Thread: President Donald Trump

^ How Chris Uhlmann's report on Donald Trump at the G20 struck a nerve around the world

On a peaceful Sunday in windswept country Victoria, I was watching our older daughter ride her horse when I felt a blast from
a different kind of whirlwind.

My phone gave a tiny ping, harbinger of a powerful Twitter storm barrelling into Australia from Europe and the United States.

The man in the eye of the hurricane is veteran ABC political journalist Chris Uhlmann.
His report on the ABC's Insiders show about US President Donald Trump at the G20 has gone viral.

More than 1 million people have viewed the report on social media.

"People are sharing this Australian journalist's brutal takedown of Trump's foreign policy," blared BuzzFeed.

"Wow. A searing assessment of the President of the United States by political editor @CUhlmann of Australia's ABC," tweeted @BraddJaffy from NBC News.

The Hill termed it a "blistering critique", the Huffington Post UK called it a "savage takedown of Donald Trump",
noting Uhlmann's observation that Mr Trump had been an "uneasy, lonely, awkward" figure.

"Absolutely damning view from Australia," tweeted author and historian Anne Applebaum.

The rest is here

Originally Posted by David48atTD

G20: Does Donald Trump's awkward performance indicate America's decline as world power?

No David, it doesn't. World power is still a world power regardless of what dickhead is at the helm.

Little over 3 years to go, and there will be a new dickhead, and most of the horseshit will be history.

Alot of people see a power vacuum & want to pivot into it. Alot of people genuinely dislike the USA, and want to use that too.

Still one of the largest economies, still one of the largest militaries, still one of the more free & liberal countries out there, and still trying to be better.

Trump isn't changing that. Fucks sake Bush started a war based on WMD & shitloads died including people from your own country.

Now we got Trump, and everyone is foaming at the mouth... Personally, all I see are peoples real, true colors when something like that is posted. Quite unfortunate that we're going through some shit, and others are standing in line, daggers in hand.

You've stated on more than one occasion that you voted for Trump to 'bring down the system' (or words to that effect) and now you're complaining about the result and reaction of others to it??

It really does beg the questions: did you actually even know what the fuck you were voting for or have you got a really bad case of buyers remorse.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

You've stated on more than one occasion that you voted for Trump to 'bring down the system' (or words to that effect) and now you're complaining about the result and reaction of others to it??

It really does beg the questions: did you actually even know what the fuck you were voting for or have you got a really bad case of buyers remorse.

Who the fuck are you to judge an American, or anybody for that matter, on the way he or she casts their vote?

Precisely nobody, Ant, and your horseshit is quite dismissive, as usual.

Get some burn cream or something, it might make all that butthurt more bearable, you creepy weirdo.

You can vote however you want Slick, that wasn't my point.

My point is that you've voluntarily expressed certain sentiments about it and why you voted how you did (contradictory ones at that) and now appear to be blaming the result of it on others.

Frankly, you're just not that bright are you. An angry and insecure little man who lacks the introspection to even know why he's angry and insecure. The archetypal Trump voter maybe. Definitely a whiny little bitch whose notion of 'Freedom of Speech' extends only so far as it covers his own ignorant bleating and anyone who agrees with exactly what he says and thinks.

Go find a safe-space, snowflake. You're in the wrong place.

Originally Posted by David48atTD

"Absolutely damning view from Australia," tweeted author and historian Anne Applebaum. The rest is here

absolutely pointless report, repeating exactly what everyone is saying for the last 6 months

those Australians seem a bit slow

Ant, you are my brother across the ditch, Slick from the USA, a Country I've lived in and have great respect for.

I want to say a few things.

Firstly, the USA and Australia have been friends and allies for decades.
We share a common purpose.
Sure, they aren't exactly the same, but both countries have a paralleled destinies.
Ditto New Zealand.

We, as Australia are better with the USA then without.
We, as Australia are better with NZ as being our close friend then without.

So, the USA had an election for President and, under the USA system, he won.
Sure, a little behind in absolute votes ... but won the Election fair and square ... with or without the help of those Vodka drinkers.

Now, I'm making an assumption here, but I'll go with it.

Slick, and tens of millions of US Citizens voted for Trump.
Maybe not for Trump per se ... but the 'Trump Promise'.

The idea of Making the USA great again.
Draining the Swamp, a metaphor for the removal of corruption at the highest level, and friend favours at the lesser level.
... and a hundred other promises which, in the majority, ordinary people in the US wanted, could aspire to.

Trump sang the Fanfare for the Common Man.
A wee musical interlude to break the tedium of my typing ...

Sadly, as many have forecast, Trump has fallen short of the mark.
Over promised and under delivered. Massively.

He can recover, but he needs to surround himself with smart policy makers and tacticians ... NOT HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY,
as visually appealing as they are ... oh yeh, the Son-in-Law also.

Slick seems to be getting bashed because he holds unpopular Political views, but he's not really personally attacking anyone.
Sure, a few rear guard movements, the odd salvo, but he's no Fluke, nor a Punter.

Slick and I aren't on the same side of the Political divide, but I respect his opinion, even if I don't agree with it.

Trump is and, on his current trajectory going to be a massive failure as both a POTUS and the Leader of the Free World.

I just hope that, when the USA votes again, they have two viable candidates to vote for.

Originally Posted by David48atTD

Slick, and tens of millions of US Citizens voted for Trump.
Maybe not for Trump per se ... but the 'Trump Promise'.

I voted for Obama on his first go and was pissed off by the end of the second round. Then Hillary. Dont underestimate how much people hate that bitch, and the direction the Democrats were going - She is the reason Trump is president.

Trump didn't win because of his sales pitch. He won because his opponent was that shitty.

"We now know that Trump’s son, son-in-law, and campaign manager tried to work with a semi-hostile foreign power to win the election – a foreign power that conducted a large-scale and successful cyber-espionage effort against the Democratic Party.

This is worse than Watergate.

Donald Trump Jr. knew what he was being offered, and from whom -- because the emails refer to a “Russian government attorney” who will “provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information” that’s “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”

Trump Jr.’s reply was “if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer." And late in the summer is exactly when the hacked Democratic emails actually began to be released.

Campaign manager Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner were forwarded these emails. They attended the meeting because they wanted the documents, and sought to work with the Russians.

None of them seemed confused or nonplussed when informed that Russia wanted to help Trump win. The alliance between Team Trump and the Russians was already credible and serious enough that they accepted the email without further vetting or discussion. No one suggested running it by the foreign policy team or even the FBI.

Are we in treasonous territory yet?".

(Robert Reich)

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...ails-watergate

Open link to read the article.

"President Trump has long denied any connection or collusion between his campaign and the Russian government while doing nothing to counter their clear and persistent attacks on our democracy. Today, Donald Trump Jr. undermined his father’s denials by admitting that he and the President’s closest advisors did, in fact, knowingly and gleefully seek help from Russian government officials who were trying to interfere in our election.

Some things must rise above petty partisanship; Americans of all stripes should be unified against foreign powers seeking to influence our government. For 23 years, my military service included preparing to defend the Fulda Gap from such Russian aggression—as it did for millions of brave servicemembers and Veterans who’ve stood for generations as a bulwark against the very attacks this Administration has invited upon our country and our people".

Senator Tammy Duckworth

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

This is worse than Watergate.

everytime they say that, you know it isn't

Trump wins, again

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

"President Trump has long denied any connection or collusion between his campaign and the Russian government .....

Originally Posted by From the email sent to DJ

This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump - helped along by Aras and Emin.

Originally Posted by DJ's Email

Emin asked that I schedule a meeting with you and The Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow for this Thursday.

Fuckin' Amazin'

Man, those reds have really tipped freaktard over the ledge.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

What is it with Trump and handshakes?

Somehow, someway, he seems to manage to fuck them up. This is hilarious though, handshake denied:



The look on his face is priceless!

Fuck, that's hilarious.



Oh say can u see....by the...

See a pussy...grab it.

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

Originally Posted by Storekeeper

This is worse than Watergate.

everytime they say that, you know it isn't

Trump wins, again

Says another trumptard scumbag, again.

Not so sure of this news source, but the names noted are of interest.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/impeach...likely/5598668

who is jim?

Originally Posted by raycarey

who is jim?

You don't know?

He's friends with John Miller and John Barron.

You know the one. Yuge guy, quite obese actually, strange orange pallor...

The man just can't do a fucking proper handshake!!

Watch: Trump has yet another awkward handshake with Emmanuel Macron and his wife

He's not used to dealing with people who will brazenly challenge him. Look at some videos of his usual handshake style.

The Real Tragedy of Donnygate | Vanity Fair

"The larger, and oft-forgotten, question surrounding this saga is what can be done to stop election hacking from occurring again.

There’s an old saw in the computer-security industry that there are two kinds of companies—those that have been hacked, and those that don’t know yet that they have been hacked.

That not-so-reassuring adage has become an accepted truism in our modern, highly connected world. But in light of the guy currently inhabiting the White House, and the road that he and his disastrous administration took to get there, it appears that we’re likely going to have to change that dictum to a new and scarier one moving forward. Indeed, there are two kinds of countries—those that have been hacked, and those that don’t know yet that they have been hacked.

Whether or not Donald Trump Jr.’s exchange with Rob Goldstone constitutes collusion, and no matter the convoluted legal questions surrounding his now infamous meeting with a Russian attorney, along with Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, this latest fiasco merely underscores what most of the sentient world has known for ages: that Russian hackers, supported by the government, intended to affect our electoral process. This malfeasance may seem like a historical anomaly, not to mention a catastrophe, but its also probably just the beginning of what’s going to come in future elections.

Over the past decade, I’ve met (and written about) countless people and organizations involved in major hacking events, from penetration of government networks to breaching (pathetic) corporate firewalls, or just instances of teens and 20-somethings causing havoc for the “Lulz,” also known as fun. And after talking to the good guys, the bad guys, and those in the middle, there’s one thing that they can all agree on: it’s impossible to build a totally secure network. A former F.B.I. agent, who has worked on a number of high-profile hacking cases, once told me the only secure computer system is one that is not connected to a network, does not have any USB slots, and has top-level encryption passwords to get inside. Even then, it’s still not completely safe. “Nothing ever is,” the agent explained to me. I recently reached out to another security expert and asked if that remained the case. In short, this person told me, it’s simply “not possible to build a truly impenetrable system.” And this, you must remember, was coming from a person who made a living trying to build truly impenetrable computer systems.

So how does that bode for the future of democracy, here and abroad? In a normal non-Trump-led world, the United States would respond to allegations of a compromised election by marshaling its collective resources to investigate the matter and ensure it was never ever repeated. Instead, curiously, our current president has seemingly done everything humanly possible to quash any investigation into what really went down, including firing James Comey, getting involved in the D.O.J. investigation process, tweeting like a deranged madman, and meeting with Vladimir Putin to discuss the preposterous notion of putting together a joint cyber security task force with a sworn adversary. I don’t usually like to spend my time agreeing with Marco Rubio, but he did have a point when he tweeted: “Partnering with Putin on a ‘Cyber Security Unit’ is akin to partnering with Assad on a ‘Chemical Weapons Unit.’”

It’s easy to understand why Trump might not want to scrutinize the security breaches surrounding our election. An investigation could show that he did not win the electoral college fair and square. And such revelations could hinder his political future, should he or his entourage of Russia-friendly allies decide to run in 2020. The Democrats can’t do much to force this issue, either, given they’re a minority, beyond kick up the dirt and raise a fuss. But the larger question, at least for me, is why Silicon Valley, the industry that created this technology and could do the most to effectively marginalize it, has remained so visibly quiet.

The security researcher I spoke with aptly pointed out that countries have been “hacking” each other for years, if not decades. Yes, the U.S. has done it, and yes it’s been done to the U.S., too. This particular Russian attempt is clearly not the first time someone has breached the walls of our election process. But—and this is the most important part of this—in the past, without Facebook and Gmail and Twitter and a million other forms of communications, those hacks represented mostly just interference, rather than actual infiltrating espionage. Now, as the Internet controls everything, and everything we do is controlled by the Internet, these kinds of events can become catastrophic. And, as the researcher noted, things are only getting worse.

Take a look at what’s been happening in Ukraine over the past year. Last month alone, cyberattacks essentially knocked the country offline. A.T.M. machines stopped working, the software used to monitor the Chernobyl power plant failed, and the software used to bring Ukraine to its heels started to spread to other countries and corporations, including Australia, and the shipping company Maersk, and the drug company, Merck, in the United States. As Wired recently reported, Ukraine’s power grids were shut off earlier this year, allegedly hacked by the Russians, in what could be a prelude to what will happen in the U.S. during the next election cycle, or maybe even before.

When it comes to our government protecting us from such events, we can only hope and pray that there are enough intelligent people with actual power that didn’t quit or get fired by Trump, and are working to protect our power grids and other government-run infrastructure. But it seems that when it comes to our election process, that is not in the cards. So for now, it falls on Silicon Valley to help protect us. If the entire D.N.C. computer system can be infiltrated thanks to a phishing scam in John Podesta’s Gmail inbox, it seems Google should be building in better protections to ensure nothing like that ever happens again. If (real) fake news can be spread across Facebook and change how people vote, then Mark Zuckerberg might be better off focusing on how to avoid that from happening again, in addition to trotting around America on his listening tour. And if Russia can create and mobilize literally millions of bots to take to Twitter in support of Trump, spreading lies and attacking Americans, then the social network needs to find a way to stop this from ever happening again.

From all the people I’ve spoken with in Silicon Valley since November 8 about these issues, it seems that they all feel that, sure, the company they work for did play a role in Trump worming his way into the White House, and that the Russians did some nefarious computer work to help him get there. But, they also feel that their particular part in the play was minuscule, and that it was bigger, more emboldened forces that really led to these problems. Folks who work at Google, for example, don’t think it’s their fault that the D.N.C. was hacked; Facebook employees I’ve spoken to might agree that the network was infiltrated by fake news, but that it’s a straw man to say that the election process was because of the social network. In some respects they are right, but when you take a 10,000 foot view of what happened to our security systems, they are all equally culpable.

And if that’s the case, maybe it’s time for Silicon Valley to get more serious about how the technologies they have built are being used against us. They are, after all, one of the main reasons Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States. Just ask Donny Jr., he’ll be able to tell you all about it".

Originally Posted by thailazer

Not so sure of this news source, but the names noted are of interest.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/impeach...likely/5598668

Not a news source, a whackjob website.

Cnn provides a second by second breakdown of trumps handshake with Macron.

A second-by-second analysis of the Trump-Macron handshake - CNNPolitics.com

They have so lost it.