D. J. T r u m p : What's the latest on the U.S. Gadfly ?

[sear]

In electoral college adjusted polls, former president Trump either leads, or threatens electoral win in November's election.

Trump's appointees / buddies in the judicial have tried to run interference for the most criminal president in history.

Trump v. United States seemed to offer Trump some cover for his own manifold misdeeds. Despite that Supreme Court ruling special counsel Jack Smith
has opted to proceed against Trump:

Special Counsel Says Trump Committed ‘Private Crimes’ in Bid to Stay in Power

Prosecutors’ submission of evidence says Trump was unconcerned about Vice President Pence’s safety on Jan. 6, 2021​

By C. Ryan Barber and Sadie Gurman / Updated Oct. 2, 2024 8:04 pm ET

A legal expert breaks down the Supreme Court’s decision granting sweeping immunity to former presidents for acts while in office, and what it means for Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case.
Special counsel Jack Smith, seeking to kick-start the federal prosecution of Donald Trump on election-interference charges, laid out a 165-page road map for allegations that the former president “resorted to crimes” to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.

The filing, unsealed Wednesday in a Washington, D.C., trial court, amounted to a defense of the case even after a recent Supreme Court ruling that conferred broad immunity on presidents for official acts at the core of their constitutional powers. Smith’s team asserts that Trump’s “scheme was fundamentally a private one,” leaving him open for prosecution.

https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/special-counsel-says-trump-committed-private-crimes-in-bid-to-stay-in-power-8697e1e8?mod=law_news_article_pos3

 

[Shiftless2]

I thought the immunity granted by the Supremes only applied to "official acts" - Trump has been trying to claim that his attempts to cover up his payments to a porn star were official Presidential acts because he'd discussed them with one of his staffers.

 

[sear]

Not much more than a hunch, but I suspect Trump's SCOTUS chums would have preferred to just give Trump a get out of jail free card, without establishing a precedent that might in the future benefit a Democrat.
That's not an option so they came as close as they could without machine guns by ruling recklessly, but vaguely.

That's where this Jack Smith deal comes in. Early reports suggest Smith addressed prospective ambiguity, with legal justification for his approach.

Not (yet?) clear to me about the timing, one month from the election.

 

[sear]

Users Are Getting Scammed Out of Money on Trump’s Truth Social​

Peter Wade / Sun, October 6, 2024 at 11:08 AM EDT
Users of Donald Trump’s social media network, Truth Social, are reporting being scammed out of large amounts of money by people they meet through the site.

Users Are Getting Scammed Out of Money on Trump’s Truth Social

Reports to the Federal Trade Commission from users of Trump's social media site reveal the various cons that are running on the site, costing victims tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars

news.yahoo.com

Whether Trump skims the plunder, not clear.

 

[sear]

Thousands of Donald Trump's "God Bless the USA" Bibles — sold for $59.99 each — were printed in a country that the former president has frequently accused of engaging in unfair trade practices and stealing American jobs: China.
Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show that a printing company in China's eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States between early February and late March.
The estimated value of the three separate shipments was $342,000, or less than $3 per Bible, according to databases that use customs data to track exports and imports. Based on the Bible's retail price, the potential sales revenue could be about $7 million.

Trump is a critic of China's trade practices. His "God Bless the USA" Bibles were printed there.

Donald Trump's $59.99 "God Bless the USA" Bibles were printed in China, a country he has accused of stealing American jobs.

www.cbsnews.com

Trump has been critical of China:

"Until such time as there is a deal, we will be taxing the Hell out of China." U.S. President Trump August 2019

But when it suits Trump's own ambitions, suddenly trade with China isn't quite so bad.

Charging $60 for a $3 Holy Bible is about a 2,000% $differential, quite a $profit !

 

[Shiftless2]

Trump has been critical of China:

But when it suits Trump's own ambitions, suddenly trade with China isn't quite so bad.

And, when he was in office, Ivanka's trademark requests with China were fast tracked.

 

[sear]

And, when he was in office, Ivanka's trademark requests with China were fast tracked.

nep·o·tism (nĕpə-tĭz′əm) n. Favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business. [French népotisme, from Italian nepotismo, from nepote, nephew, from Latin nepōs, nepōt-; see nepōt- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

The word "nepotism" does not appear in the United States Constitution. BUT !
The words "insurrection" & "rebellion" both do. BUT !

Many polls show he's ahead.
Personally I think he's a behind.

 

[sear]

Unhinged? Two examples:

"If I run this country, if I'm gunna be president of this country I'm gunna put a 100, 200, 2,000% tariff ...
To me the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff, and it's my favorite word." former President Trump at The Economic Club of Chicago 24/10/15 courtesy Bloomberg, broadcast C-SPAN 11:50AM/CT

Tariffs are ineffective as well as counterproductive​

A new study finds that they fail to reduce trade deficits​

Jan 15th 2019
THE TRADE war between the United States and China is set to heat up. On March 2nd Donald Trump is scheduled to increase American tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200bn of imported Chinese goods. Last week representatives from the two sides held preliminary talks that ended on a surprisingly good note, spurring hope that Mr Trump might cancel his planned escalation. He would be wise to back off: recent research suggests that ploughing ahead will not only harm his country’s economy, but will also fail to reduce America’s bilateral trade deficit with China.

Tariffs are ineffective as well as counterproductive

A new study finds that they fail to reduce trade deficits

www.economist.com

Trump Spews Profanity and Bizarre Insults at Catholic Charity Dinner​

AJ McDougall, Brett Bachman, Matt Young
Thu, October 17, 2024 at 11:55 PM EDT

Trump Spews Profanity and Bizarre Insults at Catholic Charity Dinner

The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a decades-old annual event in New York City, is typically an evening of lighthearted fare, with political and cultural leaders taking turns poking fun at one another and themselves. But former President Donald Trump landed like a bomb onstage at...

news.yahoo.com

 

[sear]

D. J. T r u m p : What's the latest on the U.S. Gadfly ? and president elect

There are some obvious questions about a 2nd Trump term.

- Will Trump impose tariffs as he's threatened to?
Because Trump is such a dim-wit, Trump imagines such tariffs would produce windfall revenues for the United States.
According to credible economists, more likely, it would instead inflict substantial harm to U.S. consumer markets.

- As the 2024 election campaign progressed, observers cited what appeared to be erratic Trump behavior.
The evidence is plain enough. The question:
were these merely symptoms of an aggressive campaign schedule taking a toll on the nearly 80 year old candidate?
Something a vacation between election and inauguration will solve?

- Will Trump complete his term?
If VP Vance hasn't replaced Trump by then, will Trump depart presidential office peacefully on inauguration day 2029?

note: Reportedly, if VP Vance becomes president less than two years into the second 4 year Trump term, and completes the term, then President Vance could only seek re-election once. BUT !!
If more than half the 2nd Trump term were to elapse before VP Vance replaced Trump as CEO of the USA, Vance would then be legally entitled to run for president twice.

And Trump has threatened mass deportation of illegal aliens. Trump's xenphobic justification for this:
reduce the crime rate.

The cost of completing such undertaking in 4 years or less would be substantial.
But the harm to U.S. consumers might be far more conspicuous, and unpopular.

 

[sear]

Trump won the presidency. Here's what he's said he'll do.​

From immigration to retaliation, Trump’s return to the White House has promised widespread changes ...

Trump won the presidency. Here's what he's said he'll do.

From immigration to retaliation, Trump’s return to the White House has promised widespread changes to the way America is seen on the world stage.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[sear]

The Guardian
Donald Trump’s vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants has no “price tag”, the president-elect has said, setting the scene for a confrontation between his incoming administration and Democratic officials across the US.
“Really, we have no choice. When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries, and now they’re going to go back to those countries because they’re not staying here. There is no price tag.”
The American Immigration Council has estimated that mass deportation on the scale Trump envisions could cost $315bn, including the broader economic costs through the impact on the US labour market.

Trump says vow to deport millions of undocumented people has ‘no price tag’

President-elect’s plan to quash undocumented migration through mass deportations met with Democratic resistance

www.theguardian.com

$300+ $Billion seems like a lot, simply to slam chaos into the U.S. economy.
It may not reinforce the xenophobe narrative that illegals are a net benefit to the U.S. economy, for example helping to keep both farm produce prices and restaurant meal prices down,
but $300 $Billion would be just the beginning. Upward spiraling prices, and perhaps increased minimum wage may well follow.

 

[sear]

Donald Trump Banned From Nation’s Secrets by Defying Ethics Laws​

Emell Derra Adolphus / Sat, November 9, 2024 at 12:22 PM EST
Chip Somodevilla
President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House could be a bumpy ride because he has not pledged to avoid conflicts of interest, among other ethical concerns, while in office.
The New York Times reported that Trump’s transition team missed the Oct. 1 deadline to submit an ethics plan in accordance with the Presidential Transition Act. What’s more is NYT reported that Trump’s assembled transition team has refused to participate in the established transition process, usually beginning months before elections.
The team has also missed numerous deadlines for signing agreements required to participate in national security meetings and to gain access to federal agencies.
“While transition planning is private activity, it is deeply connected to the activity of our government and the stewardship of public resources,” said Max Stier, the president and chief executive of the Partnership for Public Service. The nonpartisan group assists presidential candidates with the transition through the Center for Presidential Transition.
Stier added, “The avoidance of conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest is critical to that task.”
Trump was the very reason Congress amended the Presidential Transition Act law in 2019, which requires candidates to post an ethics plan with “information on how eligible presidential candidates will address their own conflicts of interest during a presidential term.”
Although Trump’s transition leadership has drafted an ethics code and statement to govern its staff, NYT reported that Trump’s plan was not included.

Donald Trump Banned From Nation’s Secrets by Defying Ethics Laws

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House could be a bumpy ride because he has not pledged to avoid conflicts of interest, among other ethical concerns, while in office. The New York Times reported that Trump’s transition team missed the Oct. 1 deadline to submit an ethics plan in...

news.yahoo.com

Worth noting, reportedly in the previous Trump administration, Trump preferred FOX News to the highly classified Presidential Daily Brief or "PDB".
Thus the full consequence of this during an ostensible 4 year presidential term may not be precisely predictable.
But it raises alarming questions about what is to be done if / when a crisis arises that requires the U.S. president (Trump) to take decisive action based upon classified information the president does not have legal access to.

Wikipedia comment on The ​

The Daily Beast is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 2015 interview, former editor-in-chief John Avlon described the Beast's editorial approach: "We seek out scoops, scandals, and stories about secret worlds; we love confronting bullies, bigots, and hypocrites." In 2018, Avlon described the Beast's "strike zone" as "politics, pop culture, and power". More from Wikipedia

 

[sear]

On September 10, 2024 President Trump debated VP Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
During that debate candidate Trump said:

"And I'll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended. If I'm President-Elect, I'll get it done before even becoming President."
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/presidential-debate-philadelphia-pennsylvania

The clock is ticking Mr. president-elect.
If the Russia / Ukraine War has not ended by noon inauguration day 2025, then you will be one of the few U.S. presidents to have broken his first promise of the campaign
before leaving the inauguration dais.

 

[sear]

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and retired Gen. Mark Milley went from reportedly warning that President-elect Donald Trump is "fascist to the core" to saying that the United States will be fine under his leadership.

Ret. Gen. Milley says America will 'be okay' under Trump, after reportedly saying he was 'fascist to the core'

Retired Gen. Mark Milley assured Americans that institutions will endure under President-elect Donald Trump's leadership, but it's an open question about how the Pentagon will fare.

www.foxnews.com

 

[sear]

Nemo Est Supra Legis​

No one is above the law.
https://thelawdictionary.org/nemo-est-supra-legis/

Nemo Est Supra Legis except for Donald Trump.​

What other criminal convicts are given such favoritism?

By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 22 Nov 2024

A New York judge has delayed the sentencing in Donald Trump’s hush money case and allowed the United States president-elect to argue to dismiss the conviction before he takes office on January 20.
Judge Juan Merchan on Friday cancelled a sentencing hearing set for Tuesday without setting a new date.
Both prosecutors and defence lawyers have sought to pause proceedings in the case to deal with the unprecedented legal situation: sentencing an incoming president on a criminal conviction.

Judge delays Trump sentencing, lets him seek dismissal of NY conviction

New York judge cancels a sentencing hearing scheduled for Tuesday without setting a new date.

www.aljazeera.com

note:
This is not merely a "slap-on-the-wrist" light sentence, a $5.oo fine for example.
It's a dismissal of the conviction, the jury's considered finding in the case.

 

[Shiftless2]

This is not merely a "slap-on-the-wrist" light sentence, a $5.oo fine for example.
It's a dismissal of the conviction, the jury's considered finding in the case.

Which is one of the main reasons he ran for reelection ...

 

[sear]

Which is one of the main reasons he ran for reelection ... #16

Perfectly understandable that Trump would wish it.

Incomprehensible that the electorate granted it. This is very bad

BUT !!
The spit hits the nuke if the Dems take an - If you can't beat 'em, join 'em - 'tude about lying their way to power. Of course,
I don't expect that of the Democrats.

BUT !!
I didn't expect it of the Republicans !