President-Elect Trump: the introduction to round two

[sear]

Some may have wondered whether the dynamic DOGE duo Musk and Ramaswamy have joined Trump to advance Trump's own agenda, OR
whether for their own personal gain Musk and Ramaswamy are exploiting Trump's flagrant disregard for the public good.

Wonder no longer.

Musk and Ramaswamy ignite MAGA war over skilled immigration and American 'mediocrity'​

The wealthy businessmen now find themselves butting heads with Trump’s most ardent base​

By Morgan Phillips Fox News / Published December 27, 2024 11:01am EST

Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas during his first administration and has critiqued the H-1B visas program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.
"There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley," Musk wrote on X, arguing that the tech industry needs to "double" the number of engineers working in the U.S. today.

Musk and Ramaswamy ignite MAGA war over skilled immigration and American 'mediocrity'

Trump world warriors Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have ignited an intra-MAGA battle with their proposals to increase immigration visas for high-skill workers.

www.foxnews.com

Those that want the U.S. to prosper, to thrive peacefully, not by conquest of Panama & Iceland, but by legitimate competition in world trade and innovation must support H-1B:

"If you will the end, you must will the means to that end." George Will

But if Trump's xenophobic, anal-retentive immigration policies are the standard Trump applies for 4 years, expect the U.S. to suffer progressively self-limiting disadvantage in global competition.

 

[Shiftless2]

Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas during his first administration and has critiqued the H-1B visas program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.
"There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley," Musk wrote on X, arguing that the tech industry needs to "double" the number of engineers working in the U.S. today.

 

[sear]

Reflexive contempt & exclusionism may render one popular at a cocktail party.
It's not a practical framework for agile synergistic leadership in the 3rd millennium.

"We hate college!" #62

Then "we" are ignorant. College is a venue of education. Those that hate college champion ignorance.
Those that manifest their own ignorance as aversion demonstrate themselves inadequate to administer prosperity on national scale of hundreds of millions.
Thanks for the warning MAGA.

TBD
Will congressional Republicans have the spine to shepherd the MAGA flock?
Low IQ / high stakes.

 

[sear]

Billionaires cozy up to Trump with seven-figure inaugural donations after past feuds with incoming president​

Amazon and Meta will both make $1M donations to Trump's inauguration​

By Aubrie Spady Fox News December 29, 2024 4:00am EST
Companies that previously feuded with President-elect Trump are now making seven-figure donations to his 2025 inauguration.
Trump has butted heads with several Fortune 500 company executives over the years, but following his presidential election victory in November, some of those same big-business leaders are dropping major cash on the incoming president's exclusive inaugural festivities.
"In the first term, everyone was fighting me. This time, everyone wants to be my friend," Trump recently said at Mar-a-Lago, according to The Washington Post.

Billionaires cozy up to Trump with seven-figure inaugural donations after past feuds with incoming president

President-elect Trump is receiving a slew of inaugural donations from companies that he previously feuded with before his 2024 election victory.

www.foxnews.com

Imagine, FOX quoting WaPo.

And for those that perceive the rational world will end on inauguration day, there never isn't a glimmer of hope in such matters. There's even historic precedent for it. Consider the Bill Hank example:

William Henry Harrison​

President of the United States in 1841

William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) served as the ninth president of the United States from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causing a brief constitutional crisis since presidential succession was not then fully defined in the U.S. Constitution.
More from Wikipedia

Happy Old Year Everybody !

 

[sear]

‘Trump is a little guy, Musk is a big guy’: historian predicts trouble for president-elect​

Martin Pengelly in Washington / Wed, January 1, 2025 at 6:00 AM EST
As owner of businesses including Tesla, SpaceX and X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter), Musk poured millions of dollars into supporting Trump in his presidential election campaign against the Democratic nominee, the current vice-president, Kamala Harris. Musk was widely reported to have been a key influence in Trump naming the Ohio senator JD Vance as his vice-presidential pick.
Since Trump’s victory in November, from Mar-a-Lago in Florida to Notre Dame in Paris, Musk has been constantly at Trump’s side, earning the satirical nickname “first buddy” but ...

‘Trump is a little guy, Musk is a big guy’: historian predicts trouble for president-elect

Timothy Snyder says world’s richest man is likely to exert uncomfortable influence over White House

news.yahoo.com

MAGAs malcontents already seem to have discord churning below the surface. An early example:
Trump's xenophobic campaign message of exclusion and rejection, promising the largest binge of deportation in U.S. history may have helped Trump win the election.
But the H1B visa program is a powerful benefit to leading U.S. industries, and the national economy. This is one example of Musk's agenda conflicting with Trump's political pander.

It's an oversimplification to say the 2nd Trump administration is Musk's presidency, bought & paid for.
None the less clearly Musk has Trump's ear. And though we're still weeks away from the inauguration, it seems Musk has already persuaded Trump to Musk's H1B visa objectives, regardless of Trump's campaign rhetoric.

Musk may have spent more time w/ Trump than Melania has lately. Will Musk's investment in $time and $money pay off for Musk?

We'll soon know.

 

[Shiftless2]

 

[sear]

"We demand tax cuts for billionaires!" attributed by meme to angry White boys #66

"They would have us borrow $700 $Billion $Dollars over the next ten years,to give a tax cut of about a $hundred $thousand $dollars each to folks who are already $millionaires." U.S. President Obama 2010

"Tax cuts accounted for only about 25% of the deficit." U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney, Sept. 14, '03

"When your $outgo exceeds your $income
the upshot will be your downfall." Paul Harvey

... the U.S. Federal Government debt accumulated over the nation’s history.​

January 2025: $36,218,605,311,689

Fiscal Data Explains the National Debt

Check out @FiscalService Fiscal Data’s new national debt page! #NationalDebt

fiscaldata.treasury.gov

“The necessity for borrowing in particular emergencies cannot be doubted, so on the other, it is equally evident that, to be able to borrow upon good terms, it is essential that the credit of the nation should be well established.” Alexander Hamilton, 1st U.S. Treasury Secretary

 

[Shiftless2]

And the grift continues (aka "the con is still on")

More Conflicts: Trump “Border Czar” Runs Firm Helping Secure Federal Contracts For Homeland Security Clients​

Trump Nominations



A new analysis by Accountable.US first reported by Rolling Stone found President-elect Trump’s “border czar”, Thomas Homan, could face conflicts of interest with his private consulting firm, which touts Trump’s endorsement while claiming it has secured “tens of millions of dollars of federal contracts” for his homeland security industry firm clients. Separately, Accountable.US found Homan’s far-right nonprofit group Border911 is possibly violating its tax-exempt status by promoting Homan’s political activity—including a keynote role at a state Republican party convention that sold tickets to a VIP reception featuring Homan. Homan’s industry ties add to a mountain of conflicts of interest for the incoming Trump administration.

Homan—former acting director of U.S. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the first Trump administration—is notorious for being one of the “architects” of Trump’s zero tolerance family separation policy, which resulted in over 5,500 child separations. By November 2024, over 1,400 children were still not confirmed to have been reunited with their parents. Homan’s new “border czar” role does not require Senate confirmation.

“When not presumably working on President-elect Trump’s kids-in-cages policy 2.0, does Mr. Homan intend to exploit his new title to steer more lucrative federal contracts to his homeland security clients for his own personal gain?” said Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk. “Both Homan’s business and non-profit group have thoroughly milked his connections to the Trump brand before, why would he stop now? Homan will soon join a growing club of top Trump administration aides with glaring conflicts of interest that create perfect conditions for corruption and insider special treatment at the expense of everyone else.”

More Conflicts: Trump “Border Czar” Runs Firm Helping Secure Federal Contracts For Homeland Security Clients - Accountable US

A new analysis by Accountable.US first reported by Rolling Stone found President-elect Trump’s “border czar”, Thomas Homan, could face conflicts of interest with his private consulting firm, which touts Trump’s endorsement while claiming it has secured “tens of millions of dollars of federal...

accountable.us

 

[Shiftless2]

And more of his selections

Lets see what happens

It's worth reading some of the other links farther down the page as well.

 

[Shiftless2]

 

[sear]

Julius & Ethel #70

"Convicted of espionage in 1951, they were executed by the federal government of the United States in 1953 using New York's state execution chamber in Sing Sing in Ossining, New York, becoming the first American civilians to be executed for such charges and the first to be executed during peacetime."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_and_Ethel_Rosenberg

Fine.
They're not likely to execute Trump or minions. They refuse even to enforce the law against him. Trump violated the Constitution he publicly swore to uphold. And he hasn't even had to pay a five dollar fine about it. He belongs in prison.

 

[sear]

Washington Post cartoonist quits after Bezos satire is rejected​

Ana Faguy / BBC News, Washington
A Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist has resigned from the Washington Post after the newspaper refused to publish a cartoon satirical of its billionaire owner Jeff Bezos.
Ann Telnaes, a long-time Washington Post cartoonist, created a cartoon of Mr Bezos and other tycoons kneeling before a statue of President-elect Donald Trump.
She said the paper's refusal to run the cartoon was a "game changer" and described it as "dangerous for a free press".
But David Shipley, the editorial page editor at the paper, said he decided not to run the cartoon in order to avoid repetition, not because it mocked the paper's owner.
In the cartoon, Mr Bezos, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI's Sam Altman are depicted on their knees giving bags of cash to a statue of Trump.
Mickey Mouse is also depicted prostrate in the cartoon. ABC News – which is owned by Disney – last month agreed to pay $15m to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump.

Washington Post cartoonist quits after satire of Jeff Bezos is rejected

The newspaper decided not to run Ann Telnaes' cartoon of tycoons kneeling before Donald Trump.

www.bbc.com

That may be the latest word, unlikely to be the last word on this story.

 

[Shiftless2]

See - all you have to do is flatter him

Meloni pays surprise flying visit to Trump in Florida​

Premier Giorgia Meloni paid a surprise flying visit to United States President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Saturday. Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, arrived in Florida at around 19:30 local time and flew back to Rome less than five hours later. "She's really taken Europe by storm," Trump said of Meloni before a group of people at the residence, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Alex Leary. Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also present and called Meloni a "great ally, strong leader", Leary reported. The war in Ukraine, gas supplies and possible ...

CONTINUED

From the article

During the visit, Trump showed Meloni a documentary about alleged fraud in the 2020 US presidential election.

 

[sear]

"During the visit, Trump showed Meloni a documentary about alleged fraud in the 2020 US presidential election." #73

Trump is a child.

"Premier Giorgia Meloni paid a surprise flying visit to United States President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Saturday." #73

It's not a summit, until after the inauguration? Either way, dropped by for a visit?

Not sure what message Meloni's sending Biden, & the cogent. - try the kool aid, it's delicious - ?

OR

- Pretend to enjoy the kool aid, or you'll end up like VP Harris - ?

 

[Shiftless2]

If she flatters him enough he might decide not to impose tariffs on her country.

 

[sear]

"If she flatters him enough he might decide not to impose tariffs on her country." S2 #75

That's understandable incentive enough. BUT !
What precedent if any is there for such protocol? If not a summit it would have been, 3 weeks later. There's something about it that suggests the other slipper may drop on this one.

Looks like alarmed appeasement to me. Meloni today, Schumer tomorrow?

 

[Shiftless2]

Coming to the White House

 

[sear]

clarification:

Coming to the White House

Coming back to the White House for four years

MAGA Religion #77

Act 12 years old.

note:
It's cause for our awareness when the satire isn't as radical as the satirized.

 

[Shiftless2]

Act 12 years old.

I would have been more than slightly upset if my kids weren't better behaved than that when they were 12

 

[sear]

"I would have been more than slightly upset if my kids weren't better behaved than that when they were 12" #79

Which raises some relevant questions about the parents of these MAGA n'er-do-wells.