Trump goes "off the record" so he can rant about media and they cannot report his yelling.

Trump also get a much of his news from social media.

"First came the obsessive Twitter rants directed at “Hamilton” and “Saturday Night Live.” Then came Monday’s astonishing aria of invective and resentment aimed at the media, delivered in a conference room on the twenty-fifth floor of Trump Tower. In the presence of television executives and anchors, Trump whined about everything from NBC News reporter Katy Tur’s coverage of him to a photograph the news network has used that shows him with a double chin. Why didn’t they use “nicer” pictures?

For more than twenty minutes, Trump railed about “outrageous” and “dishonest” coverage. When he was asked about the sort of “fake news” that now clogs social media, Trump replied that it was the networks that were guilty of spreading fake news. The “worst,” he said, were CNN (“liars!”) and NBC. "

Trump has his business holdings in a "blind trust" run by his children (that's not how a blind trust works), for whom he requested security clearances.

Ivanka and her husband sat in on a meeting between Trump and the Japanese Prime Minister, and surprise! Trump Inc has significant business interests in Japan.

Since the election, Trump has taken meetings with business associates, and representatives of governments of countries where Trump Inc has holdings are crawling all over themselves to ingratiate themselves with him. Trump is already using the presidency to enrich himself.

The clampdown on a free and open press has only just begun, and Trump's surrogates have threatened a United States Senator and members of the press for daring to criticize him.

Welcome to the banana republic United States. Fascist United States is coming at us like a runaway train.

Trump will charge the secret service (taxpayers) a couple million on rent for a couple floors in Trump Tower. Probably the same space he charged his campaign (contributors) millions for during the campaign. He should be at the White House, not NYC. He has already done business with India Argentina and Turkey (that we know of) by peddling his influence as peotus.

Who said The Long Con is a lost art?

@ Kelly the Redhead

Sadly, depending on who you voted for, Trump is the guy until at least 2020. Your post will make the Trump voters snicker and the Clinton voter angrier.

We got what we got - not a thing we can do about it now.

@I didn't know that: You assume, of course, that Donnie Boy doesn't trip over himself, and gets himself impeached by the GOPers that hate his guts.

Which actually stands a good chance of happening, given all of the skeletons in his rather large closet...

@ stop the trolls

I actually did think about impeachment before my post. For "Donnie Boy" to be impeached it would require a simple majority vote from the house and 67 votes from the Senate. As much as you claim the "GOPers hate his guts" I think impeachment is an unlikely outcome.

We'll vote again in 2020 and start the arguments again.

stop:

do you really hope for an impeachment of Trump. Think of who will a take his place. A TRUE right wing, evangelical, nut job. Do you really want that? I don't. As bad as Trump is I dread the possibility of Pence taking his place.Think SCOTUS. Roe v Wade GONE. More decisions like Citizens United. God help us if Pence Takes over.

The existence of Donald Trump and his political career show us that what we see as the public side of our government is a joke, a thing of ridicule that no one in power in the US takes seriously. The way to change that is to disengage from power all the current top public and private leaders and replace then with people who understand what this country was supposed to be about and why people wanted to come and live here and become Americans. We need to regular the rich and powerful through taxes.

And if nothing else works CA and the educated, productive Blue states ought to think seriously about seceding from the union, or ejecting the states who insist on operating like third world tyrannies.

After 30 years of Republican covert operations against this government we now see the results and face of the real Republican party in the alt-Right movement, and we've probably waited way to long to open our eyes.

Menlo Voter, I hear you, but I personally would like the see the electors remove
the Republican candidates and appoint Clinton for 4 years.

Failing that, Pence, with the knowledge that his every move is being watched
and reacted too would be preferable to a Donald Trump who so far seems to
think he has no responsibility to tell the people what he thinks, what he plans,
whether what he said is what he meant - or even talk to anyone about it.

The appointment of the far right nut cabal, led by Steve Bannon from the
alt-Right is as clear a signal of contempt for this country and its citizens as
we are ever going to get, and failure to take it seriously and react to it we do
at the expense of our survival as a free nation.

As soon as Donald Trump takes power in the US the identity and character of
the hope of a nation of almost 250 years of struggle forward is lost to a money
grubbing joker for cheap entertainment.

Not only that but we have better make a serious effort at redesigning our political
election system and all the hole that have been shot in it such that it is hackable
and wreckable remotely from foreign enemy countries. Our news is untrustworthy
and our greatest achievement, the thing that was going to save the future, the
Internet is now the greatest danger.

Pence *is* the defacto POTUS. Pence has been receiving DAILY briefings. Trump has only sat still for two briefings.

Two. 2. Dos. Or as his Pepe/supremicist fanboys would prefer: Zwei.

It was widely reported that Trump Jr told Kasich & Pence they could run foreign policy. And the domestic side also.

------------
"When Kasich’s adviser asked how this would be the case Donald Jr. explained that his father’s vice president would be in charge of domestic and foreign policy.
Then what, the adviser asked, would Trump be in charge of?
“Making America great again” was the casual reply."
------------

------------
"President-elect Donald Trump has received two classified intelligence briefings since his surprise election victory earlier this month, a frequency that is notably lower — at least so far — than that of his predecessors"
------------


At this point, Obama had daily briefings and already scheduled "deep dives" into selected matters.


------------
"After his election in 2008, President Obama took part not only in regular intelligence briefings but also scheduled “deep dives” on key subjects including Iran’s nuclear program and covert CIA operations, including the accelerating campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan.

“During the transition, President Obama was an avid consumer of intelligence,” said retired Lt. Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who was CIA director when Obama was elected."
------------

@ Mackinaw

President elect Trump will leave a legacy of foreign policy successes or failures just as all Presidents preceding him did. Here is an article praising President Obama's success in Foreign Policy Matters:

Web Link

And here is one discussing his Foreign Policy failures:

Web Link

When we look back at President elect Trump's time in office, be it in 2020 or 2024, we'll be able to find similar articles written about him. That you claim he has only sat for two briefings versus the 'deep dives' that President Obama participated in is irrelevant.

Time will tell whether of not his Presidency is a success or a failure.

"Time will tell whether of not his Presidency is a success or a failure." Gosh! You really added a lot there. Sure went out on a limb. Or to quote Trump: "Bold!"

Extra points for posting a link to a Washington TIMES opinion peice. Why not go straight to Breitbart? Was Alex Jones not loading for you this morning?

"That you claim" - sorry, I did not make a 'claim'. Web Link

@ Mackinaw

Take a breath!

I wasn't trying to go out on a limb or be "Bold".

Sitting for two briefings 3 weeks after the election makes no difference as to what President elect Trumps legacy will be.

You are correct in that neither Breitbart or Alex Jones were loading for me today. I did see some CEO edited posts on Reddit that may have been appropriate but I didn't link to them.

"Sitting for two briefings 3 weeks after the election makes no difference as to what President elect Trumps legacy will be."

His legacy?!?! What on earth are you thinking about his possible 'legacy' in 4 years for? How about America's security - today, tomorrow and the next day?

Clinton had daily briefings. Bush had daily briefings. Obama had daily briefings, plus the deep dives. Trump is just following what we were told - Trump Jr said Trump would be only working on making America great again, not the pesky foreign policy stuff. Or that domestic stuff, either. Hence - Pence.

Obama's legacy,
Foreign,
Just because they wear a Kobe Bryant jersey doesn't make them anything other than a JV team, referring to Isis,
N. Korea is testing medium range rockets designed to carry nuclear warheads, they are also testing rocket engines capable of carrying intercontinental ballistic weapons,
The President of the Phillipines telling him to go to Hell, BTW we have and have had and need strategic military bases there since WW2,
China building military bases in the S. China Sea, threatening to and capable of blocking shipping Commerce as we know it,
A S. Korean Government in shambles, what no comment from our President,
At odds with the President of Turkey, now aligning w/ Russia
Russia building their largest military installation outside of Russia on the coast of Syria, assuring them dominance in the Middle East
Barely on speaking terms w/ Israel,
Crimea annexed in the middle of the night, no response?
Drawing a red line in the sand if Syria used chemical weapons on it's citizens, they did and we didn't,
Paying Iran $170 billion dollars for a flawed agreement which they have repeatedly broken,
Secretly Paying a $400, 000,000 ransom to Iran in U.S. and Euro dollars, in cash, on an unmarked CIA plane in the middle of the night, what secret slush fund did that come from, I doubt it's in the budget,
Boots on the ground in Syria, A Master Chief Petty Officer killed yesterday by an IED in Mosul.
Still mired in Afghanistan

Domestic,
20 Trillions dollars in debt,
A healthcare plan that increases premiums between 15 and 120% over last year, To those the least able to pay it, I kept my plan and my doctor, My premiums went up 100%.
An IRS scandal that caused Lois Lerner and her crew to step down and plead the 5th.
3,000+ dead from gun shots in Chicago, Don't blame it on the guns, Chicago gun laws some of the most strict in the country, No comment from Obama, his home state,
A failed school system
1/3 of the country on some form of entitlement, does not include people on S.S.
58 million on food stamps,
A failed election w/ more Republicans in state governorships, state legislatures, The U.S. House, Senate and President, in the last 80 years,
3 Million illegal aliens deported under his watch, (You don't hear much about this in the news) millions more in Sanctuary Cities, Can't make up his mind.
Unfair Super predator laws put in by the Clinton's not replaced
A cyber security system that allows foreign countries unfriendly to U.S. to at will hack our government,
Clinton supporting a recount, so Stein can have her 15 minutes, supported by the Clinton's, Do we really want to drag this poor electorate through this?

There's more but I'm getting heartburn.

Let's at least give Trump a chance,

Although I have been a Democrat since first registering, I could not bring myself to vote for Mrs. Clinton and I could never vote for Mr. Trump.

But I often wondered if I would be more entertained by humiliated Trump supporters trying to explain their defeat with claims of a rigged election or the apoplexy of Clinton voters unable to accept the fact that their inevitable candidate had lost.

In retrospect, I shouldn’t have wondered.

Well, all that noise about Obama and China above looks almost quaint in retrospect.

Trump takes zero briefings from State Dept, ignores daily intelligence briefings.

Takes/makes call with Taiwan, instantly changes One China policy established, built, maintained and followed religiously by Nixon, Ford, Reagan, GHWBush, Clinton, GWBush and Obama. Trump does it without involving State, or our current President. Remember how we sometimes called things "a Nixon to China moment"?

Now we have "Trump goes near a phone" moments (Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan all in a 48 hour period.)

Possibilities:
A - he's stupid, and didn't know the basic history within his lifetime
B - he's stupid, he doesn't care, and couldn't bother to wikipedia "One China"
C - he thinks shooting one across the bow at China is a good idea to "shake things up" (Bolton visited him before the call)
D - he really wants to build in Taiwan and make a bunch of money

I'm going with "A" and "D", and a small dose of "last guy to talk to him-wins" with Bolton.

"Weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial phone call with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, a businesswoman claiming to be associated with his conglomerate made inquiries about a major investment in building luxury hotels as part of the island’s new airport development." Web Link

Yeah. Well. Okay, then. Also keep in mind that Bank of China owns a lot of Trump paper.

A tweet from the Petulant-Elect: "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."

Trump Foundation is used to buy Donald FanBoay a Tim Tebow helmet, a portrait of himself, donate to the FL AG who drops the Trump U case in Florida, and pay Trump legal bills. Yet the Trump Foundation and Trump U appears to be small time compared to these events.

Is the Big Con is going on right in front of us before he the Electoral College even meets?

Clinton's crooked, hence the name Crooked Hilary.

Trump did kinda blow it with Carrier tho, picking winners and losers while saving some jobs. Not the Conservative Way. A number of folk have highlighted that - same as Obummer picking GM.

Going to be interesting to see how China reacts to Trump's little tweeter snubs - hopefully when they do it, it will not involve slowing our economy down further.

I guess it's all done and over.

Never actual evidence against Clinton.

Now Trump names his largest done right to his cabinet.

And the noise and yelling?

Crickets.

Trump is a crook. Crooked. Dirty. And those that couldn't vote for Clinton because fox told you lies?

You own this.

Take your pizzagate and place it however gingerly you-know-where.

Worst cabinet ever. Bannon. WWE wrestling.
Flynn and his tweets. Ben Carson!!

Start with tax cuts for the rich in the lame duck/ACA repeal, then next month the bill to cut social security. When do you think the rubes will catch on?

They already attacked coal miners and the Buy American provision in the spending bill today. Rubes should have paired with Rubio. They already noticed that Trump's new labor secretary wants an open border for cheap labor for his burger joints. Search #NeverPuzder

Web Link the Ann Coulter tweets are priceless - feel the pain yet Ann?

Ridiculous. Tax cuts for wealthy?

Concerns about the crooked Trump Foundation seem like rather innocent days, given all the garbage out now.

Isrealli intelligence was told not to share important info with Trump for fear of keeping it out of Iran's hands, via Putin.

John LeCarre couldn't make this ish up.

Flynn, a blackmailed Russian asset, IN THE WHITE HOUSE, quits.

KT McFarland, Fox commentator, IN THE WHITE HOUSE, quits.

When does Pence quit, in shame, for all the lies he told about Flynn? In this case, it is BOTH the crime (treason) AND Pence's coverup.

All those "lets give Trump a chance" posters are looking a little soft. But Putin appreciates the support!

"Let's at least give Trump a chance"


How's that working out for ya?

I think it's time to haul out the 25th Amendment, specifically Section 4, and get the loser out of office -- NOW.

Wow - those posts vanished quickly.

Just more evidence there is no credible trump defender in the area.

Makes one proud of the community.