4 comments

  • saadn92 24 minutes ago
    This is just the amount we know about. How about all the stuff we don’t know?
    • vasco 15 minutes ago
      Self defeating question, if we don't know about it we don't know.
  • mo7061 27 minutes ago
    When the leader of a political party is misaligned with the total social benefit to the society, the story as old as stories themselves
  • tyrabound 18 minutes ago
    It’s astonishing how America has been led to this point where a certified con artist frauds is in charge of the world empire of lies. The only real silver lining seems to be that he is ending his vile and pathetic life of fraud and criminality and abuse by exposing his putrid character as he is unraveling America in a likely irreversible way.

    President Genocidal Rapist Pederast Rug Pull, the last President of the fake American empire of lies, the emperor with no clothes, exposing his vile and disgusting true self.

    Is really rather epic, like a story one would imagine has been made up about a historical figure if we hadn’t witnessed it all unfold in real time.

    • gadders 14 minutes ago
      Man, wait until you find out about Biden.
  • spiderfarmer 32 minutes ago
    I would love to hear from HN republicans why they think this amount of self enrichment and corruption is okay. Add to this all the paid-for pardons, the shady stock trades, the never ending vacations at his own properties, the plane deal and much, much more.

    No whataboutisms or anonymous downvotes, I’m genuinely curious why people continue to support him.

    • K0balt 1 minute ago
      I don’t think anyone without special needs or interests being served really supports the administration at this point.

      I do think that significant amounts of money are being spent to make people believe that the admin has wide support and is legitimate in a general democratic sense.

      Ultimately, in a democracy, legitimacy really boils down to how much people are willing to tolerate, and that’s a very malleable metric, adjusted through fear, greed, hope, and all of the deceptions as well as legitimate plans that contribute to those motivations.

      The people that I know that support him have simplistic worldviews, and largely see him as a wrecking ball destroying what they were previously dissatisfied with. I suppose that’s not too far off, actually. It’s kind of like “giant meteorite for 2028” vibes, except they mean it.

      Notably, the only people who wish for a political devolution are ones who haven’t lived through one. This doesn’t end well.

    • gadders 15 minutes ago
      I don't think it's OK, but it's semi-understandable given the lawfare undertaken by Democrats after his first term.

      I would say that despite whatever pardons (which I believe can only be federal, not state?), he pro-actively gives himself and colleagues, family etc when he leaves office he will be spending the rest of his life fighting spurious court case after court case, none of which will be cheap.

      In that regard, having massive personal wealth makes some kind of sense.

      However - they're all at it to some degree across both sides of the aisle - Pelosi, Crenshaw etc etc.

      • drcongo 4 minutes ago
        > No whataboutisms

        Couldn't even follow the ask in your first sentence.

    • rplnt 23 minutes ago
      People are really bad at acknowledging a mistake so they rather double down. It's way past anything rational, it's a cult. Doesn't matter what the leader/party does, it's always okay.
    • hermannj314 11 minutes ago
      I living in a Republican part of the country, I think they believe power is its own morality.

      A God that murders people because his feelings got hurt while demanding no one murder, a husband beats his wife and kids because he wasn't respected - these are valid in their moral framework, cruel asymmetrical power structures.

      There is a dominant race, a dominant gender, and a dominant country in their view. Laws exist only to control the weak.

      These people love Trump because he represents the slave owning, male-dominated, terrorist rebels that form the myth of who we are as a nation. His corruption and enrichment is why they love him.

      • StevePrefontain 0 minutes ago
        Trump is almost amoral. It’s why he can’t understand at a basic level why his corruption would even be considered a scandal at all. In his mind, of course I’m using the presidency to enrich myself, my family, and my friends; that’s the whole point of gaining power. Of course I’m selling presidential pardons for cash, what’s the point of getting access to that power if I don’t sell my access to it.
    • exceptione 9 minutes ago
      I think any HN'er who previously voted republican has experienced enough disappointment; I doubt there would be anyone left.

      The most important point for every political faction however is to realize that the problems aren't solved when the current president steps down. The real power that pushes the agenda rest in the hands of a loosely connected network of 'think tanks', religious organizations, tech billionaires and media moguls. They are hidden from the public discourse, simply because they are able to manage it, and as such are a formidable opponent.

    • sajithdilshan 22 minutes ago
      Let's say we got rid of Trump, but then who is going to be the alternative in your opinion?
      • jansport123 18 minutes ago
        how about anyone else with an ounce of integrity?
        • gadders 15 minutes ago
          Lol. Who was the last president with integrity?
          • vincnetas 8 minutes ago
            *more integrity. that would make anyone i guess more qualified
      • sph 8 minutes ago
        I read you argue in favour of far-right German anti-immigration politics a few days ago, in which you admitted living in .de, now you're saying that there is no one better than Trump for US citizens?

        How would you know and why would you have such a strong opinion?

        Do you also happen to astroturf rightoid politics on Twitter by any chance? I heard it's a common pastime.

      • andyjohnson0 12 minutes ago
        > Let's say we got rid of Trump, but then who is going to be the alternative in your opinion?

        You seem to be using the "they're all as bad as eachother" argument. But previous US presidents haven't used their office for enrichment on this scale - and so it seems likely that there are alternative potential presidents who would behave with integrity and dignity.

      • vincnetas 9 minutes ago
        another candidate that has expressed willingness to lead. Kamala Harris for example.
    • schnika 24 minutes ago
      You forgot to mention the Epstein files
    • dmm 18 minutes ago
      > whataboutisms

      Not a Trump supporter but from the ones I've spoken to it's mostly this. Something like, "They all do it, he's just honest about it."

    • Abekkus 23 minutes ago
      Ape-brained tribalism. Apparently many humans just operate without standards & principles, whether from incompetence or personal benefit. Good luck fixing that.
    • peder 19 minutes ago
      Why are you assuming this is corruption?
    • 16000198 25 minutes ago
      what's wrong with that if he's making America strong? well-deserved I guess?
      • grim_io 20 minutes ago
        I wonder if you are, maybe accidentally, implying that any president before has made America weaker?

        I'd argue that actively trying to make enemies out of friends is in no way going to make America stronger. Quite the opposite.

      • jameskilton 23 minutes ago
        Please explain / define how America is "strong" today?
      • atwrk 23 minutes ago
        He has certainly made gas prices stronger