Trump has obviously looked at what Bush did with Iraq after the 'Shock & Awe' was over. They took control of their oil and used it to pay American companies to rebuild the infrastructure, a nice little earner for Dick Cheney and many others who made millions out of it. Trump is a businessman and sees everything through that prism. This will be all about big bucks for the USA and Putin will happily go along with it as he'll get to keep his ill-gotten gains. The reality is with Europe split with Starmer and Macron on one side and Scholz on the other we're in a very weak position. Trump a businessman, Putin a psychopath, Starmer a lawyer and Macron a narcissist. God help us...
Every day, Trump sinks lower. He's now fully spouting Putin's propaganda and disinformation about Ukraine, calling Zelensky a dictator because there were elections scheduled for last year which didn't take place, and claiming that his approval rating was as low as 4%. How could Ukraine hold elections when it's at war? There were no elections in the UK between 1935 and 1945. Zelensky's latest approval ratings are 53%, significantly higher than Trump's in the USA. Trump is a full-on Putin apologist and would almost certainly abandon Europe in the event of further Russian expansion. I heard Bill Browder on the radio today suggesting that the 300 billion dollars of Russian assets that were frozen as part of the sanctions against Putin should now actually be seized and given to Ukraine to enable it to arm itself to further resist Putin. Perhaps some of it could also be used to rearm the rest of Europe? Illegal of course, but so is invading a sovereign nation.
Steve Bannon, at at a right wing conference in Washington attended by Nigel Farage, called for Trump to be President for life. Nazis everywhere.
I'm becoming accustomed to the fact that I'm mostly speaking to myself on this thread, but I'm disappointed in my fellow Not606ers for not participating. Yes, @QPR999, I know it's supposed to be a football forum, but I find it odd that at a time of massive political upheaval, people on here just want to talk about football and seem happy to ignore the craziness of what's going on in the World. I value the opinions of people on here - @WBA2_QPR3, @Steelmonkey, @sb_73, @QPRNUTS to name just a few, and would like to read their views on Trump, Putin, Musk et al. I'm perfectly prepared to be told that I'm just being a bore. (Cue Kiwi telling me I'm just being a bore)
No trump Cannot Run for Re-election Again in 2028 The Constitution sets a two-term limit for presidents. Still, President Trump has floated the idea of staying longer, and a long-shot resolution from a Republican representative seeks to pave the way. Share full article please log in to view this image Donald J. Trump speaking at the Believers Summit, hosted by Turning Point Action, in West Palm Beach, Fla., in July.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times please log in to view this image By Neil Vigdor Feb. 10, 2025 Leer en español President Trump has mused more than once that he might like to extend his stay at the White House. But can he run for re-election in 2028 and seek a third term? The simple answer: No, the Constitution does not allow it. That didn’t stop one of Mr. Trump’s allies in the House, Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican of Tennessee, from introducing a long-shot resolution seeking to change the law soon after Mr. Trump returned to office. By the end of his second term, Mr. Trump, now 78, would be the oldest president in history. Here’s why the issue has surfaced and what the law says. Trump has made cryptic comments alluding to a third term. At the start of his second week back in office, Mr. Trump again floated the idea that presidential term limits might be negotiable while speaking to House Republicans during their annual retreat in Florida. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT “I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself, but I’m not 100 percent sure because I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said, drawing laughter. “I think I’m not allowed to run again. I’m not sure. Am I allowed to run again?” Mr. Trump then asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, for his opinion on the matter before stopping himself. “Mike?” he said. “I better not get you involved in that argument.” In remarks at the Capitol for the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 6, Mr. Trump resurrected a proposal to create a national garden filled with statues of notable Americans. The choice of whom to included would be “the president’s sole opinion,” Mr. Trump said, chuckling, adding that he was giving himself “a 25-year period” to make the selections. A short time later, at a breakfast at a Washington hotel, Mr. Trump again hinted at the prospect that his time in office could extend beyond two four-year terms. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT “They say I can’t run again; that’s the expression,” he said. “Then somebody said, ‘I don’t think you can.’ Oh.” While talking to House Republicans in November about clinching the White House and both chambers of Congress, Mr. Trump jokingly suggested that they could help prolong his presidency. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out,’” Mr. Trump said. And during his first term in office, Mr. Trump suggested to his supporters at a September 2020 rally in Nevada that term limits were not set in stone. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT “We’re going to win four more years in the White House,” he said. “And then after that, we’ll negotiate, right? Because we’re probably — based on the way we were treated — we are probably entitled to another four after that.” Yet when Mr. Trump was asked by a New York Times reporter on Election Day whether the 2024 campaign was his last, he said, “I would think so.” Presidential term limits are enshrined in the Constitution. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, says that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” Kimberly Wehle, who teaches constitutional law at the University of Baltimore and wrote a book titled “How to Read the Constitution — and Why,” said that the measure left no ambiguity and was intended to place a check on the president. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT “There was a concern about entrenching power in a kinglike manner,” she said. Can Trump get around the 22nd Amendment? Amending the Constitution to get around the two-term limit would be a very tall order. Two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate are required just to propose an amendment, far more than the slender majorities Republicans hold in both chambers now, or two-thirds of the states have to call for a constitutional convention. Ratifying an amendment is even more onerous: Three-fourths of all state legislatures — or of those state-level constitutional conventions — must approve it. Three days after Mr. Trump was sworn in to a second term, Mr. Ogles proposed a resolution to amend the Constitution to provide Mr. Trump with a pathway to a third term. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT The part of the resolution applying to Mr. Trump is worded this way: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than three times, nor be elected to any additional term after being elected to two consecutive terms.” Mr. Ogles argued that Mr. Trump needed more time to accomplish his agenda and reverse the policies of the Biden administration. “He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal,” Mr. Ogles said in a statement. Is Trump being serious or joking? Representative Dan Goldman, Democrat of New York, isn’t treating Mr. Trump’s previous quips about staying in office as a laughing matter. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Soon after Mr. Trump remarked in November that House Republicans could help pave his way to a third term, Mr. Goldman introduced a resolution to reaffirm that the 22nd Amendment applies to presidents who serve nonconsecutive terms. The measure has little chance of advancing to the House floor for a vote with the chamber under Republican control. “How he operates is by floating trial balloons that he often claims are jokes, but he’s very serious about it,” Mr. Goldman, who was lead counsel during Mr. Trump’s first impeachment in the House, said on Bloomberg TV. “And he’s been talking about staying on past this next term for years.” The president’s allies have floated the idea. At the annual gala of the New York Young Republican Club in December, Stephen K. Bannon, a confidant of Mr. Trump, floated the idea of a three-term presidency. He said that a loophole in the Constitution could allow Mr. Trump to run again in 2028, citing his discussions with Mike Davis, a Republican lawyer and supporter of Mr. Trump. “Since it doesn’t actually say consecutive,” Mr. Bannon said, “I don’t know, maybe we do it again in ’28? Are you guys down for that? Trump ’28?” ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Mr. Bannon’s remarks drew cheers from the crowd. Another seemingly far-fetched idea has been floated by Trump supporters as a potential loophole. It would involve Vice President JD Vance winning the presidency in 2028 with Mr. Trump as his running mate, only to resign from office so that the two-term president gets a third term. Has a president ever served more than two terms? Yes. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to four terms, serving from 1933 to 1945, during the Great Depression and World War II. He died while in office. There was no 22nd Amendment then, but Roosevelt’s grip on power became a driving force for setting term limits for presidents. “Four terms, or sixteen years, is the most dangerous threat to our freedom ever proposed,” Thomas E. Dewey said in 1944. He served as New York governor and lost to Roosevelt in 1944 and to Harry S. Truman in 1948. Michael Gold and Annie Karni contributed reporting. Neil Vigdor covers politics for The Times, focusing on voting rights issues and election disinformation. More about Neil Vigdor A version of this article appears in print on Nov. 19, 2024, Section A, Page 16 of the New York edition with the headline: Despite His Musings, Trump Cannot Run for Re-election in 2028. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe See more on: U.S. Politics, 2024 Elections: News, Polls and Analysis, Republican Party, Donald Trump, Daniel S. Goldman Share full article The Trump Administration’s First 100 Days Cuts to 9/11 Aid: The group led by Elon Musk made cuts to a federal program that administers aid to 9/11 responders, drawing bipartisan pushback. President Trump also floated the possibility that money culled from budget cuts could be returned to taxpayers, but he offered no details. ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’: Trump embraced a House G.O.P. budget and dismissed Senate Republicans’ plans, just hours after he gave conflicting directions to Congress on cuts to social safety net programs. Air Force One: Furious about delays in delivering two new jets, Trump has empowered Musk to explore drastic options to prod Boeing to move faster. Sued Over D.E.I.: Civil Rights groups claimed that Trump had exceeded his authority in issuing executive orders targeting diversity programs, and that they discriminated against Black and transgender people. Pentagon Cuts: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told leaders to draw up plans to cut 8 percent from the budget over each of the next five years, officials said. Upending U.S.-Russia Policy: As peace talks opened in Saudi Arabia, President Trump made clear that the days of isolating Russia were over and suggested that Ukraine was to blame for being invaded, causing European leaders to recalibrate their relations with the U.S. Related Content More in Politics Trump’s Latest Target: A Nancy Pelosi Achievement in San Francisco please log in to view this image Trump Targets a Growing List of Those He Sees as Disloyal please log in to view this image SKIP ADVERTISEMENT A Leading Anti-Trump Voice Returns to Democrats’ Top Think Tank please log in to view this image Editors’ Picks For These 20-Somethings, Trump ‘Is Making It Sexy’ to Be Republican please log in to view this image Joann Is More Than a Chain Store to ‘Heartbroken’ Regulars please log in to view this image This City’s Sewer System Is Full of Alligators, but It’s Not New York please log in to view this image Trending in The Times Stocks Notch Worst Week Since Trump’s Inauguration please log in to view this image 6 Things E.R. 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For the very little it’s worth, I’d still consider myself centre-left. Maybe marginally more to the centre than a couple of years ago. I think we should be doing what we can for Ukraine, Trump is mental but mostly bluster and Starmer is doing a ridiculously difficult job quite well no matter how much the country is talked down by the right and the irrelevant far-ish left. But, things for me changed in the aftermath of October 7th 2023. I expected a fair amount of apathy which is normal. I expected a certain segment of society to revel in it. What I didn’t expect was that revelling to be so public and more disheartening the complete abdication of Jews by the Left. The smug, Socialist Worker freaks and cosplay terrorists screaming for the eradication of the one tiny Jewish homeland while supposedly moderate voices turn a blind eye or worse. I dislike immensely how the far/far-ish right latch onto Israel/Jews as a vehicle in their hate of Muslims but I’ll take allies even for the wrong reasons over those who would gladly see me die because a foreign war has driven them absolutely mental. I was fortunate as a kid I didn’t get a lot of antisemitism and as an adult I have the choice to blend in or, more importantly, I’m just not someone who if you didn’t know me you’d try it on with, but at least back then the skinheads in bomber jackets were open about who they were. These scruffy, middle-class, smug, deranged PSC types pretend they’re better than that but they're not and in this social media era their voices are amplified in a way that wasn’t possible 15-20 years ago. So it’s a confusing time. I’ll still do what I think is right and despise the rhetoric of Farage and his ilk who are desperate for this country to fail and hoover up what’s left but I’ve got to know who my friends are and certain groups I thought would’ve been there for me a couple of years ago aren’t while I’m closer now to those who are. Anyway, bit of a ramble. Coffee, gym and Pompey now.
Since my release, I've been busy catching up on my life again and as a consequence haven't posted as much as usual here - also the whole middle east conflict got a little heated here and I felt my opinion was significantly at odds with others I respect Recently I have woken up each morning to even crazier news that is almost like being in a real time movie. I daily follow the news on CNN Al Jazeera RT and Fox News so that I get the full spectrum of crazies and try to sieve the facts I'm still unsure whether Trump is a genius or a buffoon, probably both. Initially I assumed his very hard rhetoric was designed to shock and awe all of his targets into managed 'deals' and to some extent that's happening. Canada Mexico reacted However, the guy has a serious narcissistic streak combined with a thin skin hence his umbrage at Zelensky calling him out. Also, he seems happy to let some protagonists go beyond what is acceptable in order to divide and conquer. Starmer actually believes he can influence Trump - until he inevitably offends him in some small way and Macron is playing the tough guy to his domestic audience. Germany is a mess, the Scandic countries have decided to start stocking up on arms and defence spending Meanwhile, no rational person believes a forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza will actually happen, but he sets the extremists on both sides off and running - that's the real danger His 'team' seem now to be trying to tone down the rhetoric - I mean, how can the US and Russia agree a deal to end the war if Ukraine rejects it? The US will pull out? I can't see that As you know, I have long standing ties to Lebanon. Much overlooked right now is the Israel Lebanon ceasefire deal which is in danger of collapsing. Israel was due to pull out of Lebanon at the end of January, which was extended until 18th February. Now the US has signalled to Israel the greenlight to stay in five locations inside Lebanon - contrary to the ceasefire deal - which will seriously undermine Aoun and the new government. This will inevitably lead to a resumption of armed conflict which i suspect Netanyahu wants. All Lebanese, of every religion whether Muslim Orthodox Druze, want Israel out of Lebanon. An escalation is avoidable but sadly inevitable The US should recognise a stable Middle East will bring the Saudis back into the fold, which is Trump's stated intent in order to recognise Israel and calm the region Trump seems to have reverted to a colonial mindset where the strongest can take what they want - in reality that cannot happen these days. Or can it?
BTW Musk must have serious dirt on Trump Anyone else watch that car crash Oval Office press conference when Musk brought his kid - named X? It was like watching after smoking crack
How about Musk charging around with a chainsaw at the CPAC conference? America is being run by full-on crazies. First time round, Trump had people telling him 'you just can't do that' when he was about to embark on something particularly bonkers. This time, he's surrounded himself with yes-men.
I read this thread regularly, but rarely comment. Although I think Trump is a total c**t and will destroy America and bring massive instability throughout the world with his thoughtless actions. God help us all.
I don't get any joy from the madness in the World today, in fact it scares and appals me in equal measure. Discussing it gives me a little comfort.
