The Donald Trump thread

[jon1959]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

A US judge has dismissed a case against the publisher of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over a story about ties the US president had to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump sued the American newspaper and its owners including Rupert Murdoch in a Florida federal court last summer, asking for at least $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages.

The president claimed the newspaper defamed him in a 17 July report that said Trump's name was in a "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2003. In that message, the Journal reported, Trump included a drawing of a woman's body.

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US District Judge Darrin Gayles said Trump came "nowhere close" to showing the WSJ acted with actual malice towards him.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c995j57xepmo

The WSJ and the BBC are both happy today!

[Wales-Bales]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Any updates on Caramello & Shifty Shift, the one-time favourites of Lardy & Cyril?

[jon1959]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Any updates on Caramello & Shifty Shift, the one-time favourites of Lardy & Cyril?

deflection.jpeg

[stevo]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

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Re: The Donald Trump thread

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[Wales-Bales]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

[Wales-Bales]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Any updates on Caramello & Shifty Shift, the one-time favourites of Lardy & Cyril?

https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsro.../4154-pr-06-26

[the other bob wilson]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

You think back fifteen years and you cannot begin to conceive what sort of reaction the President of the USA would have got then to just one of the elements being talked about here, but it’s like we’ve all become anaethetised to Trump and no one bats an eyelid.

[cyril evans awaydays]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Not so sure Bob.

Since the turn of the year he has been peeling off bits of his MAGA base. Firstly those that couldn't stomach the Epstein Files cover up. Then those iolationists who wake up to see he him attack Venezuela, go to war with Iran and threaten several other countries. Then the Hispanics watching ICE round ups. Rupert Murdoch by suing his media stable. Now the Catholics and even Christian Evangelicals watching a meglamaniac compare himself to Jesus.

At this rate, pretty soon there will only be Kid Rock and Gluey left!

[the other bob wilson]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Not so sure Bob.

Since the turn of the year he has been peeling off bits of his MAGA base. Firstly those that couldn't stomach the Epstein Files cover up. Then those iolationists who wake up to see he him attack Venezuela, go to war with Iran and threaten several other countries. Then the Hispanics watching ICE round ups. Rupert Murdoch by suing his media stable. Now the Catholics and even Christian Evangelicals watching a meglamaniac compare himself to Jesus.

At this rate, pretty soon there will only be Kid Rock and Gluey left!

I was thinking more of how people are seemingly okay with the Trump Presidency descending into a mixture of WWE, or whatever it’s called these days, One Foot in the Grave, Doctor Strangelove and The Thick of It with laughable comic book characters making life and death decisions on subjects which used to terrify people thirty and forty years ago. Seems to me that people are worn down by all of the chaos which, if you listen to what Steve Bannon says, was the object of the exercise from day one.

[Dorcus]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Rumbling from China that they're not happy with Madboy Trump's blockade and a tad concerned because their oil supply might be hit. I don't think anyone wants to see a Trump v Xi escalation even though it would likely make Donny shit his diapers.

[JamesWales]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

I think we are now clearly in a new stage with Trump, where he is past his peak and in decline. From there power only goes one way. The Republicans will be rapidly looking at a replacement behind the scenes as he becomes less leader and more liability - it happens to them all; happened to Biden, happened to Corbyn, happened to Johnson, happened to Blair, happened to Sturgeon, will happen to Farage, Polanski some day too. Ceases to lead and the impression rapidly emerges that he needs to be led instead.

Many of you will struggle to point to his positives, but you don't win two elections without them. His nature when well deployed is very effective, and his domestic policies don't have anything like the negative impact those on the Left think they do. Its past that now though. The memes and things are just weird. They aren't spiky, powerful, devastating attacks on Biden or Clinton or other rivals. They aren't even funny. They make less and less political sense even in the world of Trump.

The jesus post is just the post of a nutter. Then saying it's not jesus, it's me as a doctor. That's just insane, weird, creepy and whatever you think of Trump he really didn't do stuff like that a few years ago. Aggressive, robust, rude, effective, whatever it was, it wasn't wincingly cringey and weird. Literally no one will think that's a good post. Opponents didn't want to be on the end of his outbursts now it's almost a badge of honour.

As for America, it is the economy stupid. So time will tell. In a two party system you also only have to be more appealing than the other guy, and there currently is no other guy. Its also important to recognise where he does have appeal and why. Many won't care about cringey memes as long as he keeps America safer / more prosperous / less woke, delete as appropriate.

As for the Pope, of all the things to criticise Trump for, I don't mind it. The Pope is a religious leader. The idea he can't be criticised is wrong, so I don't mind spat with the Pope on that, just as I don't mind a politician criticising the archbishop of Canterbury or whatever.

But yeah, I think we are in a new Trump era now, and unless he rapidly turns things around it will be the last of his eras because I think he is close to losing the party personally.

[Wales-Bales]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

Not so sure Bob.

Since the turn of the year he has been peeling off bits of his MAGA base. Firstly those that couldn't stomach the Epstein Files cover up. Then those iolationists who wake up to see he him attack Venezuela, go to war with Iran and threaten several other countries. Then the Hispanics watching ICE round ups. Rupert Murdoch by suing his media stable. Now the Catholics and even Christian Evangelicals watching a meglamaniac compare himself to Jesus.
B
At this rate, pretty soon there will only be Kid Rock and Gluey left!

Kvaradona!

https://x.com/PSG_espanol/status/2020679007004397594

[jon1959]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

'A few years ago.... (Trump) wasn't wincingly cringy and weird' (JamesWales 14 April 2026).

Wow!

[JamesWales]

Re: The Donald Trump thread

'A few years ago.... (Trump) wasn't wincingly cringy and weird' (JamesWales 14 April 2026).

Wow!

I did assume you would make reference to that!

But his output has changed, as discussed above, about him alienating different sectors of his own support. What used to be punchy now looks increasingly weird