Donald Trump: Classic or Dud?

send me ommaway

As the coronavirus tore through the world in 2020, and the United States and other countries confronted a shortage of tests designed to detect the illness, then-President Donald Trump secretly sent coveted tests to Russian President Vladimir Putin for his personal use.

Putin, petrified of the virus, accepted the supplies but took pains to prevent political fallout — not for him, but for his American counterpart. He cautioned Trump not to reveal that he had dispatched the scarce medical equipment to Moscow, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward.

Putin, according to the book, told Trump, “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me.”

Four years later, the personal relationship between the two men appears to have persisted, Woodward reports, as Trump campaigns to return to the White House and Putin orchestrates his bloody assault on Ukraine. In early 2024, the former president ordered an aide away from his office at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, so he could conduct a private phone call with the Russian leader, according to Woodward’s account.

The book does not describe what the two men purportedly discussed, and it quotes a Trump campaign official casting doubt on the supposed contact. But the unnamed Trump aide cited in the book indicated that the GOP standard-bearer may have spoken to Putin as many as seven times since Trump left the White House in 2021.

From the CNN piece:

Woodward asked Trump aide Jason Miller whether Trump and Putin had spoken since he left the White House. “Um, ah, not that, ah, not that I’m aware of,” Miller told Woodward.

“I have not heard that they’re talking, so I’d push back on that,” Miller added.

Woodward writes that Biden’s Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines “carefully hedged” when asked about whether there were any post-presidency Trump-Putin calls.

“I would not purport to be aware of all contacts with Putin. I wouldn’t purport to speak to what President Trump may or may not have done,” Haines said, according to Woodward.

If you're Putin you don't let go of an asset as potentially valuable as Trump.

Useful asshat

bro-down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry1IjOft95c

who the hell is moustache guy

"The late, great Freddie Mercury..."

a live-action cartoon character of some sort

I vaguely recognize that guy as I recall he performed the most offensive roast of Tom Brady as part of the Netflix special. I was like "who is this racist dickhead and why are they letting him speak?" It was probably to "both sides" the comedy and allow a "not woke" comedian on stage. Pretty sure he called Brady a gay slur as part of his bit and overall his set was gross as hell. Don't judge me too harshly for watching it. There were some good bits!

Good bits in other sets, not his!

The New Republic has an article about how disastrous that appearance was, and how the hosts were cackling at Trump bragging about his "weaving" but clicking around the video it's a bunch of stuff like "Everyone I talk to, no matter what race, loves you, sir."

News outlets don't seem very good at covering comedy podcasts or comedy in general imo. I wish they just stop doing it. I also read The New Republic article and it completely mischaracterized the tone of the podcast.

Okay I saw a trailer for this Trump movie and the premise seems to be that Trump was some sort of winsome naïf before Roy Cohn set him on the straight and narrow path to hell? Do I have that right?

I believe the movie dwells on his family dynamics, too; I know Fred Trump Sr is a character (played by Martin Donovan!)

this is being forwarded again - that first call happened, but did the rest?

7/31/2019 Trump meets w/ Putin. 8/3/2019, just 3 days later, Trump requests a list of US spies. By 2021 the CIA reports a high number of their agents are being captured and/or murdered. An FBI search at Mar A Lago finds more documents
w/ lists of our spies on them. Treason?

— Thom Hartmann (@Thom_Hartmann) April 15, 2024

it doesn't matter anymore, if it ever did

he's a felon running against a prosecutor and all the cops are supporting the felon

you either support trump or you don't; facts are beside the point

Not to overestimate the competence of the CIA but if that report were true then one of the recent assassination attempts wouldn't have missed.

Also it was an official act, so totally legal!

everyone knows that trump was undercover trying to get enough evidence to put putin away forever when joe biden STOLE the election and trump couldn't finish the job!

Guys he was a quintuple agent!

Agent Double-O-Choad

Trump: "In Colorado the gang even got a green light to shoot police officers. Did you know the gang got the okay to kill your police?" pic.twitter.com/LjdIBq2Pss

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 11, 2024

Look at the background behind him

What the ever living fuck is he saying?

Kamala told the gangs: "Go ahead, kill the police; I'm giving you the green light."

"Deport Now"

it's fucking surreal, like some satirical movie ala 'wag the dog' or something

How can he even form sentences at this point

New York Times: Green Light Given to Kill the Police: Gangs Celebrate Decision, But Some Critics Aren't Convinced

He saw it on television!

who the hell is moustache guy

― There’s a Monster in my Vance (President Keyes), Thursday, October 10, 2024 5:13 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

Have we all forgotten "get a brain morans" guy?

that guy is the mayor now

Trump: "You cannot get into a hospital, by the way. Because the migrants have all the beds. You cannot get into a hospital. You cannot get your kids into a school because there are migrants there that don't even speak the language ... they're getting precedent over your children" pic.twitter.com/GamVQqtC66

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 12, 2024

This is straight up Hitler shit

I feel like he’s about to overplay his hand. It’s a gut feeling but he’s about to go too far.

We've been waiting eight years for the Judge Welch moment...hope you're right, but it just never comes.

I wouldn't underestimate American's thirst for outright fascism.

What time to be alive https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/11/iran-trump-assassination-plans-00183488

Letthemfight.gif

You can't get good secret service protection because they're using all the agents to protect migrants.

We've been waiting eight years for the Judge Welch moment...hope you're right, but it just never comes.

― clemenza, Friday, October 11, 2024 9:24 PM (forty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Or his Budd Dwyer moment

Increasingly insolvent

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/12/us/politics/trump-gop-donors.html

https://archive.ph/S1G1N

jeez, he called harris "retarded". not sure i was capable of hating him in a new way

oh. he's mad about not getting to play golf.

That tension has become more acute since Mr. Trump’s campaign has had to adjust some events because of heightened security threats against him. Because of those threats, he’s given up playing golf, his favorite method of relaxation, for the remainder of the campaign.

seriously, that's it. he's becoming even more angry and repulsive, partly because he wants more money for his campaign, but 99% of it is that he wants to play golf

I’ve noticed a huge uptick in right-wing people using the R word online.

"repulsive"

Republican

Retardican

Two can play at this ill-advised game!