The Second Term of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America

I did consider posting this in the "Canadian Friends" post but figured it fits here as well

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Liz Cheney/Adam Kinzinger Against Trump​

Joanne Proulx · otsrnoepdS1l70au91t5169f0431i503f7153ac67gg0h7l01h87hu440l2m ·

Hey Donald Trump Stop Fucking With Canada

Okay, so my dog’s not well, and you’re way over there in the middle east accepting bribes from men who chop up journalists, so I thought we could take a break from each other, but apparently not. We are in a very serious parasocial relationship—no days off—and I don’t see it ending until you’re dead or in jail or I’m dead or in jail or you no longer have an iota of power.

Today, I learned that you’ve built a snitch site to target Canadian doctors. Apparently, you think our doctors are a bunch of transphobic fuckwads who are going to dial into America to report on gender-affirming care being provided to human beings in Canada—which is legal here—but they’re not. Keep your twisty minded, scapegoat manifesting, Adam and Eve Stasi bullshit on your side of the border, you rapist creep.

And while I’m at it, stop sending Republican losers to Alberta to bang on doors. Stop asking people if they want to separate. Stop stirring shit up, stop driving division, stop fomenting hate in Canada. Isn’t your goddamn trade war enough, Donald? What is your problem? Did your mother not love you at all?
Albertans. We see you. We are going to work things out. If anyone with a southern accent (which I love, some of my best friends have them, all y’all) and more bravado than a Canadian would ever feel comfortable displaying shows up at your HOME:

1) Ask to see ID.
2) Take their picture. Take their car’s picture. Doesn’t matter if they smile. Videotape them if you’re feeling hella cowboy.
3) Tell them you’d rather not become a poor resource colony with a $7.25 minimum wage, no healthcare and without the right to cast a vote. (I’m looking at you Puerto Rico.)
4) Remind them that Alberta is on Treaty land. Tell them to go court our First Nations’ people. Wish them luck.
5) Ask them who’s paying them. Ask them if they have the right to be working in Canada. Report them to immigration. Report them to CSBA. Call the freaking cops.
6) Maybe don’t vote for Trump loving Danielle Smith again. Or work some magic and make sure Pierre Poilievre doesn’t get elected in the country’s safest riding. He’s not going to do anything for the people there. Just ask the folks who voted him out in the Carleton riding here in Ottawa.

(Partially ripped off from Meanwhile in Canada. Thank you. Sorry. I hope you don’t mind, and I added some stuff, because holy shit.)

Donald, if you haven’t noticed we’re a liberal minded country. We were heading right, but you stepped in and saved us. We thank you for that. But seriously, shut up, fuck off, you’ve done enough. We are up here trying not to lose our jobs and watching the hockey playoffs and looking out for each other. Because we’re Canadian. And you, Donald Trump, are seriously pissing us off.

Courage, love, and solidarity. On both sides of the border.

xoxo Joanne
Like. Follow. Share.

You can find my essays collected on Substack @joannevproulx. Not all of them are this feisty.

Also this isn't the prettiest picture, but it makes a point. Canadians have never been known for their patriotism. But we ain't playin now
 

Buy Canadian movement starts to take a sizable bite out of U.S. business​

Mariya Postelnyak Consumer Affairs reporter

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Victor Yarbrough, CEO of Brough Brothers Distillery, Kentucky’s first Black-owned distillery, said his company was 'deeply disappointed' after losing a lucrative deal to sell its bourbon to New Brunswick Liquor due to trade tensions.
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The surge in patriotism among Canadian shoppers, fuelled by trade tensions with the United States, is already leaving a sizable mark on American business, early data from a variety of industries suggests.

U.S. tour operators are reporting booking declines of as much as 85 per cent, while American distilleries are losing major deals. Meanwhile, Canadian grocers are posting a bump in domestic product sales of up to 10 per cent.

Donald Trump’s jabs about annexation, along with a 25-per-cent levy on steel and aluminum from Canada and the U.S. President’s threats of a 25-per-cent tariff on most Canadian imports have prompted a rallying cry to “Buy Canadian” across this country.

Want to know how to buy Canadian? Our updated guide to replacing the biggest American imports with local brands

While consumer boycotts – combined with government policy actions – are causing trouble south of the border, concerns are bubbling up about the toll on Canadian businesses, too.

“To use some of the words I hear from tour company members of the National Tour Association, the drop-off is ‘astronomical’ when speaking about Canadians booking group travel to the United States,” said Catherine Prather, president of the Kentucky-based organization, which specializes in group tours.

One National Tour Association member operator reported just two bookings for U.S. tours in the past two weeks compared to 39 bookings during the same period in 2024, she said. Another Canadian operator, with 85 per cent of their business focused on tours to the U.S., had to scrap every U.S. departure for March, April and May due to client cancellations.

Ms. Prather said Canadian operators and hospitality businesses represent 7 per cent of NTA’s membership, with many focusing a chunk of their business on tours to the U.S. “One of those tour operators has just responded with the latest cancellations – his business will be down 75 per cent this year,” she said.

The exchange rate and fluctuating trade policies have had a “resounding effect” on Canadians’ travel cancellations, she said. But tour operators shared that the rhetoric about making Canada the 51st state is “perhaps even worse,” and in many cases, has been the “deciding factor” for customers.

“It’s almost a three-headed monster right now of rhetoric around Canadian sovereignty, yo-yoing on tariff levels and then the widening gap of the conversion rate,” said Corey Fram, director at the Thousand Islands International Tourism Council. “It’s really teaming up to drive down Canadian visitations to the U.S. side.”

Traffic across some major border crossings in tourism states such as New York has dropped by 12 per cent in the first two weeks of February alone, said Mr. Fram. He cited data provided to him by the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association for border crossings on the Thousand Islands Bridge between Alexandria Bay, N.Y., and southeastern Ontario.

Statistics Canada data also show that Canadian automobile trips to the U.S. are plummeting. About 1.2 million return trips were made into Canada by Canadians in February – a 23-per-cent drop from that period a year ago.

The U.S. Travel Association warned in February that even a 10 per cent drop in Canadian visitors would lead to more than $2.1-billion in spending losses and a threat to 14,000 jobs.

The Buy Canadian movement is also hitting the grocery aisles. Per Bank, CEO of Canada’s largest food retailer, Loblaw Cos. Ltd., said in February that the company saw about a 10-per-cent uptick in sales for Canadian products in preceding weeks.

Sobeys Inc. parent, Empire Company Ltd., also reported a spike in Canadian product sales in its last quarterly results while purchases of U.S. goods as a percentage of total sales were “rapidly dropping,” according to CEO Michael Medline.

About 12 per cent of the company’s annual sales are related to goods from the U.S. But with shoppers choosing to buy Canadian, Mr. Medline said that brands wanting to stay competitive in Canada are looking at alternative suppliers.

Pierre Cléroux, vice-president of research and chief economist at the Business Development Bank of Canada, told The Globe and Mail that if every Canadian household redirected $25 a week from foreign products to Canadian ones, it would boost GDP by 0.7 per cent and create 60,000 jobs.

According to his modelling, if Canadians also cut international travel by 10 per cent and spent that money domestically, the combined effect would raise GDP by 1 per cent and create 74,000 jobs.

Another U.S. industry reeling from the “Buy Canadian” movement and its manifestation in public policy – including provincial moves to take American booze off the shelves – is American distilling.

Canada is a critical market for U.S. spirits, making up “a little over 31 per cent of all U.S. exports” of distilled spirits in 2024, said Stephen Gould, a Colorado-based alcohol trade consultant at Consulting Alchemist Ltd and former distillery owner.

In addition to bourbon, Canada is a crucial market for U.S. whisky and other spirits as well as wine and beer. Bartenders, waitstaff and retail clerks in the U.S. are among those who will face significant layoffs if trade tensions continue, said Mr. Gould.

“The American industry is suffering,” he said.

Victor Yarbrough, co-founder of Brough Brothers, Kentucky’s first Black-owned distillery, said his company was “deeply disappointed” after losing a lucrative deal to sell its bourbon to New Brunswick Liquor due to trade tensions. The deal was projected to increase company sales by 2.55 per cent in 2025.

“Canada’s a large export market for us,” said Mr. Yarbrough. “Let’s figure out ways to move forward and amicably.”

SOURCE
 
The truth is that reality itself is biased against right-wing ideas.

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BREAKING: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting makes a brilliant chess move to counter Donald Trump's plan to gut its board of directors by changing its bylaws to block his firing power.

This is the non-profit corporation that oversees NPR and PBS, which are despised by education averse Republicans...

The CPB passed a measure this week that states that "no Director may be removed from the Board by any person or authority, including the President of the United States, without a two-thirds vote of the other Directors confirming such removal."

The reference to the president comes amidst Donald Trump's outspoken and transparently politically motivated attacks on public broadcasters. He has called for stripping their federal funding. Along with his MAGA minions, he's pushing the smear that public broadcasters are biased against right-wing ideas.

The truth, of course, is that reality itself is biased against right-wing ideas. Conservatives live in a fear-soaked world of their own making ruled by conspiracy theories and bigotry.

Any honest broadcaster is going to poke holes in the MAGA narrative just by telling the truth.

Perhaps conservatives also resent the fact that PBS programs like Sesame Street teach children to be kind and caring towards everyone, values that stand in stark contrast to the xenophobic policies that now hold sway over the GOP.

Earlier this meek, NPR CEO Katherine Maher published a memo professing the organization's mission to "serve the entire nation" and listen to a politically "diverse" audience.

This new change to the bylaws comes after CPB sued Trump and his officials in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C after the deputy director of presidential personnel for the executive office of the president sent an email stating that three CPB board members must be terminated.

During a hearing for that lawsuit, the judge stated that CPB's board "protect itself if it wanted to be protected" from the firings by amending its bylaws.

They've now done exactly that.
 
Shiftless2 said:
" MAGA world erupts in rage as Walmart announces that they will be raising their prices due to the skyrocketing costs caused by Donald Trump's disastrous tariffs." #645
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Trump voters believed him?
"I will build a great, great wall on our Southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall, mark my words." Republican primary presidential candidate Donald J. Trump 15/06/16 www.DonaldJTrump.com
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And they fell for it
again ?!

Shiftless2 said:
"The truth is that reality itself is biased against right-wing ideas." #644
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"reality" "is biased".

- ha -

Shiftless2 said:
"BREAKING: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting makes a brilliant chess move ...
During a hearing for that lawsuit, the judge stated that CPB's board "protect itself if it wanted to be protected" from the firings by amending its bylaws.
They've now done exactly that." #644
Click to expand...
beerConfetti
 
Shiftless2 said:
"Trump lawyers tell Supreme Court that Constitution doesn't apply to the president" #647
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I understand, Constitutional law is an impediment to our aspiring dictator. BUT !!
The argument "that Constitution doesn't apply to the president" is spectacularly conspicuously absurd.

Constitutional law does not exempt the president.
Constitutional law DEFINES the president, and his authority:
ARTICLE 2. SECTION 1. 1
The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected ...
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It's silly to argue that the Constitution both defines presidential authority, and simultaneously "doesn't apply". BUT !!

The Trump take-over is underway. Not clear to me what form of coercion Trump has used on those that argued this absurdity at court on Trump's behalf.
 
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Occupy Democrats​

deStporons9371a183h75gh6f1402h2im660m8646itu8u6h6113hmfmu9gl ·

BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV enrages MAGA world during his first diplomatic audience by calling for respect and dignity for migrants around the world — a direct refutation of the xenophobic demonization offered by Donald Trump.

The Vatican and White House are on a high-speed collision course....

Speaking to his diplomatic corps, Leo stated that government leaders must strive to build "harmonious and peaceful civil societies."

"No one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike," he said.

"My own story is that of a citizen, the descendant of immigrants, who in turn chose to emigrate," Leo added. His paternal grandparents came to Chicago from France and his maternal side has Creole ancestry.

While the audience was conducted in private, the Vatican released the prepared text from the pope and the dean of the diplomatic corps.

These new remarks are just the latest indication that Pope Leo shares views on migrants that are diametrically opposed to those of Donald Trump.

During his first papal conference, he condemned "loud" communication and "prejudice" while calling for free speech to be upheld.

"We do not need loud, forceful communication, but rather communication that is capable of listening and of gathering the voices of the weak who have no voice," the pontiff told a group of journalists.

He called on the world to "disarm communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred."

"Let us free it from aggression," he said.

He praised "the precious gift of free speech and of the press," offering a sharp contrast to Trump's relentless attacks on the free press and his efforts to silence critics through weaponized litigation.

"Let me, therefore, reiterate today the Church’s solidarity with journalists who are imprisoned for seeking and reporting the truth while also asking for their release," said Leo.

Not only that, but in February, the pope — then known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost — shared a piece on his X account entitled "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others" in which the author dismantled Vance's claim that Christians should love their family first, then their neighbors, then their community, then their fellow citizens, then the rest of the world.

The then-Cardinal also retweeted a message slamming Trump and El Salvadoran Dictator Nayib Bukele for the "illicit" deportation of innocent Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the "suffering" caused by MAGA deportation policy.

He also shared an article from the American Cardinal Timothy Dalton entitled "Why Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric is so problematic" which condemned the "nativism" espoused by the MAGA movement. The piece called on Christians to see "the immigrant as a gift to our nation" and "welcome the stranger."

Republicans despised Pope Francis and were hoping for a far-right pope to succeed him. Instead, the world has been blessed with a pope who wants to continue Francis's work and spread a message of love and compassion for all.
 
And Trump can't just jump aboard and fly. The plane will need to be inspected, fitted with new comms gear, defence systems, etc. In fact it will need to be upgraded like the other two. Here is Petter, from Mentour Pilot, 737 training Captain.

 
Shiftless2 said:
After almost 5 years of trying to get rid of this 13 years old plane, they finally found a sucker #652
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:)
Oh Merriam,
care to comment?

white elephant​

noun​

2 a : a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit
c : something of little or no value
www.merriam-webster.com

Definition of WHITE ELEPHANT

an Asian elephant of a pale color that is sometimes venerated in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar; a property requiring much care and expense and yielding little profit; an object no longer of value to its owner but of value to others… See the full definition
www.merriam-webster.com www.merriam-webster.com

"Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country...We give free things out, we'll take one too...I would never be one to turn down that kind of offer...I mean I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free very expensive airplane.'...You look at some of the Arab countries and the planes they have parked alongside of the United States of America plane -- it's like from a different planet." Trump, on $400M airplane offered as a gift by the Qatari royal family

Shiftless2 said:
"And Trump can't just jump aboard and fly. The plane will need to be inspected, fitted with new comms gear, defence systems, etc. In fact it will need to be upgraded like the other two. Here is Petter, from Mentour Pilot, 737 training Captain." #653
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It's not plausible that Qatar did not know this.

TBD:
What will the Trump administration do?
My suspicion, since in Trump's world-view everyone is Trump's subordinate, any advisor trying to reason with President Trump about this "gift" on basis of economics would be wasting time. BUT
"briefing" Trump about it from a life-or-death security perspective, explaining the mechanism that downed Pan Am's flight #103 (also a 747) over Lockerbie, Scotland
Trump might be a little more receptive: - We simply can't jeopardize your welfare allowing you aboard Mr. President -
In that case Trump's ego might be enough.

From there what?
The official white house statement:
- While generous and deeply appreciated, the Qatari offer cannot be accepted. To do so would violate the United States Constitution ... -

That might be face-saving enough for Trump.

oto
We fed UBL to the fish. Any reason Trump shouldn't join him? Go ahead Donny, take the plane. Maybe they'll even let you fly it !
 
“Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” Trump posted. “Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS,” and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”
https://apnews.com/article/trump-ta...import-taxes-e2012e0d9e242b0be0b9474aa58d41fd
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Trump was warned.
It appears Trump's opposition to market dynamics isn't consumer adversity, but instead Trump being publicly proved wrong.
Trump isn't expressing objection to higher prices. Trump is complaining about "blame".

note:
Vlad Putin is one of the few world leaders equally ignorant about elemental economics.
 
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Canadians Against Pierre Poilievre​

Khetcy G-Stone · ptrosSedno1f8lah6ac2g064fu7f4i0gc27a441ghh08u6ifllta4m02tclu ·

The most corrupt president in U.S. history is openly pimping cryptocurrency like it's the fcking Messiah in a MAGA hat and somehow people aren’t screaming in the streets. This isn’t just a red flag. It’s a blaring, blood-drenched siren from the ninth circle of financial hell.

Let me explain crypto in a way your grandma and your conspiracy-theory uncle can both understand: it’s digital cash that lives on a global spreadsheet no one controls, no one regulates, and no one fully understands. It’s not tied to any government. It’s not backed by gold, oil, or anything real. It’s just math. But not math for you. Not math for regular people. This is math for the monsters at the top who want to rob you blind without leaving fingerprints.

Crypto is the perfect crime. Legalized money laundering with a cool name and a fanbase of tech bros and fascists. It’s the dream currency for drug cartels, child traffickers, arms dealers, and now, the orange fcking infection who tried to overthrow democracy with a Sharpie and a selfie.

Trump’s pushing his own crypto coin. Of course he is. Why wouldn’t a man who bankrupted casinos, conned students, stiffed contractors, and called himself a genius for not paying taxes now be eyeballs-deep in a system built for disappearing money? This isn’t some innocent side hustle. This is a straight-up blueprint for digital dictatorship. This is the final play in a game rigged from day one.

Crypto lets the rich steal faster, hide deeper, and manipulate markets with zero consequences. It’s the offshore bank account of the future, minus the island and the paperwork. You can funnel bribes, dodge sanctions, bankroll propaganda, buy judges, fund coups, all in total secrecy. And now the fcking president is openly all-in.

You’re not being led. You’re being looted.

Don’t fall for the bullshit slogans like “decentralized,” “freedom,” “democratized finance”, this isn’t about empowering you. This is about building a bulletproof escape pod for elites while the rest of us choke on inflation, burn in climate collapse, and drown in debt. You want to know who crypto works for? Ask yourself who’s getting rich from it. It ain’t you. It’s the same billionaire parasites who poisoned Wall Street, bought your government, and now want to own your digital soul.

Trump isn’t innovating. He’s laundering. He’s hedging his bets for when the law finally catches up, for when the lawsuits turn into sentences, for when the empire of grift crumbles into dust. He’s building his next con in the blockchain because the old system finally started asking questions.

And what’s the plan? To turn his cult into bag holders. Convince his base to invest their last savings into a fake fcking coin while he cashes out behind the curtain and walks away laughing. The man could sell dog shit in a ziplock and they’d line up to buy it if it had an eagle and the word “patriot” on it.

Enough.

We need laws that treat crypto like the radioactive financial weapon it is. Wallet disclosures for every elected official. Real-time public transparency. Global audits. Anti-money laundering frameworks that actually work. If you’re running for office and you’ve got a fcking NFT collection with your face Photoshopped onto Rambo’s body, you’re not a leader.

You’re a goddamn cartoon villain running a Ponzi scheme.

This isn’t the future. It’s the endgame.

And unless people wake the fck up, your next paycheck, your vote, your freedom, your very sense of reality will be trapped in a digital prison built by the same psychopaths who broke the world in the first place.
 
Shiftless2 said:
"He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached or voted out. But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him, the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified and reanimated" AOC #658
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"He can stay, he can go. He can be impeached ..." AOC
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Already twice impeached AOC.
In what way has either impeachment made the world a better place?
"... or voted out." AOC
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Perhaps AOC asserted this during Trump's first term.
"But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him, the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified and reanimated" AOC #658
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Yes.
And:
the damage, the devastation Trump has lavished upon the nation that elected him in just the first 99 days of his second four year administration may never be repaired.

If Trump completes his 2nd term unchecked, what's left may not be familiar to the survivors.
 
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