It Costs A Lot Of Money To Be This Cheap - Trump Thread #169

[Spandauer]

(Title with apologies to Miss Dolly)

Griftin’ 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’, Truth Social is the lie, it’s all takin' and no givin'.
(Thanks @Jaichangecentfoisdenom)

Tangerine, Tangerine, Tangerine, Tangeriiiiiiiiiine. I'm begging of you please don't bomb Oman.
(Thanks @dapsnotplimsolls)

Previous thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5559791-the-reaper-should-have-gone-to-specsavers-trump-thread-168

Trump’s Final Term Ends in: - Countdown Timer

And those who got the NHS to where it is today have not and never will be properly held accountable for the damage they did with those lies. I believe one of them is still hiding in a fridge and the other has more money from friends (cf the rich getting richer above) than he dares declare to the tax-man.

Oh, quite. But they are examples of how we have repeated been sold fantasies.

I was delighted to see that the Russians had a go at killing the Man Johnson on the train in Ukraine the other day. Surprised that he was there, though: I had always assumed he was a Russian asset, so why was he visiting Ukraine?

I don't think he ever was a Russian asset.
He was quite close to several wealthy Russians and I think gave that dodgy Russian guy a peerage and wasn't above partying with Russians without his security brief. There were also rumours he had an affair with a Russian laydee possibly also an asset/honey pot type situation. So not outright in the pay of Russia, but possibly compromised by relationships etc.
However, due to his central personality being "cad" I don't think any past sexual relationships with Russians (or anyone) bought much loyalty. So when he was in trouble at home and Russia invaded Ukraine it was a bit of a no-brainer to cos-play as Churchill and buy himself political favour by supporting Ukraine wholeheartedly. Possibly to Russia's suprise.

That's my analysis of Johnson anyway. Effectively his utter faithlessness made him harder to corrupt.

However, due to his central personality being "cad" I don't think any past sexual relationships with Russians (or anyone) bought much loyalty. So when he was in trouble at home and Russia invaded Ukraine it was a bit of a no-brainer to cos-play as Churchill and buy himself political favour by supporting Ukraine wholeheartedly. Possibly to Russia's suprise.

That's my analysis of Johnson anyway. Effectively his utter faithlessness made him harder to corrupt.

An analysis with which I fully concur.

I amuse myself occasionally by imagining rage on the part of Russians or anyone else who schmoozed him with gifts or favours: "But but but he owes us! We did all those things for him, and then he ghosted us! How very dare he."

I really don't share anyone's pleasure at a Russian attempt to kill him, though.

Man's an excrescence, but still. No.

If they'd succeeded I'd have been mightily pissed off, if only for his (indeterminate number of) children; but since they missed I did find it delightful in a "wry grin" way.

Perhaps what made me think him a Russian asset was the Brexit business; I assumed they wanted us to leave the EU and were pulling strings for it to happen, and he was just one of the strings they pulled. I am quite sure they were in it up to their horrible necks.

I've met people bankrupted by Trump
he is vile and vindictive

I seem to remember that it was proven that there was Russian influence over the result re. Brexit, wasn’t there? So yes I can well believe BJ as an ‘asset’ but gone wrong.

They didn’t make the same mistake with DTwat-face, unfortunately.

I never thought Russia was directing him but thought they were just happy to have an idiot in charge messing things up no matter what particular mess he made. Ditto Trump.

Is this an example of executive orders not going a very good way of doing things ?

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Canada has unreasonably imposed new barriers to United States companies seeking to access the Canadian government procurement market by, among other things, establishing preferences for Canadian products and Canadian content under its “Buy Canadian” policy.

That is in a Presidential Memoranda, issued Sept 16 2026.

Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement – The White House

I have no idea if Canada have such a policy. If they do, it makes sense to me. The Presidential Memoranda goes on to claim..."... which amounts to over $280 billion annually. .

Buy Canadian eh ? Cheeky fecking Canadians.

Hang on a moment, this rings a bell. Lets check something. Ah, here it is. April 2017. EO 13788

Federal Register :: Buy American and Hire American

It's an EO, about a "buy American Hire American law... signed by..... President Donald J Trump.

But it looks like he declared it to be a law, but never got around to actually doing it.

Couple of things here. First is the obvious... it's ok for ME to have a buy American policy (Law ?), but it's not OK for THEM to do it. And next, he really should have a go at doing some legislation. Rather than rule by edict.

What's the use of having a central bank when you demand your own 1% interest rate because you think you know better?

" Natalie, write this down and print me a new Executive Order for me to sign. The Trump 0.1% interest rate on Trump loans and 0% tax on Trump companies order. I Donald J Trump, by the POWER vested in me, do hereby declare...."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/sep/17/donald-trump-eu-european-union-mark-carney-canada-associate-membership-tariffs-threats-germany-merz-latest-news-updates

Tariffs doing so much heavy lifting under Trump.

😂

If only this would prod Christopher Wray to do what he should have done all along (no hope of that, I'm afraid).

Would be very interesting to hear about the half-assed nature of the Kavanaugh background investigations, for a start.

Carney told the European Parliament that what is needed is an alliance where nobody gets to tell the EU and Canada what to do.

“I’m not proposing a third bloc in order to become a great power rival, only with better manners."

“We do not seek power to dominate others. On the contrary, we are pursuing resilience so no one can control our open markets, impair our sovereignty, threaten territorial integrity or undermine our freedoms, our democracies, our rule of law.”

Source-

Mark Carney: Canada-EU alliance isn’t meant to be a US rival with ‘better manners’ | CNN Business

Carney is a true Statesperson.

😂

I was amused to read the EU say "Not you UK" about associate membership for Britain.

https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-wont-offer-associate-eu-membership-to-brexit-britain/

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-kennedy-cneter/

that is is doing the rounds of my FB

Extraordinary story. Who's really in charge at the Dep't of War?

https://archive.ph/oQ2ht

Pentagon insiders unleash on Pete Hegseth's 'meddling' wife: Whistleblowers reveal her humiliating nickname among staff... how she keeps husband on 'extremely tight leash'... and eyebrow-raising behavior in government meetings

Defense Secretary P'ete Hegseths wife has been an ever-constant presence by his side while he helms the Department of War – shadowing him at official events, rubbing shoulders with President Trump, training with Marines and even controversially sitting in on high-level meetings.
But now as military whistleblowers issue an 'urgent SOS' over an embattled Hegseth, 46, turning the Defense Department into his own personal fiefdom, the Pentagon's so-called first lady is also in the firing line.

Jennifer Hegseth's unusually powerful - and yet unofficial - presence inside the Pentagon has ruffled so many feathers of late that DoD staffers have dubbed the 49-year-old 'Yoko Ono behind her back.

....

She sparked concern last year when it emerged she had tagged along for high-level meetings with foreign defense officials, including one discussion about Ukraine with his foreign counterparts at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Sources, at the time, said Jennifer had even been spotted taking notes and photos in some meetings.

It later surfaced, too, that she had even been looped in on a sensitive Signal chat about military operations of a US strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen, despite holding no formal Pentagon role.

Well Hegseth's an alcoholic, isn't he?

So it's not surprising if he's long had an enabler who holds things together and sweeps up behind him. Sounds like she's now running things completely and he's become just the front man.

He rants and rambles about testosterone; she does the work.

I'm still harping on about Canada and the EU. This is from IFLA:

"Donald Trump came down the stairs of Air Force One, called the new Canada-EU alliance "laughable," and threatened to stop trading with an entire continent about it. Ninety seconds earlier he'd called his own hand-picked Fed board "hostile." Everything is hostile to this bloke except the golf cart.

Meanwhile, Mark Carney stood in front of 27 nations, took a standing ovation, and told the world's press that nobody dictates Canada's culture or its choices.

Every Australian on Earth knows exactly what he said. So we translated it. The Prime Minister of Canada just told Donald Trump to get fucked, in both official languages, and delivered it so politely it arrived looking like an RSVP.

Full translation service in the new piece. Uncensored, obviously.

https://ifloz.substack.com/p/the-politest-get-fucked-in-diplomatic