope it takes off.

Might have been on here, but I saw something recently about the details of Trump's "cats in a sack" management style.

IIRC, he doesn't straightforwardly threaten to fire people. He says, "You know Kash, Elon was telling me I should get rid of you. But I think I'll give you another chance."

And then, "You know Elon, Kash was telling me I should get rid of you..."

Keeps his circle in constant animosity against each other (prevents them allying against him), and constantly competing to be the one he likes most and doesn't fire.

Slightly outing BUT
My dad knew people who had been bankrupted by Trump
just because he could

never forgiven

That was how Stalin worked. And Hitler. Straight out of the dictator handbook.

You know who else governs like that… Putin!

BTW there's an important question which Republicans – and commentators in general – should be asking.

They tell us over and over that Trump is transactional. That in order to get anything from Trump, you have to give him something in return.

So when the Canadians dealt with his tariffs PR stunt, they had to offer him something. (OK they only offered him a PR win by reannouncing their Biden-era stuff and letting him pretend it was his, but PR's what he likes.)

When Starmer goes to see Trump, we're told he needs to have chips to offer him.

When Ukraine deals with Trump, we're told they need to offer him something.

OK.

So my question – everybody's question – is:

What has Russia given Trump? What chips has Putin offered him?

We can see what Trump has given Putin.

He's lied for Putin, claimed the Ukraine started Putin's war. He publicly stated he believed Putin more than his own US security services. He hurls abuse at everyone but Putin (no "Little Rocket Man" insults for Vlad).

What is the other side of this transaction?

Maybe something's escaped my memory, but I cannot think of anything Putin has PUBLICLY given Trump as his side of the transaction – at any time in the last decade.

Republicans who happily repeat again and again that Trump is transactional, need to ask themselves what the transaction was.

Truthfully, I think all Trump needs from the strongman dictator types is a seat at the lunch table. It's enough to be made to feel he's considered one of them.

I agree, that and a slip of paper saying he got a “peace” deal.

"Peace in our time"

I wonder how many people, especially in the USA, get that reference

Really interesting and strong comments from Merz already: “Speaking in a post-election panel discussion aired by public broadcasters, Friedrich Merz said he wanted to "strengthen Europe as quickly as possible" in the face of an uncertain relationship with America.

He suggested the Trump administration doesn't care for the continent.

"The interventions from Washington were no less dramatic and drastic and ultimately outrageous than the interventions we have seen from Moscow”

Agree. Putin is getting something out of this. Something BIG.
A plot to destroy the west?

And to be fair, Putin did tip the electoral scales for him the first time around.

And, yes, destroying the West has long been a goal. And getting Trump to get rid of the economic sanctions would be a huge boost to his dreadful economy.

I do. Neville Chamberlain 30 Sept 1938. Followed shortly by the occupation of the Sudetenland on 1 Oct 1938 to position the Nazis for the invasions of Czechoslovakia & Poland in 1939, signaling the start of WWII.

I'm not sure about these days, but when I was in HS in the US (during the Cold War) we studied WWII in detail. "Those who do not remember (or teach) the past are condemned to repeat it" was drummed into us.

There was a LOT about Pearl Harbor, a bit about the Pacific War (where my dad served), a LOT about the war in Europe/Hitler/Naziism, and a bit about the Atomic Bomb, although they downplayed the effects.

What Trump is getting out of it is not being unmasked as a Russian agent/stooge. If that could be proved, as has been suggested and hinted at for years, his organisation and his family are destroyed in an instant.

I agree. He's just happy to be sitting at (his idea of) the 'cool table' with the 'cool kids' (Erdogan, Putin, Kim, etc).

I bet he sits with them thinking "Golly gee, I wish I was that cool!

In fairness Erdogan has been quite strong recently and not sure I’d put him in the same category. Orban maybe.

Trump congratulates Germany’s election winners — and himself.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-congratulates-germany-election-results-2025-winners-friedrich-merz-cdu/

My goodness, Trump is now referring to himself in the third person 🤡

He's so gracious.

He’s done that for a while, it’s nauseating 😂

@PerkingFaintly I don't think putin has to offer trump something it's getting him something with the minerals isn't it rubbishing zelensky

I'm not anti trump or musk per se I'm not wildly against Elon going into the burocratic stuff he said if I wanted to mess with people's stuff I had pay pal.
What does concern me is the old power corrupts phrase, so very much rides on Elons ethics.
Suddenly a lot of control has been distilled into the hands of even fewer people. Buying x was a master stoke the man isn't stupid.

I think he's a genius but one who pretty much owns the main form of communication, has all the tech, wants robots as an army by 2027, now has access to personal data...

I am not a conspiracy theorist but I knows even when tings start out with the best intentions they change.
Elon maybe perfectly above board right now and genuinely and earnestly trying to help but what if that changes? How can trump remove him from people's data?

What can be done to stop him?
If he literally holds us all ransom via a chip thing?

He's been doing that for ages. I can remember it back in his first term.

It's really noticeable when he's looking for praise or if he's complaining about being 'poorly treated'. Oh, I guess that's all the time then, isn't it?

What drives both DH and me crazy is that whenever he touts his (dubious) accomplishments he ends all his SM posts or posts to the WH official site with THANK YOU!' as if everyone reading his nonsense is standing and applauding. In his mind I'm sure that's exactly what he thinks.

I thought about starting to bring dinner to the table and shouting "HERE'S DINNER!!! THANK YOU!!!" or shouting "I'VE FOLDED YOUR PANTS!! THANK YOU!! to DH but his sense of humour when it comes to Scrotus is nil these days and I don't want to push him over the edge.

If he starts referring to himself as "Your Favourite President' again as he did in his first term, I won't be held accountable for my actions.