Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

My response was to a poster that likes to make hostile demands. None of us wants to be told what to do, much less how to do it. Sorry if my answers aren't enlightening enough for the peanut gallery. 

I get that. Far be it from me to tell you what to do, 😉, but if you really want "tit for tat" responses to end, maybe if you had explained that in your post it would have helped others to understand your resistance to answering and not prolonged the conflict.

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I know Don Novello is a comedian and Father Guido Sarducci is a character.  Obviously, certain things don't bother me the way they bother others. But for argument's sake, even if I agreed it was offensive, I can't take everything Dems find offensive seriously. Why? Because everything DJT says or does, Dems find offensive...and I can't differentiate what is egregious and what isn't anymore.

The list of egregious, offensive, or at the very least ridiculous statements and actions is too long to write here right now, but leave it to Jon Stewart to tell us what he thinks is and isn't OK just from the list of things Trump's said and done in the past week alone (using charts no less)!

‘Holy S**t That’s Not OK!’: Jon Stewart Nails Trump Over His Most Offensive Claim Yet:

https://nz.news.yahoo.com/holy-t-thats-not-ok-052201671.html

Let's see - reopening Alcatraz, claiming he didn't know if he needed to uphold immigrant rights to due process under the Constitution (after taking an oath to do just that in his inauguration), the meme of himself as Pope, a huge military parade that will cost $20 Million while telling Americans they'll need to face some financial hardship, etc.

He also tells us why Trump makes certain ridiculous statements, like reopening Alcatraz - to deflect our attention away from what he's REALLY doing.

I recommend Jon Stewart to anyone, even Republicans. He's at least hysterically funny even if you don't agree with him, and I suspect you will agree with at least some of it and be able to laugh along with it. At least watch this video.

[Affogato]

5 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

What we should be screeching is "Dr. Jill". No one can tell me that she wasn't pushing her husband to stay in the race. All because she enjoys the high life. And now that they're "broke" (not broke, broke...but broke for them) she's dragging him out on a 'publicity tour' to tout their upcoming book. She should be ashamed of herself.

Lol

(rolls eyes)

[Affogato]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Don Novello would beg to differ.

Since we obviously have opposing sources for information, I can only tell you what I know from fellow Reps and others that I have spoken with. They all say it's the border. Even legal immigrants were happy to have a secure border as they are the ones that are/were afraid of losing their jobs to the undocumented.

As in Germany at one  point jewish people, gay people were held up as the enemy. People scapegoated them. There was a hue and cry and others went about their business doing what they wanted.

The immigrants were and are scapegoats. Yes, no doubt people bought into this scapegoating and blamed them for their problems. people probably thought that immigrants made them take fentanyl and took their jobs. But people were manipulated and it was dumb. Stupid. When someone says ‘look at that cloud’ do not let yourself be distracted. This is what it was. 
 

another scapegoat distraction? Trangender bathrooms. Kids wanting to change sex because it is cool. Absolutely people voted because of  that. Still a distraction. Not a real issue. 
 

Meanwhile their freedoms and rights and safetynets are being dismantled. 

Edited May 12 by Affogato

[bluegirl147]

15 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

claiming he didn't know if he needed to uphold immigrant rights to due process under the Constitution (after taking an oath to do just that in his inauguration)

Immigrants becoming naturalized citizens are required to take a test that includes civics. Is it too much to ask that the president understand how things work?

 

[Eri]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Immigrants becoming naturalized citizens are required to take a test that includes civics. Is it too much to ask that the president understand how things work?

And they probably know more about the Constitution than most American born here.

[Anela]

6 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

What we should be screeching is "Dr. Jill". No one can tell me that she wasn't pushing her husband to stay in the race. All because she enjoys the high life. And now that they're "broke" (not broke, broke...but broke for them) she's dragging him out on a 'publicity tour' to tout their upcoming book. She should be ashamed of herself.

They wrote a book? That's great! 

The trumps have sold books, and wine, and made multi-billion  dollar deals, when trump was first in office, and since. They also stay in his hotels, and apparently make money through the secret service staying there? 

 

Trump overcharged Secret Service by 300% for accommodations at his hotels

House oversight committee’s report further called the ex-president’s term ‘world’s greatest get-rich-quick scheme’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/18/trump-overcharge-secret-service-hotel

He's also getting a luxury plane from Qatar. 

 

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

He's also getting a luxury plane from Qatar. 

Isn't there a rule elected officials can't accept gifts over a certain amount of money?

Remember when we thought Nixon was the most corrupt president ever?

Edited May 12 by bluegirl147

[Dimity]

In Canadian election news, the liberals gained another seat. In a riding in Quebec that had a recount because it was so close, they have won by one vote! 

6 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Isn't there a rule elected officials can't accept gifts over a certain amount of money?

Remember when we thought Nixon was the most corrupt president over?

Rules don't apply to the king of the world. Ask his supporters, they'll tell you.

This meme just popped up:

Can girls have 30 dolls if they’re a gift from Qatar?

Edited May 12 by Dimity

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

The trumps have sold books, and wine, and made multi-billion  dollar deals, when trump was first in office, and since. They also stay in his hotels, and apparently make money through the secret service staying there? 

Remember the days when presidents were supposed to be hands off with any businesses they owned or were involved in once they took office?  Trump doesn't remember and apparently neither does the Republican party or their representatives.

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Because everything DJT says or does, Dems find offensive...and I can't differentiate what is egregious and what isn't anymore.

Neither can I differentiate anything DJT says as being non-egregious, perhaps just because to me he is the embodiment in words, attitudes, methods, and even physicality of the serial rapist I barely escaped from, whose every seemingly sane word was just a ploy to capture prey to feed his lust and ego.

[Dimity]

7 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Why? Because everything DJT says or does, Dems find offensive...and I can't differentiate what is egregious and what isn't anymore.

Surely though this is on you and not 'Dems'.   If you can't tell when he is out and out lying along with when he is being offensive, bullying, and (to use a favourite word of his) nasty it is not the responsibility of anyone else to clarify that for you. 

Edited May 12 by Dimity

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/9/2025 at 10:38 PM, Soapy Goddess said:

On 5/9/2025 at 11:32 AM, Bastet said:

I regard social media and a discussion forum as two very different things. 

 Isn't most of SM a discussion?

If only.

 

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Isn't there a rule elected officials can't accept gifts over a certain amount of money?

Remember when we thought Nixon was the most corrupt president ever?

Nixon was a small fry criminal compared with mob boss wannabe & mega grifter Trump.

[fastiller]

1 hour ago, Dimity said:

Remember the days when presidents were supposed to be hands off with any businesses they owned or were involved in once they took office?  Trump doesn't remember and apparently neither does the Republican party or their representatives.

All of a sudden I'm craving peanuts.

[bluegirl147]

41 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Nixon was a small fry criminal compared with mob boss wannabe & mega grifter Trump.

Trump wouldn't get away with what he gets away with if not for everyone that continues to enable, excuse and ignore everything he does. So many of these people are going to go to their graves thinking they were part of something great. The rest of them will lie and say they never supported him. Very few will admit they were wrong.

[peacheslatour]

The timeline you always get with Trump.

[fastiller]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

Nixon was a small fry criminal compared with mob boss wannabe & mega grifter Trump.

 

21 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Trump wouldn't get away with what he gets away with if not for everyone that continues to enable, excuse and ignore everything he does. So many of these people are going to go to their graves thinking they were part of something great. The rest of them will lie and say they never supported him. Very few will admit they were wrong.

Had Nixon been indicted, I think Trump wouldn't've gotten away with even a small amount of what he did.

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, fastiller said:

 

Had Nixon been indicted, I think Trump wouldn't've gotten away with even a small amount of what he did.

My parents never got over Ford pardoning Nixon. My dad had always been a Kennedy Democrat but my mom was a business woman and she thought the R's were better for business. After Nixon, she never voted for another republican and they both proudly voted for Obama.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My parents never got over Ford pardoning Nixon. My dad had always been a Kennedy Democrat but my mom was a business woman and she thought the R's were better for business.

We're Canadian but I think we'd be best described as Kennedy Democrats,  I like it.  Anyway my only real memory of Watergate is my Dad making me watch the trial and sitting there convinced that Maureen Dean was bald (she was actually just very blond with her hair pulled back) and feeling so sorry for the poor bald lady.  I don't think that was the takeaway my Dad was expecting.

[Kemper]

I don't know if this is the correct spelling, and maybe this has been addressed further up in this thread. But....The Emoluments Clause. Presidents are not allowed to accept gifts from other nations. Period. But Trump says he will use The Plane as Air Force One.  And who does not think he will sell it and pocket the money when he leaves office. If he ever leaves.

[kittykat]

My grandparents were Kennedy Democrats.  By the 90s they were Limbaugh Republicans 😔

[fastiller]

47 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My parents never got over Ford pardoning Nixon. My dad had always been a Kennedy Democrat but my mom was a business woman and she thought the R's were better for business. After Nixon, she never voted for another republican and they both proudly voted for Obama.

It's not just that Ford pardoned him, it's that there was also internal DOJ guidance saying a sitting president couldn't be indicted.  Which leads to "if the President does it, it's not illegal".  It sort of set in place Precedence before any case could be brought.

[PRgal]

4 hours ago, Dimity said:

In Canadian election news, the liberals gained another seat. In a riding in Quebec that had a recount because it was so close, they have won by one vote! 

Rules don't apply to the king of the world. Ask his supporters, they'll tell you.

This meme just popped up:

Can girls have 30 dolls if they’re a gift from Qatar?

That means we're up to 170, correct?  Just two more and we've got a majority!

[tres bien]

Trump’s making gobs of money while playing president 

On June 11th when he reopens the Kennedy Center for a performance of his favorite Les Mis he will be using it as a fundraiser with sponsorships costing $100,000 for silver level or $2 million for gold level 

He says the Kennedy Center “is in tremendous disrepair” and all the money raised will used to refurbish it (aka remake in his image)

I don’t believe him. I think it’s another way for him to scam his stupid billionaire buddies 

And how long before he changes the name 

Edited May 12 by tres bien

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

My parents never got over Ford pardoning Nixon. My dad had always been a Kennedy Democrat but my mom was a business woman and she thought the R's were better for business. After Nixon, she never voted for another republican and they both proudly voted for Obama.

Nixon would have never resigned if not for his own party telling him we are going to impeach you. Back then some in the Republican party actually put country over party.  Novel concept I know.

[PRgal]

29 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

If Les Miz ain't "woke" then it will just some people milling silently around onstage. What a fucking moron.

Trump told reporters in February that he "didn't like what they were showing," and he would "make sure it's good," and "it's not going to be woke." Ticket sales have slumped since the leadership change, with artists including Issa Rae cancelling shows and the musical Hamilton cancelling its run.

What To Know

On Wednesday, CNN reported that 10 of the 12 actors in a 'Les Misérables' tour group are planning to boycott a performance at the Kennedy Center that Trump is planning to attend.

Les Mis is as woke as woke can get…for 1832 France, that is. Plus most productions do colour blind casting.  To the point that you could have a White young Cosette and Black adult Cosette!

 

Edited May 12 by PRgal

[Ohiopirate02]

32 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I've seen many memes and comments comparing trump and Nixon

Nixon actually was smart though. Corrupt sure but he was a astute diplomat and politician. 

Trump is just a vane dumb piece of s****

It's vain not vane. Though now I am trying to picture a Trump themed dumb *********** weather vane.

[BetyBee]

1 hour ago, tres bien said:

Trump’s making gobs of money while playing president 

On June 11th when he reopens the Kennedy Center for a performance of his favorite Les Mis he will be using it as a fundraiser with sponsorships costing $100,000 for silver level or $2 million for gold level 

He says the Kennedy Center “is in tremendous disrepair” and all the money raised will used to refurbish it (aka remake in his image)

I don’t believe him. I think it’s another way for him to scam his stupid billionaire buddies 

And how long before he changes the name 

It will be called the Trump Center and it will be swimming in gold filigree. He'll find it more suitable for great acts like Kid Rock. 🙄

[Affogato]

https://apple.news/AXgAV_kEsQ2mJGFIsw9Mzug

Driving the news: The first flight carrying a group of South Africans granted refugee status arrived in Virginia on Monday, the State Department announced.

The admission of Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority that dominated South African politics during apartheid, is in response to Trump's "call to prioritize U.S. refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination in South Africa," the department said.

The group has said they have been denied jobs and faced violence because of their race.

More Afrikaner refugees will arrive in the U.S. in the coming months, per the State Department.

——————

just what we need. 

[Lantern7]

2 minutes ago, Affogato said:

https://apple.news/AXgAV_kEsQ2mJGFIsw9Mzug

Driving the news: The first flight carrying a group of South Africans granted refugee status arrived in Virginia on Monday, the State Department announced.

The admission of Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority that dominated South African politics during apartheid, is in response to Trump's "call to prioritize U.S. refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination in South Africa," the department said.

The group has said they have been denied jobs and faced violence because of their race.

More Afrikaner refugees will arrive in the U.S. in the coming months, per the State Department.

——————

just what we need. 

May they be greeted by African-Americans playing small violins. And may all receive the same gift: a DVD player and a copy of Lethal Weapon 2. Also, let ‘em know if they have any problems, we have Danny Glover on speed-dial.

Edited May 12 by Lantern7

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, tres bien said:

Trump’s making gobs of money while playing president 

On June 11th when he reopens the Kennedy Center for a performance of his favorite Les Mis he will be using it as a fundraiser with sponsorships costing $100,000 for silver level or $2 million for gold level 

He says the Kennedy Center “is in tremendous disrepair” and all the money raised will used to refurbish it (aka remake in his image)

I don’t believe him. I think it’s another way for him to scam his stupid billionaire buddies 

And how long before he changes the name 

Not only do I think he’s lying about Les Miserables being his “favorite” I’ll bet $20 he’s never even watched it (or at least paid any attention to the plot). He’s probably only saying it is because his followers bastardized it with the “Les Deplorables” meme they use to play the martyr.

[Bastet]

25 minutes ago, Affogato said:

just what we need. 

Yeah, we don't have enough racists here, we need to import a group of people longing for the return of apartheid.  But the Episcopal church says leave us out of this shit (via NPR):
 

Quote

Episcopal Church ends refugee partnership

The Episcopal Church on Monday announced it would terminate its partnership with the government to resettle refugees, citing moral opposition to resettling white Afrikaners.

Episcopal Migration Ministries said it had been notified by the federal government that it was expected to resettle some of the refugees.

"It has been painful to watch one group of refugees, selected in a highly unusual manner, receive preferential treatment over many others who have been waiting in refugee camps or dangerous conditions for years," wrote Most Rev. Sean Rowe, the presiding bishop of the church, adding that others including the Afghans and Christians fleeing persecution have been denied refuge.

 

Edited May 12 by Bastet

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, we don't have enough racists here, we need to import a group of people longing for the return of apartheid.  But the Episcopal church says leave us out of this shit (via NPR):
 

 

Good for them. There are so many people who are showing us who they really are and every once in awhile we find out there are some good ones.

[tres bien]

More news from Jr Land

Last week due to an outbreak of measles in one county in NW North Dakota nearly 200 unvaccinated students have been quarantined for 21 days 

 

 

Edited May 13 by tres bien

[PRgal]

Re swimming in untreated water:  Kids swim in lakes at sleepaway. camp all the time.  Some families send their kids away for the entire summer and you bet they'd...stink...on the ride home.  That bus probably smells.  Kids don't smell it because they've become nose blind.  I swear I was the only person who actually showered reguarly at sleepaway camp!  And I probably wasn't that clean because I had to walk through a dirt path from my cabin to the shower building.  :D

[Lantern7]

5 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

By Issie Lapowsky
May 12, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a lot of curious ideas about how to Make America Healthy Again. Time to add taking illicit swims in bacteria-infested creeks to the list.

On Sunday, the Department of Health and Human Services secretary posted shirtless photos of himself swimming in Washington D.C.’s Rock Creek with his grandkids for Mother’s Day. It’s a cute enough scene, except, of course for the fact that swimming is banned in Rock Creek because, according to the National Park Service, “Rock Creek has high levels of bacteria and other infectious pathogens that make swimming, wading, and other contact with the water a hazard to human (and pet) health.”

Oh, that.

But Rock Creek’s water quality issues are hardly a secret. One 2021 report found “high E. coli values, indicating sewage pollution,” likely resulting from “antiquated sewers that have long since passed their useful life.” 

Of course, if there were absolutely anyone who seemed like they might take the risk of knowingly swimming in sewer water, it’d be hard to come up with a more likely candidate than Kennedy. This is a man who swears by raw milk, who has questioned whether germs cause disease, and who (deep breath for this one) has speculated that he may have been exposed to the parasitic worm that ate part of his brain when he stuck his hand in the bloody mouth of a dead bear before driving with the carcass to Manhattan and abandoning it in Central Park (exhale).

What, you thought a little poop water would stop this guy from enjoying Mother's Day?

 
 

I don't know how much more of these people I can take. And yes, I know that isn't something I should say because it's rendered meaningless by me saying "I don't know how much more of these people I can take" all the damn time.

Eh, maybe the pollution will mix with whatever crap is in his system, and he'll grow gills. I can see the GOP and MAGA moving heaven and earth to  make life riskier for Americans, but I don't think they'd want to rig up a microphone in a lake to get orders from AquaKennedy.

[Yeah No]

10 hours ago, Kemper said:

I don't know if this is the correct spelling, and maybe this has been addressed further up in this thread. But....The Emoluments Clause. Presidents are not allowed to accept gifts from other nations. Period. But Trump says he will use The Plane as Air Force One.  And who does not think he will sell it and pocket the money when he leaves office. If he ever leaves.

A good friend, who is decidedly not a Trump supporter told me one of his MAGA acquaintances told him there was no difference between the US accepting the gift of the Statue of Liberty and Trump accepting this plane even though Trump says it's a gift to the country and not just him. He wanted to know what I thought about that. I said, first of all, BS on it being a gift to the country and not Trump. Again, he thinks he can fool us even when it's that obvious to anyone paying attention (which I do understand most people are not).

Secondly, no one can use the Statue of Liberty for their own purposes while that plane is clearly for Trump's personal use. But see how he (and Qatar) "cleverly" get around that by saying it's a gift to "the country" for "the president" (supposedly THE president as opposed to just Mr. Trump)? That's Trump's personal MO every time. Whitewash everything to just barely conform to the rules when we all know what the REAL story is.

Turns out I'm not alone in saying "BS" to Trump's claim that this is a gift to the country and not a personal one. This from an NPR article on the ethical implications of accepting the plane. The quote is from a specialist in government ethics, Robert Briffault:

 

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/nx-s1-5395696/qatar-trump-plane-gift-ethics

Quote

Trump said Monday that the plane isn't a gift to him, but to the Department of Defense. He added that it will be decommissioned after his term for his presidential library, and that he will not use it after leaving office.

Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor who specializes in government ethics, says that distinction doesn't matter: If the plane goes to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office, "then it's not really a gift to the United States at all."

It certainly has the look of being designed to get favor from Trump in his decision making. And let's not forget his personal business dealings in Qatar, which make that suspicion all the more relevant.

And from what I'm reading not all Republicans think accepting that plane is a good idea anyway. Laura Loomer, a Trump activist had this to say in this article in "Business Insider":

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-qatar-luxury-jet-maga-republicans-reaction-pushback-2025-5

Quote

"I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him," Laura Loomer, a conservative activist and longtime Trump ally, wrote on X on Sunday. "But, I have to call a spade a spade. We cannot accept a $400 million 'gift' from jihadists in suits."

 

[Yeah No]

8 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Nixon would have never resigned if not for his own party telling him we are going to impeach you. Back then some in the Republican party actually put country over party.  Novel concept I know.

Yeah, integrity seems to be out of fashion these days, especially with Republicans.

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

Yeah, we don't have enough racists here, we need to import a group of people longing for the return of apartheid.  But the Episcopal church says leave us out of this shit (via NPR):

Even more reasons to love my church!

Also, this is not the first time I've heard South Africa has come up since Trump took office. It makes me wonder if some of these ideas come from Mr. Musk, even though he has been keeping a low profile lately.

[Lantern7]

22 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

A good friend, who is decidedly not a Trump supporter told me one of his MAGA acquaintances told him there was no difference between the US accepting the gift of the Statue of Liberty and Trump accepting this plane even though Trump says it's a gift to the country and not just him. He wanted to know what I thought about that. I said, first of all, BS on it being a gift to the country and not Trump. Again, he thinks he can fool us even when it's that obvious to anyone paying attention (which I do understand most people are not).

Secondly, no one can use the Statue of Liberty for their own purposes while that plane is clearly for Trump's personal use. But see how he (and Qatar) "cleverly" get around that by saying it's a gift to "the country" for "the president" (supposedly THE president as opposed to just Mr. Trump)? That's Trump's personal MO every time. Whitewash everything to just barely conform to the rules when we all know what the REAL story is.

Turns out I'm not alone in saying "BS" to Trump's claim that this is a gift to the country and not a personal one. This from an NPR article on the ethical implications of accepting the plane. The quote is from a specialist in government ethics, Robert Briffault:

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/nx-s1-5395696/qatar-trump-plane-gift-ethics

It certainly has the look of being designed to get favor from Trump in his decision making. And let's not forget his personal business dealings in Qatar, which make that suspicion all the more relevant.

And from what I'm reading not all Republicans think accepting that plane is a good idea anyway. Laura Loomer, a Trump activist had this to say in this article in "Business Insider":

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-qatar-luxury-jet-maga-republicans-reaction-pushback-2025-5

Impeachment when?

It's numbing to read all this bullshit about him thumbing his misshapen nose towards those he governs, and also be aware there are probably a dozen worse things he (or his handlers/minions) has in store for us. Like I said, the guy probably feeds off the hatred from others, which means that the odds of us waking up, going online and reading about a certain news item is probably never going to happen until it's far too late.

I know that even if he is prosecuted and found guilty, the worst that would happen to him is that he'd live in a "Club Fed" for the rest of his life. I'm at peace with that. As long as communications with his followers are cut off and his Internet access is restricted, I can accept that he'd live in a situation at least half the population would murder for.

ETA: I like Jon Stewart's take on the Afrikaners coming America: "You already have one!!" Maybe he feel that if one morally bankrupt white South African can make things happen, imagine what a few hundred could do.

Edited May 13 by Lantern7

[Soapy Goddess]

16 hours ago, Anela said:

He's also getting a luxury plane from Qatar. 

HE'S not getting the plane solely for himself. AFO is for the country...for this president and others that will follow. 

[ProudMary]

The "gift" plane from Qatar is blatant, in-our-faces corruption, but I'm even more concerned with the implications of the sale of the $TRUMP memecoin, which can buy access to the president. Under normal circumstances, the SEC should be investigating this, but not in the bizarro world in which we now live.

The link I copied should be a gift article. I'm only quoting a few paragraphs here. (Bolding mine.)

Auction to Dine With Trump Creates Foreign Influence Opportunity

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/trump-crypto-coin-auction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Gk8.yzzI.Y7iQnH7Ph6sL

Mr. Trump announced last month that leading buyers of a digital coin his family is marketing would be rewarded with a private dinner with him at one of his golf courses and that the very top bidders would win a tour of the White House.

The auction, which ends Monday, has set off a spectacle that has drawn bipartisan criticism, triggered a suspicious trading pattern, and left a sitting United States president wide open to attempts to corruptly influence him.

Since the announcement, crypto investors around the world have raced to expand their holdings of $TRUMP — a digital currency called a memecoin, which is typically treated more as a novelty investment than an actual currency.

Certain buyers, in interviews and statements, have said they bought the coins or entered the dinner contest with the intention of securing an action by Mr. Trump to affect United States policy.

The contest has pushed up the memecoin’s trading price, adding billions of dollars, at least on paper, to the value of a $TRUMP stash controlled by the Trump family and its business partners. And in a matter of weeks, the Trumps and their partners have reeled in more than $1.3 million in fees, taking a cut every time the coins changed hands, according to Chainalysis, a crypto data firm.

[Soapy Goddess]

14 hours ago, Dimity said:

Surely though this is on you and not 'Dems'.   If you can't tell when he is out and out lying along with when he is being offensive, bullying, and (to use a favourite word of his) nasty it is not the responsibility of anyone else to clarify that for you. 

I can assure you that I KNOW what's offensive to your party, and don't need any clarification. Because certain things aren't offensive to ME. That is all I meant by that statement. IOW, when I'm attacked for not agreeing that certain things are offensive (like the meme), I have no words.  

Edited May 13 by Soapy Goddess

[Soapy Goddess]

43 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Turns out I'm not alone in saying "BS" to Trump's claim that this is a gift to the country and not a personal one.

It IS a gift to the country since Boeing is so far behind. And since the plane will be used as AFO, the next president will also be using AFO. Or do you really think that after 4 years Trump is going to pilot the plane and land at Mar-A-Lago?

[ProudMary]

9 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

HE'S not getting the plane solely for himself. AFO is for the country...for this president and others that will follow. 

Not the case. 

https://apnews.com/article/trump-qatar-gift-jet-air-force-one-7f9afb461c6b3ac16fca3bb0973715ff

ABC News reported that Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.

 

[Soapy Goddess]

3 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Not the case. 

https://apnews.com/article/trump-qatar-gift-jet-air-force-one-7f9afb461c6b3ac16fca3bb0973715ff

 

 

 

Appreciate the article, but since it's a replacement for AFO and will be used in that capacity during his tenure, I don't see what all the uproar is about. 

13 hours ago, fastiller said:

All of a sudden I'm craving peanuts.

Here you go: 🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜

[Yeah No]

25 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

It IS a gift to the country since Boeing is so far behind. And since the plane will be used as AFO, the next president will also be using AFO. Or do you really think that after 4 years Trump is going to pilot the plane and land at Mar-A-Lago?

Did you read my post on this? It's clearly not a gift to the country given that it's for his use primarily, not something like the Statue of Liberty which WAS given to the country and can't be for any one person's use, plus all the complications and conflicts of interest given his business dealings in Qatar and their reasons to want to gain his favor because of such. And especially if after his presidency it will be decommissioned and go to his presidential library like he's talking about doing. He's not talking about it being used by future presidents. And even some Republicans have come out against it, like Laura Loomer. Read my post, there's more there.

25 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Appreciate the article, but since it's a replacement for AFO and will be used in that capacity during his tenure, I don't see what all the uproar is about. 

Again, read my post.......

48 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

HE'S not getting the plane solely for himself. AFO is for the country...for this president and others that will follow. 

Again.....READ MY POST!!!

[Soapy Goddess]

5 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

And especially if after his presidency it will be decommissioned and go to his presidential library like he's talking about doing. He's not talking about it being used by future presidents.

Ok, so after it's decommissioned and goes to his library, that's where it will stay. And if that's the case, it's no longer in his personal possession. Meaning, it's no longer available for any personal use. What am I missing?

[Yeah No]

7 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Ok, so after it's decommissioned and goes to his library, that's where it will stay. And if that's the case, it's no longer in his personal possession. Meaning, it's no longer available for any personal use. What am I missing?

This from this article:

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/nx-s1-5395696/qatar-trump-plane-gift-ethics

Quote

Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor who specializes in government ethics, says that distinction doesn't matter: If the plane goes to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office, "then it's not really a gift to the United States at all."

Briffault says accepting the plane would constitute a personal gift and a "pretty textbook case of a violation of the Emoluments Clause." Like other ethics experts, he worries it could lead to Trump feeling beholden to the Qatari government.

"[Gifts are] designed to create good feelings for the recipient and to get some kind of reciprocity," Briffault says. "But the thing that [Trump] can give, of course, is public policy — weapons deals or whatever. And then, of course, it's an incentive to other countries to give similar gifts as another way of influencing presidential decision-making."

Jordan Libowitz, vice president in communications for the nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), told NPR that the gift is especially concerning because of Trump's personal business dealings in the Gulf and in Qatar specifically.

The Trump Organization — of which Trump handed formal control to his sons in 2017 — did not pledge to avoid making deals with private companies abroad during his second term, unlike his first. In late April, the company announced a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar.

"Clearly he is trying to make money there, and that puts us in an uncomfortable situation," Libowitz says. "Is America's best interest being served, or is it the best interests of the Trump Organization?"

Experts say the gift is unprecedented 

Presidents typically receive gifts like cufflinks and bottles of wine, Libowitz says, and are required to turn such gifts over to the U.S. government — generally the National Archives — unless they pay fair market value to keep them.

"We have never seen something on this level before, and especially when you add in his government or his personal business in the country, it raises significant red flags," he says.

CREW sued Trump during his first term, arguing that he was illegally "getting cash and favors from foreign governments, through guests and events at his hotels, leases in his buildings, and valuable real estate deals abroad." The case made its way to the Supreme Court, but was dismissed as moot after he left office in 2021.

Trump, responding to Democratic critics on Sunday, wrote on Truth Social that the plane would replace the "40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction."

But Libowitz says "a lot of things can be public without being ethical."

Much is still unknown about the deal and the discussions behind it, as well as the particulars of the plane. For example, it's not clear when the transaction would happen or how long it would take for the plane to be ready for the president's use. Both Briffault and Libowitz said it would presumably need to be checked in great detail, both for structural integrity and potential tracking or listening devices.

"This is a process that could take years before it's ready, and at that point, he won't be president anymore," Libowitz says.

 

[Soapy Goddess]

40 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

This from this article:

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/nx-s1-5395696/qatar-trump-plane-gift-ethics

 

From the article: 

If the plane goes to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office, "then it's not really a gift to the United States at all."

Briffault says accepting the plane would constitute a personal gift and a "pretty textbook case of a violation of the Emoluments Clause." Like other ethics experts, he worries it could lead to Trump feeling beholden to the Qatari government.

Devil's advocate:  But if it doesn't go to his library, then it's okay?

[Mollywolly555]

Do you or your party believe in following the laws set forth by the Constitution and amendments?

If not,  we got nothing to discuss as adults. 

Edited May 13 by Mollywolly555