Donald Trump’s Russian hooker denial: ‘I’m also very much of a germophobe’

I keep alluding to this in my scattered political coverage, but I cannot stomach watching the news these days. I read news stories online, of course, but I’ve been avoiding TV news ever since the election. I can’t watch President Baby Fists talk for more than a few minutes without literally feeling like I’m going to throw up. So to everyone who watched every single minute of Baby Fists’ press conference yesterday: bless you. You are made of stronger stuff. You are the champions.

So, Baby Fists gave his first press conference in something like six months yesterday and I only caught a few minutes of it here and there. It was honestly one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen. I watched a CNN panel try to figure out how to even talk about it and they were like “?????” and “WTF IS HAPPENING?” He yelled at reporters, he talked in circles, he mocked the very idea of a free and independent press, and that is barely scraping the surface. Politico seems to have a decent rundown of the big moments – go here to read. WaPo had good coverage too.

Baby Fists’ lawyers also came out and tried to convince people that Baby Fists is taking pains to separate himself from his business ties, although this doesn’t bode well:

*headdesk*

But I guess one of the pieces of real news (?) is that Baby Fists was asked about the dossier published on Buzzfeed on Tuesday and the allegations contained within the dossier. Trump’s explanation for why he would never invite Russian hookers into his hotel room? Well…

President-elect Donald Trump said the salacious allegations about what may have occurred in a Russian hotel room are unbelievable, in part because he is a germaphobe.

“Does anyone really believe that story?” Trump asked reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. “I’m also very much of a germophobe, by the way, believe me.”

Trump did not directly answer a reporter’s question on whether he could be susceptible to blackmail by the Russian government, prompted by reports that intelligence officials last week presented Trump with a summary of unverified allegations that the Kremlin has compromising information on him. But the president-elect said he is “very careful” when he travels abroad and tells his bodyguards, and those who accompany him, to be aware that there might be cameras in their hotel rooms.

“When I leave our country, I’m a very high-profile person, would you say? I am extremely careful. I’m surrounded by bodyguards. I’m surrounded by people. And I always tell them anywhere, but I always tell them, if I’m leaving this country, be very careful, because in your hotel rooms and no matter where you go, you’re going to probably have cameras. I’m not referring just to Russia, but I would certainly put them in that category. And number one, “I hope you’re gonna be good anyway. But in those rooms, you have cameras in the strangest places. Cameras that are so small with modern technology, you can’t see them and you won’t know. You better be careful, or you’ll be watching yourself on nightly television. I tell this to people all the time.”

[From Politico & Mother Jones]

His explanation for why he would never hire hookers – or be honey-trapped into having hookers come to his hotel room – is that he’s a camera-shy germophobe. Just FYI: real germophobes probably would take issue with grabbing women by the p-ssy, I’m assuming? There are germs down there too. Besides that, The Hollywood Reporter asked him directly in 2015 if he was a germophobe and if he had issues with shaking hands and kissing babies on the campaign trail. Trump said at the time:

“I’m not germophobic. I do it. I want to make the country great, I’m going to win, I think I have a very good chance of winning. You probably are starting to feel that, too. I go through and shake hands and do what I have to do, and people like me and I like them. In Iowa, I must have shaken 2,000 hands — and those were only the ones that were next to me.”

[From THR]

Who do you believe, 2015 Baby Fists or 2017 Baby Fists?

Also, just a note for Vladimir Putin: you get what you pay for. Even if you’re holding back tons of damaging information about Baby Fists with the hope that you can use that information to blackmail him into doing your bidding, I suspect that even if and when the information is released, the ignorant Deplorables will shrug it off just as soon as Baby Fists claims it’s “bigly fake news.”

Photos courtesy of Getty.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

301 Responses to “Donald Trump’s Russian hooker denial: ‘I’m also very much of a germophobe’”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Guest says:

    He also said he will be president for the next EIGHT years. Keep dreaming, orange baby.

    • teacakes says:

      George W Bush was re-elected.

      After that, I lost all faith in the judgment of the American electorate. I just hope 2018/20 restores it.

      • Guest says:

        I really don’t think he will be re-elected. I’m not even sure he will be president for 4 years.

      • Megan says:

        Yep, I fear we are in for eight years of tyranny. If he lasts less than that it will be because Democrats are granted a miracle super majority and impeach him. But I am not holding out hope.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        I’m not sure he’ll be alive for the next 8 years, but given the re-election of George W Bush, if he manages to stay in office, the electoral system will be even more compromised than it was in 2016, so sure, he could be “re-elected.”

      • bluhare says:

        George W Bush seems like a dream come true next to this guy.

      • HappyMom says:

        I now look back on Bush-Cheney with fondness.

      • Megan says:

        W. is not a dream come true. He did terrible things, including illegally invading a nation that resulted in as many as 180,000 civilian deaths. He made a hash of the region and created the power vacuum into which ISIS stepped.

        Trump may well do equally terrible things, but he should not used to normalize the truly horrific reign of W.

      • Sixer says:

        I remember American citizens posting pictures of themselves holding up notices saying sorry world when W was re-elected. It was quite a thing for a while there.

      • SusanneToo says:

        @Sixer. I remember people online all over the world offering us their extra room, their couch to sleep on, a pallet on the floor, etc. Not sure anyone wants us now.

      • Sixer says:

        I would cheerfully put up an escaping Celebitchy, Susanne. Honest!

      • isabelle says:

        George Bush looks class A act next to Comrade Snowflake. Honestly if Bush had kept his as* out if Iraq his Presidency wouldn’t have been a disaster. Iraq was his down fall. The economy collapse was partly due to Clinton himself helping to remove banking regulations, it wasn’t just the Bush administration that gave powers to Banks. Clinton set the stage for it. Bush said 9/11 changed him and he probably overacted and overreached because of it. It would have been interesting to see what he could have been if 9/11 hadn’t happened. A failute of a President but think it was a lot more complicated than him just being an as*hole like Trump.

      • Ashamed 2 b a Fl girl says:

        I hate the thought but I think tinkles will be out and Pence, Ryan, anybody far right enough will control everything until we make it known that we will not tolerate their exclusive agenda and narrow views, by getting out the vote at every level.

      • ol cranky says:

        I think the GOP will support him just long enough for them to work out a plan to force him out (while coming up with a good cover story for why he’s resigning) because they don’t want to cast any aspersions over Mike Pence’s ascension and plans to gut civil rights and impose the acceptable form of sharia law known as “biblical law”

    • Nicole says:

      Don’t underestimate stupidity. They voted him in once and people were SO SURE it wouldn’t happen (I was not one of them).

      I cannot wait to see all the rust belt workers and coal workers that voted for him cry when they lose their insurance. The GOP just passed through a bill that gutted a huge portion of it.

      • justsaying says:

        Some people who voted for him already said that they are annoyed that he is still tweeting because it makes him and them look bad.

      • Aiobhan Targaryen says:

        Wait , Wait, Wait. Hold up. He was not hiding his racism, sexism, malignant narcissism before they voted for him. What is so different from the stuff that he was saying and doing before they voted for him?

      • justsaying says:

        I read comments from his supporters and some wrote that they hate it that he responds to celebs like Meryl Streep because that’s what people like her want. They want him to focus on important things.. they’re delusional. Donald Trump will never change.

      • Aiobhan Targaryen says:

        IA with you about them being delusional. And this is exactly why I cannot take a Trump supporter seriously, ever. They are just as batty as he is.

        I want to cry.

      • Shark Bait says:

        My mother and aunt, keep digging in their heels further and further to defend every single thing he does and trash anyone who goes against them (including their own sister). It’s so sad to watch. I actually did laundry the other day and started bawling. My mother was not like that before. My best friend’s dad is in central Florida, a Trump stronghold, and he is a major Trumpster. We find solace in each other. I don’t mind my mom is conservative, I just mind that she is ride or die for Trump. Ugh.

      • Kitten says:

        @ Shark Bait-I can’t imagine. Seriously. That must be really, really difficult for you.
        Hugs ♥

      • Ain'tNoTelling says:

        @Sharkbait: Perhaps we can start a support group! My mother is the same. It’s really sad. I realize that there is a part of her that I believe is emotionally unwell and broken. I will never connect to her because of it. I never did, anyhow. She was messed up long before Trump came along. Trump is just another tool she uses to express her absolute fear and hatred of the world in which she lives.

    • Fallon says:

      This is my actual nightmare. More so even than the current nightmare.

    • Rhiley says:

      While I hope this isn’t true, don’t underestimate him or the power of his voters. One of the biggest mistakes made by the Republicans who do not like him, and the Democrats as a whole, is that we underestimated him and we assumed there was no way he would win the presidency. I certainly raise my hand for being guilty of this. I think it is going to be very hard for the Democrats to do anything in the next 8 years. We are a broken party and have very little power. Our only hope right now are people like Lindsay Graham and John McCain. Perhaps Marco Rubio, though I think yesterday he was mugging for the cameras and will show that he really has no backbone. There is also one other person who may come back to bite trump hard: Chris Christie. What if, though, trump loses focus and interest? Are we stuck with Mike Pence? Trump is a puppet, Mike Pence is a monster.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        There’s enough room in Monster Land for more than one person, unfortunately.

      • Lightpurple says:

        Lindsay Graham barely stopped himself from offering to fellate Jeff Sessions during the confirmation hearing. Just barely. I’m not counting on much from Senator “House Manager” Lindsay Graham. He will always put party ahead of everything

      • Rhiley says:

        @Lightpurple- I tee totally agree with you. I think, though, he is going to make Trump’s ties to Russia a very, very big deal and it is going to be hard for Trump to shake them.

      • The Other Katherine says:

        Nothing is going to happen with Chris Christie. He’s a state governor, and a hopelessly compromised one who is likely to face legal troubles for some time due to his own foolishness with Bridgegate, etc. He’s not going to do anything useful regarding Trump.

    • Missy says:

      I don’t think he will live eight more years, he looks so unhealthy

      • Rhiley says:

        I question his health as well. Yesterday, watching him, I focused in on his fake tan and weird eye concealer and I could see that if he did not use make up, he would be very pale and ashy. He would look like a corpse. But still, death would only mean more power for Mike Pence.

      • Onerous says:

        Rhiley – Oh… that’s not concealer – that’s his actual skin color that is protected by his tanning bed goggles… now that’s an image. Donald Trump in a tanning bed… *shudder*

      • Megan says:

        Dick Cheney made it eight years.

      • adanalyst says:

        But not without shooting someone.

      • Lightpurple says:

        @adananalyst, thank you.

      • Lady D says:

        adananalyst:))

      • Shark Bait says:

        I seriously wonder about his health, too. But you’re right Cheney made it eight years (and is still kicking). However, Trump just looks so unhealthy. All that fake tanner covers up his sallow skin. He is super overweight and by his own account, eats junky fatty foods and doesn’t exercise. Also he brags about getting little sleep. My grandpa was shaped like Trump and had two heart attacks before he finally died of his third, but he retired at 60 and didn’t have the rigorous schedule of a president, so I really do question his longevity.

      • holly hobby says:

        There’s a age limit as to how old you can qualify to run for president. There should also be a cap. I think 70 is too old to run to be honest. With the way he flip flops over everything I am wondering if he has early on set dementia.

        Doesn’t matter. If he’s going to fulfill the entire 4 years, I see him turning into a catatonic lump. Kushner will control the throne in the back. Totally sucks!

      • isabelle says:

        Cheney is a x10 richer than Trump, he could buy your soul if needed. Money is why Cheney is alive, that and machine parts.

      • Megan says:

        Cheney is one surgery away from becoming Darth Vader.

      • Rascalito says:

        Well, on the bright side, the average lifespan of a man is 71, and Trump is 70 now. Plus he only eats fast junk food, never exercises and is overweight. So there’s hope for us all! 🙂

      • Lama Bean says:

        @HollyHobby I firmly believe he has dementia to go along with his obvious NPD and Ivanka is his handler. I’ve seen the buzz on social media nearly reach screaming levels nowadays. He never released his health records. He is the master projector, so all those times he accused Hillary of having some terrible disease, he was likely talking about himself.

    • robyn says:

      Trump got this far and we STILL underestimate him. He COULD be president for eight years. People must be vigilant.

      This story about Russia blackmailing him for misdeeds came at an opportune time as no one is talking about his lousy appointments. However, I believe Russia does have an icky blackmail list on him. Russia is the only entity Trump consistently “trusts”.

      He is NOT a germophobe when it suits him; he IS a germophobe when it suits him. One thing for sure is that Trump is a pathological liar. Someone mentioned in another comment and I agree: “I wouldn’t believe him if he told me my name.”

      • Esmom says:

        robyn, you nailed it — he is or is not a germophobe — or ANYTHING, really — anything when it suits him. Lying seems to him as natural as breathing and it scares the bejeezus out of me.

    • holly says:

      WHO is doing his makeup???

    • AnnE says:

      Sad to say but it is entirely possible he could get re-elected. Most that voted for him are also those that get their news from Trumps mouth and mouthpieces, including FOX news. Just check out Fox online or TV, you would think we lived in different Universes. In this day and age people seem to go to the news source that tells them what they want to hear and validates their opinions. His voters will not connect the dots quick enough to finally admit that they were conned. With that said, it works both ways so lets hope all those apathetic eligible voters and disenchanted third party voters that hated Hilary more than they hated Trump, realize the impact of their protest votes or lack of voting and get out next time and make their voices truly heard.

      • delorb says:

        One guy quoted back to me his source, which was from…Facebook. Not Facebook the company, but another user on Facebook. He wasn’t joking either.

    • holly hobby says:

      I’m not sure he will last 4 years. I see impeachment hearings in the near future. I think the repub end game is to get rid of him and keep Pence. Not that that is a good alternative either.

    • nicole says:

      I keep thinking the democrats who didnt bother to vote this year or people trusted the polls, and thought he would never win will be out in droves to vote in 2020, thats my hope, because this ignoramus can not run the US for eight years, please no. I watched the press conference and to be honest I couldnt beleive what I was wathcing, he is pathetic in every way, and I feel sorry for those journalists that are going to have to cover him for the next years. I am not american, but I really feel bad for all the good american people who never wanted this clown to be president, he just takes away all that is so good about the United States, and is making a mockery of everything, its very sad to see, and such a difference to President Obama who I watched give his farewell speech in Chicago, he was such a class act, really sad.

      • delorb says:

        Some of those journalists are the reason he’s in office. They should have refuted every lie he ever uttered. Instead, they treated him like the 2nd coming because he was ratings gold. Remember the press conference where they thought he was going to talk policy, but instead, he shilled some product? He said ‘jump’ and they said ‘how high?’

      • jwoolman says:

        They need to come out in droves for 2018. The entire House has to be elected every two years and 1/3 of the Senate. They need to put alternatives into office then who will fight against the worst of it.

    • lavins says:

      Trump is horrid and an embarrassment.

      Sadly it may take this to wake up people who stayed home or never registered to vote. People need to vote to oppose him, in the next Presidential election.

      If Democratics and other parties unite and not split up their votes to third parties we can put him out of office in 4yrs. Also I hope the people who stayed home and didn’t vote have learned a lesson that voting is important to the Nation.

      I am still shocked he won. I am sad that so many people JUST Stayed home and didn’t vote at all.
      Trump is racist and deplorably disgusting.

    • Mary Mary says:

      Biden: *whispers* I left a bag of Cheetos in the White House bathroom.

      Obama: Why?

      Biden: In case Trump needs to powder his nose 🙂

    • Rascalito says:

      I wonder if he was so worried about germs on the 13 year old girl he raped in 1994. Apparently it didn’t stop him then.

  2. AfricanBoy says:

    Donald Twitler almost started to cry when a journalist asked him about his tax returns. He’s hiding something and Putin could destroy him just with one click.

    • Megan says:

      Seriously. He desperately wants to be a strongman like his man crush Putin, but doesn’t he know strongmen don’t throw hissy fits and whine like little brats?

      • AfricanBoy says:

        It was really embarrassing. He needs to stop throwing tantrums but we all know it won’t happen.

      • lavins says:

        He turned beet red when the reporter asked the question.
        He is definitely hiding something.

        I had a friend in NYC Real Estate and he use to tell me years ago that Trump is a Fraud. He has allegedly borrowed a lot, owes a ton out. Not a Billionaire at all.

    • HappyMom says:

      Like what, though? I can’t imagine what would be so awful that they wouldn’t find a way to justify it and his supporters to overlook it.

      • Megan says:

        My guess is he owes millions of dollars in loans to a Russian oligarchs. His entire brand is predicated on his being a shrewd businessman. If it is revealed that his entire operation is a sham he will be done. He is desperate to keep his finances private.

    • Annetommy says:

      I was pretty disgusted at the journos tittering at his germaphobe remark. I think US journalists seem to be less aggressive than in the UK; Jeremy Paxman or John Humphreys would give Trump a tougher time. A simple point yesterday, when Trump was banging on about there being no evidence for the dossier allegations, would have been to highlight that there was no evidence for birtherism, lots of evidence that refuted it, yet he went on about it for years. A question could have been framed to that effect. Plus, in most professions, peers would show some solidarity with a colleague who was bullied the way the CNN guy was yesterday. As it’s journos, I won’t hold my breath.

      • VegasSchmagus says:

        The media ultimate controls the news – give his soundbyte, and play the soundbyte where he contradicts himself. Everyone (with a brain and a conscience) will eventually get that he’s a lying sack of cheese-whiz. And the journalists need to band together – if he sees him calling one outlet “fake news”, then another outlet that he does call on for a question should ask the very question that got passed over……the “fake news” (not) guy is already blurting out the question – the whole room hears it – just ask that same question. Put up a united front. Put Orange Julius on the spot. Journalists – you can own this – call him on his bullshit.

      • Betsy says:

        @VegasSchmagus – I feel the same way. It is my hope that the media realizes that they can’t do business as usual.

      • jwoolman says:

        It might not have been the journalists tittering. Trump packed the room with his own staff who cheered and clapped for him on cue. They took up seats that real journalists were denied for lack of space.

        It was all as fake as those unlabeled folders of blank paper he claimed were all the documents he signed to deal with his conflicts of interest. Of course the head of the ethics office pointed out that his plan did not deal with those conflicts at all, and for his trouble he was threatened by Trump’s people. The ethics office has been working well under various Presidents but Trump and his people are driving them mad. They’ve had to resort to tweets and public announcements to try to get his attention so they can do their job of advising everybody on how to deal with conflicts of interest properly in accordance with the law. And Trump’s reaction is to remind the head of the office that he can be fired…

    • Capella says:

      This is truly awful … buzzfeed just handed trump and his followers piping hot fuel to delegitimize journalists, the press and intel coming through official channels. Why not wait until incriminating ties could be backed by hard, solid, undeniable evidence. Yes, other reasonably sane politicians might have been stopped in their tracks with the burden of proof, but we are talking about a gaslighting genius who was waiting for inevitable confirmation of his narrative about the press and the CIA. We are preaching to the choir here at CB … but the comments on #TrumpPressConference are truly horrifying. The only way to end this is to provide indisputable evidence, and demand he disclose his tax returns through legal means due to his conflict of interests. Democrats need to come out fighting with some real GRIT. After yesterday I applaud Meryl Streep even more for what she said at the Golden Globes. She publicly called him out and faced down a bullying tyrant about to become POTUS.

      Also, I am guessing Russia is holding all of Washington DC and trump by the metaphorical balls. I find it hard to believe they didn’t hack them all.
      # heyputinwashingtonwantsitsballsback # putinhackedmysack

      • Chels says:

        I totally disagree. Did anyone wait for proof with THE EMAILS? No, journalist were running those stories. The media have not been doing their job with trump. Some of those sychophants were laughing and applauding when he smacked down CNN. It’s unprecedented that you have a president that refuses to speak to a news channel because they run a negative story. It’s their freaking job to run stories good and bad if America is supposed to be a democracy.That’s what you should be focusing on. He’s a master at distracting people from the serious stuff that’s going on I’ll give him that. Now all the houlier than thou people are focused one tearing Sparta little website like buzzfeed meanwhile they ignore the real shady stuff like hin refusing to give up his business empire and his Russian ties.You’re getting played.

      • Capella says:

        Ummm Chels … I think we are saying the same thing. I believe I pointed out the bigger fish to fry!? You misunderstand my point. In a rational framework YES, run the stories. But we are dealing with a sociopath who was waiting for evidence to support HIS NARRATIVE to delegitimize the press and the CIA. The press is getting their butt kicked and they are being told by a tyrant they can’t “ask questions” at a press conference!?!?!?!?! He has changed the game and one way to diffuse this lunatic is to ramp up the game and not play into his narrative. Look up gaslighting … it will take extra measures to stop him!

      • hogtowngooner says:

        I get what you’re saying, but I think it’s actually smart of BuzzFeed to have published the full doc for the very reason of the “fake news” phenomenon. BF isn’t part of the “fake/liberal MSM media” so it’s easy for Trump detractors to dismiss that claim (“Who cares? It’s only BuzzFeed”). It’s a soft news site, so to publish admittedly unsubstantiated claims allows outlets like WaPo and the NYT to report on the shitstorm it caused without having to keep the more explosive parts under wraps while they verified it themselves.

      • Capella says:

        Good Point hogtowngooner … It makes sense particularly if the claims can be verified.

      • lavins says:

        Chels is right, the US Media did not do it’s job with Trump. They basically let him skate , with telling lies , never answering questions directly and saying outrageous things, But the same media bashed, battered Hillary for saying DEPLORABLES….The same media that watched Trump saying blatantly RACIST THINGS about ethnicities and horrid things about the disabled man as well as grabbing women’s ; Much of the US Political news media wanted TRUMP RATINGS , imo and did everything they could do to get him where he is, they see it as a RATINGS bonanza, the media sold out the Country for Ratings. IMO It is very sad.

  3. Sixer says:

    I’m workless this week and I watched the whole thing (with Shambles by my virtual side).

    The whole thing was bizarre, grimly hilarious and utterly terrifying. Someone on social media said it was the kind of press conference you see in banana republics or dictatorships given by Gaddafi or Mugabe or somesuch and I thought my God, it was. With the pallets of files and his weird make-up and the threats and the off-topic rambles.

    The man has no concept of democracy and worse still, is quite open about not thinking he needs one.

    HORRIBLE.

    • lightpurple says:

      Meanwhile Ryan and McConnell move forward each day in their scheme to rip apart every single one of our social programs. Ryan now has Representative Diane Black by his side to dismantle our health program. She introduces everything she says with “I’ve been a Nurse for 40 years.” I’ve taken to leaving voicemails for Nurse Ratchet or Nurse Mengele.

      • Sixer says:

        I am actually relying on you and some of the others here for the non-performative goings-on. Because all British media is reporting is the LOOK HERE LOOK HERE of Trump. We might get some very minor information about ACA repeal, but that’s it.

        (If you get a chance, you should watch I, Daniel Blake so that you can see what’s been happening here.)

      • Erinn says:

        “I’ve been a Nurse for 40 years.”

        Those are the people who terrify me most. The ones who have to say “look at me I HAVE EXPERIENCE and my EXPERIENCE is the ONLY relevant one”. There are plenty of shit nurses out in the world. Just like there are plenty of shit lawyers, teachers, DMV employees – when you have to state how long you’ve had a job – I assume you don’t have a whole lot of other impressive things to share about your career. Crap humans sneak through into every kind of job out there.

        I also have nurses on facebook who share things about dangers of vaccines, or using essential oils for everything. Just because you could pass the tests (Nova Scotia nurses now have UNLIMITED attempts to pass their licensing exams – they used to only have 3 – it’s terrifying) doesn’t mean you’re an intelligent person, sadly.

      • lightpurple says:

        Ryan’s shenanigans are getting relatively little coverage here, other than his daily news briefings, which are all smiles about how he has #abetterway. But he is gutting our entire health care system in the process and plotting to eliminate by statutory degree most workplace regulations that protect workers, air, and water. He brags about it constantly on his Twatter feed. Yesterday, he took time out of killing people to meet with “The Values Group” or some such entity to reassert their pledges to protect The Unborn. Because only The Unborn matter. Actual living, breathing, walking, working humans can all just die.

        McConnell’s Senate is getting some coverage because of the confirmation hearings, which are always quite theatrical. We got to see LIndsay Graham, who has been bragging that he’s the hard Republican line against Trump, INTERROGATE Trump’s Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, an avowed racist, by lobbing little softball questions that begin with phrases like “as a Southern Gentleman and Conservative, you and I both know what it is like to be labeled “Southern Conservative Man” and we know the negative and unjust connotations attached to that label.” Yesterday’s hearing was disrupted by people dressed in Klan costumes. But as soon as the hearings are over, and McConnell is rushing to get them done without getting ethics clearances for any of these people, the media will go back to ignoring the Senate.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        Thank you Sixer for taking one for the team. I was so glad to be out and about yesterday, away from any screens. We knew it would be brutal and it is and will accelerate. And there seems to be no way out. With DT as the avenger in chief, feeling humiliated by the world, his vengeance will entail much more than pissing on everyone. I believe he has, since childhood, enjoyed the process of destruction much more than the process of construction.

      • Kitten says:

        Did anybody see the video of Marc Rubio going IN on Rex Tillerson? It always confuses me when a Republican breaks from the pack and departs from their typical modus operandi.
        Like, what’s the angle there? Because we know that the GOP doesn’t give a flying f*ck about this administration’s connection to Vlad/Russia, so what’s in it for them?
        Maybe they anoint one Republican senator to be *the dissenter* to create the appearance that they’re doing a proper job of vetting the cabinet picks. Maybe they do that to appease the more moderate members of their base who might have genuine concerns about the Russia connection.
        Any thoughts?

        ETA: sorry to hijack your thread, Sixer and LP. I just figured maybe LightPurple would have thoughts on this since she’s following it so closely.

      • Megan says:

        @lightpurple – Ryan believes life begins at conception and ends at birth.

      • Sixer says:

        Is fine, Kitten! I’m more here to read than speak. I get far more detail than I do via news outlets.

      • SusanneToo says:

        @Kitten. Rubio is angling for 2020 because everything will have gone down the tubes by then.

      • Kitten says:

        @SusanneToo-That thought crossed my mind as well. People said the same about Booker ruling against the Sessions nomination. The thing is..how much headway would Rubio really make with moderates and left-leaning folks with something like that? By questioning Tillerson so strongly, he could actually make an enemy so it seems like a risk to me. But then again, maybe Tillerson knew beforehand and they agreed on it. I don’t trust any of these f*cknuts.

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Kitten, I think Rubio is just trying to make a name for himself. He has not said he won’t vote for Tillerman. Years from now, people will remember Rubio as that tough probing senator who won’t back down but they won’t remember how he actually voted and he knows that. Rubio is party over all

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Kitten, Baker has finally found a spine. It might not be his but he has one at the moment and is trying to share his substantial health care expertise with Congress. I posted about it below. Now, whether that scum will listen to a popular blue-state Republican who created what was considered the country’s best Medicaid program before leaving to pull an HMO out of bankruptcy while still maintaining such high levels of customer satisfaction that it is consistently rated in the top 3 nationally remains to be seen.

      • Kitten says:

        @LightPurple-I am thrilled to hear that Baker is finally doing something. He actually has the qualifications and the political affiliation to affect this situation. I doubt they’ll listen, but at least he’s trying.

    • vava says:

      I watched the entire thing too. It was nauseating to say the least.

    • Maya says:

      The world can see what a baffoon and a traitor he is and yet he has millions of supporters behind him.

      Do the republicans really think that the world is going to ignore Trump and instead deal with them?

      He hasn’t even been sworn in and he has made enemies with China, UK, North Korea and Middle East.

      If Trump and the republicans think that they can bully the world or the press then they are really delusional.

      And now Trump has dragged the MI6 into this mess and that is a huge mistake on his part. MI6 are a bunch of loyal people who are one of the best in the world and Trump dared to attack them?

      Just wait and see when MI6 releases damaging evidence of him and his dealings with Russia.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        “More than one source, more than one time, more than one place…”

        To be continued, right?

      • JulP says:

        I hope they do. Trump alienating the U.S. intelligence community (and now the British) was his biggest mistake, and I am counting on someone to show the receipts before it’s too late. He needs to be impeached (of course, then we’d be left with Pence, who isn’t much better. But at least we don’t have to fear nuclear holocaust with him, so there’s that).

      • Megan says:

        One of my biggest fears about Pence is that he is definitely re-electable.

      • Kitten says:

        The thing is, as of now Trump doesn’t need the press. He has Twitter (I seriously can’t believe I’m typing this about a US president) to get his message out. He can claim anything is “fake news” and his sheeple eat it up.

        But down the road, he WILL need the validation of the press. The press will become his enemy and he will be forced to get them back on his side in order to appeal to the public.

        Just something fun to think about: Trump has a 37% approval rating, the lowest of any president-elect in two decades.

      • Esmom says:

        Megan, maybe not. The people of Indiana wised up and I think he wouldn’t have been re-elected in IN if he hadn’t been nominated for VP.

      • Sixer says:

        Maya – it is incredibly dangerous when deep state is open conflict with a leader. He must be aware of Five Eyes too, surely?

      • Maya says:

        @Sixer: I don’t think he know Five Eyes but his team and the republicans will definitely know of that agreement.

        Well I sincerely hope that this attack from Trump on intelligence community will be the trigger and lots of evidence comes out on the global stage about him and his illegal dealings.

        And I really really wish he takes down the GOP when he goes down in flames.

      • Lightpurple says:

        A week ago, he was insisting that hacks could never be traced. He knows nothing about Five Eyes and he won’t until Putin tells him.

      • Sixer says:

        Mutterings of “unreliable ally from January 20” on some very respectable political blogs hereabouts. The British ex-intelligence officer who wrote this dossier has had to go into hiding.

        This really is not good.

      • jwoolman says:

        Pence became so disliked here in Indiana that Republicans tried not to mention him at all during their campaigns. He’s had a lot of experience being booed wherever he goes.

        Pence turned down federal money for expanding Medicaid. He put Creationists into educational positions. His reductions in health care funding is blamed for an HIV epidemic in one part of the state… And Hoosiers aren’t stupid about the reality of those precarious Carrier jobs supposedly “saved” by Trump and Pence at a loss of $7 million to the state. The company is gleefully planning to use the money saved to automate the plant so it won’t have to deal with pesky workers and their union any more.

    • Cee says:

      You’re right about the Banana Republic diss. He reminds me of our former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. I really did not thini the US would ever be in our league.

      The only positive outcame is that by the time his 4 years are up almost everyone will vote for a sensible candidate.

      • Christin says:

        I wish I could believe the last part of your post. I’ve given up on believing polls, but supposedly his post-election numbers are really low (and he’s not in office yet).

      • Kitten says:

        Please keep telling us this over and over again. I don’t know if it’s true or not but it definitely makes me feel better, particularly coming from people who have been where we are or in similar circumstances.

      • Sixer says:

        I felt bad saying banana republic because it’s so offensive to citizens of the US. Hopefully everyone here knows I wasn’t aiming it at them. But I read that post and just thought bloody hell, it’s so true. It was a pantomime for the end days.

      • Cee says:

        It happened in Argentina. Granted, the Victory Front Party was in charge for 12 years, but during President Fernández’s second term things really imploded, and people turned against them, and we voted the sensible candidate. I imagine the US will do the same, once you have to endure such consequences for 4 years.
        Everyone compares President Macri with Trump (he was a businessman before taking public office as Buenos Aires City’s Mayor, for two terms, so there IS a difference) but I honestly think there is no American (continent) President that can compare to what Trump is doing/will do. The Russian link scares me because it’s Russia and Putin and their love for chaos and destruction. You have so much more to lose than we do.

        And “banana republic” is a diss, especially to those of us fighting to improve our countries and having to be described as such. Third World Country needs to go, too.

        @Christin – pollers are under fire for good reason. In Argentina the status quo was winning by a land slide according to pollers. Oh, surprise, they lost “bigly”. I was despondent during those days, I almost went abroad to avoid voting (it’s compulsory) because my vote felt worthless. So glad my pride made me rethink my stance because my candidate won.

      • Kitten says:

        @Sixer-It’s not offensive IMO, it’s accurate.

      • Sixer says:

        Cee: I hear you on that term generally.

      • Kitten says:

        I see what you’re saying, Cee, and I’m sorry for being insensitive.
        I guess I see it as more of a slam against the jingoistic Americans who think our country is so much better and more “advanced” (whatever the fuck that means) compared to others. I only meant it to say that we are the same and certainly not any better than the foreign governments that we so easily criticize.

      • Sixer says:

        Kitten, Cee: I meant it (or rather, reported someone else saying it) as concern over an autocratic leader who seems about to demolish mature democratic institutions. It ties in with the post-Brexit newspaper attacks on judges and the rule of law in the UK in my mind. Both deeply concerning. I don’t think I’ve ever used it as a pejorative about a developing world economy but I am listening and certainly going forward I’ll be really careful about using it and terms like it.

      • Kitten says:

        I get it though. Banana Republics were created largely by American capitalism and imperialism and it’s condescending to use that term cavalierly and in a pejorative sense.

        Yet…….I’m still having trouble seeing how metaphorically the term doesn’t apply. We’ve been going in that direction for years with Comcast, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed-Martin, GE and a hundred other corporations at the helm. That’s not to say that we’re the same as 20th century Honduras, just that we have special interest groups in the pocket of our government.

        Add to that the police state and rising income inequality/shrinking middle class….and it will only get worse. I’m sure infant mortality rates will rise and life expectancy rates will lower even more with the dismantling of the ACA. Goldman Sachs and Exxon with the aid or Russian interests will be our new governing institutions.

        Sigh. I don’t know….we’re just so fucked. But you guys are right that it’s insensitive to use “banana republic” to describe the US.
        Maybe oligarchy is the preferable term? Autocracy (as Sixer said)?

    • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

      Sadly, I firmly believe democracy is all but dead in the US. Repubs have a stranglehold on the nation. It’s going to last, because they gerrymander and filibuster and vigorously strip away protections.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        The voting system is extremely fragile and voters are too easily influenced. With the incoming Attorney General a racist, it’s not likely voting rights will be any better in 2018 or 2020. Russia didn’t hack voting boxes because it didn’t have to. It hacked voters’ minds instead – much easier.

      • lavins says:

        IMO Much of the voting population in the US sadly did not care enough to get off their butts and go vote or even apply for a mail in ballot in time. Several American’s “I KNOW” just didn’t care, all they did was complain or make excuses for not voting. Some decided to SIT IT OUT like idiots , then were calling me in SHOCK the next day when TRUMP Won. I hung up the phone on many of my friends who sat it out and complained that THEIR candidate wasn’t the nominee, as a reason to not vote for Hillary, now they are telling me, they would have AND how they actually found her qualified for the position, but they didn’t understand what was a stake. WTF!!!!! I just CAN’T listen to their complaints now and believe me ALL they are doing is complaining about TRUMP now. I just tell them YOU DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO GO VOTE because YOUR candidate wasn’t the choice for the Dem Party, so DON’T COMPLAIN NOW, By SITTING HOME and NOT PARTICIPATING in the ELECTION when you KNEW this MAN was Racist, You helped create this.
        I just shake my head when I think of how I begged at least 20 of them to go and vote but NOOooooooo they wanted to STAY HOME and make a statement or pout. Well NOW they are complaining at what we have!

    • jwoolman says:

      He not only doesn’t understand the concept of democracy. He doesn’t really know the basic facts about how our government system actually works. During the campaign, I felt I should have mailed him my old high school civics textbook. He doesn’t understand the different branches of the government and the limits on Presidential power. He hasn’t even pushed his cabinet appointees to get their paperwork into the ethics office so that office can do a thorough review and advise on how to deal with potential problems. The FBI hasn’t had time to do all the background checks. When Trump railed on and on about people voting multiple times and then millions of “illegals” voting – I wondered if he had actually ever voted at a polling place. And somehow I think “illegals” are the least likely to risk a felony by voting at all, much less multiple times, just as they are more law-abiding than the “legals” for the same obvious reason.

  4. FromEurope says:

    Donald Trump didn’t want to answer the question if one of his people is constantly in contact with Russia. He finished the press conference after that question. He is Putin’s bitch.

  5. Birdix says:

    i don’t understand how he is still going to be president.

    • MostlyMegan says:

      I also am in bewildered denial. How did we, the American people, do this? How? How?

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        By ignoring the slow steps taken to move toward this goal, over time, for the past 30-40 years… and in a way, by being ever optimistic.

      • Kitten says:

        In addition to what WATP said..

        Lately I’ve been going deep into Trumpland and engaging with his supporters and I don’t have an explanation for why it happened beyond willful ignorance and hatred.

        Sorry, I know that won’t be a popular answer for the “Try To Understand Them!” crowd but it’s my personal conclusion, from the countless conversations I’ve had with Trumpets. Every time I present them with factual information that contradicts their opinion, I’m met with the response: “fake news”.

        Where do you go from there?

        How do you talk to people who aren’t open-minded enough to read anything that doesn’t come from Breitbart, Redstate, Fox News or another conservative news source?

        I think it’s time to accept that this is the new America: a country that is deeply divided along political lines and will remain this way for quite some time.

      • Cee says:

        Some of your fellow americans gave fuck all to go out and vote. Those people should be ashamed of themselves because they could have made a difference and yet chose not to.

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        @kitten- I agree that things are going to be very ugly here for a very long time.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        Kitten I agree. Kudos to you for trying to make sense out of it. I get as far as understanding how small-minded people with a grudge and without education or the ability to process information can be easily influenced, but it doesn’t make me sympathetic. I wish all those asking us to “understand” stopped making it sound like we should sympathise. I don’t, and I won’t. This is textbook Social Psychology: sections on authoritarian behavior, the Millgram inflict-pain experiment and the Stanford prison experiment. It’s human behavior and the only ‘shock’ for Americans was that ‘it can happen here.’

      • Shark Bait says:

        So, a long ago classmate of mine posted on facebook during Pres. Obama’s farewell address the other night “I never usually post nonsense about politics, buy bye obama I’m not sorry at all your (sic) gone.” A current acquaintance of mine liked it, and that made me sad. So, I read the comments and they were truly eye opening.
        Fortunately, she got some push back and comments along the lines of “like Trump will be any better.” She was commenting back that Obamacare caused her insurance premiums to go up and that’s why she hated him “among other reasons not suitable for facebook.” Hmm.
        Well the comments agreeing with her were terrifying. Someone with a disabled child as their profile picture saying her family was having a party to celebrate Obama leaving office, get ready for the Trump train. Another thread about how at least our next president won’t be Hillary. And so many upper middle class white ladies calling Hillary a hag, witch, killer etc and saying they didn’t vote for Trump so much as they voted against Hillary. And one super disturbing thread where a woman told my classmate she should run because she just turned 35 and a woman appearing to be in her 40s saying, “no, no women, no woman should ever be president ever.” And then some doofus, who said Obama hated police and divided the country even worse by supporting black criminals, said yeah you’re right, women are too emotional to be president.
        Oh yeah, and this classmate revealed that she has never voted and never registered, but it’s ok because she’s an American citizen and it’s her right to hate Obama and support Trump.
        So yeah Kitten, when you say deep into Trumpland, I just can’t get down with the “being a snob is why you lost” ‘being tone deaf is why you lost” “we need to reach out and understand these people.”
        Honestly, I think our education system is failing us. Teaching to the test and getting a nation of idiots is the problem. Being afraid of intellectualism is a huge problem. You can be a blue collar worker and still read and learn and that is the problem. We have people who bought into every lie about Hillary and think, oh well Trump is crazy but he will get us jobs. It’s insane.

      • hogtowngooner says:

        Bless you for doing that @Kitten. I still can’t bring myself to. My uncle and his wife voted Trump so they’re the closest I can come to doing that given that I live in Canada. I don’t speak to them a lot anyway but my uncle is a very smart man but is a lifelong Republican who HATED Hillary, so I’d be actually interested in his opinions.

        But you raise a good point about Trump supporters spouting “fake news” when confronted with anything that doesn’t suit their conclusion. As President Obama said in his farewell address (I’m paraphrasing): we need to stop looking for facts to support our beliefs, but to base our beliefs on the facts we have. In the age of the internet, everything is fact and nothing is true.

        The point is, if we can’t even agree on what the facts even ARE, how can we start to have a dialogue?

      • lavins says:

        Cee is right. This could have been avoided if many Americans who stayed home in several states actually voted and the thing is they would not have had to leave their home, all they had to do was apply for a ballot in the Summer, when Trump was saying all that crazy stuff and being Racist.

        I voted from Europe, I was traveling and I still made sure I got mailed a ballot and voted in time. There was no excuse to Not Vote. NONE.

        American’s have become so use to their freedom being a natural part of life, that many don’t understand how we got them. I told my 20something nieces and nephews that different ethnicities couldn’t even go to school or eat in the same places just 50yrs ago and they were shocked. I told them a lot of people fought and voted to get young people today with so many rights. They just have no clue about history and fragile Freedom is.

      • The Other Katherine says:

        lavin, I share your anger with people who just couldn’t be bothered voting or thought they were making some kind of big statement by not voting for Hillary because they couldn’t have Sanders, but please be aware that some states have very limited provisions for mail-in ballots, such that most voters in those states are not eligible to vote by mail. Likewise, not all states have early voting. IIRC, Pennsylvania is particularly bad with forcing people to vote in person on Election Day. And let’s not forget Republicans have been running the vote suppression efforts hard against minorities and the poor since the Voting Rights Act was gutted, making it harder to register and to vote in many states. Obstacles to voting are very real for some people, especially the poor who can’t afford government photo ID or birth certificate copy costs, a car to get them to the polling place, time off work or late pickup childcare fees if there’s a big line on Election Day, etc.

  6. Tobbs says:

    You would think he’d have enough money to buy some self tanning eye cream? That’s all the energy I can muster for baby fists today.

    • GingerCrunch says:

      Excellent point! 😛

    • CL says:

      If he can’t be bothered to make sure that his suits fit properly, why would he care about his eyes? I can decide if it’s lack of caring, or if he’s deliberately trying to look like a buffoon as a distraction tactic.

  7. Lindy79 says:

    I couldnt believe what i was watching.
    It was horrifying.

    I’m also getting so annoyed with friends saying “i cant watch/read anything about trump”….stop it!!! You have to keep informed on what he’s up to, just because we dont live in the US…its happening in Europe too, the increase of the white supremacist movement (i REFUSE to call it the alt right)

    • Slowsnow says:

      I agree. I had a meeting afterwards but forced myself to watch half of it and read about the rest later. Missed the wall part so spent a few hours in blissful ignorance. Knowledge is power.

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      I understand the desire to bury one’s head in the sand, but it is infuriating because it’s likely they didn’t want to pay much attention to politics before this either, so their response is to do more of the same. That’s how it happens.

      • Pip says:

        I’m not sure that’s true in every case: I’m a politics & news geek – an obsessive news watcher & reader (I was once asked to stand for selection as a Labour MP – that’s how political I am). However I just can’t watch him. Not yet. I can’t – it genuinely makes me feel panicky.

        Same goes for Nigel Farage & Boris Johnson – I just can’t deal with them.

        Sorry. I’m sure I’ll get my fire back soon but at the moment I just find the tiny-fisted madman & Brexit beyond belief & too depressing to contemplate.

      • Sixer says:

        Pip – Arron Banks is on Question Time tonight. ARRON BANKS. I don’t think I’ll be able to watch for the same reason – even typing this comment about it is making me panicky.

      • Pip says:

        Oh god, Sixer, it’s awful isn’t it. I really can’t summon up the will to do anything more constructive than watch videos of pandas playing in the snow at the moment.

        Bread & circuses indeed 🙁

      • Sixer says:

        He’s the UK’s Steve Bannon so far as I’m concerned. And I bet most people don’t even know much about who he is, let alone that. I can’t believe he’s been given the platform.

    • Christin says:

      I read the transcript, which I also did post-debate. The transcripts (though hard to follow incomplete thoughts) take away the theatrics.

    • Kitten says:

      YES Lindy! This was my mom: “I can’t handle any news about this terrible man”.
      So when we had a *date” over my xmas break I made her watch a bunch of Trump-related videos and she was aghast, just completely floored.
      She knew it was bad, just not THAT bad.

      I completely agree that as painful and frustrating as it is, we have an OBLIGATION to stay aware and informed.

    • Jessica says:

      For God’s sake. We were Bernie primary and Hillary supporters. I am utterly sick of foreign analysis on this sh*t show. You do not understand the complexities of a very large Republic. I have a JD from a top ten school and am getting really annoyed by hack US Con Law “experts” and experts on US diversity from other countries. Is he going to go down? Likely, I hope.

  8. Esmom says:

    I refuse to look at him so I listened to the whole thing on the radio and I could not believe what an utter sh%tshow it was. Mind bogglingly so. The lawyer stepping in to explain (erroneously, shocker) what he could not. Him berating the CNN reporter for being “fake news!” As if his years of birther garbage were “real news?” It was just one “wtf” moment after another. It’s like he’s never taken a basic civics class or ever followed any sort of government proceeding.

    I was unsettled for the rest of the day, still am.

    • ab says:

      yes, “unsettled” is a great way to describe the feeling of watching it. I had no intention of watching but my husband had it on when I got home. it was unsettling and awful and scary. and I cannot believe he gets away so easily with NOT ANSWERING QUESTIONS. the lady asked his plan for the ACA, like, specifics about whether people will lose coverage and what is the actual replacement plan … and his answer was basically “obamacare sucks, everybody says so, and our plan is gonna be so much better.” UGHHHHHH. nobody presses him on anything.

      • Maya says:

        Exactly – he bullies the media and they let him. They are a bunch of weak cowards who only cares about viewership and not about the country.

        If only the media stuck together and boycott him until he answers all of the questions.

      • doofus says:

        Maya has it right, here. the media outlets have to back each other up. if he gets a “tough” question and dances around it, the next person he calls on needs to say “can you answer my colleague’s question?”

      • ab says:

        @doofus yes! everyone in that room heard him NOT answer that question so why couldn’t another journalist stand up and call him out on it? it’s frustrating.

      • Kitten says:

        I think the press is just scared of losing access at this point. I know that’s not a good explanation, but I think it’s the real one.

        He really has them in an almost-impossible position. What he is doing by restricting the freedom of the press is completely unprecedented and I think the press is kind of shell-shocked and trying to figure out how to handle it as they go along.

        Robert Reich recently posted this:

        Tyrants don’t allow open questioning, and they hate the free press. They want total control. Trump’s so-called “news conference” today (the first time he’s faced reporters in six months) was a sad example:

        1. Trump refused to answer questions from reporters who have run stories he doesn’t like, or from news outlets that have criticized him.

        2. He loaded the audience with paid staffers who cheered his statements and jeered at reporters.

        3. He continued calling the media “dishonest.”

        4. He criticized CNN for dispensing “fake news,” called Buzzfeed “a pile of garbage,” and sarcastically called the BBC “another beauty.”

        It wasn’t a “news conference” at all, and shouldn’t be called one. It was another attempt to control the media. Trump isn’t even president yet, but he’s already eroding our democracy. We must not allow him to.

      • Shark Bait says:

        He is trying to discredit the press at every step. He calls CNN fake news and his fervent supporters believe him and go after CNN. He goes after NBC News and called out Katie Turr and Chuck Todd by name. He just called Buzzfeed garbage. Yet he treats Brietbart and InfoWars like they are legitimate. I agree that they are afraid of losing access. I think they need to go in on him together tbh.

    • GingerCrunch says:

      You’re made of stronger stuff than me, Esmom! Once the PEEotus came on stage I had to bail, then try to stomach some clips later. Like Kaiser, I guess I’ll be reading my news for the next 4 years (please, not 8!). Conversely, I really didn’t want to watch Obama’s farewell speech because it seemed too depressing, but somehow I ended up watching and was so grateful and happy I did. * find a happy place *

      • Esmom says:

        GC, I almost never watch news, I tend to keep the radio on to NPR all day and read stuff online. I did watch Obama’s speech, though. I was very happy I did, too. *joins you in happy place*

  9. Siobhan says:

    as spike in notting hill would say…..”You daft pr**k”

  10. Slowsnow says:

    Great, Fantastic, Fake, Shame, Urine (in Russian) are the only words he knows. It was mind-boggling.

    And positively terrifying.

    • Syko says:

      Don’t forget unfair, failing, and overrated.

    • vava says:

      don’t forget the word, “disaster”. Everything in place right now is a disaster to Trump.

      • Who ARE These People? says:

        Maybe because he’s fixated on disaster. I bet he loves disaster movies. I think he loves wreaking havoc and causing destruction. Wasn’t he a ‘temperamental’ little boy? Now he’s a temperamental little man. No one should expect him to be constructive about anything because he gets off on making things blow up.

  11. Lucy2 says:

    I feel like we are building to some sort of big break down. It’s hard to believe this is all happening BEFORE the inauguration (or at all) and I feel like something big is going to happen and he’s going to be out, one way or another.
    As truly horrible as Pence is, at this point I would welcome him versus someone who is so unstable and clearly under Putin’s thumb. I feel like we may see a president impeached for treason.

    Eta, and of course we’ll then have to fight Pence/Ryan on everything too, I wouldn’t feel too relieved.

    • Esmom says:

      If yesterday’s press conference is any indication, then I’d say yes this has to building up to some sort of breakdown. You’d think all the dodging, lying, posturing, berating and bragging would take its toll on him. Seems it already has — he seems more erratic and unwell than ever.

      • mee says:

        His thoughts were a jumbled mess. One minute he was talking about his plans and big pharma and bidding. The next he was suddenly going on about the “bands, the bands” and the military and it’s going to be great. I got that he was referring to the inauguration but there was little transition. It also made me laugh thinking about how supposedly difficult it’s been for them to obtain any real entertainment for Doomsday. Then he closed with some tangential reference to the veterans. It was like the old ad for kids: this is your brain (point to trump before he speaks), this is your brain on drugs (trump as he’s speaking).

    • Fallon says:

      Pence at least has government experience (literally the only thing going for him). Even though his beliefs are terrifying, he isn’t unhinged in the way that DT is.

      • Erinn says:

        I hate to give him that, but it’s true. And he can respond to criticism in a much more adult way than babyhands. I KNOW that he has a horrible, hateful track record on him. But at this point? At least he’s not going to get the place nuked. And it’s a sad world we live in when our bar is set at that level when comparing a PEOTUS and his VP.

      • Lucy2 says:

        I keep wondering if this was some sort of dastardly plan, put a nutcase upfront so we all then breath a sigh relief when the slightly less awful steps in and takes over. Then they push through all of their terrible policies and we shrug and say at least he’s not Trump!

        But at this point, I feel like terrible policies can be undone, and while painful it’s hopefully temporary. Nuclear war? Not so much.

      • hogtowngooner says:

        True, and he can’t use the Trump Circus to hide his agenda like he is now.

    • vava says:

      I have this sense as well. Things are churning behind the scene and there is going to be an epic take-down. It may not happen before the inauguration, but somehow it will happen. His behavior yesterday did nothing but inflame the public AND the press.

    • Sixer says:

      What would happen if he’s forced out? Because he has a lot of supporters and a lot of them are heavily armed and see themselves as militias defending themselves from backroom government power. I ask this as a Britishers whose citizenry isn’t armed so I might get the whole gun thing out of context in my mind. But I do remember those guys occupying the federal land/building not so long ago.

      • Christin says:

        This is just my opinion based on living in an area that supported him — He will have to directly let down a good portion of those individuals. Examples could be not being able to deliver on lofty promises of high paying jobs, coal industry revival, etc.

        One thing that has gotten attention in some regions is the strong possibility that black lung disability benefits (coal mining) will be cut in the ACA repeal.

        In other words, his voters will have to slowly wake up to see that they voted against their own personal interests. How long that takes and how ugly it could get is the question, because of the level of blame, lies and deflection being used. I can envision another GOP politician or group appearing to be saviors, just to distract and throw DT under the bus.

      • Hazel says:

        Sixer: those are the ones I worry about, too the gun nut supporters. Especially during those ‘maybe the electoral college will change their vote’ days.

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        Christin-
        I have said the same in another post. Until the masses that voted for him are burned, and burned badly- he will remain popular with them.

      • Lightpurple says:

        Nixon won all but one state in 1972 (mine!). And was forced to resign less than 2 years later because the House was about to impeach and the Senate would vote to remove. People in his own party wanted him gone. Yes, people are quicker to guns now but I think the charges will be so severe and Ryan will have pinned the blame for his own horrible actions on Trump that most will want him gone.

      • Shark Bait says:

        I just don’t know what could burn them to turn their backs now. They have dug their heels so far in the sand, that their heads are buried. I think a lot of his supporters really applauded him for being so anti- PC and so partisan that maybe him actually acting presidential and tempered will turn them off, who knows. They don’t have an Obama, or a Harry Reid to blame in this administration, so who will be the scapegoat. Because there is always a scapegoat. I truly cannot see some of those people saying “yeah we effed up in supporting him.” No matter how bigly he fails!

  12. Sam says:

    I’ve never been more embarrassed to be a US citizen.

    Except when he was elected.

    I’ve been ashamed before. But now I’m just embarrassed.

    • Esmom says:

      I hear you. I barely slept last night, that press conference really shook me up. I truly feel like I can’t wake up from a nightmare, much more so than the day after election day.

    • MarcelMarcel says:

      I’m Australian and I get second hand anxiety from Trump being the president elect. Like it isn’t just his beliefs because I think are held by the extreme right; it’s that he is basically a incompetent celebrity and treating the campaign like a reality tv show worked out for him.

      I am comforted by the fact he lost the popular vote. As well as the activism sprung immediately after he won the election. Less comforting is that I think the entire situation is has partially arisen out of a wider regression to batshit conservative ideals. So maybe we just be embarrassed as a species? It’s an alarming political situation.

      • hogtowngooner says:

        Exactly Marcel. The fact this jackass parlayed being a jackass on a reality show to being a jackass is the most sacred office is what horrifies me. The line between competence and celebrity has been blurred beyond recognition.

        He should be reminded that he lost the popular vote as often as possible. You just know it eats at him that so many people hate him. It’s pathetic, but it’s true.

    • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

      Same, Sam, same.

  13. Amy says:

    He won’t last four years, his own party will impreach him before he makes it two years.

    • AtiaoftheJulii says:

      I hope so. There’s more coming from Putin. Baby Fists (love that) is so shady. The Republicans can only ignore his business dealings for so long

      • Amy says:

        Yep, I have the feeling something big is coming. Maybe not this year, but there’s something going on.

      • Ramona says:

        He is so stupid to have made enemies of everyone. There are grudges to be settled now as Marco Rubio and Lindsay Graham proved yesterday. Not even party loyalty will protect Trump from the vengeance the politicians are planning on him. FBI and CIA operatives will get theirs regardless of who he appoints to head them. In fact, it will be worse if he tries to purge the agencies. Various media houses will want their revenge too. And the establishment in general will want to send a message to the people to never elect a guy like this again. Basically, Trump is f*cked.

    • Triple Cardinal says:

      @Amy

      Have faith! Michael Moore, the documentary filmmaker, said early on and all through the primaries that Trump would be elected. He took a lot of guff for that, but stayed the course with his opinion.

      Now he talks of Trump being impeached. And he’s not the only one. Here’s to hoping that Moore is right again!

  14. JulP says:

    I actually screamed at the TV this morning when they showed that clip of him yelling at the CNN reporter. I can’t stand to see his ugly fucking face or his open contempt for a free press and freedom of speech.

    The press conference (where he threatened Buzzfeed and had the gall to call CNN “fake news”) and the announcement that he’s not going to divest from his business interests were incredibly disturbing. I couldn’t sleep last night. And this morning, I woke up to find out that the Senate has taken its first steps toward repealing the ACA. Every day is worse than the last, and Trump isn’t even president yet. He truly is a dictator at this point because the Republicans in Congress aren’t going to do anything to stop him. They are not going to hold him accountable and they will happily go along with him as he strips away our freedoms, one by one.

  15. Rebecca says:

    Obama has more class and dignity in his little fingernail that he trims regularly, than rude, moronic Donald has ever had in his entire life.

  16. Lena says:

    There’s a snl bit with Katy perry where she is on a talk show and no matter what she says the host (played by Kristen wiig) always says “we have a clip”. I want that with trump but always with clips contradicting himself.” I am a germophobe” “but you are not, we have a clip!” ” I don’t know Putin” “but you do, we have a clip” and so on.

    • CariBean says:

      Exactly!

    • Louisa says:

      Right! Every news organization last night should have done this when reporting on the “press conference”. They should have had time to get all the clips contradicting everything he was saying. It makes me crazy. His supporters just listen to the garbage that spews from his mouth and see no rebuttal so why shouldn’t they believe him.
      I expect Samantha Bee will cover it this way, but seriously we have to go to comedy to get real news?

  17. grabbyhands says:

    I couldn’t watch it. Train wrecks are usually entertaining but the stakes are deadly this time and I couldn’t make myself do it, especially when I was still recovering from sobbing for most of Obama’s farewell address.

    The difference between Obama’s first press conference as a PE and this one was staggering.

    I don’t think enough people really appreciate how blood curdling this was-the childish, immature tone, the constant question dodge, shouting down a reporter and calling them fake news and then choosing a reporter from the mouthpiece of white nationalism (and a site that is still under control of the man who is his new chief strategist) instead, having his lawyer basically step up and do part of the conference for him.

    The incident with CNN is particularly distressing-as much as they helped create this monster, the effect of having him declare in front of the entire nation that they are fake news and marginalizing them as an enemy is chilling. It is the first step in shutting out any voice that might be an opposition and it is bitterly ironic that this is the same jackass that was whining about Nazi Germany just yesterday.

    • Esmom says:

      I think plenty of people realize how horrific the whole thing was yesterday and do get the implications of him marginalizing CNN the way he did. But sadly the deplorables continue to cheer him on for being “to the point” and “refreshingly direct.”

      *runs to hyperventilate in paper bag and/or vomit*

    • Annetommy says:

      Great post. Totally agree.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Not religious, but I’m praying that Woodward and Bernstein 2.0 are gathering facts right now.

  18. Luca76 says:

    I’m convinced Vlad’s plan is to sow seeds of chaos. Not to have a puppet. So he’s going to release everything he’s got on Donald -and once he’s evicerated him -whatever Republicans that take his place. Meanwhile in France he’s screwing with their election. Once everyone’s in free fall he’ll go ahead and invade the Baltic states.

    • Lucy2 says:

      I’ve been thinking that too. I’ve even wondered if he’s directly or indirectly pressured Trump to select some of the people he’s chosen, knowing it will be a disaster.
      All I can hope right now is that the press does not let up and finally does their job, and that the intelligence community fights back and goes after him with everything they’ve got.

    • Kitten says:

      Yep. This is a VERY plausible scenario.

    • Sixer says:

      Also my view. I don’t really credit some James Bond scenario where the evil villain has control over the rival leader. I think destabilisation is the aim. Keep the opponent busy with internal problems so you can go about whatever it is you’re going about unencumbered by them.

      It’s not as though the CIA wouldn’t recognise this method either – it has plenty of experience in the area itself. (No offence: so has MI6!)

    • Lambda says:

      Indeed. Russia has nothing to offer to the world, economically or ideologically (they used to), so the goal is to bring the Western world to their level of dysfunction, nihilism, and lack of ideals. Spread the ugly.

      The test for NATO and the US will be an open move towards the Baltic states, though I don’t think Putin has yet the guts for that. The outcome will be either war or the breakdown of the alliance, and we will have to thank Trump, the Republicans, and their voters for that.

    • woodstock_schulz says:

      I also suspect this is Putin’s real agenda. Create chaos everywhere else so he can quietly go off and do his evil deeds while everyone is distracted by the circus he created…

    • The Other Katherine says:

      I think Putin’s going to be pissed off that DJT is going into free fall so soon. I think Putin was pleased as Punch to get a pliable puppet in place to get various sanctions lifted, which are hurting Russia’s already seriously ailing economy, and to consolidate his gains in Ukraine, among other things. While I don’t think he anticipated DJT would actually win, once it happened I think he wanted to milk it for at least a couple years. It’s really a win for Putin either way, as destabilizing the US is also good for him, but I don’t think this is his preferred path post-election.

      The release of the dossier at this juncture via BuzzFeed, when apparently everyone who is anyone in D.C. had read it months ago, really has the feeling of an establishment setup to me. I suspect the Republican politicians and donors who don’t like/trust Trump, the Russia hawks (e.g., McCain, Rubio), and the intelligence services are ready to get rid of Trump just as soon as Obama is out the door, and made arrangements for the full dossier to get released as the prelude to a sh!tstorm that leads to DJT’s resignation (or incapacitation due to rage stroke). Whether their plan will be successful is anyone’s guess.

      One thing that’s pitiful — I think the mockability of the golden shower stuff (even though that is far from the most concerning aspect of what’s in there) will hurt DJT’s support more than just about anything. It is so easy to make fun of, and the denigration will stick even if it’s inaccurate and unfair, and the puns will go on for years. DJT is wish-fulfillment fodder for people who wish they lived in a gaudy gold leaf-covered temple of tacky like a tinpot dictator and had the gall to go around grabbing women by the p*ssy. If he becomes the punchline for pee jokes, he’s going to struggle to keep being their macho bully pinup hero. His supporters don’t, by and large, give a flying fart whether he’s thick as thieves with a murderous anti-American thug like Putin, but they will care if he starts to look like a ridiculous whiny baby who is the target of unrelenting mockery. It’s hard to keep a cult of personality rolling in the face of toilet humor.

  19. Patricia says:

    He does not realize that he is a public servant. That press conference was terrifying. Everything having to do with him is “fantastic” and everything else is a “disgrace”.
    And how exactly are all these countries going to respect us more, as he kept claiming, once he is in office? No basis in fact or reality, just him spinning a fantasy for idiots to believe.

    He also kept bringing up Hillary. Why? It’s over! Just focus in what you are going to do for the American people!

    • HK9 says:

      No he doesn’t-he has no concept of what it is to be a public servant which makes me fear that neither him or his cabinet are capable of serving the American people at all. From my standpoint, he’s there to enrich himself, his children and his buddies. Everyone else, including those who voted for him will be out in the cold.

  20. SusanneToo says:

    “Who do you believe, 2015 Baby Fists or 2017 Baby Fists?”

    I don’t believe 1946-2017 Baby Fists.

  21. RussianBlueCat says:

    The fact he continues to refuse to release his tax returns, is just making people more convinced he is hiding something. If everything is legal and upfront, why can’t he just release them and then we can all move on? He was not prepared to win this election and his behaviour proves it with each passing day

    • Kitten says:

      Because everything isn’t legal and upfront.

      I know your question was probably rhetorical, but that’s the answer.

  22. Prince says:

    IMO, this piss-clip doesn’t exist but Putin has him by the balls financally.

  23. Embragirl55 says:

    Urine is sterile – and a real germaphobe would probably know that!

    • Christin says:

      And he never denied it happened. “Do you believe that” and “germaphobe” riffs are a deflection, not a solid answer.

      And droning on about how hotel rooms anywhere have tiny cameras is really something, coming from a HOTEL magnate. Insider tidbits, eh?

  24. CharlieWaffles says:

    So he wants to get rid of Obamacare and build the wall. Of course Mexico will pay for the wall because the Donald wants it… yeah, right.

  25. Jenns says:

    I’m grasping to whatever hope I have left that something will come out to cause his impeachment.

    On another terrifying not, the senate voted last night to repeal the ACA. The voting included ending pre-existing condition coverage, ending extended time on parents insurance and contraceptive coverage. 20 million people, including many Trump supporters, could be total f**ked starting this fall.

    • Lynnie says:

      I feel like I’m going to cry 😢

    • reg says:

      They will have to go back to emergency room for the next four years.

    • Lightpurple says:

      I sense a lot of people will soon be trying to move here to Massachusetts, where all those protections exist in state law pre-dating the ACA.

      • jwoolman says:

        The Massachusetts system was the model for the ACA.

        The Republicans have been trying to trash the ACA for years, but still have no detailed plan to replace it. Their motivation for this is baffling. But since the general principle is “follow the money” — I would like to see how the ACA opponents benefit financially from trashing it. Is it just about bribes and campaign donations? Or do some of them have more direct financial ties to the medical insurance industry?

        The smear campaign against Hillary Clinton really started when she worked on health care reform back in the 1990s. So much profit is at stake. The medical insurance industry resists any attempt at regulation and limiting their ability to raise premiums as much and as often as they want. The Republicans have successfully convinced people the ACA is the reason for premium hikes, when actually the companies have routinely been doing that long before ACA. My insurance went up 30% to 35% per year until they wanted 53% of my income (that’s when I had to become uninsured until the ACA). The ACA finally made insurance affordable again, although the wonderful plan presented was useless because the insurer narrowed its network to eliminate the local hospital and virtually all local doctors. They did that only to people on the exchange because they knew we didn’t have other options. Again, not a problem with ACA but with insurer greed. I would have been covered only in an emergency situation, so it was basically a catastrophic policy. Now I have Medicare, but who knows for how long that will remain affordable with Ryan trashing whatever he can reach.

      • Runner85 says:

        I was talking about this the other day. I think it could be part and parcel, good old fashion smite. They are simply doing it to smite the Democrats and especially Obama and further inflate their egos. Bottom line, total Hubris. However, clearly tying into all those items you mentioned above. It has been, it would seem, a simmer point for a long time. I crow a lot about the insurance industry,

        (though I am lucky to have good insurance through the school district I work for, even as a teacher assistant. Similar to you though, my private insurance premium was going up due to the exchange; in other words, less people on my plan, higher premium to allow continued coverage under that plan. both were from the same provider BCBS)

        being a massive for profit industry. Heath-care workers I know say the same. The companies are out for their bottoms lines more than anything. So annoying.

    • Lightpurple says:

      But they’re all keeping their tax payer funded healthcare.

  26. QQ says:

    You want to know what drives me crazy and off the wall is the fact that now people are memeing “fake news” like it’s some kind a funny thing to use now but what we are looking at is how he’s going to actively delegitimize depressed like this is what he’s going to go let he’s just going to say @fake news” with great insouciance and ya’ll gonna giggle into a proper bnews outlet losing press credentials, what we’re literally is looking at is how the institution of the press is going to fall so I don’t find anything funny about it.

    • SusanneToo says:

      Yes, how did “fake news” ever get started? Oh, wait a minute …
      http://twitter.com/_barretme/status/819237852391219200

      • Kitten says:

        You’re gonna send me over the edge with that shit. I just CANNOT…

      • Lightpurple says:

        @Kitten, I hope this stops you from self-harm: Baker has found his spine or borrowed someone else’s. The Globe has the letter (and answers to a questionnaire) that he sent to Congress on the ACA. It is very polite and extremely policy wonky, because he is a healthcare policy wonk. It very subtly says that if they must change the ACA, do it my way – which would broaden it and if not, give MA the flexibility to revert to what we had prior to the ACA. My sister (MassHealth policy manager) says it is a good letter. Baker has more expertise in the area than all the House Republicans combined probably and if they had brains and morals, they would heed him. But they won’t.

    • Sixer says:

      He is going to do that. And it is a very frightening prospect.

      It’s all very North Korea.

    • Onerous says:

      Completely agree. He is dismantling the press one outlet at a time so that his supporters only believe him. It’s terrifying. It’s outrageous. My only hope is that every goddamn person who didn’t vote this election gets out and votes in 2018 & 2020. There are more Democrats in this country than Republicans – we cannot allow ourselves to be divided. We can see what happens as a result – it really is Hitler’s rise all over again.

    • Kitten says:

      YES I said the same upthread and it makes me want to bang my f*cking head against a wall.

    • Mangosteen says:

      And all very Turkish: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/15/truth-lost-game-turkey-europe-america-facts-values?CMP=fb_gu “this is like trying to play chess with a pigeon. Even if you win within the rules, the pigeon will clutter up the pieces, and finally it will shit on the chessboard, leaving you to deal with the mess”

    • Shark Bait says:

      So true! The fact that he is trying so hard to discredit the press is terrifying. I have seen it from the far right, tea party types for the last eight years and now it is slowly creeping into the vocabulary of more people. The “mainstream media” “liberal media.” There was a freaking Info Wars billboard on 95 outside Philly that said “Don’t Trust the Liberal Media.” It’s all very alarming.

      However, did you see some of the black twitter tweets on fake news? Like, “your rent is due” “fake news.” Man if we are going down in flames, I appreciate some laughs.

  27. Kate says:

    I’m more convinced than ever that he really never ever wanted to win. Even now his plans for his business clearly haven’t been planned out properly, he’s falling back on stupid campaign promises he was previously backing off of because he’s still not prepared anything more than that, and he just looks so miserable and stressed out.

    • FromEurope says:

      He doesn’t have plans. He says what he wants to do but not how. Other people should figure that out for him because DT hates to work.

    • Digital Unicorn (aka Betti) says:

      I don’t think he even expected to win – i think he ran just to fluff his ego and ruffle feathers. GOP used him and his money to get into power – now they have it they will bide their tide before throwing him under the bus and putting their real candidate into power, Pence. On some level he knows this and is prob why he’s putting family members close to him.

  28. Eric says:

    I watched thd whole presser, and it was as bizarre as everyone is saying. He was introduced (or preceded) by two clowns (black widow and VP-elect womb raider) who blasted the media for reporting the dossier news. Then came the “headliner.”

    Emperor Zero was off the hinges from the get-go. He’s not as verbally adept at skirting issues as KellyAnne Conartist so he lied and boasted (and ultimately answered about 6questions).

    Sheri Dillon (the lawyer) spoke for about as long as Orange Julius Caesar and at least came prepared with her lies about COI and emoluments.

    Il Douche is unhinged and the talking heads were stunned.

    • Esmom says:

      Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the prelude where they went off about the dossier. At first I had a hard time understanding what they were saying, they were so defensive and all over the board. They reminded me of a middle schooler making excuses about why they were late coming home from school because they’d been out vandalizing the neighborhood or something. “HE WAS NEVER IN PRAGUE!” W. T. F.

      • Onerous says:

        And then they were all, “Oh! They meant a *different* Michael Cohen and here we were making this Michael Cohen show us his passport! LOL!!!”
        (I don’t actually remember the guy’s name).

      • Esmom says:

        Onerous, it was Michael Cohen, I’m pretty sure, lol. And it was insane!

  29. SusanneToo says:

    The folders were more than likely full of blank paper. Which would be typical of PEEOTUS Lying Liar.

    http://twitter.com/green_footballs/status/819377409271087105

  30. Jenns says:

    This clip was on Twitter this morning. Granted, I know AJ Benza isn’t the best source, but I believe him.

    https://twitter.com/superdeluxe/status/819303786569052160

    • Kitten says:

      I believe him.
      Because knowing everything we know about Trump, it’s easy as f*ck to believe.
      The prostitute rumors have been around for EONS. We know he cheats on his wives, we know he raped his ex-wife, we have numerous allegations against him from a myriad of women and we have him on tape saying that it’s ok to sexually-assault women. Why would we NOT believe that he’s into Russian prostitutes?

  31. eXo says:

    The only thing worse than listening to Trump is listening to the condescending, nails-on-a-chalkboard voice of Kellyanne Conway who always tries to defend him.

  32. SusanneToo says:

    The Huckster-in-Chief has to carry around cheerleaders.
    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-press-conference-paid-staffers-media-233496

  33. lightpurple says:

    Germaphobe
    Golden Showers with Russian prostitutes
    Hillary using the bathroom is “disgusting”
    Gold toilets in Trump Tower
    Leather toilets on Trump Air

    Sigmund Freud would be ecstatic over this guy.

  34. Ninks says:

    I’m sure it’s comforting to all of Trumplethinskin’s hotel guests to know that there are probably cameras in their rooms.

    And seriously, if the report is true that he had prostitute’s piss on the bed Obama slept in for one night, then what the hell is he going to do in the house they lived in for EIGHT YEARS?

  35. Insomniac says:

    Yes, Tinkles — while I have no idea if that story is actually true, I don’t have any trouble thinking it could be true, while I’d have never believed such a story about Obama for a second. Character tells.

    I wonder if the media now regrets spending so much damn time on Hillary’s emails.

  36. rory says:

    I’m sure he could fly in some Russian prostitutes to perform a golden water show at his inauguration.. Maybe R. Kelly will sing during this show.

  37. Sandra says:

    His press conference was the most shambolic thing I have seen from a high level politician how on earth could you guys Vote this mess into office?
    Sincerely asking from Germany

    • robyn says:

      Well Germany … I hate to say it but the same thing could happen to you. Be vigilant.

      • Sandra says:

        You are right but I wasn’t only talking about the right wing wave but the level of utter incompetence on display. This guy isn’t up to the job. You can tell that his knowledge is extremly limited.

    • Emily C. says:

      We have no idea how it happened either.

      We’ve produced a million thinkpieces and a bajillion comments from people who’ve tried to do research of their own to figure it out. They’re all contradictory. I keep coming back to what an Argentinian friend told me on election night, having figured it out from her own country’s similar electoral woes: “people are stupid.”

  38. IlsaLund says:

    What is so amazing is that Trumpeteers yell about the invasive, liberal media and it’s biased, fake news reporting and the press is untrustworthy and should be censored. Yet, the first thing they yell when challenged on the erroneous vile they spill, is “my constitutional right to freedom of speech” (which by the way really refers to the press, not necessarily individuals).
    I guess the part in the constitution about “freedom of the press” doesn’t really matter.

  39. Dcat says:

    I’m just surprised that a hacker group like Anonymous hasn’t hacked into his financial dealings yet

  40. reg says:

    This disclosure has been floating on the internet during the election,
    supposedly the Russians have sex tape of Trump, and BBC today claims there is now
    a second dossier. And the law firm which represents him on
    seperating Trump from business conflicts was voted top Russian Law firm of 2016
    and has an office in Moscow.
    My takes on this there is verifiable collusion between Trump and Russia
    before Trump even
    started his campaign, and the democrats will try to impeach him.
    He denigrates intelligence agencies, praises Russia and challenges Constitution
    on his business conflicts before he’s even sworn in. It is Unpresidented.

  41. Cinderella says:

    When DT’s house of cards comes crashing down, it’s going to crash HARD. I think everyone knows it, even the REPUBs. They’re just putting smiles and faking it until then.

    What was he thinking? That he and VP were going to “rule de verld” together? VP is going to play him like a Russian fiddle!

  42. jj says:

    Everything you said Kaiser! I can only take any Trump news in small doses so I can sleep at night. I still can’t believe it!!! When I heard him say 8 years, I almost threw up. What a nightmare!

  43. bogos says:

    I don’t think Trump is that well read and more like relying on his own “common” sense.

  44. Rapunzel says:

    Let’s also not forget he ended his press conference with his Apprentice catchphrase, “you’re fired”. SMH… he thinks this is a reality show.

    My Dad and I are betting he will use his inauguration speech to say “Obama, you’re fired”. His mindless thralls (cause that’s what his supporters are) will cream their shorts.

    • Kitten says:

      Ugh the “you’re fired” sh*t was so cringe-worthy. What a fucking ham..hamfaced ham.

    • Esmom says:

      I could NOT believe he concluded with that line. And he clearly thought it was so clever, too. I was seriously aghast.

  45. Miss Jupitero says:

    Germophobe, eh? Then he surely knows that urine is sterile, right?

  46. BJ says:

    I used to watch the evening news live ,now I record the news so I can fast forward.I experience nausea when I hear his voice.I’m afraid I am going to start having seizures.Like the episode of Seinfeld when Kramer has a seizure when he hears Mary Hart’s(ET) voice. I may have to go see a hypnotist.

    • Pip says:

      BJ, I feel your pain. I know I have to engage again so at the moment I am trying to cope with having the news on, but listening rather than watching. A kind of desensitisation.

      But then I worry that I’ll stop being so angry & disgusted & appalled – apathy & resignation would be even more dangerous.

      Christ what a mess.

  47. Pip says:

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/12/donald-trump-interview-1988-megalomaniac

    Interesting piece by Polly Toynbee in today’s Guardian. &, yes, I know she’s very much left of centre but she’s a very respected journalist in the UK.

    “Britain stares at him across the Atlantic, aghast at this grotesque man-baby, this loud-mouth buffoon and braggart, but my own assessment back then was: “He’s sharp as a gold-plated razor-blade.” Never underestimate the power of a person without self-doubt. Never underestimate the power of a gargantuan appetite for possessing everything. If he was frightening back then, he’s terrifying now.”

  48. LinaLamont says:

    I quit the Democratic Party after the election. “When they go low, we go high” doesn’t work when fighting Nazis and Fascists. When the Republicans say,  “Bend over”, the Democratic leaders ask, “How far?”.

    Infiltrating and fighting from within is the only way to beat the Reps. Claim Republican; vote Democrat. Claim Republican; call representatives and voice opposition to their stances. Claim Republican; poll against their policies. Being a Democrat in Republican-clothing is the only way, as (aside from a few: Franken) the Democrats are spineless and clueless.

    If the Reps were to see their own constituents rejecting their policies, the Rep leaders might change their minds. They’re all about saving their own asses/jobs and their New World Order— nothing else.

    We have to help ourselves… the Dem leaders aren’t doing it.

    • robyn says:

      You’re right there needs to be more “fight”. I actually think some Republicans did what you suggest but the other way around. Unfortunately, it has made people rethink Hillary/Democratic stances, which were balanced and good in my view. Democrats have doable ideas that would have helped but now it seems people want the party to swing more to left. I worry that is not a winning strategy and might actually keep DT in the office for eight entire years … unless he is called out for treason or corruption, of course.

    • Juls says:

      @Linlamont: I’ve been employing subversive voting tactics for years. My 78 year old grandmother taught me. She’s a real “nasty woman”. Every time they hand me my Republican primary ballot, I want to tap my fingertips together Mr. Burns style and go “mwahahahaha!” It’s a great feeling 😉

  49. Marley says:

    One thing that seems obvious to me is that the deep state really want a war between the U.S and Russia. I hooe Trump doesn’t cave in.

    • Who ARE These People? says:

      It’s more obvious that Russia wants to destabilize the area around Russia, and retake land that was formerly part of the Soviet Union. By weakening NATO (they hope with US help, via Trump) and enforcing the right wing movements in places like Germany and France, they can both lower the gates AND get welcomed in.

  50. Digital Unicorn (aka Betti) says:

    I finally made myself sit through that press conference – not all of it but it was scary. One thing that really stuck out for me, and please don’t flame me for it, was the language that he used. It’s very basic and ‘ordinary working man down the bar’ kinda talk. While i personally found it patronising I can see that to his core supporters it must have been a god send. He’s like that old grumpy Uncle who likes to speechify about things that he doesn’t really know much about but people still fall over themselves to agree with him because he uses words and phrases that they understand and connect to.

    His ability to dumb down complex issues is what got him this far – its frightening but I can see why voters flocked to him like sheeple. He has the used car salesman pitch down perfect.

    • LittlestRoman says:

      I completely agree! His vocabulary and syntax are terrible on-the-fly. He gives the impression of someone who has not read many books, which would put him in good company with many of those who voted for him. “He’s just like me!” Many people voted for George W. Bush because was ‘a guy I’d like to drink a beer with’. Apparently, I’m in some bizarre marginal group of people who want the smartest/most capable person serving as President.

  51. Guesto says:

    I believe every single charge against him. He lies every time he opens his mouth and has shown that truth is a moveable feast, if not actually a foreign concept, in the grim, self-indulgent fantasy world he inhabits.

    The reality is, even if HD video emerges of him clapping his tiny germaphobe hands in the stream of the hooker shower he’s paid for, he’ll say it’s not me, I wasn’t there, it’s fake, it’s sad, and the hapless US media will just let it pass like it’s letting every daily lie of his pass.

  52. Rico Shew says:

    The media is giving too much attention to rumour and accusation at the expense of much needed analysis on policy matters.

    • Lambda says:

      And apparently, so are the heads of the major intelligence services. Have you any idea how rare it is that the chiefs of CIA, FBI, NI, and NSA – ALL agree on the gravity of the file’s claim? The answer is: very rare. Not talking about the veracity of the report, but the accord between these (rivaling) four is an indication that it merits attention.

      • Marley says:

        Since December Trump has spoken out against Lockheed Martin, Big Pharma and corporations who take jobs away from America for cheap labour. I think his stay is going to be short because he’s meddling with the profits of the people who really run America. With so many enemies i wouldn’t be surprised if went the way of JFK . Then he’ll be replaced by Pence who is clearly the greater evil.

  53. Lambda says:

    Dear French people,

    Please, please, don’t be next.

    LePen was photographed in the Trump tower.

  54. Anastasia says:

    No one’s mentioned the fact that he had PAID STAFFERS there to CHEER him and JEER the reporters? That has literally never been done at a presidential press conference.

    I actually felt embarrassed for him. At first, I was like “WHO is cheering???” Then the news came out that they were paid staffers. As the Orange Turd would say himself, “Very sad!”

  55. LinaLamont says:

    Some levity….or, truth…or, both

    https://youtu.be/qEVtRrcg3dg

  56. Lightpurple says:

    Time for some wonderful news: Obama surprised Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom today.

  57. Borincana en la Luna says:

    I don’t know how I will be able to stand living in this political climate for four more years, let alone eight.

    Fun aside: I work for a small company that is very much pro Trump (CEO, COO, Program Manager) and these are people I have to interact with daily and am supposed to respect. The CEO has told me that the Program Manager couldn’t have said the racist/sexist things I have brought up (very Trumpian) because he’s hispanic and has daughters. In a post-Trump election landscape, facts just don’t matter.

  58. Abbess Tansy says:

    I am a Trumpophobe. Need to get some sort of sanitizer to deal with him.

  59. A Fan says:

    I didn’t read any of the above comments, so maybe it’s been mentioned already…

    He didn’t deny the Russian hooker story because he would never do it because he loves his wife, is married, would never cheat, etc, etc…he denied it (sort of) because he would get caught on camera and he’s got germ issues.

    I find that denial/rebuttal interesting.

    [*Just an interested observer here from another country.*]

  60. Anare says:

    I’m with Kaiser. I cannot stomach Donald Babyfists and just can’t watch him or really any political shows now. I read about all the nonsense and I laugh or feel ill, whichever or both. I just feel like I am stuck in a really bad reality tv show. Stop the world I want to get off!

  61. HoustonGrl says:

    I think the media should rebel at this point. This is most definitely not business as usual and it’s high time people stop pretending. We cannot continue to normalize this. If he’s literally gonna hand reporters their a** on a plate at every press conference, how would he feel about getting zero coverage? He’s a complete narcissist and I don’t think he would be that difficult to manipulate.

  62. Jennifer says:

    If his lips are moving, or if his fingers are Tweeting, he’s lying. I still can’t believe how many face palm moments I have had with people (in real life) who truly believe him and in him. Another WTF moment for me: When I heard someone say they will be “glad when the ACA is repealed” because they “get their insurance from the Marketplace so it won’t affect” them. I’m probably also my only friend on Facebook.

  63. Dinah says:

    When is Melania Trump going to be investigated? She’s a nude Slovene atheistic Communist. Links to Russia? Debts to The Kremlin? She speaks fluent Russian. She may have been in Soviet produced “adult” films in the 1990s. A spy for Russia? Not out of the question. If Trump did All-The-Way Melanija K., he’s far from a germaphobe, especially since her constant nude strutting is fondly recalled by those who can’t unsee it.

  64. Poodlemom says:

    You made me laugh out loud.