Has the US crossed the Rubicon? - Trump thread #142

[Spandauer]

Here be dragons.

Previous thread:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5307874-are-we-feeling-liberated-yet-trump-thread-141

A French food mixer - tantamount to treason... 😜

...and tariffs as 20%. 👨🏻‍🍳

Unless he's changed his mind...

I mean... this is appalling surely?

Is Hesgeth showing off to his wife and brother?

The trouble is... getting rid of him will look like a climb down for the sack of orange porridge, and we know he doesn't do climb downs. But surely, this can't go on.
I watched Hesgeth ranting and raving at the Easter egg roll about the media ganging up on him

I'm assuming Trump doesn't want to fire people because he had a reputation for having a shit show of appointees in a revolving door situation in his first term. He thinks it makes him strong if only he can dismiss anyone with no push from anyone else. It would mess up the narrative of all critics of the regime being a conspiracy and any listening to the critics would add to that. He only wants absolute devotion and Hegseth is giving him that.

Or Trump isn't really in charge and it's someone else's decision. But that seems unlikely in this instance.

https://bsky.app/profile/radosh.bsky.social/post/3lndp7magi22m

Tariff news
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/22/business/us-tariffs-southeast-asia-solar-panels-intl/index.html

I so agree with this. It looks like weakness if he was to get rid of Hesgeth due to him being a complete liability and using all sorts of media to keep a reporter, his wife and brother and maybe the person he had dinner with the night before in the loop on his plans as DefSec.
If the media and the public thinks he is useless, he won't fire him on principle!

There's speculation that behind the, 'he has my support; he's doing a great job', Trump's already looking for a replacement. We might be looking at a future resignation as Hegseth is made to fall on his sword and Trump saves face.

Hegseth? I wonder if he's ever been entrusted to so much as walk the dog without supervision ? Chris Rock "The country is being run by the cast of The Apprentice". But not as competently.

The comments on the latest tariff news are priceless.

https://bsky.app/profile/janeremain.bsky.social/post/3lnfo4qzyw22z

@CaveMum throwback to "Cotton Candy Ass"?

It's hard to imagine any of Trumps picks getting the gig unless team Trump (which may or may not include Donald Trump depending how much they want him to know😀) had some sort of insurance policy that could be used to terminate with prejudice.

And it's guaranteed Hegseth will have a whole warehouse full of skeletons.

So if any pick needs to go, it can always be engineered for them to resign ("to spend time with their family") on demand.

I would be very disappointed if Putin hadn't arranged that.

He can't really fire anyone then...ever. Even if they're as stupid and under the influence of god knows what as Hesgeth.

Genuinely not sure if this is a joke or not.

I think if he is pushed does resign then it will probably be along the lines of 'there is too much intrusion and scrutiny by the media into him and his work which is taking the focus off how important his job actually is.' Therefore he will need to do the honourable thing and step down from his post for the good of the country. Or some similar bollocks.

If the USA does not have the manufacturing capacity
slapping humungous tariffs on imports
will only hurt other parts of US industry

Trump (or his handlers) would be fool(s) not to use the "resignation" as free fuel for their bonfire of civilisation.

We know the MAGAnauts would blame George Washington himself, if Trump told them to.

Remember, here in the UK, you can still find traces of the Truss debacle being blamed on "the Blob".

Slapping humongous tariffs on the stuff that the US manufacturers need to make solar panels isn’t going to help much either.

The world not so keen on US exports.

Empty Ships, Empty Promises: Trump's Tariffs Are About to Decimate American Shipping.
Trump's 145% tariffs triggered a flood of imports—but not a rise in American exports. West Coast ports are now sending ships back empty. This imbalance isn't just economic—it's personal. Jobs, wages, and trade flows are all at risk. The ships are still moving. But fewer are coming back.
https://www.dataandpolitics.net/empty-ships-empty-promises-trumps-tariffs-are-about-to-decimate-american-shipping/

Beef with antibiotics was found last August... so just think what food supplies are like now that half the inspectors are probably ex-inspectors thanks to the DOGE cuts.
Federal Inspectors Found Antibiotics in Beef ‘Raised Without Antibiotics.’ They Took No Action.
...“This strongly suggests that the US antibiotic-free beef supply is deeply contaminated and deeply deceptive to American consumers,” Andrew deCoriolis, the executive director of Farm Forward tells Sentient.
sentientmedia.org/antibiotics-in-beef-raised-without-antibiotics/

I may have mentioned it before, but I can't help but feel that what we are seeing is Trump destroying the whole of the US. Because it would be impossible for a series of random decisions to have done this.

He is pulling the whole temple down. Only unlike Samson, he'll get away when it collapses.

Furthermore,I think he's always wanted to do this. From way back when. You can imagine Putins delight when he realised that he and Trump really do want the same thing.

The fact he is now doing all of this is plain (and getting plainer) sight, is a testament to the lack of imagination on one side, and rather too much imagination on the other.

Throw in a change of Pope (which is a staple of all end-of-days prophetalia) and I wouldn't be starting too many box sets any time soon.

@SerendipityJane Do you think I have time for a full re-watch of The West Wing, Scandal and The Handmaids Tale? 🤞

Maybe look for individual self contained series ? I'm hoping to catch the latest Black Mirror before the apocalypse.

They're off their heads as my dear old mum would say.

3521%, 41.56% & 375.19% are some very specific numbers.

I wonder how they arrived at those.

83.27% of statistics are made up on the spot.