President Trump

[TKK 140]

Civil unrest? There are reports of Liberal extremists blocking and abusing US Air Force veterans during the inauguration according to the Express.

[pbeardmore]

I do like a political bet and I have been looking for a bookies where I can bet on how many months Trump will stay in office,

he is so thin skinned and insecure that it wont be long before his allies also get fed up with him and he becomes a lone figure with the whole of the establishment against him. Some way will be found of getting him out and Pence will seem like a dream compared to Trump,

I find it hard to beleive that there isnt more anti Trump evidence (even more damning) either being held back or yet to be found. He clearly had a big mouth and a lack of discretion.

Pence for the next President has to be a good bet IMHO

[CJS]

Well his team have started as they mean to go on by claiming that the crowds last Friday were the largest for an inauguration, "period".

One assumes the press secretary who is quoted was somewhere else on Friday and hasn't looked at the evidence that seems to be quite starkly to the contrary.

[TKK 140]

Well his team have started as they mean to go on by claiming that the crowds last Friday were the largest for an inauguration, "period".

One assumes the press secretary who is quoted was somewhere else on Friday and hasn't looked at the evidence that seems to be quite starkly to the contrary.

Indeed, similar to the Pussy demo yesterday and claims on the BBC news, the reporter must have had quadruple vision.

[Pen Pusher]

From the BBC web site. Trump crowds on the left and Obama on the right.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38707722

Brian

[phreakf4]

From the BBC web site. Trump crowds on the left and Obama on the right.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38707722

Brian

What is not stated in that item (or the same in any news site I have accessed) is at what time of day the two photos were taken. I am no fan of President Trump. In my opinion extreme nationalism is usually a bad thing whether it is of the right or left, but I ask that question in the interests of accuracy. If, as the shadows, especially noticeable on the Capitol building, seem to indicate, the two were taken at different times of day that might explain the apparent difference in crowd numbers. It would not be the first time that the media have twisted the facts to suit their agenda as we aviation enthusiasts are well aware.

[CJS]

There would be more evidence of queues if it was before the ceremony, the crowd areas at the front seem to be full, which would indicate it had or was shortly to start.

The lack of big screens in the Trump photo would suggest they weren't expecting large crowds anyway.

Edit - maybe there are screens on the right, which would explain why those who are there are grouped more on that side, watching the ceremony which was already underway.

[maltwoser]

Oh for god's sake - why is this news? Because Trump made it so. He could have tweeted about absolutely anything but chose to make this a talking point.
Almost everything he said about yesterday was easily disproved by numerous non-partisan sources - or are we saying the Washington Metro system is biased?
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/21/14345486/womens-march-trump-attendance

Another non-mainstream media source, in fact a strongly pro-Republican site who have written some awful pieces on Obama and Clinton:

http://www.redstate.com/patterico/2017/01/21/sean-spicers-rant-inauguration-crowds-packed-falsehoods/

He's a thin-skinned sociopath, a 70 year old whining child, and we need the media to keep him in check. Plainly many people on here are willing to cut him some slack, but his cabinet appointees have already shown his intentions. Do some reading across all political viewpoints - only the most rabid right-wing outlets are giving him a free ride.

[T_J]

From the BBC web site. Trump crowds on the left and Obama on the right.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38707722

Brian

What is not stated in that item (or the same in any news site I have accessed) is at what time of day the two photos were taken. I am no fan of President Trump. In my opinion extreme nationalism is usually a bad thing whether it is of the right or left, but I ask that question in the interests of accuracy. If, as the shadows, especially noticeable on the Capitol building, seem to indicate, the two were taken at different times of day that might explain the apparent difference in crowd numbers. It would not be the first time that the media have twisted the facts to suit their agenda as we aviation enthusiasts are well aware.

Timelapse of the Trump Inauguration. You can see people leaving after the ceremony has ended. Clearly there was less people on the National Mall in comparison to Obama's Inauguration.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdantUf5tXg[/youtube]

[T_J]

Even Fox News called Trump out on his claim in regards to the crowd.

THE FACTS: Trump is wrong. Photos of the National Mall from his inauguration make clear that the crowd did not extend to the Washington Monument. Large swaths of empty space are visible on the Mall.

Thin crowds and partially empty bleachers also dotted the inaugural parade route. Hotels across the District of Columbia reported vacancies, a rarity for an event as large as a presidential inauguration.

And ridership on the Washington's Metro system didn't match that of recent inaugurations. As of 11 a.m. that day, there were 193,000 trips taken, according to the transit service's Twitter account. At the same hour eight years ago, there had been 513,000 trips. Four years later, there were 317,000 for Obama's second inauguration.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/21/fa ... gural.html

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was also incorrect. Remember he claimed that "All of this space was full when the President took the oath of office." You can see from the time lapse that it wasn't.

We do know a few things so let's go through the facts. We know that from the platform where the President was sworn in to 4th Street holds about 250,000 people. From 4th Street to the media tent is about another 220,000. And from the media tent to the Washington Monument, another 250,000 people. All of this space was full when the President took the oath of office.

Sean Spicer Press Briefing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svlCj6r7wgA

No wonder Spicer refused to take questions from journalists after his brief.

[Brevet Cable]

Does it really matter ?
Obama was supposedly a novelty, hence the turnout.
There could have been a grand total of three tramps & a talking dog watching Trump's inauguration, it doesn't make him any less the POTUS.
At least - unlike Obama - he's unlikely to be in the ridiculous situation of being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize after only a few months in office for doing absolutely nothing.

[TKK 140]

Does it really matter ?
Obama was supposedly a novelty, hence the turnout.
There could have been a grand total of three tramps & a talking dog watching Trump's inauguration, it doesn't make him any less the POTUS.
At least - unlike Obama - he's unlikely to be in the ridiculous situation of being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize after only a few months in office for doing absolutely nothing.

Having watched the Whitehouse press conference I think it does matter. One thing challenging the press, who often gild the lily. What is worrying is getting into a totally unnecessary argument about it. One thing for us to do it For a President of the USA it smacks of a bully and we have enough of those already.

[CJS]

Brevet, if Obama was a novelty then what the hell is Trump meant to be?

[Brevet Cable]

The POTUS & LOTFW ?

An incongruous anachronism ?

[T_J]

Having watched the Whitehouse press conference I think it does matter. One thing challenging the press, who often gild the lily. What is worrying is getting into a totally unnecessary argument about it. One thing for us to do it For a President of the USA it smacks of a bully and we have enough of those already.

I agree. Especially when Sean Spicer is on the record about lying to the press. It really said it all when he refused to take questions after the press conference.

During a January 4, 2017, interview with David Axelrod, then in-coming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he could not do his job if he had to lie because it would hurt his credibility with the press.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyaa5KpEFT8[/youtube]

[parsley]

Brevet, if Obama was a novelty then what the hell is Trump meant to be?

A man with a tissue paper thin ego who can't stop himself Tweeting his disdain or worse when someone doesn't hold the same opinion as him or calls him out on the numerous dubious claims he's made.I fail to see how he and his wealthy team (of which probably half a dozen are billionaires) are going to be able to continue claiming to be the voice of the downtrodden working people of the US.
In his speech at the CIA on Saturday he even said that the derogatory remarks he personally made about the US intelligence agencies a few weeks back after the release of the details obtained by the ex MI5 agent (in particular personally likening the intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany) were all made up by the press.
No doubt some even more damaging skeletons in closets will see the light of day in the months to come.One wonders what might emerge if he manages to upset Putin at some stage !!

[CJS]

What he certainly can't keep doing is pretending the press are making up stuff he is on record as having said.

I think the REM song Bad Day would be appropriate here...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyk-Vdd_Qrk

His team are so far showing themselves to be just as cretinous as the POTUS himself.

[parsley]

What he certainly can't keep doing is pretending the press are making up stuff he is on record as having said.

I think the REM song Bad Day would be appropriate here...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyk-Vdd_Qrk

His team are so far showing themselves to be just as cretinous as the POTUS himself.

And just to show that another of his aides appeared on NBC offering her take on the press conference

"Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House aide, told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday Spicer had merely been offering “alternative facts”

[Spiny Norman]

I'm not a huge fan of the clown Smilies but I think we're going to see it a lot relating to this man who now sits in the Oval Office, with its 'beautiful phones'.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/politics/trump-bernhard-langer-voting-fraud.html

[Brevet Cable]

Must admit I'm finding the spat between wiggy & the Mexican PM entertaining....
"Don't come to Washington unless you agree to pay for the wall"
"OK....I won't !"
Bet that's just stumped the Trump

[Tommy]

So, we've had quite a week. "Alternative facts", needless egomania over his own crowd-size, removing Obamacare, an utterly disastrously-received "travel ban", advocating support for torture, worldwide protests, unprecedented fuelling of racism and misogyny, his press secretary re-tweeting a very satirical Onion story about himself... and the list goes on and on.

And a 1.5million signature petition within 48 hours to cancel the state visit.

I'll have to dig it out, but I read somewhere the other day that Trump's approval rating has shot down at the fastest rate of any in-coming president.

Just ridiculous...

[Brevet Cable]

I wonder how many of those frothing & jumping on the outrage bus about the 'travel ban' actually read the proper version, as opposed to what the press were reporting ( Mo Farah obviously didn't )
He said he'd repeal 'Obamacare'....he has.
He said he'd introduce temporary travel restrictions for some....he has.
So far he's doing what the people who voted for him wanted him to do, so why is everyone acting so surprised ?

[Tommy]

No, there's not really any surprise, but just because he's following through on some of his abhorrent suggestions does not mean that it is any less abhorrent.

And he didn't, to the best of my knowledge, speak out in favour of torture when he was running.

I read the proper version of the travel ban. I'm still saddened, deeply, by how depressingly awful a state of affairs it is, and as much as anything else, terribly planned. Take away the protests for a minute and look at the chaos it caused. People were lawfully getting on a plane to travel to the USA, and mid-flight the law changed and they were detained upon arrival. That's shocking mis-management.

His defence of "if I'd have announced it, millions would've flooded in" doesn't cut the mustard. The US visa system takes months, often years from the countries in question, to navigate, so such an event would not have happened, apart from those already "heavily vetted"...

Godwins law is inevitable; and I believe an MP said today that the "Holocaust did not start with the gas chambers"... too right she was...

On another note, I also question the constitutional lawfulness of such a policy, too...

[CJS]

Good points Tommy. Personally I'd want to question the constitutional lawfulness of allowing someone like Trump to even run for office in the first place.

Can you even conceive of someone with so many law suits against them and with a track record of saying what this odious creep has said in the past, becoming an MP here, let alone PM?

It's grotesque. He's grotesque. And before anyone else comes on here to defend him, actually take a look at what he has said about women in the past, look up the video where he mocks a disabled lady, find a list of the acts he's repealed in the last few weeks. I mean actually do that. Then try and say he should be where he is doing what he's doing.

[john001]

It's interesting that some who voted for brexit as they do not want other countries meddling in UK affairs would be quite happy to want to meddle in the USA's affairs. (No I am not suggesting any individual here).

As for the waterboarding for some reason this seems to get less publicity (from Independent UK):

Donald Trump has said he will leave the decision on whether the US should use torture to his Defence Secretary, Gen James Mattis.

During the presidential campaign, Mr Trump said he wanted to make use of waterboarding as part of the fight against extremists, including Isis. As recently as this week, he told an interviewer not only that he believed that “torture worked” but that the intelligence officials advising him did so too – a claim that spark widespread debate among among security experts. At a news conference on Friday with Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Trump repeated his belief in the value of torture. Yet he said he would leave the decision on whether or not to use it, up to his Defence Secretary, Mr Mattis, whom he described as a “general’s general”. “He has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture or waterboarding, or however you want to define it… I don’t necessarily agree,” said Mr Trump.

“But I would tell you that he will override because I’m giving him that power. He’s an expert.”

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr Mattis opposed the use of torture.