TWGB: He Does What He Wants

 

People can point to things like Trump bailing on the dignified transfer of four deceased troops for a weekend of golfing as sign that Trump doesn't care, but I think that would be missing the point with Trump's admirers: if Trump doesn't care, they don't. The screencap above is from Fox News, where Jesse Watters is extolling who Trump is." He doesn't give a fuck."

Trump, with respects to tariffs, is described as being at the "peak of not giving a fuck."  That's actually coming from the White House. Also from the White House, this self-congratulation:

It was a good thing you did, Donny, wishing the economy into a cornfield. 

But is not giving a fuck what you actually want from the leader of your country? Like, if old Darcy down at the diner stops giving a fuck and pours coffee in someone's lap, she's liable to get fired. If Sean at the SuperMart goes off and rams a row of carts into someone's 4X4, he's out. And here's Donny, hero of the guys who always wanted to say "Take this job and shove it!" who ends a busy week fucking with the world economy with doing whatever he feels like. 

Greenland Gets a Visit from the Creepy Neighbors

 You know, you could imagine a world where the US was a good neighbor, the kind you could borrow salt from in a pinch, the kind that didn't threaten territorial expansion, where Usha Vance could have had a nice little three-day vacation, seen the sights, taken in a sled dog race, mingled with the locals--without being protested. Sure, they might not have been as thrilled to see her husband, but that would only because Jerkwater Dipshit Vance is kind of a pill. 

We don't live in that world now. We live in a world where people went door-knocking to see if anyone wanted to visit with the Second Lady and everyone in Greenland was like, "Hard pass." 

This is why what could have been a nice little weekend became three hours at Pituffik AFB, where VP Vance, with servicemembers as a backdrop, made a kind of creepy speech in Greenland's general direction, with comments that sounded along the lines of, "Nice but very cold place, would be a shame if something happened to it," and "Denmark could never love you the way we could."

Do They Just Not Tell Him Things?

 

this is an absolutely shocking statement from POTUS. Four US troops died in Lithuania, news of it was reported hours ago, and Trump is completely clueless pic.twitter.com/auvOq2TgXg

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2025

I know this is a bit late--but when Trump says he wasn't briefed on something (the Signal chat, the four deceased servicemembers) I'm beginning to wonder:

Does his staff simply not tell him things, or has his mind gotten to the point where they do tell him things, and if it isn't one of his already well-worn obsessions, it rolls off his smooth carnauba-waxed brain?

It's very disconcerting to think about either way. 

Benghazi, Beirut or 9/11

 

“The Trump administration is not refusing to share power with an opposing party. It is refusing to follow the constitutional limits of a government that its own party controls completely,” @jonathanchait argues. https://t.co/BLf6KSSlSs pic.twitter.com/wPtTTdgW2i

— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) February 11, 2025

I know there's good reason to just reminisce about when bipartisan shit was possible, but my biggest problem with this Trump infestation is the epistemic closure--the failure to have any light that lets in the darkness that is absofuckinglutely going to happen. You can disobey the laws of man--but not gravity.

So, the Bush folks felt ecstatic when they got the White House--finally! In 2001. After two long terms of the Bubbas! The grown-ups were in charge! And they pretended the little thing with the missing "W"'s was a big old riot of Democrat malfeasing--

And they didn't have their eye on the ball about the PDB that said Bin Laden was planning an attack on our soil. 

That CRT/DEI Stuff Meant American History

 

The Air Force confirmed it has dropped a training video with the famed Tuskegee Airmen following Trump’s DEI crackdownhttps://t.co/bU3AoQ1LHG

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 25, 2025

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen doesn't take away from the story of America, it only challenges some of the myths of White America.  It stays a story about American greatness if we accept that they, like the Navajo code-takers, were a part of this nation's cherished diversity being a boon to us. Just like the story of Japanese-Americans who fought even while their families were interred by our government because of their patriotism. 

Pete Hegseth is far too young to know about "That's no lady, that's my WAF" jokes. The Trump Administration fired a Coast Guard Admiral and maybe the reason was because she was a woman.  Was she the problem? Or was the problem--the metrics she supposedly failed by--culture war ideology that detracts from the actual mission to protect the homeland?

For All They Care

 

You know, there was a little part of me that thought I'd write a little bit about the Jack Smith 1/6 report, but honestly--no. People who care already have a good idea what it's all about (and can even tell you about missing pieces FWIW) and people who don't care--don't care. I've developed a kind of "you can lead a horse to water" sense of these revelations, and I don't think I could find a better example of why than today's Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. 

Hegseth came into the hearing with a cloud of controversies hanging over his nomination. But after he was questioned for more than four hours, Republicans came away feeling optimistic that Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army combat veteran, would be confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

“He comported himself extremely well and made a strong argument for why he ought to be the next secretary of defense,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., adding he will “work quickly” to get Hegseth confirmed.

I would like to know what Senator Thune thought the "strong argument" was, because I'm not sure the hearing actually demonstrated that he was in any way particularly well-qualified or that he had some unique qualities that overrode his various personal controversies. But if what we have is a not-especially well-qualified serial adulterer and accused rapist who bankrupted a couple of NGO's being selected by a not-especially well-qualified serial adulterer and accused rapist who bankrupted several companies, well, you might as well talk about the weather as judge him on any set of serious criteria. 

Sure, "advise and consent" is part of a US senator's job. Sure, you could try and say that having an unfit person running the DOD is a national security problem. But you see that sign in the picture up above--where the word "military" is misspelled? 

The Wake-up Call

 

A disturbing picture of a man in a lot of pain has emerged regarding the driver of the car that burst into flames in front of a Trump property in Las Vegas, Matthew Livelsberger--but the part I found very concerning is the messages left behind recovered from his electronics.

He describes his explosive journey as "terrorist attack" but a "wake-up call". Maybe in his opinion, but his pyrotechnics injured several bystanders, and the message urges potential violence:

Military and vets move on DC starting now. Militias facilitate and augment this activity.

Occupy every major road along fed buildings and the campus of fed buildings by the hundreds of thousands.

Lock the highways around down with semis right after everybody gets in. Hold until the purge is complete.

Try peaceful means first, but be prepared to fight to get the Dems out of the fed government and military by any means necessary. They all must go and a hard reset must occur for our country to avoid collapse.

This is suggesting militias be involved in an ideological purge. Pretty much the Trumpist program of firing the current federal workforce and replace them with loyalists? But the use of semis ringing the streets?  

A convoy?

Another One Bites the Dust?

 

Some people might think there's a real problem with Pete Hegseth's SecDef nomination once the whistleblower stories about getting kicked out of vet organizations for being a rape-y, drunken peculator start flying and the word starts trickling that he's always drunk at Fox News and the thing where he's an open Islamophobe and Christian Nationalist and you know, how his own mom deplored his serial adultery and abuse of women. 

I think it's really bad when the Trump transition starts floating "Tater Tot Ron" DeSantis as a possible replacement. 

But you never know. After all, if you want to get out there and show you aren't a problem person, just a hard-drinkin' man's man and a hard-lovin' ladies' man and also, you ARE SO completely competent to do a big boy job, you can always go on the propaganda network you work for and have your mom explain it. 

(Don't laugh. Elon Musk's mom tell folks they are just jealous of her smart boy all the time, and no one picks on him anymore. ) 

TrumpWorld Kakistocracy 2: Trolling?

 

In a timeline where Fox News personality Pete Hegseth could be SecDef, sure, why not float former Democratic Rep. Tulsi "Russia's Girlfriend" Gabbard for DNI and now-former GOP Rep. Matt "Hookers'n'blow" Gaetz to be Attorney General.

Senator John Fetterman suggests that the choice of Gaetz as "god-tier kind of trolling" on Trump's part, and while this is not wrong, I regretfully have to confess that I think just because it's trolling doesn't mean that he can't get in. I mean, my first thought was "stalking horse". That's the art of the deal, right? You throw out a name like Matt Gaetz, and then when he's cast aside, literally every other choice seems more sane. 

But that's assuming Trump is playing by regular rules, and I don't. I think the idea that he's considering wild stuff like adjourning congress and recess-appointing people is not really out of the question if he really does see Trump 2.0 as his revenge tour. 

Welcome to the TrumpWorld Kakistocracy

 

Did you know that being a deer in the headlights "Me and My Shadow" fig leaf for El Cofeve might get you a berth as head of Homeland Security? Yep. Kristi "We Also Kill Dogs" Noem has gotten a little promise from the ship of state she chose to barnacle on. I guess it is something she promises beyond supporting Trump in his momentary "Swaycation" from a rally where he momentarily found himself beyond words. I'm trying not to think it's because she put a half roll of quarters in his front pockets and offered to make change. 

You know, if right wing fuck for brains want to pretend Kamala Harris slept her way to the top, there is no end to the fucktacular permutations amongst RW personalities permissible--especially if they have already demonstrated being down like a clown. I presume Marco Rubio's exceptional capacity for supine boneless nuggetry has enhanced his likelihood for being chosen for Secretary of State. I can also foresee his being eventually "You're Fired'd" after giving up a guaranteed lifetime Senate seat. Compared to the other Sec of State possibilities he seems like the least worst--so there has to be a catch. 

TWGB: This Polished Coprolite

 

So, Monday I found myself thinking about Trump wanting and accepting Purple Hearts even though his probably fake bone spurs prevented him from actually serving our country when young when Trump stood in front of a backdrop of ruin and disaster and human tragedy--and accepted a french fry pin for doing a dopey photo op in a swing state from someone who for some reason decided that the way to handle Trump is to go the "Dear Leader" juche approach. Trump, while there, having disrupted relief efforts, defended his lies about FEMA that already resulted in the arrest of a man who threatened violence. 

It's really, really hard to imagine a shittier human being--but just watch! He gets shittier!

He since went on to say, in all sincerity to a person asking about what he would do regarding education that he would end the gender re-assignment surgeries that absolutely are not happening in schools. You can't get Tylenol in a public school without a permission slip. Teachers are buying crayons and construction paper out of pocket. And this deeply disturbed person thinks hours-long surgeries are being given out for free to minors? With no parental consent? And he said it all to demonize schools, teachers, trans kids. To spread hate as fertilizer for his own benefit.

It's beneath contempt to think that anyone takes this seriously. It's "children who identify as cats use litter boxes at school" level stupid. Anyone with a modicum of critical thought would understand why you don't say something that weird and wrong out loud where thinking people could hear--

The Russia Campaign Reminds Me--

 

This is what Tenet Media was broadcasting for Putin in the U.S. They support Elon Musk, Trump, RFK Jr, and violent protests. 1/ pic.twitter.com/s3C2BPCZl6

— Karen Piper (@PiperK) September 8, 2024

If you take a look at the topics above, you'll note among other things--misogyny.  This was a key part of the 2014 "Gamergate" dry run and a big part of the attacks on Hillary Clinton. It's why my ears perked up at the allegation that gamers were part of the Russian disinfo targeting for the 2024 election. (And minorities--that voter suppression technique that was used pretty well in 2016, both by Brad Parscale for Trump as he admitted and by the Internet Research Agency on "parallel tracks".) 

Flashforward to 2024, and we have Tucker Carlson, whose Putin interview and Moscow supermarket adulation were both deemed surprisingly cringey even to producers of Kremlim-inspired sludge, calling women in the US military: feces. 

Tucker Carlson is revolted by our war wounded.

He compares them to literal shit.

He will almost certainly have a position in the second Trump Administration.pic.twitter.com/5QSoyVvHjH

— Veterans For Responsible Leadership (@VetsForRL) September 8, 2024

The Things They Say

 

The desperation is hilarious. https://t.co/8OZ0H0y44C pic.twitter.com/Owr6iTAPaO

— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) September 1, 2024

(This post been busted--here's a link adjacent as fuck.) I should have saved the image. 

The same kind of people who think Kamala Harris never saluted also are mad Barack Obama saluted once with a coffee cup or wore a tan suit that one time.  The same kind of people will boldly assert she doesn't know where Arlington Cemetery is, when she knows the route. Someone like Senator Tom Cotton, who wrote a book about Arlington, can say with some confidence that Biden and Harris should have attended an event to which they were not invited on his weekly Sunday chat shot hit. (Yes, weekly, and why? Do people want to see this mook?) He says it with confidence not because it's true, but because he doesn't expect to be thrown out on his ear. 

This is the guy who wrote the letter ages ago that recommended we back out of the JCPOA, and it was literally one of the dumbest foreign policy decisions ever. He's an open partisan whose opinions aren't to be trusted--ergo, he's on tv every week. 

Apparently, the media just exists to air opinions without context. 

Who's Gonna Tell JD Vance?

 

Vance: You’re acting like Donald Trump filmed a TV commercial at a gravesite. He was there providing emotional support to brave Americans who lost loved ones and there happened to be a camera there pic.twitter.com/MVxKKQH094

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 28, 2024

Yeah, it's not a TV commercial--it's a TikTok video.  It's also pictures he can post on the same Truth Social feed that he re-posts things like this:

and other batshit, unpresidential material--the kinds of things that his campaign is relieved voters don't know about because they are buried in his (failing!) Truth Social platform. But Vance knows his role--he's going to blame Kamala Harris. 

TWGB: Winning on Character!

 

A little while ago, Rich Lowry took some heat for writing a column suggesting that Trump could "win on character", which seems stupid as hell, but meant something like using policy as demonstrating that he's steadfast to his principles or some such drivel. I noted in my last post that there was something "weird" about using hallowed ground for a campaign photo-op--but it gets worse. The Trump campaign muscled aside a civilian employee who tried to stop them from filming the event for their use. 

Well--this is consistent with Trump principles to be sure. We can all remember Trump using tear gas on protestors to clear the way for a photo op at a church and using his cabinet members and a bible like props. Maybe we also remember when he exploited a murder victim's funeral, alleging he had spoken with her family when he had not, and claiming things he had read in an obituary were memories they had shared with him. 

Trump uses people as things. That is his character. Maybe he wanted to use a photo op to counter the claim that he considers our war dead as "losers" and "suckers", which was resurrected in part by his gross assertion that the Presidential Medal of Honor, which he has awarded to political allies, is in some ways better than the Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded to military heroes of conspicuous bravery. Maybe it's to counter the book just out by his former national security adviser General McMaster. 

Come to think of it, when we look at who Trump consistently is, it really is hard to see how he could "win on character". This is the man who betrayed our Constitution over his 2020 loss by instigating a riot at the Capitol and setting in motion a plan to avoid the transfer of power despite losing his election.

Seems Weird to Me

 

There's something that strikes me as a little ghastly about Trump using Gold Star families and the graves of heroic dead as a prop for a photo-op with his trademark "thumbs-up" pose. It's out of place in a "Happy Memorial Day" sort of way. He was there ostensibly for the wreath-laying ceremony, but actually to rip the Biden Administration for the Afghanistan withdrawal as part of his campaign.

His criticisms are not surprising, but they do serve to remind us who he is.

In other unsurprising news, Trump was endorsed by former Democratic Rep. and Tucker Carlson fill-in host Tulsi Gabbard. For what her opinion is worth. 

Her opinion. for example, is about the same and certainly no better than RFK Jr.'s on Trump and, well, NATO, and she cites Pro-Putin propaganda. 

They’re country over party. Just don’t ask which country. pic.twitter.com/8SBnAu1NK8

— Frank Lesser (@sadmonsters) August 26, 2024

Although unlike RFK Jr. she has, to my knowledge, never severed a whale's head with a chainsaw and driven around with it strapped to her car. Which is a real thing, apparently. 

Just potential Trump 2.0 cabinet members, is all. But it just seems weird to me. I used to think I knew the GOP. 

But they are something of a happy family, no? Just a little weird, right?

TWGB: The Bedminster Bore

 

Not that long ago, I watched some right-wing commentator on Bill Maher's show try to say that Trump was NOT a "country club Republican", and for some reason, no one told her that Trump owns the fucking country clubs. (Was it Batya Ungar-Sargon? I can't find the clip but it's hardly worth my time to keep looking for it.) He owns the country clubs. He is not a working-class hero. He stiffs working people whenever he can. 

He just sat down with fellow billionaire Elon Musk and talked about how unions were bad because working people would be paid more if they were unionized. And today, he stood in front of his country club in New Jersey with some prop groceries and...um...talked about Hillary Clinton's emails and calling Kamala Harris a communist. Because how long can someone talk about the economy when he's only talking about it to get elected?  He lied, as per usual, because it's what he does. 

It was a dumb snooze version of his stump speech that he fooled certain chosen journalists into turning up for. Low energy. Lower-case "t" Trump. 

Ukraine Surprises

 

"Ukraine's Kursk offensive has confirmed that Putin’s talk of Russian red lines and his threats of nuclear escalation are a bluff designed to intimidate the West. This should convince Kyiv’s partners to finally provide Ukraine with the tools for victory."https://t.co/BHwidE22IX

— Business Ukraine mag (@Biz_Ukraine_Mag) August 14, 2024

Without naming any names, it seems to me some callow Republican once snottily read Dr. Suess while filibustering US funding to assist just this sort of thing and my take on that is he could have supported a valiant and democratic republic fighting for their freedom and read to his boy in person at home instead. That way he could enjoy the joys of parenting and be secure in the knowledge he was sticking it to a hostile power, bloodstained with a history of war crimes, that had not just invaded its neighbor but threatened our other allies in Europe.

But what do I know? I'm a childless cat lady. (I don't even have a cat. I'm disappointing in lots of ways.)

Memorial Day

 

In memory of those who have served and lost their lives in the name of freedom, this grateful nation should never forget that sacrifice, nor support tyranny abroad, or support the rule of tyranny here. For those who would support and commend dictators from the land of the free or wish for a day-one dictator in this nation themselves, desecrate the sacrifices of the brave.

Aid For Ukraine Passes in the House

 

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives finally passed a measure to send military aid to Ukraine after months of delay:

With an overwhelming vote, the $61 billion in aid for Ukraine passed in a matter of minutes, a strong showing as American lawmakers race to deliver a fresh round of U.S. support to the war-torn ally. Many Democrats cheered on the House floor and waved blue-and-yellow flags of Ukraine.

Aid to Israel and the other allies also won approval by healthy margins, as did a measure to clamp down on the popular platform TikTok, with unique coalitions forming to push the separate bills forward. The whole package will go to the Senate, which could pass it as soon as Tuesday. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.

It's pretty hard for me not to take notice that more Republicans voted against aid than for it, and what this situation is about. It might not just be the Freedom Caucus, but it especially is. Especially, and performatively BIG MAD is MTG.