Thread: President Donald Trump

Trump says he does not mind if Philippines cuts military pact with U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he did not mind Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to end a decades-old military agreement with the United States, a position at odds with that of his defense secretary who viewed the move with dismay.

Duterte on Tuesday announced termination of the two-decade-old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper called the decision “unfortunate” as Washington and its allies press China to abide by “international rules” in Asia. [L4N2AB0ZL]

The U.S. embassy in Manila called it “a serious step with significant implications.” Duterte’s decision, sparked by the revocation of a U.S. visa held by a former police chief who led Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, takes legal effect in 180 days and U.S. officials have expressed hope it can be reversed or delayed.

“I don’t really mind if they would like to do that, it will save a lot of money,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Duterte’s move and whether anything could be done to get him to reconsider. “My views are different from others,” he added.

Trump has frequently expressed a desire to bring U.S. military forces home from decades-long deployments abroad and has strong-armed some allies into paying more for the right to U.S. defense.

Trump said the United States had helped the Philippines defeat Islamic State militants. He said he had “a very good” relationship with Duterte and added: “we’ll see what happens.”

Duterte’s decision could complicate U.S. military interests in the broader Asia-Pacific region as China’s ambitions rise. Some Filipino senators quickly sought to block the move, arguing Duterte had no right to unilaterally scrap international pacts the country’s senate had ratified.

The VFA is important to the overall U.S.-Philippines alliance and sets out rules for U.S. soldiers operating in the Philippines, a former U.S. territory. Washington has called the relationship “ironclad,” despite Duterte’s complaints that include allegations of U.S. hypocrisy and ill treatment.

Ending the VFA complicates Washington’s efforts to maintain an Asia-Pacific troop presence amid friction over the presence of U.S. personnel in Japan and South Korea and security concerns about China and North Korea.

Esper referred to the period before Duterte’s decision takes effect when speaking to reporters on Tuesday.

Trump says he does not mind if Philippines cuts military pact with U.S. - Reuters

Of all the topics to occupy the mind of the most powerful person in the United States, one would not expect badgers to make a frequent appearance.


But the rotund, hairy omnivores were apparently an alarmingly regular topic of conversation in the White House during the early months of Donald Trump’s presidency, according to Daily Beast reporters Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng.


The authors detail Trump’s preoccupation in their new book, Sinking in the Swamp: How Trump’s Minions and Misfits Poisoned Washington.

Along with detailing “the murky underworld of President Trump’s Washington, dishing the hilarious and frightening dirt on the charlatans, conspiracy theorists, ideologues, and run-of-the-mill con artists who have infected the highest echelons of American political power”, they also discuss Trump’s fascination with badgers.


Over two pages, Markay and Suebsaeng explain that Trump would interrogate his former chief of staff Reince Priebus about the black, white and grey creatures.


The questions would arise at such opportune moments as “when Priebus was attempting to brief the president on matters of healthcare initiatives, foreign policy, or Republican legislative agenda”, they wrote.


“Are they mean to people?” Trump reportedly asked Priebus, perhaps thinking of badgers’ very long claws, which they use to dig the burrows that make their home. “Or are they friendly creatures?”

Trump would also demand to see photos of badgers, ask Priebus to give details on how badgers “work”, and wanted to know if they had a “personality” or were boring.


Priebus was also called upon to explain “how the critters function and behave, what kind of food they like, and how aggressive or deadly they could be when presented with perceived existential threats”.


Markay and Suebsaeng said Trump would frequently derail important policy discussions with questions about the animals.

“An obviously enthralled president would stare at Priebus as the aide struggled for sufficiently placating answers, all the while trying to gently veer the conversation back to whether we were going to do a troop surge in Afghanistan or strip millions of Americans of healthcare coverage,” they wrote.


Trump did not specify which of the 11 species of badger he especially wanted to understand, but given he appeared to be obsessed with the animal due to its association with Priebus’s home state of Wisconsin, it was most likely the American badger – scientific name Taxidea taxus – that commanded his attention.

Wisconsin is known as the “badger state” less for the animal – which is found in many US states – than for its mining history. In the early 1800s, iron ore miners in the state would live inside the caves they were digging, and became known as “badger boys” or “badgers”.


The European badger, which is found in the UK, lives in a system of underground tunnels and chambers called a sett. Some setts have a section that is used as a bathroom.

'Are they mean?' Donald Trump obsessed with badgers, new book claims | US news | The Guardian

What is diaper Don up to today, other than hiding behind the Republican held senate?
a. golfing
b. tweeting more threats and insults and generally trashing people
c. violating the constitution by using the office of the president to wheel and deal for his own benefit
d. obstructing justice
e. looking for some action on the side when Melania isn't looking

Diaper Don will be finished in November. He “won” at 48% in the polls in 2016. He has been stuck at around 40% for over 3 years now with a blip after the SOTU address, which is natural. It’s the Republican Senators who need to be kicked out as much as diaper Don.

But the real problem is on the horizon: getting the villain out of the WH. He won't leave on his own. And he has a plan to stay, a plan that has been long in the making, aside from all the voter suppression. He will nullify the result of the election by finding some inconsistencies in the electoral process, as there are in every election, and declare that "America will never be socialist or communist" (fascist rhetoric that he has already started repeating since last year), as if Sanders or Warren are either of them. If the non-Wall Street funded Democrats don't win a 2/3rds majority in the Senate, they will do nothing. The matter will then be sent to the Republican held SCOTUS and the US will become an official banana republic, just what the corporate class of the US wanted in the end.

Originally Posted by elche

But the real problem is on the horizon:

dismantling the corporatocracy and bringing governance back to the people - though realistically more than half could not give a sh1t yet because this is easier

Should make the same law as Australia. Voting is mandatory and if you don't vote you will have to pay a fine.

Yes, Australia must have an awful lot of spoiled votes.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Yes, Australia must have an awful lot of spoiled votes.

The national informality rate (informal votes as a percentage of all votes cast) decreased from 5.91 per cent of all votes cast at the 2013 House of Representatives elections to 5.05 per cent at the 2016 House of Representatives elections.

Analysis of informal voting (House of Representatives 2016 Election) - Australian Electoral Commission

5% as a total of informal/incorrect/spoiled votes ... not so high?


I tried to uncover what the percentage is in the USA, but couldn't find the correct terminology.

Anyone got the stats for the USA?

Originally Posted by Attilla the Hen

Should make the same law as Australia. Voting is mandatory and if you don't vote you will have to pay a fine.

Except the Republicans would never do it. In fact they do their best to stop certain segments of the population voting.

Trump commutes sentence of ex-Illinois Gov. Blagojevich, pardons ex-NY police commissioner Kerik, ex-49ers owner DeBartolo — and Michael Milken

Key Points

• President Trump granted executive clemency to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, ex-New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and former NFL football team owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.
• Trump also announced that he had pardoned Michael Milken, the former junk bond king who became a face of the insider trading financial scandals of the 1980s.
• In all, Trump granted some form of executive clemency to 11 individuals Tuesday, according to the White House.

Trump grants clemency to Blagojevich, Kerik, DeBartolo, Milken

This clown...

Facts are irrelevant to Trumptards.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Facts are irrelevant to Trumptards.

Especially when they have alternative facts to rely on.

The host pointed out that Obama has higher job and GDP growth than the orange moron and that bozo hit the ceiling and immediately started the turd polishing. Sad thing is bozo trumpanzees like repeater and chico actually buy the horseshit.

Originally Posted by Attilla the Hen

what is the difference between the Cheeto and a King?

The morons who support him who spent eight years throwing baseless accusations that Obama was trying to do exactly what they cheer Trump for now, basically.

Trump commutes Blagojevich's sentence and grants clemency to 10 others - CNNPolitics
Trump goes on clemency spree and falsely claims he's 'chief law enforcement officer'
When are the American people go wake up grow some balls, and say enough is freaking enough?

Maybe baldy should get the wobblies to build his stupid fucking wall. He is a big fan of cheap labour after all.

WORKERS are hastily building a 1,640ft brick wall ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to India to hide a slum, say critics.
And 45 families in the shanty town at Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, have received eviction notices. The slum, home to more than 2,000 people, is en route to a cricket stadium where the US president will next week meet India’s premier Narendra Modi for trade talks. Resident Keshi Saraniya said: ‘Why are they hiding us? Why not spend money to improve our slum?’

https://www.metro.news/india-building-a-wall-for-trumps-state-visit-to-conceal-city-slum/1915018/

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Facts are irrelevant to Trumptards.

like they are for anti-Trumptards

so far, Trump the imbecile has beaten all forecasts made by the 'smart' ones

take that, snowflakes

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

like they are for anti-Trumptards

Yeah nah that doesn't work.

'I Know You Are You Said You Are But What Am I' might be the prevailing and most favored debate tactic by Trumptards but in the real world it's ineffective.

There are actual, objective, facts and then there are the "alternative facts" that Trump spouts and you Trumptards lap-up and then beg for more.

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

Yeah nah that doesn't work.

sure does work, you just don't accept that the world is round, instead you like to believe it's flat

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

sure does work, you just don't accept that the world is round, instead you like to believe it's flat

Ah huh... so you believe and repeat the lies of a known and proven pathological liar and that makes me akin to a flat-earther. Got it.


























Nah, still doesn't work does it.

Trump is a product of our time, somehow you don't accept that times have changed

basically, earthers vs science