2025 to 2028 Trump Presidency 2

[LeftyLarry]

I like mine with CAFO meat and as many additives as possible, preferably some aspartame, MSG and glyphosate added to the mix as well.

What will RFK jr say? Oh wait, I know, he was eating that glorious and wholesome McDonald's stuff in front of the cameras.

America is going to be so great again.

Who said anything about MacDonalds?
We are talking hamburgers, cheeseburgers , bar- B- cue beef ribs and brisket , you know, the stuff real men eat!
Try it some time, you won’t be so angry!

[Neven]

Larry, you're as big of a chump as those liberals fawning over Obama. 

And I prefer to have my meat boiled.

[zenith]

how's it going to go? wait no longer as the richest men in america have gathered and they're making their mark. at least when the robber baron bankers were cooking up the federal reserve they secreted away to jekyll island, no need for that now.

this is good, in a perversely entertaining way.

Elon RAILS AGAINST Spending Bill, TANKS Its Support in HOURS


buckle up, it's going to get crazy.

[LeftyLarry]

Larry, you're as big of a chump as those liberals fawning over Obama. 

And I prefer to have my meat boiled.

The only person I fawn over is my wife and we’ve been married for a very long time!

Nothing wrong with boiled beef, I like it with horseradish when I eat it.

[zenith]

the eye of sauron has shifted focus...

Trump Warns EU: Buy American Oil & Gas Or Face Tariff War
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/trump-warns-eu-buy-american-oil-gas-or-face-tariff-war

""I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large-scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!" President-elect Donald Trump warned early Friday morning on Truth Social.

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US trade deficit in goods and services with the EU totaled $131.3 billion in 2022. Following Trump's presidential victory last month, the EU has been gearing up for a potential trade war with Trump.

The good news is that the US has become the world's largest crude oil producer and the top LNG exporter. As Brussels and Washington work aggressively to curtail Russia's energy flows into Europe—whether crude oil, refined products, or NatGas—the US is well-positioned to fill the gap.

Bloomberg noted that the euro traded slightly higher, up about .3% to $1.0398, amid signs that EU officials may increase energy imports from the US in 2025 to avoid a full-blown trade war and remain in Trump's good graces.

In late November, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the Group of Seven conference in Italy that the EU is "well-prepared for the possibility that things will become different with a new US administration," adding, "If the new US administration pursues an 'America first' policy in the sectors of climate or trade, then our response will be 'Europe united.'"

The EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said last month that US LNG has the potential to replace the bloc's remaining imports of Russian LNG.

"We still get a whole lot of LNG via Russia, from Russia," von der Leyen said, adding, "And why not replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our energy prices."

The US is already Europe's largest provider of LNG, but imports from Russia remain number two. Brussels continues to search for new ways to curb Moscow's energy flows into the continent, which will only suggest US energy supplies will be the eventual replacement. We commented earlier this week on the latest fiasco with Russian NatGas pumped into Ukraine, then Slovakia, which is set to be halted at the first of the year.

However, Bloomberg pointed out, "The US doesn't have much more capacity to increase shipments. And since LNG is sold through long-term contracts, adding shipments to Europe would require original buyers of the gas to agree to divert its shipments to Europe — but that wouldn't boost the amount being exported by the US," adding, "Over the longer term, more capacity will come on line with dozens of projects in the US currently in the works.""

[Rodius]

the eye of sauron has shifted focus...

Trump Warns EU: Buy American Oil & Gas Or Face Tariff War
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/trump-warns-eu-buy-american-oil-gas-or-face-tariff-war

""I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large-scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!" President-elect Donald Trump warned early Friday morning on Truth Social.

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US trade deficit in goods and services with the EU totaled $131.3 billion in 2022. Following Trump's presidential victory last month, the EU has been gearing up for a potential trade war with Trump.

The good news is that the US has become the world's largest crude oil producer and the top LNG exporter. As Brussels and Washington work aggressively to curtail Russia's energy flows into Europe—whether crude oil, refined products, or NatGas—the US is well-positioned to fill the gap.

Bloomberg noted that the euro traded slightly higher, up about .3% to $1.0398, amid signs that EU officials may increase energy imports from the US in 2025 to avoid a full-blown trade war and remain in Trump's good graces.

In late November, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the Group of Seven conference in Italy that the EU is "well-prepared for the possibility that things will become different with a new US administration," adding, "If the new US administration pursues an 'America first' policy in the sectors of climate or trade, then our response will be 'Europe united.'"

The EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said last month that US LNG has the potential to replace the bloc's remaining imports of Russian LNG.

"We still get a whole lot of LNG via Russia, from Russia," von der Leyen said, adding, "And why not replace it with American LNG, which is cheaper, and brings down our energy prices."

The US is already Europe's largest provider of LNG, but imports from Russia remain number two. Brussels continues to search for new ways to curb Moscow's energy flows into the continent, which will only suggest US energy supplies will be the eventual replacement. We commented earlier this week on the latest fiasco with Russian NatGas pumped into Ukraine, then Slovakia, which is set to be halted at the first of the year.

However, Bloomberg pointed out, "The US doesn't have much more capacity to increase shipments. And since LNG is sold through long-term contracts, adding shipments to Europe would require original buyers of the gas to agree to divert its shipments to Europe — but that wouldn't boost the amount being exported by the US," adding, "Over the longer term, more capacity will come on line with dozens of projects in the US currently in the works.""

Its almost as if the US created the conditions for a war between Ukraine and Russia to cause stressful trade between the EU and Russia so the US could sell its fossil fuels to the EU... what was that pipe that was blown up before which the US would never have done?

Added bonus is trying to weaken Russia.

[zenith]

Make Monroe Doctrine Great Again? Trump Threatens To Take Back Panama Canal Amid Chinese Takeover Fears
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/make-monroe-doctrine-great-again-trump-threatens-return-panama-canal-amid-chinese

"President-elect Donald Trump seems poised to revive the Monroe Doctrine, signaling a renewed focus that the US will continue Western Hemisphere domination for decades and will no longer tolerate any other competition in controlling strategic maritime chokepoints or natural resources in the region.

On Saturday evening, Trump vented on Truth Social how "President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave away" the Panama Canal for one dollar. He explained, "It was solely for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else."

The core issue is that China now controls two of the five ports adjacent to the canal: Balboa on the Pacific and Cristobal on the Caribbean. While the US spent three decades engaged in nation-building activities across the Middle East, China transformed Panama into a geographic and commercial hub, strategically positioning itself for political, economic, and military advancement.

"The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America's Economy and National Security. A secure Panama Canal is crucial for US Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to US ports," Trump said.

He also touched on the high fees for US ships to transit the canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans: "The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S. This complete "rip-off" of our Country will immediately stop…."

The big picture is that the Monroe Doctrine may be revived during Trump's second term to counter China's efforts to dominate the Western Hemisphere without firing a shot. This likely implies that the Trump administration will aim to reclaim control of geostrategic chokepoints—critical ports—and ensure the flow of natural resources remains under US control for decades to come.

"I've been trying to persuade folks for a while now that Trump is serious about a return to the Monroe Doctrine, but even I didn't have "Trump demands return of Panama Canal as early Christmas present" on my bingo card," Emma Ashford, a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, wrote on X."

[gerontocrat]

Latest from Trump....

He says

- he wants the US to take back control of the Panama Canal. Panama is not amused,
- he wants the US to buy Greenland.

The US transition takes tooo long. I wonder what will happen when he has to stop his triumphal tours and go the the Office to confront his to-do list. Or will he do a bunk down south for some games of golf?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/panama-leader-takes-feud-trump-215353323.html

Bloomberg
Panama’s Leader Takes Up Feud With Trump Over Canal Control

(Bloomberg) -- Panama’s president rebuffed Donald Trump’s threat to reimpose US control over the Panama Canal, saying its shipping tolls aren’t inflated and that sovereignty over the waterway isn’t negotiable.

“Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zones is part of Panama, and it will continue to be,” President José Raúl Mulino said Sunday in a video statement on X, the social platform.

Mulino’s defense of Panamanian control over the key commercial waterway shows how Trump is already exerting global influence after he brought control over the canal into play over the weekend, decrying “ridiculous” transit fees for US vessels and alleged Chinese encroachment.

Trump’s diplomatic hardball — just less than a month before his inauguration — represents a new front in his attempt to ratchet up pressure on trading partners. After Mulino’s retort about continued Panamanian control, Trump said, “We’ll see about that!” on his Truth Social platform.

China doesn’t control the canal, though a Chinese company — a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. — has two of the five ports adjacent to the canal, one on each side.

Under Panama’s constitution, the canal is managed by the Panama Canal Authority, with some of the tolls going into the national treasury. The authority said last week that it had deposited almost $2.5 billion in the last fiscal year.

https://financialpost.com/news/trump-revives-interest-in-greenland-as-key-to-national-security
Trump reiterates he wants to buy Greenland for U.S. security

President-elect reopens debate from 2019

Published Dec 23, 2024  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  2 minute read

Donald Trump hinted he still wants to buy Greenland, a self-ruling territory of Denmark, saying that U.S. ownership and control of the island is an “absolute necessity” for national security.

The U.S. president-elect reopened a debate from 2019, when he offered to buy what is the world’s biggest island, a proposal that was quickly rebuffed by Denmark at the time.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World,” Trump said on Truth Social Sunday, “the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Greenland is already crucial to American national defence, being home to a U.S. air base and a radar station. The war in Ukraine has dramatically increased the territory’s military value to the United States  and NATO, given the island’s strategic location between the Arctic and the North Atlantic.

Trump made the statement on Sunday as he nominated PayPal Inc. co-founder Ken Howery for U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. Howery responded on X saying he would work to “deepen the bonds” between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland. Howery was an ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021, under Trump’s first administration.

Commenting on Trump’s post, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede said by email that the island is “not for sale and will never be for sale.” However, he said Greenland must continue to be open to co-operation and trade directly with other countries, especially its neighbours.

[SteveMDFP]

Trump has released a large number of unhinged social media tweets.   His Greenland obsession is the most glaring, but there are quite a number of fundamentally irrational statements about tariffs, fiscal matters, NATO, and much more.

Some suggest these are "distractions" -- calculated outrageous matters to avoid scrutiny of real matters of importance.  This can't be the case, he hasn't even taken power yet.  There is literally nothing his administration is doing for which he needs distraction, because his administration doesn't exist yet.

Others suggest these statements are to set up more strategic positions for future negotiations.  Although being unpredictable *can* be useful for *some* strategic negotiations, being utterly unhinged across a wide array of issues will more likely to result in a severe reluctance by any negotiation partner to agree to any kind of deal.  Being generally unhinged is not a rational strategy, and it burns up much good will, which takes sustained effort to build and maintain.

No, Trump is seriously irrational, with ill-informed and nonsensical conclusions and initiatives.  Irrationality can be significantly present in many leaders and still be manageable, because most such minds have the good sense to be quiet about such thoughts.

Some of Trump's flaws are long-standing.  He's a severe narcissist and quite sociopathic, with a glaring lack of empathy.  His intellect has always been mediocre, to put it charitably.

What's clearly worsening is his disinhibition.  He can't keep crazy and destructive thoughts quiet and bottled up any more.  He now blurts them out, much more than before.  He will surely act them out, as soon as he can just start signing executive orders.  For a President, ordering an executive order to be drawn up for his signature is approximately as easy as sending out a personal tweet.

This level of problematic disinhibition, at his age, strongly suggests some sort of dementia.  There are a number of distinct dementia syndromes, with different identifiable characteristics.  Prominent disinhibition is suggestive of, especially, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD).  See, for example:

Towards better management of disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-disinhibition-frontotemporal-dementia.html

"Disinhibition is one of the main symptoms of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a type of dementia associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Patients with bvFTD exhibit behaviors that are considered inappropriate, to the point that caregivers and family members may feel helpless.
...
"The effects of bvFTD on behavior are particularly pronounced...Changes in personality expression, apathy, impaired judgment and empathy, inappropriate conduct... the manifestations of disinhibition can be specific to each individual and vary according to the environment and social situations
...
"disinhibited behaviors exist along a spectrum, and that it is simply their intensity and frequency that defines their pathological nature in frontotemporal dementia."
______________________

Buckle up world.  This will be a bumpy ride.

[Freegrass]

Trump has released a large number of unhinged social media tweets.   His Greenland obsession is the most glaring, but there are quite a number of fundamentally irrational statements about tariffs, fiscal matters, NATO, and much more.

Some suggest these are "distractions" -- calculated outrageous matters to avoid scrutiny of real matters of importance.  This can't be the case, he hasn't even taken power yet.  There is literally nothing his administration is doing for which he needs distraction, because his administration doesn't exist yet.

Others suggest these statements are to set up more strategic positions for future negotiations.  Although being unpredictable *can* be useful for *some* strategic negotiations, being utterly unhinged across a wide array of issues will more likely to result in a severe reluctance by any negotiation partner to agree to any kind of deal.  Being generally unhinged is not a rational strategy, and it burns up much good will, which takes sustained effort to build and maintain.

No, Trump is seriously irrational, with ill-informed and nonsensical conclusions and initiatives.  Irrationality can be significantly present in many leaders and still be manageable, because most such minds have the good sense to be quiet about such thoughts.

Some of Trump's flaws are long-standing.  He's a severe narcissist and quite sociopathic, with a glaring lack of empathy.  His intellect has always been mediocre, to put it charitably.

What's clearly worsening is his disinhibition.  He can't keep crazy and destructive thoughts quiet and bottled up any more.  He now blurts them out, much more than before.  He will surely act them out, as soon as he can just start signing executive orders.  For a President, ordering an executive order to be drawn up for his signature is approximately as easy as sending out a personal tweet.

This level of problematic disinhibition, at his age, strongly suggests some sort of dementia.  There are a number of distinct dementia syndromes, with different identifiable characteristics.  Prominent disinhibition is suggestive of, especially, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD).  See, for example:

Towards better management of disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-disinhibition-frontotemporal-dementia.html

"Disinhibition is one of the main symptoms of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a type of dementia associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Patients with bvFTD exhibit behaviors that are considered inappropriate, to the point that caregivers and family members may feel helpless.
...
"The effects of bvFTD on behavior are particularly pronounced...Changes in personality expression, apathy, impaired judgment and empathy, inappropriate conduct... the manifestations of disinhibition can be specific to each individual and vary according to the environment and social situations
...
"disinhibited behaviors exist along a spectrum, and that it is simply their intensity and frequency that defines their pathological nature in frontotemporal dementia."
______________________

Buckle up world.  This will be a bumpy ride.

The problem is that the people around him love it. They're all using him, and that's when things get dangerous.

I still believe there will be martial law in America once he's taken office. They'll convince him he can really be a dictator on day one.

[etienne]

Steve, your description of Trump completely fit my father's situation. He fell off the carport while painting the wooden blinds, and while in hospital, he insisted that my mother had to buy more paint because he hadn't finished the work and the paint was spoiled.
A few years later, the situation is sadder. He still believe that he can do everything like before, and gets angry when it doesn't work.

Maybe Trump will be the first president that has to step down because of dementia.

Freegrass, I don't believe that he needs martial law to achieve his goals. Martial law would probably end like in Korea.

[vox_mundi]

[nadir]

Trump has released a large number of unhinged social media tweets.   His Greenland obsession is the most glaring, but there are quite a number of fundamentally irrational statements about tariffs, fiscal matters, NATO, and much more.

Some suggest these are "distractions" -- calculated outrageous matters to avoid scrutiny of real matters of importance.  This can't be the case, he hasn't even taken power yet.  There is literally nothing his administration is doing for which he needs distraction, because his administration doesn't exist yet.

Others suggest these statements are to set up more strategic positions for future negotiations.  Although being unpredictable *can* be useful for *some* strategic negotiations, being utterly unhinged across a wide array of issues will more likely to result in a severe reluctance by any negotiation partner to agree to any kind of deal.  Being generally unhinged is not a rational strategy, and it burns up much good will, which takes sustained effort to build and maintain.

No, Trump is seriously irrational, with ill-informed and nonsensical conclusions and initiatives.  Irrationality can be significantly present in many leaders and still be manageable, because most such minds have the good sense to be quiet about such thoughts.

Some of Trump's flaws are long-standing.  He's a severe narcissist and quite sociopathic, with a glaring lack of empathy.  His intellect has always been mediocre, to put it charitably.

What's clearly worsening is his disinhibition.  He can't keep crazy and destructive thoughts quiet and bottled up any more.  He now blurts them out, much more than before.  He will surely act them out, as soon as he can just start signing executive orders.  For a President, ordering an executive order to be drawn up for his signature is approximately as easy as sending out a personal tweet.

This level of problematic disinhibition, at his age, strongly suggests some sort of dementia.  There are a number of distinct dementia syndromes, with different identifiable characteristics.  Prominent disinhibition is suggestive of, especially, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD).  See, for example:

Towards better management of disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-disinhibition-frontotemporal-dementia.html

"Disinhibition is one of the main symptoms of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a type of dementia associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Patients with bvFTD exhibit behaviors that are considered inappropriate, to the point that caregivers and family members may feel helpless.
...
"The effects of bvFTD on behavior are particularly pronounced...Changes in personality expression, apathy, impaired judgment and empathy, inappropriate conduct... the manifestations of disinhibition can be specific to each individual and vary according to the environment and social situations
...
"disinhibited behaviors exist along a spectrum, and that it is simply their intensity and frequency that defines their pathological nature in frontotemporal dementia."
______________________

Buckle up world.  This will be a bumpy ride.

Impressive. I don’t remember you making a single observation of the mental deterioration of Biden, which many already observed back in 2019.

Not only that. You diagnose Trump in a telepathic way of frontotemporal dementia (wow! How sophisticated), narcissism, psychopathy and much more. You must be a hell of an MD.

Weren’t you the doctor that stays alone at home like a hermit since 2020 afraid of COVID and only leaves triple-masked and with protective glasses to get the booster every six months?

[LeftyLarry]

Trump has released a large number of unhinged social media tweets.   His Greenland obsession is the most glaring, but there are quite a number of fundamentally irrational statements about tariffs, fiscal matters, NATO, and much more.

Some suggest these are "distractions" -- calculated outrageous matters to avoid scrutiny of real matters of importance.  This can't be the case, he hasn't even taken power yet.  There is literally nothing his administration is doing for which he needs distraction, because his administration doesn't exist yet.

Others suggest these statements are to set up more strategic positions for future negotiations.  Although being unpredictable *can* be useful for *some* strategic negotiations, being utterly unhinged across a wide array of issues will more likely to result in a severe reluctance by any negotiation partner to agree to any kind of deal.  Being generally unhinged is not a rational strategy, and it burns up much good will, which takes sustained effort to build and maintain.

No, Trump is seriously irrational, with ill-informed and nonsensical conclusions and initiatives.  Irrationality can be significantly present in many leaders and still be manageable, because most such minds have the good sense to be quiet about such thoughts.

Some of Trump's flaws are long-standing.  He's a severe narcissist and quite sociopathic, with a glaring lack of empathy.  His intellect has always been mediocre, to put it charitably.

What's clearly worsening is his disinhibition.  He can't keep crazy and destructive thoughts quiet and bottled up any more.  He now blurts them out, much more than before.  He will surely act them out, as soon as he can just start signing executive orders.  For a President, ordering an executive order to be drawn up for his signature is approximately as easy as sending out a personal tweet.

This level of problematic disinhibition, at his age, strongly suggests some sort of dementia.  There are a number of distinct dementia syndromes, with different identifiable characteristics.  Prominent disinhibition is suggestive of, especially, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD).  See, for example:

Towards better management of disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-disinhibition-frontotemporal-dementia.html

"Disinhibition is one of the main symptoms of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a type of dementia associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Patients with bvFTD exhibit behaviors that are considered inappropriate, to the point that caregivers and family members may feel helpless.
...
"The effects of bvFTD on behavior are particularly pronounced...Changes in personality expression, apathy, impaired judgment and empathy, inappropriate conduct... the manifestations of disinhibition can be specific to each individual and vary according to the environment and social situations
...
"disinhibited behaviors exist along a spectrum, and that it is simply their intensity and frequency that defines their pathological nature in frontotemporal dementia."
______________________

Buckle up world.  This will be a bumpy ride.

The problem is that the people around him love it. They're all using him, and that's when things get dangerous.

I still believe there will be martial law in America once he's taken office. They'll convince him he can really be a dictator on day one.

Do you have any money?
How much of it would you like to bet that Trump never becomes a dictator and that the American system of Government remains intact.
I’m offering 10-1 odds that what you say is hogwash , how much?
If you want to be paid in bitcoin, I can do that too.
Put your money where your mouth is or shut up.

[SteveMDFP]

Trump has released a large number of unhinged social media tweets.   His Greenland obsession is the most glaring, but there are quite a number of fundamentally irrational statements about tariffs, fiscal matters, NATO, and much more.

Some suggest these are "distractions" -- calculated outrageous matters to avoid scrutiny of real matters of importance.  This can't be the case, he hasn't even taken power yet.  There is literally nothing his administration is doing for which he needs distraction, because his administration doesn't exist yet.

Others suggest these statements are to set up more strategic positions for future negotiations.  Although being unpredictable *can* be useful for *some* strategic negotiations, being utterly unhinged across a wide array of issues will more likely to result in a severe reluctance by any negotiation partner to agree to any kind of deal.  Being generally unhinged is not a rational strategy, and it burns up much good will, which takes sustained effort to build and maintain.

No, Trump is seriously irrational, with ill-informed and nonsensical conclusions and initiatives.  Irrationality can be significantly present in many leaders and still be manageable, because most such minds have the good sense to be quiet about such thoughts.

Some of Trump's flaws are long-standing.  He's a severe narcissist and quite sociopathic, with a glaring lack of empathy.  His intellect has always been mediocre, to put it charitably.

What's clearly worsening is his disinhibition.  He can't keep crazy and destructive thoughts quiet and bottled up any more.  He now blurts them out, much more than before.  He will surely act them out, as soon as he can just start signing executive orders.  For a President, ordering an executive order to be drawn up for his signature is approximately as easy as sending out a personal tweet.

This level of problematic disinhibition, at his age, strongly suggests some sort of dementia.  There are a number of distinct dementia syndromes, with different identifiable characteristics.  Prominent disinhibition is suggestive of, especially, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD).  See, for example:

Towards better management of disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-disinhibition-frontotemporal-dementia.html

"Disinhibition is one of the main symptoms of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a type of dementia associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Patients with bvFTD exhibit behaviors that are considered inappropriate, to the point that caregivers and family members may feel helpless.
...
"The effects of bvFTD on behavior are particularly pronounced...Changes in personality expression, apathy, impaired judgment and empathy, inappropriate conduct... the manifestations of disinhibition can be specific to each individual and vary according to the environment and social situations
...
"disinhibited behaviors exist along a spectrum, and that it is simply their intensity and frequency that defines their pathological nature in frontotemporal dementia."
______________________

Buckle up world.  This will be a bumpy ride.

Impressive. I don’t remember you making a single observation of the mental deterioration of Biden, which many already observed back in 2019.

Not only that. You diagnose Trump in a telepathic way of frontotemporal dementia (wow! How sophisticated), narcissism, psychopathy and much more. You must be a hell of an MD.

Weren’t you the doctor that stays alone at home like a hermit since 2020 afraid of COVID and only leaves triple-masked and with protective glasses to get the booster every six months?

An ad hominem attack on another forum member is inappropriate.

Biden is irrelevant.

Do you dispute Trump's narcissism?  His sociopathy?  His dysfunctional disinhibition?  We can discuss these.

Much of the world is struggling to understand what Trump is doing with these tweets, what it says about what we can expect from him.  I've proposed a hypothesis on this issue, which I believe is well-supported by available facts.  We can have an on-topic discussion.

[gerontocrat]

Can one assume that bright and early on Tuesday Jan 21 2025 Trump will be sitting at his desk in the Oval Office ready to sign the Executive Orders prepared by his acolytes to make all those Day 1 promises happen?

Perhaps until the end of week 1? The boring hard graft of Government was not really Trump's thing during Presidency 1. I for one, do not have the energy levels of 4 years ago. So how able and willing will Trump be to make all those tweets and campaign promises become reality in Presidency 2?

On the other hand, the threats about Panama, Greenland and Canada were not just part of meandering rambles, but specific. So I think we will see some sort of real action very soon.

[etienne]

• On the first day of his presidency,  Trump will declare the end of AGW
• Thank God, so there won't be wildfires anymore.

https://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/cartoon-des-tages-fotostrecke-142907.html

[nadir]

Trump has released a large number of unhinged social media tweets.   His Greenland obsession is the most glaring, but there are quite a number of fundamentally irrational statements about tariffs, fiscal matters, NATO, and much more.

Some suggest these are "distractions" -- calculated outrageous matters to avoid scrutiny of real matters of importance.  This can't be the case, he hasn't even taken power yet.  There is literally nothing his administration is doing for which he needs distraction, because his administration doesn't exist yet.

Others suggest these statements are to set up more strategic positions for future negotiations.  Although being unpredictable *can* be useful for *some* strategic negotiations, being utterly unhinged across a wide array of issues will more likely to result in a severe reluctance by any negotiation partner to agree to any kind of deal.  Being generally unhinged is not a rational strategy, and it burns up much good will, which takes sustained effort to build and maintain.

No, Trump is seriously irrational, with ill-informed and nonsensical conclusions and initiatives.  Irrationality can be significantly present in many leaders and still be manageable, because most such minds have the good sense to be quiet about such thoughts.

Some of Trump's flaws are long-standing.  He's a severe narcissist and quite sociopathic, with a glaring lack of empathy.  His intellect has always been mediocre, to put it charitably.

What's clearly worsening is his disinhibition.  He can't keep crazy and destructive thoughts quiet and bottled up any more.  He now blurts them out, much more than before.  He will surely act them out, as soon as he can just start signing executive orders.  For a President, ordering an executive order to be drawn up for his signature is approximately as easy as sending out a personal tweet.

This level of problematic disinhibition, at his age, strongly suggests some sort of dementia.  There are a number of distinct dementia syndromes, with different identifiable characteristics.  Prominent disinhibition is suggestive of, especially, behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia (bvFTD).  See, for example:

Towards better management of disinhibition in frontotemporal dementia
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-disinhibition-frontotemporal-dementia.html

"Disinhibition is one of the main symptoms of the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a type of dementia associated with degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Patients with bvFTD exhibit behaviors that are considered inappropriate, to the point that caregivers and family members may feel helpless.
...
"The effects of bvFTD on behavior are particularly pronounced...Changes in personality expression, apathy, impaired judgment and empathy, inappropriate conduct... the manifestations of disinhibition can be specific to each individual and vary according to the environment and social situations
...
"disinhibited behaviors exist along a spectrum, and that it is simply their intensity and frequency that defines their pathological nature in frontotemporal dementia."
______________________

Buckle up world.  This will be a bumpy ride.

Impressive. I don’t remember you making a single observation of the mental deterioration of Biden, which many already observed back in 2019.

Not only that. You diagnose Trump in a telepathic way of frontotemporal dementia (wow! How sophisticated), narcissism, psychopathy and much more. You must be a hell of an MD.

Weren’t you the doctor that stays alone at home like a hermit since 2020 afraid of COVID and only leaves triple-masked and with protective glasses to get the booster every six months?

An ad hominem attack on another forum member is inappropriate.

Biden is irrelevant.

Do you dispute Trump's narcissism?  His sociopathy?  His dysfunctional disinhibition?  We can discuss these.

Much of the world is struggling to understand what Trump is doing with these tweets, what it says about what we can expect from him.  I've proposed a hypothesis on this issue, which I believe is well-supported by available facts.  We can have an on-topic discussion.

Biden is irrelevant? Well maybe you’re right on that.

I don’t dispute Trump’s narcissistic traits, that’s evident for all to see (not sure about the other stuff you mention since I am not a doctor) but I heard (from doctors) it is not possible to diagnose these things, like real NPD, from the distance. Likewise I don’t diagnose Biden of dementia, Alzheimer, or of blood deficiency to the brain, I don’t know, but boy he surely embarrassed himself in public almost every single time, and all media pundits and all Dems just looked to another direction until, three full years and a half into his presidency, they decided unison he was not “sharp as a tack” anymore.

Of course… Trump is no longer Hitler or the ultimate menace to Democracy (Obama chats and laughs with him now!) now it’s time to find as many disorders and syndromes on him even before inauguration.

Give me a break.

[SteveMDFP]

I  wasn't presenting bvFTD as a diagnosis.  At a minimum, an MRI of the brain would be important.  I was presenting it as a hypothesis that can help interpret his erratic behavior.

[morganism]

Research exposes Trump inaugural committee as 'cesspool of special interest financing'

(....)
 Trump is reportedly keeping close track of major companies that have yet to donate to his inaugural fund.

Public Citizen noted Tuesday that "while the self-serving motivations of inaugural donors has a long and troubling precedent, the scope of donations and, in many cases, the fear of retribution driving the donations to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee represents a worrying shift."

"Buying access to the president and the president's inner circle is the name of the game," the group says in its new research brief. "For corporations and wealthy special interests attempting to influence public policy or secure lucrative government contracts, writing big checks to Trump's inaugural committee—or any presidential inaugural committee—provides a bonanza of access to leading government officials and influence over public policy. This is a level of influence peddling only available to those who can afford to pay the price and is denied to those who are not wealthy."

To "ensure that undue influence-peddling through Inaugural donations is mitigated," Public Citizen called on lawmakers to pass legislation banning corporate and lobbyist donations to inaugural funds, implementing contribution limits, and strengthening disclosure requirements, among other reforms.

"The possibility for corruption exists any time an officeholder accepts large donations from those who have business pending before the official," Public Citizen said. "Congress should end the double standard for presidential inauguration fundraising. The celebration of an election victory should be viewed as part and parcel of the process of selecting our president."

https://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php?action=post;topic=4310.100;last_msg=418403

...

Billionaires, Millionaires and Lobbyists Cozy Up to Trump by Flooding the Inauguration with Record-Breaking Donations
Inaugural Financing Void of Limits and Effective Disclosure Is Susceptible to Corruption and Buying Official Favors

https://www.citizen.org/article/billionaires-millionaires-and-lobbyists-cozy-up-to-trump-by-flooding-the-inauguration-with-record-breaking-donations/

[etienne]

Let's have a thought for the millions who will soon be scared, they could be expelled.
The crazy thing is that the ones that have illegal activities know better how to hide.

[etienne]

One Monday in January...
https://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/cartoon-des-tages-fotostrecke-142907.html

[nadir]

One Monday in January...
https://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/cartoon-des-tages-fotostrecke-142907.html

Etienne I thought you were quite the rational person, enough to avoid parroting Establishment propaganda. Oh well…

Nothing is going to substantially change just as Biden said of himself in 2020 and just as every other president before.

The agencies will prepare a better candidate for 2028 and won’t have to deal with Trump or similar for a good while. In the meantime they will try to keep Trump thinking he is in power. It already happened in 2016-2020 🤷🏻‍♂️

[vox_mundi]

[morganism]

(stephan miller has been doing more legal work in the background)

Executive orders are supposed to be reviewed by DoJ, but NYT reports they’re “outsourcing” that step:

    Most significantly, [Stephen] Miller will be in charge of Mr. Trump’s signature issue and the one that Mr. Miller has been fixated on since childhood: immigration. And he has been working, in secrecy, to oversee the team drafting the dozens of executive orders that Mr. Trump will sign after he takes office on Jan. 20.

    […] The protectiveness around the executive orders is particularly notable. An incoming administration would usually send the drafts to the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, where a career lawyer — walled off from the outgoing administration’s political appointees — reviews them for form and legality and suggests improvements. For the most part, Mr. Trump’s first transition is said to have followed that practice.

    But Mr. Miller is using a team of lawyers from outside the Justice Department to vet the orders, a person with knowledge of the situation said — a sign of Trump aides’ general distrust of the Justice Department, which brought three special counsel investigations into Mr. Trump and twice indicted him.

I’d bet actual money (if I had any) that the “outside legal firm” doing the vetting is Stephen Miller’s own group, America First Legal (same link):

    Less than a month after Mr. Trump left office, he founded the America First Legal Foundation, a nonprofit “public interest law firm.” Mr. Miller, who is not a lawyer himself, cast the group as a conservative answer to the American Civil Liberties Union, helping the little guy fight big government or big tech.

    […] Now, as Mr. Trump returns to the White House, the America First Legal Foundation wants to serve as an attack dog for the Trump administration. In December, the group sent letters to 249 city and state officials in “sanctuary” jurisdictions that have said they will not cooperate with federal immigration authorities to help them arrest immigrants. If these officials do not participate in Mr. Trump’s crackdown, Mr. Miller’s group said, the local officials could be considered to be illegally “harboring” undocumented immigrants.

    Experts said it would be difficult for the group to actually sue local officials, but, as before, Mr. Miller’s group is contemplating a campaign outside the courtroom. It filed public-records requests with 17 states and cities, seeking evidence that they were preparing to defy Mr. Trump’s crackdown. And it set up a website called “Sanctuary Strongholds,” designed to direct public pressure against state and local officials.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/19/2297313/-What-to-know-about-executive-orders-as-Trump-prepares-to-take-office?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web#comment_90533815

...
Fighting Back
against lawless executive actions and the Radical Left.

Sanctuary Strongholds
Where Federal Laws Are Defied
See What Officials Are Saying

See What Is Happening In Your State

Select a state to find government officials who publicly oppose enforcing federal immigration laws. Encourage them instead to follow federal law and SHIELD – STOP HELPING ILLEGALS ENTER AND LINGER WITHOUT DEPORTATION

https://aflegal.org/sanctuary-strongholds/

[etienne]

One Monday in January...
https://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/cartoon-des-tages-fotostrecke-142907.html

Etienne I thought you were quite the rational person, enough to avoid parroting Establishment propaganda. Oh well…

Nothing is going to substantially change just as Biden said of himself in 2020 and just as every other president before.

The agencies will prepare a better candidate for 2028 and won’t have to deal with Trump or similar for a good while. In the meantime they will try to keep Trump thinking he is in power. It already happened in 2016-2020 🤷🏻‍♂️

Let's hope it will work the way you see it. We should see quite soon how he deals with non legal immigrants, with sexual rights (contraception...), gender and racial equality... It looks like he is better prepared than last time in order to make sure that things happen before the midterms.
If the EU propaganda machine is anti US, I wonder what will happen on our side of the Atlantic.

[LeftyLarry]

[/quote]
Let's hope it will work the way you see it. We should see quite soon how he deals with non legal immigrants, with sexual rights (contraception...), gender and racial equality... It looks like he is better prepared than last time in order to make sure that things happen before the midterms.
If the EU propaganda machine is anti US, I wonder what will happen on our side of the Atlantic.
[/quote]

1. Illegal immigrants- criminals arrested and deported, criminals to include those here illegally who had court cases that determined they were not allowed to stay and they then disappeared into the ether, border closed, simple.

2. Sexual rights and contraception= going to end up States choices, my guess is in about 48 States
Abortion in the first trimester will remain and there will always be the minority but loud voice on the left , suggesting Abortion should be allowed until the kid is talking and there will be an equally loud small group of Rightwingers who think there is never a reason for abortion.

3.Gender equality? For which gender? In the 1990’s men made up about 67% of all graduate degrees , now women make up 67% of graduate degrees , a lot of this because the women teachers have damaged boys from kindergarten on up, pushed them onto Ritalin and put them in emotionally disturbed classes for no good reason other than 6-10 year olds boys are often hyper.

4. racial equality? For which race? They all seem to be doing quite well in America, yes, I’m a white guy as a for instance who is in the top 1% , it only took my family 3 + generation and about 100 years to get there , must be we got there because of race, not 3 generations working their arses off, getting more education each generation and taking risk to try and become better off.

[Freegrass]

Confused Trump Autographs Swearing-In Bible Before Handing It Back To Justice Roberts

[The Walrus]

Funny, but fake.

[glakesice]

Trump said, "drill, Baby, drill," during his inauguration speech and referred to oil as, "liquid gold." "We are going to use it," he added to applause.

We might have to resuscitate RCP 8.5...

[morganism]

 Trump to withdraw from Paris climate agreement

The decision delivers a blow to the effort to keep global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels.


President Donald Trump will withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time, delivering a blow to the effort to keep global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels.

The president announced plans to exit the nearly 200-nation pact on Monday in a White House press release
(more)

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/20/trump-withdraws-paris-climate-agreement-00199385

[Freegrass]

Welcome to the new America everyone.
They're not even hiding it anymore.

[gerontocrat]

So what is he going to do right away - mostly by Executive Orders.

a BBC article listing his immediate to-do list. The one important walk-back is tariffs - now just a study about trade with mexico canada & china.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ced961egp65o

What executive orders is Trump expected to sign on day one?

Donald Trump has promised to unleash a blitz of executive orders now that he has been sworn in as the 47th US president, after calling for a "revolution of common sense" in Monday's inaugural address.

The Republican promised to act unilaterally on a wide array of issues, including immigration, climate rules and diversity policies. Executive orders carry the weight of law but can be overturned by subsequent presidents or the courts. Many could face legal challenges.

It is common for presidents to sign a range of executive orders when they enter office, but US media reports that Trump intends to issue as many as 200 on his first day - which would eclipse the amount most past presidents have issued in a single term.

Immigration and the border
National emergency at the border

Trump said during his inaugural address that he would sign an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border - and ordering the Department of Defense to more heavily allocate resources and manpower to it.

"Remain in Mexico"

His White House will also re-implement his "Remain in Mexico" policy in a day-one executive order, he said. A measure from his first term, it returned about 70,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers across the border to Mexico to await hearings.

Terrorism designation for gangs and cartels

The president will officially designate cartels and international gangs as foreign terrorist organisations, according to his inaugural address. Central American MS-13 and Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua will be added to a list that includes Al Qaeda, the so-called Islamic State and Hamas.

Resume wall-building

When Trump was first elected president in 2016, he signed an executive order to build a border wall. Although parts of the wall have been built, there is still much left uncompleted, and an official told reporters before the inauguration that Trump would issue a directive to finish what he started.

End birthright citizenship

Trump has called the constitutional right that says anyone born on US soil is an American citizen "ridiculous". Trump officials also told reporters that the president would deny birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants who are in the US illegally.

But doing that could prove much more difficult than simply issuing an executive order, and is expected to face legal challenges.

Refugee and asylum seekers

Trump will suspend refugee admissions into the US for at least four months, officials also said. He also plans to use his presidential powers to "end" asylum by proclamation to fast-track deportations at the US-Mexico border.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president will suspend refugee resettlements in US communities.

Death penalty for certain immigrant criminals

Now that he is in office, officials said that Trump will direct his attorney general to seek the death penalty for any unauthorised immigrant who is found guilty of murdering law enforcement officers or other "capital" crimes.

Deportations

Trump vowed to end the practice of "catch and release" during his speech on Monday. The policy allows migrants to live in US communities while they await their hearings.

He has previously promised to "launch the largest deportation program in American history" and end a longtime policy that has kept federal immigration authorities from conducting raids on churches and schools.

These pledges could face legal and logistical challenges.

Closing the border on health grounds

A 1944 measure called Title 42 allows the US government to curb migration to protect public health. It was last used during the pandemic, but US media report that the new administration is looking for a disease that would help justify its plans to close the southern US border with Mexico.

Climate and energy
Pull out of the Paris Agreement (again)

The new White House says that it is withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement - the landmark international deal designed to limit rising global temperatures. It did not say whether Trump would look to achieve this with an executive order.

Trump first withdrew from the accord in 2017, before Biden re-entered it in 2021.

National energy emergency

Trump will declare a national energy, he said in his inaugural address. Officials earlier said this would be designed to allow the US to produce more natural resources and jobs.

The new president also vowed to "drill, baby, drill" for more American fossil fuels. Officials have also said he will issue an order targeting Alaska's "incredible abundance of natural resources".

End Green New Deal

During Monday's speech, Trump said that he will end the so-called Green New Deal - a series of Biden administration directives, regulations and programmes that were aimed at boosting green jobs, regulating the fossil fuel industry and limiting pollution. He also said he would end Biden's electric vehicle mandate

Trade and economy
Inflation

Trump said during his inaugural address that he would reduce "record" inflation. His officials earlier said he would issue a memorandum on inflation that would emphasise the need for an "all of government approach" to bring down costs - though specific policy details were scant.

Tariffs

On his first day in office, Trump is only expected to direct federal agencies to "study trade policies and evaluate US trade relationships with China and America's continental neighbours", according to the Wall Street Journal.

Trump previously promised 10% tariffs on all imports, 25% on Canadian and Mexican goods and 60% on items coming from China.

Tariffs are likely to make consumer goods more expensive and could fuel inflation, experts say. Some countries are considering retaliatory action.

Trump introduced tariffs in his first term - including some on China that former President Joe Biden retained.

Crypto pile

Trump has championed cryptocurrency, and his election saw the value of Bitcoin increase by 30%.

Some believe Trump will move quickly to create a federal "Bitcoin stockpile" - a strategic reserve similar to the US's stockpile of gold and oil - that he has said would serve as a "permanent national asset to benefit all Americans".

Diversity and gender
Transgender people

Trump said in his inaugural address that he would issue an executive order declaring that "there are only two genders, male and female".

Trump officials earlier told reporters that the order would say it was US policy to recognise male and female biologically distinct sexes, rather than "gender and sex".

The order is expected to affect transgender policy regarding government communications, civil rights protections and federal funding as well as the approach of US shelters and prisons. It will affect official documents like passports and visas.

DEI

The president said in his address that he would end government efforts to "socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life".

Officials said that Trump will order the end of "diversity, equity and inclusion" (DEI) programmes "inside the federal government", affecting all agencies and even newly adopted names for spaces. The incoming administration promised further actions that could affect the private sector.

Abortion

Like most Republican presidents before him, Trump is expected to reinstate the "Mexico City policy", which bans federal aid to international groups that provide abortion counselling.

He is also expected to reinstate an abortion rule that prohibits Title X federal health providers, a low-income family planning programme, from mentioning abortion to patients. This would effectively strip millions of dollars from organisations that offer abortion or provide referrals.

Government reform
Doge and Elon Musk

Trump said on Monday that he would issue an order to form the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - a new advisory body aimed at cutting government costs. It is expected to be co-led by Elon Musk.

Government workers

Trump's press secretary said that the president will freeze bureaucracy hiring - except in essential areas - require workers to return to the office, cancel contracts the administration deems unnecessary and fire federal employees connected to DEI efforts.

Changes to the military
Backpay to unvaccinated

Trump promised during his speech to reinstate the 8,000 military service members who were discharged due to the Pentagon's Covid vaccine mandate - with full backpay.

End "woke" ideology

His inaugural address also included a vow to end "woke" ideology in the military, and to ensure that its mission was focused on defeating America's enemies.

Foreign policy
America First

Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Trump will direct the State Department to adopt an "American-First" foreign policy. This order could reportedly include large cuts to US foreign aid.

Cuba and Venezuela

Trump could use executive orders to undo Biden's recent decision to remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. He could also reinstate sanctions against Venezuela. Both countries were frequent targets of his ire during his first administration, but officials did not mention it on Monday.

'Gulf of America' and other names
"Gulf of America"

Among Trump's first executive orders will be one that directs the secretary of the interior to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America", he said in his inaugural address.

Alaska's Mount Denali

He said his executive order will also call for Alaska's Mount Denali to have its named reverted to Mount McKinley - in honour of America's 25th president whose tariff policies Trump admires. The highest mountain peak in North America, President Barack Obama changed the name to Denali to reflect what it was called by native tribes.

TikTok
The looming ban

Before his inauguration, Trump has promised to issue an executive order postponing the implementation of a law banning Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok.

TikTok welcomed this and restored US services after briefly switching them off.

Trump said his order would give TikTok's parent company more time to find a US partner to buy a majority stake.

The new president previously backed a ban, but indicated he had reversed his stance after his campaign videos attracted billions of views.

Capitol riot
Free Jan 6 "hostages"

Hundreds of people convicted after the 2021 US Capitol riots are awaiting potential pardons now that Trump has returned to office, but it is unclear if it will happen on day one.

Trump has repeatedly referred to them as "hostages" and has said he is "inclined to pardon many of them". More than 1,500 individuals were arrested in relation to the event. At least 600 were charged with assaulting or impeding federal officers.

Secret documents
JFK assassination

At a rally on Sunday, Trump said he would release classified documents related to the assassination of President John F Kennedy in 1963, a subject of countless conspiracy theories, as well as the 1968 killings of Senator Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Trump officials did not mention this plan on Monday.

[nadir]

Wow what a joke of Inauguration day. Preceded by the launch of Donald and Melania meme coins (what a couple of grifters!) as well as by the preemptive pardoning of Biden to his family and friends like Fauci, then the presence of the most notable billionaires of the Empire, including the recauchuté wife of Bezos under the attentive sight of Zuckerberg, and a very drugged Elon Musk that finishes his own discourse a-la Goebbels.

Interesting times in the US of A. Perhaps it is me that needs to read Etienne more carefully…

[gerontocrat]

Executive orders so far are definitely not Business As Usual

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/20/tump-executive-orders-list

What executive orders did Trump sign on day one?
President says his executive orders will lead to ‘complete restoration of America’. Here’s what we know so far

Here’s what we know so far about the most significant executive orders and actions Trump signed on Monday.

Ending birthright citizenship
The order: Along with a slew of immigration-focused orders, Trump is targeting automatic citizenship for US-born children of immigrants in the country illegally, to begin 30 days from today.

What Trump said: The order specifies that it would limit birthright citizenship if a person’s “mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth”, or “when that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary”.

What it means: Birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil, is protected by the 14th amendment and any attempt to revoke it will likely bring immediate legal challenges. The order attempts to deny documents recognizing US citizenship for individuals who meet that criteria and are born in the US 30 days after the order was signed.

Leaving the World Health Organization
The order: Trump signed an order to have the US exit the World Health Organization (WHO).

What Trump said: “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,” Trump said at the signing. He accused the WHO mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

What it means: The US will leave the WHO in 12 months’ time and stop all financial contributions to its work. The US is biggest financial backer to the United Nations health agency.

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico
The order: Trump ordered two name changes: the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Mount Denali.

What Trump said: “President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American Civilization,” the executive order said in part.

What it means: Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America”, something he promised earlier this month at a press conference. He will rechristen Alaska’s Mount Denali as Mount McKinley, a change first made by former president Barack Obama in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents.

It will have no bearing on what names are used internationally.

Revoking electric vehicle targets
The order: Trump revoked a non-binding executive order signed by Biden aimed at making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 electric.

What Trump said: “The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity,” Trump said on Monday afternoon.

What it means: Part of an effort to repeal Biden’s environmental protections, Trump has also promised to roll back auto pollution standards finalized by Biden’s administration last spring.

Reclassifying federal employees, making them easier to fire
The order: Trump’s executive order reclassified thousands of federal employees as political hires, making it much easier for them to be fired.

What Trump said: Aides to the president have long heralded mass government firings as part of an attack on the so-called “administrative” or “deep” state.

What it means: Trump effectively reinstates “Schedule F”, an executive order he signed in the last year of his first term, seeking to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers. (Biden rescinded the order.)

Key aides to Trump have called for mass government firings. Project 2025 made attacks on the deep or administrative state a core part of Trump’s second term. The rightwing playbook called for civil servants deemed politically unreliable to be fired and replaced by conservatives.

Declaring a national energy emergency
The order: Trump declared a national energy emergency as part of a barrage of pro-fossil fuel actions and efforts to “unleash” already booming US energy production that included also rolling back restrictions in drilling in Alaska and undoing a pause on gas exports.

What Trump said: The order means “you can do whatever you have to do to get out of that problem and we do have that kind of emergency,” Trump said at the White House late on Monday.

What it means: The declaration would allow his administration to fast-track permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure. It is likely that the order, part of a broader effort to roll back climate policy, will face legal challenges.

Creating a policy recognizing only two genders
The order: Trump signed an order to remove “gender ideology guidance” from federal government communication, policies and forms. The order makes it official policy that there are “only two genders, male and female”.

What Trump said: “Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination,” the order states.

What it means: The order reverses a Biden-era executive action on the acceptance of gender identity.

Pausing the TikTok ban
The order: Trump signed an executive order temporarily delaying the enforcement of a federal ban on TikTok for at least 75 days.

What Trump said: “I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” Trump said at the White House, as he signed executive orders according to the New York Times.

What it means: Trump ordered his attorney general to not enforce the law requiring TikTok’s sale. Trump says the pause allows for time to chart an “appropriate course forward” to protect national security and not abruptly shut down the popular app. In his first term, Trump favored a TikTok ban, but has since changed his position due to factors including his own popularity on the app.

Rescinding 78 Biden-era executive actions
The order: Trump ordered 78 Biden-era executive actions to be rescinded, including at least a dozen measures supporting racial equity and combating discrimination against gay and transgender people.

What Trump said: “I’ll revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration,” Trump told a crowd in Washington after his inaugural speech. He also said he would end policy “trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life” and push for a “color blind and merit-based” society.

What it means: The orders signal a reversal of Biden-era policy that prioritized implementing diversity measures across the federal government. Trump repealed orders signed by Biden advancing racial equity for underserved communities and the aforementioned order combating discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

Declaring a national border emergency
The order: Trump signed an order at the White House declaring an emergency at the southern US border, along with several other immigration-related policies.

What Trump said: “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” Trump said in his inauguration speech.

What it means: The executive action paves the way to send US troops to the southern border and makes good on campaign promises to implement hardline immigration policies. There are limited details about how the administration planned to execute its sprawling set of immigration actions that were all but certain to face legal and logistical challenges.

Immigrant communities across the country are bracing for Trump’s promise to carry out the “largest deportation program in American history”, beginning as early as Tuesday morning.

Issuing pardons for January 6 defendants
The order: Trump issued pardons for offenders and commutations related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He will direct the Department of Justice to dismiss cases currently in progress.

What Trump said: “I’m going to be signing on the J6 hostages, pardons, to get them out,” Trump said during his rally speech. “We’ll be signing pardons for a lot of people, a lot of people.” Trump said he has pardoned about 1,500 defendants charged in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and issued six commutations.

What it means: Trump made his pledge to issue pardons for those with convictions related to the January 6 Capitol attack a core part of his re-election campaign. On the campaign trail, Trump often featured the national anthem sung by prisoners in a Washington DC jail. There are more than 1,500 people federally charged with associated charges.

With Trump back in the White House, justice department investigations into January 6 crimes are expected to cease.

Withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement
The order: Trump issued executive action withdrawing the US from the 2015 Paris agreement, along with a letter informing the United Nations of the decision.

What Trump said: “I am immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip off” Trump said during a rally at the Capital One Arena. In his inaugural speech, Trump said he would use executive action to “end the Green New Deal”.

What it means: In 2017, Trump exited the Paris agreement. Upon taking office in 2021, Biden rejoined. Monday’s order makes good on a Trump election promise to withdraw from the 2015 global treaty seeking to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Exiting the Paris agreement is part of Trump’s broader efforts to roll back climate protections and policy. Trump has described Biden’s efforts to grow the US’s clean energy sector as “the green new scam”.

[Freegrass]

Declaring a national energy emergency
The order: Trump declared a national energy emergency as part of a barrage of pro-fossil fuel actions and efforts to “unleash” already booming US energy production that included also rolling back restrictions in drilling in Alaska and undoing a pause on gas exports.

What Trump said: The order means “you can do whatever you have to do to get out of that problem and we do have that kind of emergency,” Trump said at the White House late on Monday.

What it means: The declaration would allow his administration to fast-track permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure. It is likely that the order, part of a broader effort to roll back climate policy, will face legal challenges.

I’m sure Neven is happy now that Kamala didn't get elected.

[Richard Rathbone]

Creating a policy recognizing only two genders
The order: Trump signed an order to remove “gender ideology guidance” from federal government communication, policies and forms. The order makes it official policy that there are “only two genders, male and female”.

What Trump said: “Agencies will cease pretending that men can be women and women can be men when enforcing laws that protect against sex discrimination,” the order states.

What it means: The order reverses a Biden-era executive action on the acceptance of gender identity.

The ironic thing is, he also revoked this in another place in the same order.

In the same executive order, Trump ended all government programmes, policies, statements and communications that promote or support "gender ideology".

Single genes have on/off switches, but its ideology not biology that says the dozens of sex-linked genes all line up the same way in everybody. Just as its normal variation that some people have blue eyes, or are left handed, its normal variation that some males have female characteristics and some females have male characteristics.

[The Walrus]

There have always been femboys and Tom boys, and whatnot.  That does not change their biological makeup.

[LeftyLarry]

There have always been femboys and Tom boys, and whatnot.  That does not change their biological makeup.

This is exactly the point.

Feeling like a girl , when you are born a boy does not give you the right to undress in the girls locker room or play on the girls basketball team.
I would assume over the next four years the massive increase in children “ transitioning” will come to a screaming halt when teachers , hopefully can no longer influence, cajole and groom very young children into changing their sex and often ruining their lives.
 

[Rascal Dog]

There have always been femboys and Tom boys, and whatnot.  That does not change their biological makeup.

You still have not finished your quiz.

[PM2]

Single genes have on/off switches, but its ideology not biology that says the dozens of sex-linked genes all line up the same way in everybody. Just as its normal variation that some people have blue eyes, or are left handed, its normal variation that some males have female characteristics and some females have male characteristics.

The gender characteristics this debate hinges on are historically conditioned socio-psychological (whether one "feels" or "identifies" as a man or a woman, whatever that's supposed to mean) traits that hinge almost entirely on patriarchal sex stereotypes (i.e., woman are soft, nurturing, love pink; men are tough, rugged, love violence), not biological.  Even the most cursory study of cross-cultural anthropology will reveal this. There is not a gene for liking pink or liking football, nor for "feeling" like a woman or a man (whatever that would mean).  The spread of transgender ideology through the populace is a matter of social contagion enabled by new communication technologies.  Is genetic variation real?  Of course.  Does that have anything to do with transgender ideology?  No.

Transgender ideology is a form of regressive patriarchal authoritarianism just as much as "traditional" gender ideology is.  "Gender" is a social construct.  Sex is biological.  Transgenderism reifies the authoritarian myth of gender; only liberation from the concept of gender would amount to progress in this domain.  Such progress, of course, is nowhere to be seen these days.  The supposed "left" hates women just as much as the right, but in order to delineate the boundaries of the different teams, that hate takes a somewhat different shape in its public presentation.

[gerontocrat]

Tariffs on China sit in the pending tray. Trump gives a Feb 1 timeframe for 25% tariffs in Mexico and Canada.
Negotiating ploy? But Feb 1 is only 10 days away.
Mexico and Canada seen as soft targets compared with China?

We wait to see what the reality will be.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-plans-to-impose-massive-25-tariffs-on-mexico-canada-by-february-1-7527060

Trump Plans To Impose Massive 25% Tariffs On Mexico, Canada By February 1
"We're thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada, because they're allowing vast numbers of people" across the border, Trump said in response to questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday night. "I think we'll do it Feb. 1."

Josh Wingrove and Eric Martin, Bloomberg

Trump Plans To Impose Massive 25% Tariffs On Mexico, Canada By February 1
Donald Trump has said his administration will impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico, Canada
President Donald Trump signaled plans to impose previously threatened tariffs of as much as 25% on Mexico and Canada by Feb. 1, reiterating his contention that America's closest neighbors and largest trading partners are letting undocumented migrants and drugs flood into the US.

"We're thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada, because they're allowing vast numbers of people" across the border, Trump said in response to questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Monday night. "I think we'll do it Feb. 1."

Earlier in the day, Trump said in his inaugural address that "instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens." He stopped short of mentioning specific countries as tariff targets.

His off-the-cuff comments, though, were aimed at two allies vital for US energy imports and auto supply chains. Any volley of new border taxes threatens to set off a trade war among the signatories of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the successor to Nafta negotiated at Trump's insistence during his first term. The pact governed the flow of $1.8 trillion in goods and services trade, based on 2022 data.

Both Canada and Mexico have said they'd retaliate against American goods if Trump slaps tariffs on them. The USMCA is up for review in 2026.

"Canada's a very bad abuser," Trump said, complaining about the current of fentanyl and migrants across the northern US border.

The Canadian dollar and Mexican peso, which had rallied earlier Monday on signs Trump would hold off from immediately imposing sweeping tariffs, fell as much as 1.4% each against the greenback on the news. Bloomberg's dollar gauge rose as much as 0.7%, the most since Dec. 18.

Betting on the greenback has become one of Wall Street's favored trades for investors anticipating that an expansion of tariffs will crimp global growth, lift US inflation and potentially cause the Federal Reserve to refrain from lowering borrowing costs - all of which would support the US currency.

There was some relief in Chinese markets as Trump fell short of announcing immediate levies against the world's second-largest economy. An index of Chinese stocks traded in Hong Kong rose 1%, while gauges in the mainland fluctuated. The offshore yuan slipped 0.2%, but held on to most of its Monday rally.

DE MINIMIS REVIEW
In an executive action released Monday, Trump called for broad reviews of trade oversight and relationships, including persistent bilateral goods deficits, the formation of an External Revenue Service to collect tariffs, currency misalignments and the duty-free implementation of packages valued at $800 or less - known as de minimis exemptions.

Tariffs of the magnitude Trump is proposing on US neighbors would "cripple" US carmakers, according to Nicole Gorton-Caratelli and Maeva Cousin at Bloomberg Economics. The transport sector more broadly is the most integrated in North America, and the proposed tariffs would affect US value added that's embedded in cars imported from Canada and Mexico — "so tariffs on these goods mean the US would effectively be tariffing itself," they wrote in a recent analysis.

Stellantis NV imports about 40% of the vehicles they sell in the US, while General Motors Co. imports roughly 30% and Ford Motor Co. 25%, Bernstein analysts said in a November research note.

The additional levies would hit about $97 billion worth of auto parts and 4 million finished vehicles that come into the US from those countries, and could boost average new-car prices by about $3,000, according to Wolfe Research.

Trump also indicated he was still considering a universal tariff on all foreign imports to the US, but said he was "not ready for that yet."

"You'd put a universal tariff on anybody doing business in the United States, because they're coming in and they're stealing our wealth," he said, adding that implementation could be "rapid."

In a Nov. 25 post on Truth Social, Trump warned he'd impose 25% tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian imports as "one of my many first Executive Orders" and said it "will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!"

Those tactics set off a scramble in Mexico City and Ottawa to demonstrate to the incoming president that both governments were addressing his concerns.

Last year there were just over 1 million encounters with illegal border crossers by US Border Patrol at the US-Mexico border. There were 22,369 such encounters at the northern border, according to data from US Customs and Border Protection.

The US border service seized about 20,600 pounds of fentanyl at the Mexico-US border and 50 pounds at the Canada-US border, the data showed.

Within days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has since said he's stepping down, flew to Florida to impress upon Trump that the number of migrants who cross the country's border into the US is small, and that Canada is also working closely with the US to stop drug smuggling.

Canada has also drawn up an initial list of C$150 billion ($105 billion) of US-manufactured items that it would hit with tariffs if the first salvo comes from Trump, who has taunted Canadians with an invitation to become the 51st US state.

"None of this should be surprising. The one thing we've learned is that President Trump at moments can be unpredictable," Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's finance minister, told reporters shortly after Trump's comments.

The Canadian government will keep talking about border security and other issues with the Trump administration, LeBlanc said. "In our conversation with American officials, we have spoken about our shared commitment to the fight against fentanyl, to ensuring that immigration is orderly and legal."

In December, Trudeau's government presented a plan to spend about $1 billion on additional measures such as more helicopters and drones for near the border.

Mexico has sought to avoid the imposition of tariffs, taking actions to placate Trump including seeking to reduce imports from China and carrying out a record fentanyl seizure.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's government has said the tariffs could affect the $800 billion of annual trade between the countries and would potentially drive inflation in the US.

[gerontocrat]

Trump has signed an Executive Order that attempts to stop spending on initiatives under the Inflation Reduction Act. However, it looks like most of the money is already committed and maybe spending it can't be cancelled.

Nevertheless, together with kissing the Paris Accord goodbye and cancelling the EV mandate confirms that the Federal element of the US Energy Transition programme is pretty much dead in the water for the next 4 years and beyond.

https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/trump-orders-agencies-to-halt-spending-from-bidens-climate-law

Trump orders agencies to halt spending from Biden's climate law
The law has been seen as a target for the incoming administration, searching for ways to pay for tax cuts

Bloomberg News
Published Jan 20, 2025

President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to “immediately pause” the spending of money from the Inflation Reduction Act, former president Joe Biden’s signature climate law that provided hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to clean energy and other climate initiatives.

The directive, included in an executive order issued Monday, mandates agencies to review grants, loans and other payments associated with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which Trump has derided as the “Green New Scam.”

The order follows a vow Trump made on the campaign trail to “rescind unspent” money from the climate law, billed by Democrats as the largest-ever investment in fighting climate change.

Projected to provide incentives for electric-vehicle, wind, solar, hydrogen and nuclear power projects, the law has been seen as a target for the incoming administration, searching for ways to pay for Trump’s planned tax cuts.

Clawing back the funds won’t be easy, though. The Energy Department has committed more than $170 billion for grants and loans, through cash made available in the IRA and a separate bipartisan infrastructure law, it said on Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said it has awarded 93 per cent of grant funding coming from the IRA.

The broader energy directive signed by Trump on Monday terminated Biden’s American Climate Corps program — a New Deal-inspired jobs program to fight climate change around the United States. Trump also ordered the EPA to consider eliminating the “social cost of carbon,” a metric used for estimating the potential economic damage from global warming and extreme weather, historically used to justify environmental policies.

[LeftyLarry]

Trump Presidency 2 is up and running.....

Some people never learn.

Trump threatens Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs.

So Trudeau trots off to Mar-a-Lago for a grovel. And what is his reward? Donald Trump belittled the leaders of the United States’ closest neighbours, Canada and Mexico, at a Fox awards ceremony, comleted with an audience chant that taunted Canada as the 51st US state.

Claudia Sheinbaum just rung him up. At least she did not travel a few thousand miles to be insulted.

Will any of those who presume to govern us tell him to get lost?


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/06/trump-fox-news-patriot-award

Trump belittles leaders of Canada and Mexico at Fox Nation’s ‘patriot’ awards
Audience also taunted Canada in chant of ‘51’, suggesting northern neighbour should be 51st US state

Fri 6 Dec 2024 17.56 GMT

Donald Trump belittled the leaders of the United States’ closest neighbours, Canada and Mexico, at a Fox awards ceremony intended to celebrate his role as America’s greatest “patriot”.

Two weeks after threatening the two countries with 25% tariffs on their imports for supposedly failing to prevent drugs and migrants from crossing the border, the president-elect took evident pleasure in an audience chant that taunted Canada as the 51st US state.

The chant of “51” came at Thursday night’s Fox Nation’s Patriot of the Year ceremony, held in New York. Trump was given the top award by Sean Hannity, one of the network’s star hosts.

No, what you ingrates don’t understand is, the U.S. can live very nicely without any of you, it’s you who need us .
Sure it would be great to have allies and fair reciprocal relationships but the EU, Canada, Mexico have shown, they are only allies and trading partners when they are getting the better deal, not when there is a quid pro quo relationship , so the Trumpster is going to bring them to their knees because he actually loves his country.
Sorry if that inconveniences you.

[morganism]

Eric Geller @ericjgeller.com‬

DHS has terminated the memberships of everyone on its advisory committees.

This includes several cyber committees, like CISA's advisory panel and the Cyber Safety Review Board, which was investigating Salt Typhoon.

That review is "dead," person familiar says.

www.documentcloud.org/documents/25...

Other cyber advisory boards now kaput:

• Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board
• Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council
• National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee
• National Infrastructure Advisory Council
• USSS Cyber Investigations Advisory Board

https://bsky.app/profile/ericjgeller.com/post/3lgbpqmxeok2f

[Richard Rathbone]

Single genes have on/off switches, but its ideology not biology that says the dozens of sex-linked genes all line up the same way in everybody. Just as its normal variation that some people have blue eyes, or are left handed, its normal variation that some males have female characteristics and some females have male characteristics.

The gender characteristics this debate hinges on are historically conditioned socio-psychological (whether one "feels" or "identifies" as a man or a woman, whatever that's supposed to mean) traits that hinge almost entirely on patriarchal sex stereotypes (i.e., woman are soft, nurturing, love pink; men are tough, rugged, love violence), not biological.  Even the most cursory study of cross-cultural anthropology will reveal this. There is not a gene for liking pink or liking football, nor for "feeling" like a woman or a man (whatever that would mean).  The spread of transgender ideology through the populace is a matter of social contagion enabled by new communication technologies.  Is genetic variation real?  Of course.  Does that have anything to do with transgender ideology?  No.

Transgender ideology is a form of regressive patriarchal authoritarianism just as much as "traditional" gender ideology is.  "Gender" is a social construct.  Sex is biological.  Transgenderism reifies the authoritarian myth of gender; only liberation from the concept of gender would amount to progress in this domain.  Such progress, of course, is nowhere to be seen these days.  The supposed "left" hates women just as much as the right, but in order to delineate the boundaries of the different teams, that hate takes a somewhat different shape in its public presentation.

Gender  rests  on sex. Its a matter of sex which of the available gender constructs a person identifies with. Its a matter of sex which gender is sexually attractive to a person. Its also a matter of natural variation in sex-linked genes that these do not always line up in the same way. Which colors are associated with which gender is subject to change by social processes, but there's always going to be gender is some form or other, because thats how sex operates. In some cases this doesn't matter at all, but in some cases its highly problematic and people get badly mixed up or scapegoated because their identity doesn't neatly match up with the stereotypes. There will always be two genders and there will always be people that don't fit in them. Liberals will by and large accept this, conservatives will attempt to force everyone into one or the other. In my opinion, dividing up those that don't fit into multiple categories and then trying to force people into them is making the same mistake as trying to force everyone into M/F categories. Sex underlies M/F genders, and there's a real difference between the M end of the spectrum and the F end. However there's an enormous amount of variety in between that cannot be neatly categorised. I take the liberal view that its a matter of choice that should not be disputed unless it interferes with the choices of others, when its necessary to come to a compromise that can never be final but will always require renegotiation from time to time. Some of  the left wing forcing of people into sex changes to fit a trans ideology is as abhorrent to me as right wing gay conversion therapy.

Sports are a test of male secondary sexual characteristics. They are almost entirely designed by males for males to show off their virility. Its regarded as cheating for a male as well as a female to artificially enhance their virility by taking supplements of male sex hormones. Normal variation in male genetics is not a problem for male sports, because those males with an occasional gene stuck in the female mode are, if anything,  going to be bad at sport as a result. Someone of the female sex and male gender is going to lose and there's no need for any other mechanism than normal competition. Its a matter of sex that females can't compete on equal terms in contests designed to test how virile the contestants are. Humans aren't so dimorphic that a random male is always going to beat a random female, but the male record holder is always faster and stronger than the female. In order to participate in elite competitions, females have to have a protected category. However drawing the boundary is problematic for female sports in a way it isn't for male sports. Having some male genes is liable to be a substantial advantage to a female competitor. People of the male sex and female gender have won female Olympic medals. There's at least one case where all 3 on the podium are known to have been of the male sex and female gender. Variation that is extremely rare in the general population is selected for in elite female sport, and is a good deal less rare there as a result. Where to draw the boundary is a real and contentious issue. Different authorities take different views and consequently there are examples of people allowed to compete and win as female in one competition but disqualified for being too male in another.

This is patriarchal in that females feel the need to participate in competitions structured in the same way as male competitions in order to avoid exclusion from elite status generally. However, it seems understandable to me that those of the female sex and female gender get upset and angry about being expected to compete with those of the male sex and female gender where there is no acknowledgement that being of the male sex is a significant advantage.

[Rascal Dog]

No, what you ingrates don’t understand is, the U.S. can live very nicely without any of you, it’s you who need us .

The USA can live better if we trade with Mexico. Consider green onions. The USA exports green onions to Mexico, because at some times of year green onions grow better in the USA. The USA imports green onions from Mexico, because at some times of year green onions grow better in Mexico.

Both the USA and Mexico get better, cheaper onions because of trade. And farmers in both Mexico and the USA are better off as well.

Go to the grocery store and look at where food comes from. Think about how much either that wouldn't be there (blueberries in January) or would be more expensive because of tariffs.

Can you say "inflation"?

I know you can.

[etienne]

No, what you ingrates don’t understand is, the U.S. can live very nicely without any of you, it’s you who need us .
Sure it would be great to have allies and fair reciprocal relationships but the EU, Canada, Mexico have shown, they are only allies and trading partners when they are getting the better deal, not when there is a quid pro quo relationship , so the Trumpster is going to bring them to their knees because he actually loves his country.
Sorry if that inconveniences you.

Well, to me it looks like the US are committing ecological and economical suicide. I believe that the rest of the world would live better without the US, so I can't really see it as a catastrophe, excepted that war is always the easiest way to hide political failure. I really hope that Europe sees Trump as an opportunity to free itself of the US dominance (including $ and Wall Street, Amazon, META...), and it really looks like Trump does all he can to push Europe in that direction.
 

[LeftyLarry]

Trump said, "drill, Baby, drill," during his inauguration speech and referred to oil as, "liquid gold." "We are going to use it," he added to applause.

We might have to resuscitate RCP 8.5...

Maybe I can explain it to you this way.

The U.S. is importing oil and gas under Biden, which is crazy. It hurts our balance of payments and helps create inflation.
It is 10 degrees Fahrenheit here in NY today, windmills won't get it done for us. It makes no sense for us to buy Iran, Venezuela or Russian energy.

As for the Paris agreements, any agreement that keeps the US form using our own energy while China continues to build coal fired plants and can pollute until 2030 while consolidating it's wealth and power to control the world is a bad deal for the US, we are not going to participate in that under Trump or any other Republican who can win election.

CHina already has the 2nd largest economy in the world and uses it's wealth, it's cash flow to build ports and gain access all over the world, including raping and pillaging in the 3rd world whenever the need for its economic benefit.
The U.S. would be crazy to keep allowing that to happen until 2030 with the hope China and india( at least they have an argument) will then agree to stop polluting.

[Rodius]

No, what you ingrates don’t understand is, the U.S. can live very nicely without any of you, it’s you who need us .

The USA can live better if we trade with Mexico. Consider green onions. The USA exports green onions to Mexico, because at some times of year green onions grow better in the USA. The USA imports green onions from Mexico, because at some times of year green onions grow better in Mexico.

Both the USA and Mexico get better, cheaper onions because of trade. And farmers in both Mexico and the USA are better off as well.

Go to the grocery store and look at where food comes from. Think about how much either that wouldn't be there (blueberries in January) or would be more expensive because of tariffs.

Can you say "inflation"?

I know you can.

Anyone who thinks the world or any country is dependent on the US is about to discover the weakness of that thinking.

The US, if they follow through with the tariffs, will cause difficulty for a few years but in that time the global economy will regear itself away from the US... so, at best, short term power for the US but any longer than that and the economies of the world will become stronger for it.

Then the US will figure out just how fragile they are when their bluff is called.

The only problem is whether the leaders fo the world of strong enough to ride the short term pain out... and given the insular nature of the politics of the world (Our country comes first), they might just ride the pain out and gain political capital within the respective country.

I hope the US tarrifs the world... it will be worth it just to cut the strings from the US.