Trumps Presidency 2025

[chasfh]

4 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

In jest, but not disingenuous.

Disingenuous would be providing that link and assuming the only issue with it is Trump is the only asshole and Biden can be given multiple excuses by chatGPT to excuse why it's still an issue 3 years later and only Trumps fault. 

That was a dry just, then.

And it is still Trump's fault.

[pfife]

Unless he can unrelease 5000 terrorists,  which if you add the 1500 more terrorists he released yesterday, makes him the most pro terrorist president ever.

[Tigerbomb13]

10 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

IPA's are for sissies. At least do a lager or a Porter (Smokestack Lightning, Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Baltic Porter

Now you’re talkin’. I like a good IPA, but a good barrel aged stout like Revolution Brewing’s Deth’s Tar is where it’s at 

[ewsieg]

9 minutes ago, chasfh said:

And it is still Trump's fault.

Agreed, which is why I called what Trump did as bull****, but it wouldn't have had to have been something for Trump to screw up if Biden didn't address it in the last three years he's had to do it. 

[Motown Bombers]

 

[chasfh]

8 minutes ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

Normalization continues apace.

[chasfh]

12 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

Agreed, which is why I called what Trump did as bull****, but it wouldn't have had to have been something for Trump to screw up if Biden didn't address it in the last three years he's had to do it. 

I don't understand what you mean by this?

[CMRivdogs]

36 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

In jest, but not disingenuous.

Disingenuous would be providing that link and assuming the only issue with it is Trump is the only asshole and Biden can be given multiple excuses by chatGPT to excuse why it's still an issue 3 years later and only Trumps fault. 

The Biden Administration made their own mistakes on the withdrawal process and aftermath, keep in mind the deadline was moved up by the previous guy shortly before he left office.

Back to chatGPT, just for grins I asked if the change of administrations contributed to the time lag.

Quote

Yes, the change in administrations likely contributed to delays in evacuating Afghan support personnel. Here’s how the transition between the Trump and Biden administrations may have affected the process:

 

1. Disruption of Continuity

• Policy Shifts: The Trump administration initiated the withdrawal process by signing the Doha Agreement with the Taliban in February 2020, setting the stage for a U.S. exit. However, it reduced resources for processing Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and paused visa approvals in 2020, creating a backlog.

• Transition Gaps: The change in leadership during January 2021 meant that the Biden administration had limited time to assess and act on the withdrawal plan while dealing with other priorities, such as the pandemic and domestic issues.

 

2. Bureaucratic Delays

• Staffing Shortages: The Trump administration significantly reduced staffing at the U.S. embassy in Kabul and slowed SIV processing. It also reduced refugee admissions in general, which further compounded delays.

• Overwhelmed Systems: By the time the Biden administration took office, thousands of SIV applications were already backlogged, and it took months to ramp up capacity to address them.

 

3. Different Priorities

• Focus on the Withdrawal Timeline: The Biden administration prioritized completing the withdrawal by the self-imposed deadline of August 31, 2021, without significantly adjusting the pace of SIV processing or evacuations beforehand.

• Limited Early Focus on Evacuation: Initially, the administration underestimated the speed of the Taliban’s advance and overestimated the Afghan government’s ability to hold power, which delayed evacuation planning.

 

4. Compounded Impact of Transition

• Lost Time: The handoff between administrations often results in delays as new leadership reviews existing policies and plans. The Biden administration needed time to evaluate the withdrawal agreement and the status of SIVs, causing further delays.

• Reactive Measures: Much of the evacuation planning became reactive rather than proactive as the Taliban rapidly took control, leaving less time for a systematic approach.

 

5. Political Dynamics

• Polarization: The political divide in Washington likely hindered bipartisan efforts to address the situation. Calls from lawmakers and advocates to expedite the SIV program or extend the withdrawal timeline may have been drowned out by partisan debates.

 

While both administrations played a role in creating the conditions for a chaotic withdrawal, the combined effects of policy changes, bureaucratic inertia, and political shifts likely slowed the evacuation process and left many Afghan allies stranded.

 

[mtutiger]

15 minutes ago, chasfh said:

Normalization continues apace.

Not that this is breaking news, but the "actually, that's not what he was doing" and "that wasn't what you think it was" stuff only further normalizes this stuff as well.

[mtutiger]

This is spot on.... I don't know what the future holds, and maybe it is bleak, but engaging in endless doomerism is a one-way ticket to nowhere.

[mtutiger]

Hegseth Routinely Passed Out from Alcohol Abuse

Quote

“Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon, regularly abused alcohol to the point that he passed out at family gatherings, and once needed to be dragged out of a strip club while in uniform, according to an ex-relative’s account of his behavior,” the Wall Street Journal reports. 

“The sworn statement, submitted in response to a request from Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was signed by Hegseth’s former sister in law, Danielle Hegseth.”

“It states that she was with Hegseth when he passed out from drunkenness in the bathroom of a bar in Minneapolis in about 2013. It also describes another night, when she said Hegseth drank so much at a restaurant in Minneapolis that the Uber driver had to pull over on Interstate 94 so he could throw up.”

New York Times: “A handful of Republicans who have learned of the accusations in recent days have privately raised serious concerns about them, suggesting that the new information could potentially sap the necessary support for his approval by the Senate.”

Danielle Hegseth Affadavit

[mtutiger]

Sounds like just the kind of personality to run one of the largest bureaucracies in the world. Yikes.

[ewsieg]

28 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

The Biden Administration made their own mistakes on the withdrawal process and aftermath, keep in mind the deadline was moved up by the previous guy shortly before he left office.

Back to chatGPT, just for grins I asked if the change of administrations contributed to the time lag.

 

I am in agreement that this move by Trump is absolute horse**** and he shouldn't be let off of the hook for it.  He deserves the worst criticism and ire for this.

But I don't think that gets Biden off of the hook.  Did Trump push for a withdrawal date, yup.  Did Biden have to adhere to it, nope.  But if you're not going to adhere to it and do it Trump's way, you are taking on any fallout responsibility.

Additionally, who here is surprised by this move from Trump.  My guess is no one is as everyone on this forum pays attention to the most basic of world news and knows Trump has been saying he would shut down / stymie immigration.  So Biden had 3 years to figure this all out for the remaining folks in Afghanistan, who have been in danger every single minute of every single day, of ever single month, of every one of these past 3 years, so while I'm still pissed at Trump for stopping them at the gate, I think everyone should be pretty pissed off at Biden for the three years it took to get to the gate.

[oblong]

58 minutes ago, Tigerbomb13 said:

Now you’re talkin’. I like a good IPA, but a good barrel aged stout like Revolution Brewing’s Deth’s Tar is where it’s at 

The other night I found a 750 ml bottle of 2018 KBS I had hidden in it basement.  That was the last time I ever ordered it ahead of time. It held up.  It was 10:30 when I found it… I slept well. 
 

IPA’s are my go to everyday drink if I don’t feel like experimenting or don’t want to thjnk about it.  If I can find a good lager or Pilsner or wheat I will do it.  But it’s  still dicey if they can get it right.  A fine line between good and Bud light piss. 

[Sports_Freak]

What's this I'm hearing about the Canadian response to Trump's threat of tariffs? They're talking about shutting off energy to Michigan, New York and Minnesota starting in February? Checkmate....your move, Donald.

[Sports_Freak]

2 minutes ago, oblong said:

The other night I found a 750 ml bottle of 2018 KBS I had hidden in it basement.  That was the last time I ever ordered it ahead of time. It held up.  It was 10:30 when I found it… I slept well. 
 

IPA’s are my go to everyday drink if I don’t feel like experimenting or don’t want to thjnk about it.  If I can find a good lager or Pilsner or wheat I will do it.  But it’s  still dicey if they can get it right.  A fine line between good and Bud light piss. 

You found it and it didn't last long...and then you slept well. 🤣🤣

[mtutiger]

7 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

Additionally, who here is surprised by this move from Trump.  My guess is no one is as everyone on this forum pays attention to the most basic of world news and knows Trump has been saying he would shut down / stymie immigration.  

I fail to understand why it matters whether people are surprised by this move or not. It doesn't make it any less outrageous.

And is there reason to criticize Biden? Maybe. But I don't think criticism of Trump and every move he makes as President needs to be predicated or qualified by the actions of his predecessor.

Edited 9 hours ago by mtutiger

[Motown Bombers]

11 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

I am in agreement that this move by Trump is absolute horse**** and he shouldn't be let off of the hook for it.  He deserves the worst criticism and ire for this.

But I don't think that gets Biden off of the hook.  Did Trump push for a withdrawal date, yup.  Did Biden have to adhere to it, nope.  But if you're not going to adhere to it and do it Trump's way, you are taking on any fallout responsibility.

Additionally, who here is surprised by this move from Trump.  My guess is no one is as everyone on this forum pays attention to the most basic of world news and knows Trump has been saying he would shut down / stymie immigration.  So Biden had 3 years to figure this all out for the remaining folks in Afghanistan, who have been in danger every single minute of every single day, of ever single month, of every one of these past 3 years, so while I'm still pissed at Trump for stopping them at the gate, I think everyone should be pretty pissed off at Biden for the three years it took to get to the gate.

Biden did have to adhere to the withdrawal date. Trump removed almost all the troops from Afghanistan. Biden would either have to withdraw or surge more troops in and essentially continue the war. The only reason the troops still left weren't being attacked is because the Taliban was holding up their end of the agreement. 

[pfife]

So biden is at fault because we knew trump was a piece of crap.

Or trump could be at fault for trump being a piece of crap.

[gehringer_2]

9 minutes ago, Sports_Freak said:

What's this I'm hearing about the Canadian response to Trump's threat of tariffs? They're talking about shutting off energy to Michigan, New York and Minnesota starting in February? Checkmate....your move, Donald.

We used to have the Canadians over a barrel (so to speak!) because there wasn't much they could do with the Alberta product but send it into the US Midwest. But they've completed a pipeline expansion project west to the Pacific and now can export at least a chuck of the product (~1 Mbpd) product that use to be fairly captive to the Midwest.  They'd still suffer a lot themselves to cut off exports to the Midwest, but not as badly as they would have a year ago.

[mtutiger]

1 minute ago, pfife said:

So biden is at fault because we knew trump was a piece of crap.

Or trump could be at fault for trump being a piece of crap.

Exactly. 

Ten years on, and we still infantilize the guy.

[Tigerbomb13]

21 minutes ago, oblong said:

The other night I found a 750 ml bottle of 2018 KBS I had hidden in it basement.  That was the last time I ever ordered it ahead of time. It held up.  It was 10:30 when I found it… I slept well. 
 

IPA’s are my go to everyday drink if I don’t feel like experimenting or don’t want to thjnk about it.  If I can find a good lager or Pilsner or wheat I will do it.  But it’s  still dicey if they can get it right.  A fine line between good and Bud light piss. 

I still have some 2017 KBS and CBS in the basement.  I should pull it out and give it a try. 

[mtutiger]

5 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

We used to have the Canadians over a barrel (so to speak!) because there wasn't much they could do with the Alberta product but send it into the US Midwest. But they've completed a pipeline expansion project west to the Pacific and now can export at least a chuck of the product (~1 Mbpd) product that use to be fairly captive to the Midwest.  They'd still suffer a lot themselves to cut off exports to the Midwest, but not as badly as they would have a year ago.

One thing not discussed is that all the "51st State" stuff strikes at the pride of the Canadians as a people. Like, I think the assumption is that US can do whatever he wants in the relationship, but making it so personal risks stoking the patriotism of Canadians as well and increasing their tolerance for pain or interest in retaliating to the moves our government may make.

 

Edited 9 hours ago by mtutiger

[gehringer_2]

I used to spend a lot of time in Canada and I would say the idea of becoming part of US ranks somewhere between a joke and an insult to Canadians and while it's been a few years since I spent my time there, I can't imagine that sentiment has done anything but grown harder. They will not go gently into that good night. 

[romad1]

23 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I used to spend a lot of time in Canada and I would say the idea of becoming part of US ranks somewhere between a joke and an insult to Canadians and while it's been a few years since I spent my time there, I can't imagine that sentiment has done anything but grown harder. They will not go gently into that good night. 

Its obscene to do this to a vital ally.   Ignorance and venality.