Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Fucking consultants! (of the political variety)

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread: Trump’s Interview With the Wall Street Journal

Reader Interactions

317Comments

  2. 2.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Ivanka Trump stopped by the Oval Office during the interview, telling Baker she heard he was there and wanted to say hello. Ivanka Trump has often made an appearance during interviews with her father, including with The New York Times and POLITICO, to make small talk.

    THIS. IS. NOT. NORMAL.
    None of this is normal.
    What this is, is fucked up.

  5. 5.

    FlipYrWhig

    He added: “And I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful.

    Is this one of those things where the other person says something like “quite a speech” and Trump hears nothing but volcanic praise, like when he claimed Elijah Cummings said he’d be one of the greatest presidents?

  6. 6.

    Yarrow

    MR. BAKER: But we can’t expect any more staff changes in the immediate – in the immediate future?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, I don’t think so.

    MR. BAKER: No?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: But I’m very happy with Anthony. I think Anthony is going to do amazing.

    HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

  8. 8.

    eclare

    I tried to read that article, and I could not make it through. He makes Sarah Palin sound like a great orator by comparison. As John Oliver said after he played a clip of POS talking about China, then the world, then the universe, then the Miss Universe pageant, then ratings, “FINISH ONE FUCKING THOUGHT!”

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    This is what comes from having the frontal lobes replaced with gold-colored Nerf balls. Sad!

  10. 10.

    TenguPhule

    @Major Major Major Major:

    TRUMP: I’d rather see repeal and replace because I – I can do either way. If you remember, it was – you know, it was an idea that I had very early on, repeal. Trouble with repeal is you’ll have millions of people out there that – well, it’s like we just got the highest confidence in many years; you know, people out there that will say, well, you know, how do we know we’re going to have health care? And I hate to do that to people.

    WSJ: But you’ve been concerned about that, right –

    TRUMP: I’ve always – I’m always concerned about that. I don’t like it. I don’t – I don’t like it from that standpoint. Now, with that being said, you might be able to make a very good deal because I think there’s a lot of pressure on the Democrats. But the Democrats are nothing more than obstructionists. That’s all they can do. That’s all they seem to be good at. So they’re obstructionists, so what they will do, even though it’s for the good of the country, they will obstruct. They can’t do anything about Obamacare, and I understand that. They don’t want to vote against it. But now, once it’s done – it was my original theory: once it’s begun, now they can get together. They can do something. But they won’t do that. There’s too much – and this isn’t with respect to me; this is years. This is years, Gerry. I mean, if you look at what’s been going on over the last long period of time. I actually asked people that are political people – I could ask you people – you know, is it the worst you’ve seen it? And I’ve had every single person, no, actually there’s certain other times that were worse. There were certain times in Obama’s administration that were worse.

    Gonna need more reels. And booze.

  11. 11.

    Byrookorbycrook

    Did he throw Jared a treat after calling him a “Good boy”? Or to Baker after telling him he did a good job? Holy hell this man is a disaster. And Ivanka “just dropping by”, she was checking on the doddering old man to make sure he didn’t need a diaper change. This is not normal.

  12. 12.

    Yarrow

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: … But, no, I’m very disappointed in the fact that the Justice Department has not gone after the leakers. And they’re the ones that have the great power to go after the leakers, you understand. So – and I’m very disappointed in Jeff Sessions.

    WSJ: You can fire him.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Look, Jeff – I could. But we’ll see what happens. But I was – I appointed a man to a position. And then shortly after he gets the position, he recused himself. I said, what’s that all about? Why didn’t you tell me that you were going to do that, and I wouldn’t have appointed you? But I appointed him. And shortly thereafter, he recused himself. So I think that is a –

    I love that the WSJ pointed out that Trump could fire Sessions and he ignores that to continue with his whining. What a loser.

  14. 14.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yarrow:

    And another HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!, since you brought it up:

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: ….I think we’re doing pretty well on health care. We’ll see.

    MR. BAKER: Yeah, yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: I call it a motion to talk, you know. It’s not a motion to proceed.

    MR. BAKER: The Senate view –

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: It’s not – basically, it’s a motion to talk. But once you get that motion, it’s in pretty good shape, once you get in. It’s hard to get in, but once you get in. So we’re going to see. John McCain was a great help, coming in as he did. And so it was something I very much appreciate, and we’ll see what happens. We’re going to know in about two hours.

    HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

  15. 15.

    Timurid

    The Senate is so terrified that they rubber stamped Christopher Wray.

    The GOP is still all in on Trump. The sulky op-eds and off the record comments are pure deza.

  16. 16.

    FlipYrWhig

    But we’re the highest-taxed nation in the world. We have – nobody knows what the number is. I mean, it used to be, when we talked during the debate, 2 ½ trillion (dollars), right, when the most elegant person – right? I call him Mr. Elegant. I mean, that was a great debate. We did such a great job. But at that time I was talking $2 ½ trillion. I guess it’s 5 trillion (dollars) now. Whatever it is, it’s a lot more. So we have anywhere from 4 to 5 or even more trillions of dollars sitting offshore.

    What the fucking fuckity fuck-fuck?

  19. 19.

    TenguPhule

    MR. BAKER: So can – what’s – I mean, you’ve outlined the principles of tax reform. Can you tell us what you – you know, what you want to achieve fundamentally in tax reform?

    TRUMP: Sure. I want to –

    MR. BAKER: What are the – what are the main goals?

    TRUMP: I want to achieve growth. We’re the highest-taxed nation in the world, essentially, you know, of the size. But we’re the highest-taxed nation in the world. We have – nobody knows what the number is. I mean, it used to be, when we talked during the debate, 2 ½ trillion (dollars), right, when the most elegant person – right? I call him Mr. Elegant. I mean, that was a great debate. We did such a great job. But at that time I was talking $2 ½ trillion. I guess it’s 5 trillion (dollars) now. Whatever it is, it’s a lot more. So we have anywhere from 4 to 5 or even more trillions of dollars sitting offshore.

    We want to get that back, number one, at a very reasonable cost. And that cost is going to be 10 percent. And right now it’s so high that, number one, you would never do it on a business basis. But, number two, bureaucratically it’s impossible. Did you know that? I have friends that try and get their money back. They say they have to go through years of writing out forms and this and that to bring money back into the country. We’re going to make that one – like a half-a-page document. It’s going to be very easy to bring your money back in. And it’s going to be taxed at 10 percent, which is a rate that’s – it’s within reason. And so that’s one of the things we want to do. That’ll be an easy one. That’s one that – you know, it’s – when you talk about a country that’s broken or a system that’s broken, there’s something – the $5 trillion, let’s call it – that the Democrats and the Republicans agree should come back in. It’s been out there for years. Nobody ever did anything about it.

    Can I get hazard pay for this?

  20. 20.

    randy khan

    I couldn’t read more than a little way into it, partly because the beginning was so deferential. I mean, you folks are supposed to be journalists, not buddies.

    But I did read to the part about consumer confidence, and it’s really remarkable that consumer confidence is so high and the President’s approval/disapproval is so bad.

  22. 22.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    I…fuck.
    There is not enough booze, and THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

  23. 23.

    FlipYrWhig

    This is choice too. A friend linked this earlier:

    So I deal with foreign countries, and despite what you may read I have unbelievable relationships with all of the foreign leaders. They like me. I like them. You know, it’s amazing. So I’ll call, like, major – major countries, and I’ll be dealing with the prime minister or the president. And I’ll say, how are you doing? Oh, don’t know, don’t know, not well, Mr. President, not well. I said, well, what’s the problem? Oh, GDP 9 percent, not well. And I’m saying to myself, here we are at like 1 percent, dying, and they’re at 9 percent and they’re unhappy. So, you know, and these are like countries, you know, fairly large, like 300 million people. You know, a lot of people say – they say, well, but the United States is large. And then you call places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and you say, you know, how many people do you have? And it’s pretty amazing how many people they have.

  27. 27.

    gene108

    I want someone to ask him “are you the greatest President in American history or the greatest President in the history of the world?”

    A normal person would say, ” I’ll let others decide” or some such.

    Trump would take it as a serious question and try to respond.

  28. 28.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @FlipYrWhig: “Words just failed us after that speach Mr President. It truly left us stunned and at a loss for words and we are sure is unparalleled in the history of Scouting. “

  30. 30.

    TenguPhule

    You know, a lot of people say – they say, well, but the United States is large. And then you call places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and you say, you know, how many people do you have? And it’s pretty amazing how many people they have.

    TRUMP: The truth is the people I care most about are the middle-income people in this country who have gotten screwed. And this upward revision, it’s going to be on high-income people.

    You know, I was with Bob Kraft the other night. He came to have dinner with me. He’s a friend of mine. And as he left, he said, Donald, don’t worry about the rich people. Tax the rich people. You got to take care of the people in the country. It was a very interesting statement. I feel the same way.

    MR. BAKER: Well, Gary’s a middle-income – (inaudible). (Laughter.) He works for the White House. He’s on a –

    TRUMP: He had to pay 200 million (dollars) in tax, Gary. Gary wrote a check for 200 (million dollars).

    Its the visual equivalent of a giant shit sandwich.

  31. 31.

    eclare

    @TenguPhule: That it’s never been done before is total bullshit, the last repatriation holiday was in the early 2000’s so companies could be magical job creators. Money went for stock buybacks, dividends, and acquisitions. I’m shocked!

  33. 33.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @TenguPhule: One does wonder if Donny McDonnyface is capable of understanding that throwing the health care market into chaos would screw his own hotels too?

  34. 34.

    FlipYrWhig

    You know, a lot of them don’t leave because of their house. Because they say, gee, my house, I thought it was worth 70,000 (dollars) and now it’s worth nothing. It’s OK. Go, cut your losses, right?

    You’d think with health insurance at $12 people could afford to ditch their $70,000 mansions!

  35. 35.

    gene108

    @FlipYrWhig:

    The US is the 3rd most populous country on the planet behind China and India.

    There are no other countries with 300 million people.

    Though, I think Indonesia will get there soon.

  37. 37.

    James Powell

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    THIS. IS. NOT. NORMAL.
    None of this is normal.
    What this is, is fucked up.

    And it was and, as far as I can tell still remains the wishes of the majority of America’s white people.

  39. 39.

    TenguPhule

    TRUMP: We think we’re going to have tremendous growth. We think money’s going to come pouring into the country.

    Look, we’re losing companies. People don’t even realize how bad it is, but we’re losing companies every single day where they’re leaving because the taxes are too high. When we do this, we’ll have companies – I know companies that have left. They go to Ireland, they go to other – I own a lot of property in Ireland. They go to Ireland because of these incredible tax rates, and other places, right? We’ll have companies pouring back into our nation. I mean, it’s going to be – you know, it’s going to be beautiful.

    I hope we can – I hope we can do the 15 percent, actually. By the way, 15 percent is not by any means the lowest, but at least we would go from the highest to one of the lower, lower taxes.

    TRUMP: But one of the things we’re doing that, so Gary and I are working – because I said, you know, Gary, we’re going to have Foxconn come in. We’re going to have a lot of companies that are coming in. Foxconn’s coming in with a big plan. We have Tim Cook I spoke to, and he’s promised me three big plants – big, big, big. I said, you know, Tim, unless –

    WSJ: Really? Where?

    TRUMP: We’ll have to see. You can call him. But I said, Tim, unless you start building your plants in this country, I won’t consider my administration an economic success, OK? And he’s called me and he says, you know, they’re going forward, three big, beautiful plants. You’ll have to call him. I mean, maybe he won’t tell you what he tells me, but I believe he will do that. I really believe it.

    But I said to Gary, I said, you know, Gary, you go to certain sections and you’re going to need people to work in these massive plants that we’re getting, that are moving in. Where do we have the people? You know where we have the people? In New York state that can’t get jobs, in many other places that can’t get jobs. And people are going to have to start moving. They’re going to move to Colorado and they’re going to move to Iowa and Wisconsin and places where – like if Foxconn goes to Wisconsin, which is one of the places they’re very strongly considering – but if Foxconn goes to Wisconsin and they have a very low rate and the governor’s done an excellent job, you’re going to have a situation where you got to get the people. But they’re going to start moving. And I’m going to start explaining to people when you have an area that just isn’t working – like upper New York state, where people are getting very badly hurt – and then you’ll have another area 500 miles away where you can’t – you can’t get people, I’m going to explain you can leave, it’s OK, don’t worry about your house.

    You know, a lot of them don’t leave because of their house. Because they say, gee, my house, I thought it was worth 70,000 (dollars) and now it’s worth nothing. It’s OK. Go, cut your losses, right?

    I am going to have to open a gofundme for my booze requirements at this rate.

    Holy FSM.

  40. 40.

    FlipYrWhig

    This is the single most self-aware thing I’ve ever seen from Trump:

    And frankly, other than the fact that it sounds good, lots of bad things happen with a strong dollar.

    Remember when he called up Michael Flynn in the middle of the night to ask which was better, a strong dollar or a weak one? o_O

  41. 41.

    Yarrow

    He really is just about beating other people, particularly Obama.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: You think – yeah, the partisanship. So, anyway.

    So I’d rather see – I’d rather see replace. I’d rather add the replace. And we have a very good plan. That’s the one thing, we really have a good plan. We’ve covered a lot of territory. It’s a very, very difficult situation because you move a little bit to the left and you lose four guys, you move a little bit to the right all of a sudden you have a bloc of people that are gone. You have about a one-inch road and it wheels through the middle of the valley, and if it’s even slightly off – it’s a very difficult – it’s a very difficult thing, always has been.

    You know, if you think, Hillary Clinton, smart person, she was the first lady of the country, her entire life was spent – her entire eight years was spent trying to get health care. Never even came close. Obama – and one thing I have to say, I’m here now exactly six months. Obama took would you say a year and a half?

    MR. BAKER: Yeah.

    WSJ: He took a year and a half, yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Because people were saying, Trump has not produced. I honestly believe for six months I have done more than just about any president when you look at all of the bills that were passed, 42, 43.

    Trump’s done more in six months than any other president. Uh huh.

  44. 44.

    Gravenstone

    @SiubhanDuinne: “Stopped by” as in stepped out of the little listening cubbyhole they use to make sure someone is near enough to keep the Old Man from beshitting himself further that he already has on any given day.

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Byrookorbycrook:

    Did he throw Jared a treat after calling him a “Good boy”?

    Yeah. Jared Kushner is a 36-year-old man, FFS.

    And a few weeks ago, he called his son, Donald Trump, Jr. — who is a 39-year-old man, by the way, FFS — “a good boy, a good kid.”

    Are these people living on Peter Fucking Pan’s Island of Lost Boys?

    I mean, FFS.

  46. 46.

    Yarrow

    @TenguPhule:

    And I’m going to start explaining to people when you have an area that just isn’t working – like upper New York state, where people are getting very badly hurt – and then you’ll have another area 500 miles away where you can’t – you can’t get people, I’m going to explain you can leave, it’s OK, don’t worry about your house.

    You know, a lot of them don’t leave because of their house. Because they say, gee, my house, I thought it was worth 70,000 (dollars) and now it’s worth nothing. It’s OK. Go, cut your losses, right?

    Holy shit. Don’t worry about your house? Nevermind that pesky mortgage. Just walk away and don’t worry about it. It’s the Trump way, after all.

  47. 47.

    TenguPhule

    MR. BAKER: While we’re on the economy, can I ask you, we’re coming up very soon to the time to decide whether or not to reappoint Janet Yellen as the –

    TRUMP: Yes.

    MR. BAKER: – chair of the Federal Reserve or to appoint somebody else. Are you – have you reached a decision?

    TRUMP: I have a lot of respect for her, and I like her. I’ve met her just a couple of times, but I like her. It’s early to make the decision. She doesn’t come up until February/March?

    MR. : End of June.

    WSJ: February. February 1st is –

    WSJ: Yeah, yeah.

    TRUMP: No, I have a lot of respect for her. I like her. She is –

    MR. BAKER: Does that mean it’s possible you would keep her?

    TRUMP: I do like low interest rates. I mean, you know, I’m not making that a big secret. I think low interest rates are good. I like a dollar that’s not too strong. I mean, I’ve seen strong dollars. And frankly, other than the fact that it sounds good, lots of bad things happen with a strong dollar.

    MR. BAKER: So she’s definitely – she’s definitely in the running to be replaced this time?

    TRUMP: I would say – you mean to stay?

    MR. BAKER: To stay.

    TRUMP: I would say yes, she is in the running to stay.

    WSJ: Is Gary a candidate? (Laughter.)

    TRUMP: He doesn’t know this, but yes, he is. (Laughter.)

    WSJ: Are there other candidates?

    TRUMP: I actually think he likes what he’s doing right now.

    MR. BAKER: That’s what he tells us.

    TRUMP: Don’t tell Gary what I just said.

    WSJ: Are there other candidates?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yeah, there are two or three. But she is – she is in the running, absolutely. I like her. I like her demeanor. I think she’s done a good job. I’d like to see rates stay low. She’s always been – you know, she’s historically been a low-interest-rate person, a believer.

    WSJ: Do you have a time frame for announcing a decision?

    TRUMP: I would say sometime by the end of year, probably.

    Caught something important in all the muck.

  48. 48.

    MP

    @Major Major Major Major: Yep, he did. I was joking about the whole Ken Bone thing. Reverting to humor is my defense mechanism during crises, and damned if I don’t feel like a Borscht Belt comedian these days.

  50. 50.

    Bobby Thomson

    @FlipYrWhig: considering the current head of BSA is also head of AT&T and brown nosing to get his merger approved, it’s probably legit

  51. 51.

    Yarrow

    @SiubhanDuinne: Some parents have a hard time seeing their adult children as grown ups and still think of them as kids. it doesn’t excuse it, but Trump wouldn’t be the only parent to do that. Certainly doesn’t excuse hand waving away Jr.’s and Kushner’s actions as those of “boys.”

  52. 52.

    FlipYrWhig

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Give me those notes, Hope, come on, just give – I can’t read it. What do you think, I have 20/20 perfect –

    I called this months ago — part of why his speeches are filled with rants and riffs and careen wildly off script is that he can’t see and won’t admit it.

  53. 53.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Gravenstone:

    Right, I know she did that with her daughter who can say “I wuv yew, Gwampaw” in flawless Mandarin Chinese, in some interview (NYT?) a week or so ago. Nothing like distracting the old man when he’s skating a leeeetle bit close to the patch of thin ice.

    I am positive that Javanka have set up a bug in the Oval for the sole purpose of being able to rescue him through distractions whenever they deem it necessary. Shit, it actually wouldn’t surprise me if it had been done with the full knowledge and cooperation, maybe even at the request of, Trump himself.

    Which would be just … pathetic.

  55. 55.

    Spaniel

    WSJ bends over backwards to highlight how they are not sycophants and the recorded discussion shows their prowess of being total suck-ups. I never knew the granddaughter’s name because it isn’t relevant in the discourse of politics, but why the $&%@ should I also need to know Baker’s kid name? She got to spend two weeks in Central America — what relevance is their in that info?

  56. 56.

    Gravenstone

    @MP:

    damned if I don’t feel like a Borscht Belt comedian these days.

    Pretty sure NotMax is auditioning for a new routine on the circuit, with all the little bon mots he drops in threads lately.

  57. 57.

    TenguPhule

    MR. BAKER: It would need a confirmation process, which will take time.

    TRUMP: Yeah, but it’ll go quickly. We’re starting to get them much quicker. You know, they’ve been really holding up – I mean, nine months, they have really been – that’s all they can do well. You know how many people I have in there? I have – I have a lot of people in there, and they complain to me. Like Woody Johnson. He’s the ambassador to the Court of St. James, which is England, you know, et cetera, et cetera. And I mean, he said what they did to him was unbelievable. The process was so ugly. I’ve had three or four people to be ambassadors, tremendous people, very successful people. They called me and they – their whole life they wanted to do this, and they gave up.

    MR. BAKER: Could you do a services deal with the U.K.? Could that include services?

    TRUMP: Yeah. It would include everything.

    MR. BAKER: Including financial services?

    TRUMP: Oh, no, it would be very – it would be – it would be very all-in with –

    MR. BAKER: That’s a big deal.

    WSJ: Because we have a lot of financial companies already paring back their numbers, moving people to Frankfurt, already clearing out of London some. Do you think that’s a good idea right now, ahead of this?

    TRUMP: That’s up to them. But we’re going to have a very good relationship with the U.K. And we do have to talk to the European Union, because it’s not a reciprocal deal, you know.

    The word reciprocal, to me, is very important. For instance, we have countries that charge us 100 percent tax to sell a Harley-Davidson into that country. And yet, they sell their motorcycles into us, or their bikes, or anything comparable, and we charge them nothing. There has to be a reciprocal deal. I’m all about that. And you know, it’s very interesting, at the border – people may have problems with border, but when you say reciprocal, everybody says, oh, that’s fair. So people have a problem with charging a 10 percent tax, which they shouldn’t have but they do. But when you say you’re going to charge reciprocal charge – in other words, what they charge we’re going to charge – all of a sudden these same people – it might be much more money – but these same people, all of a sudden they’re OK with it. So we have got to be much smarter.

    You know, our country was built, to a large extent, on protecting our manufacturers. If you go back to Jefferson, you go back to all of these great, great people that ran the United States properly, it was really based on a certain form of tariff and a certain form of protection. We’re just the opposite now. We’re the people that are getting beat up – one of the reasons I think I’m talking to – I’m sitting behind this beautiful desk as opposed to somebody else.

    Believe it or not, it gets worse.

  58. 58.

    JPL

    This was my favorite part

    MR. BAKER: So you’d include an agriculture deal with the U.K.?
    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I’ll tell you, you know, I did – I did thing that nobody even wrote about – although, you did. (Laughter.) But when I was with President Xi, who I have a very good relationship with, I said: Do me a favor. Would you allow cattle, please, to come in? I was last night in West Virginia, and I had farmers coming up to me and hugging me and kissing me because of the cattle stuff. They actually weren’t from West Virginia; they were from other places. (Laughter.) But, you know, it was the Boy Scouts, so they came from all over the country, but –

    The boy scouts that farm love him. It was such a big crowd.
    Chauncey Gardiner is looking down shaking his head in disgust.

  60. 60.

    TenguPhule

    WSJ: You mentioned the Iran deal, but it’s been certified as in compliance twice now. It comes up again in September. Would you – is there going to come a point where you just –

    TRUMP: Well, we’re doing major studies. Oh, I would be very surprised if they will be – look, we’ve been extremely nice to them. We’ve been extremely nice to them in saying they were compliant, OK? We’ve given them the benefit of every doubt. But we’re doing very detailed studies. And personally, I have great respect for my people. If it was up to me, I would have had them noncompliant 180 days ago.

    WSJ: Do you expect them to be declared noncompliant the next time?

    TRUMP: Personally, I do. I do.

    WSJ: In September?

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think they’ll be noncompliant. I think they’re taking advantage of this country. They’ve taken advantage of a president, named Barack Obama, who didn’t know what the hell he was doing. And I do not expect that they will be compliant.

    WSJ: Will you overrule your staff on that, if they come back with a recommendation –

    TRUMP: Oh, sure. Sure. Look, I have a lot of respect for Rex and his people, good relationship. It’s easier to say they comply. It’s a lot easier. But it’s the wrong thing. They don’t comply. And so we’ll see what happens. I mean, we’ll talk about this subject in 90 days. But, yeah, I would be – I would be surprised if they were in compliance.

    Fuckity Fuckity Fuck.

  62. 62.

    TenguPhule

    MR. BAKER: You also suggested in Cleveland today they should be going – or, yesterday – they should be going after Hillary Clinton. Is that –

    TRUMP: Well, I didn’t – I wouldn’t have wanted to. But I see the way they go after us on a witch hunt, you know? The Russian – the Russian story’s all an excuse for the Democrats losing. In fact, if you read the book, “Shattered,” they have a whole chapter where they sat the day after the election and they said: Yeah, Russia. It was Russia. And, you know, Trump was involved. OK, the one thing interesting, you never heard me even associated with anybody. But, no, that’s a total witch hunt, the whole Russia story. It’s a hoax. It’s a hoax. We had no collusion with Russia. We never dealt with Russia.

    People that were on the campaign, like Corey, came in yesterday. It was very interesting. He was being interviewed. He said – I was watching, Corey Lewandowski – he says: I was here from the beginning. And I must be honest with you, I never dealt with any Russians. He was only the campaign manager. I can even look at Hope. She was here from virtually the same day that Corey started, those two. Hope, how many Russians have you seen involved in the campaign, OK?

    HOPE HICKS: None. (Laughs.)

    TRUMP: OK? You know, I mean, it’s sad. So they do that. And I say, that’s fine. But then we should really look at real crimes, because real crimes are what Hillary did with 33,000 emails, where she deleted them and bleached them after getting a subpoena. Real crimes are what’s happening and what happened with the uranium deal. And also – I mean, you can say the speeches made while she was secretary of state where they paid her a fortune, Podesta owning a big company in Russia – they talk about me. I have nothing to do with Russia.

    You know, I put out a letter from a very – from the biggest law firm saying Trump has no involvement with Russia. I don’t. I have no involvement. I mean, I had Ms. Universe there, like, nine years ago, eight years ago, something like that. But I have nothing to do with Russia.

    By all rights, the recording devices should have exploded into flames at this point.

  63. 63.

    Mike in NC

    What did Trump charge for that WSJ interview? Cannot imagine him doing anything for free…

  65. 65.

    Kay

    Steve Peoples‏Verified account
    White House spox Sarah Sanders on Don Jr. statement: “The president weighed in as any father would”

    I know Sarah Sanders is another nepotism hire but my grown children don’t ask me to “weigh in” on everything.

    I feel like this is another new norm they’re trying to set- where full grown adults remain children. It’s gross. It’s not charming or cute.

    Trump’s son was at the meeting. He doesn’t need his father’s help to say what happened at the meeting. God almighty buddy, grow up. Daddy isn’t going to be sitting beside you forever.

  67. 67.

    TenguPhule

    WSJ: What about Bob Mueller?

    TRUMP: It’s a very important, very important thing.

    WSJ: I mean, but, Bob Mueller is also really the one leading this investigation. It’s his job to see –

    TRUMP: Well, we’re going to see.

    MR. BAKER: And he’s investigating Russia – your Russian connection –

    WSJ: He’s the Russian guy. So Sessions has recused himself, but is Bob Mueller’s job safe? There is speculation –

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, we’re going to see. I mean, I have no comment yet, because it’s too early. But we’ll see. We’re going to see. Here’s the good news: I was never involved with Russia. There was nobody in the campaign. I’ve got 200 people that will say that they’ve never seen anybody on the campaign. Here’s another – he was involved early. There’s nobody on the campaign that saw anybody from Russia. We had nothing to do with Russia. They lost an election and they came up with this as an excuse. And the only ones that are laughing are the Democrats and the Russians. They’re the only ones that are laughing. And if Jeff Sessions didn’t recuse himself, we wouldn’t even be talking about this subject.

    So all of our worst fears are confirmed.

  68. 68.

    Chet

    @Yarrow:

    You know, if you think, Hillary Clinton, smart person, she was the first lady of the country, her entire life was spent – her entire eight years was spent trying to get health care. Never even came close. Obama – and one thing I have to say, I’m here now exactly six months. Obama took would you say a year and a half?

    MR. BAKER: Yeah.

    WSJ: He took a year and a half, yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Because people were saying, Trump has not produced. I honestly believe for six months I have done more than just about any president when you look at all of the bills that were passed, 42, 43.

    Is he comparing how long it took for Obama to achieve one of his major goals, with how long it took him to utterly fail at his?

  71. 71.

    TenguPhule

    @Chet:

    Is he comparing how long it took for Obama to achieve one of his major goals, with how long it took him to utterly fail at his?

    Yes, yes he is.

  73. 73.

    eclare

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I would be willing to bet money daddy was at that meeting too…explains the weird “why didn’t the Secret Service stop the meeting?” rationale one of his lawyers produced.

  75. 75.

    clay

    @TenguPhule: Obvious follow-up that the WSJ somehow failed to ask: How, exactly, has Iran been non-compliant?

    (Not that I expect an actual answer.)

  77. 77.

    rp

    The most fascinating aspect of this article isn’t the transcript; it’s the biting commentary from Politico re the WSJ.

  78. 78.

    Turgidson

    @randy khan:

    I’m actually OK with these interviews being deferential in tone. Trump admits more when he thinks the interviewers are on his side or agreeing with him or whatever. His last NYT interview was a trainwreck in part because the interviewers were uncharacteristically nice to him and he let his guard down and let the river of insanity really flow.

  80. 80.

    TenguPhule

    @clay:

    How, exactly, has Iran been non-compliant?

    Trump started with the answer and intends to work backwards to the evidence.

  81. 81.

    Felonius Monk

    @FlipYrWhig:

    And I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them, and they were very thankful.

    It would not surprise me if this was proved truthful. The current National President of the BSA is the CEO of AT&T. That company is currently under a DOJ anti-trust review of some sort. This is called currying favor. (Source)

  83. 83.

    A Ghost to Most

    You read too much of that shit, you’ll get drain bamage.

    I’m not gonna read it. Too wound up from working in a building full of coal head Rump supporters. The comments are great, though.

  85. 85.

    FlipYrWhig

    @TenguPhule:

    I’ve got 200 people that will say that they’ve never seen anybody on the campaign

    From this and from other remarks, like when he was talking about Hicks and Lewandowski, he seems to think that the accusation is that he had, like, actual Russian goons staffing campaign offices. And his defense is, oh yeah, smart guy, ask the people who were in those offices, and they’ll tell you they weren’t being ordered around by Russian goons. :/

  88. 88.

    clay

    @TenguPhule: Exactly. What evidence does he have other than the evidence that his own administration is reviewing (which is that Iran is complying with the deal)?

    None whatsoever. And yet, he “knows” they’re non-compliant. Sure.

  89. 89.

    Kay

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Right. Maybe the rules are different for crime families. Maybe my son doesn’t ask me to weigh in on workplace matters because we’re not aligning our false testimony.

    They’re using this “family” bullshit to evade accountability. I didn’t tell the Trump kids to take positions in the campaign or the administration. They CHOSE these jobs. They are just like anyone else in these positions.

    That’s why you don’t hire your children. Because it’s impossible to treat them objectively. The Trump Family created this mess. They can learn to live with it.

  90. 90.

    randy khan

    @Chet:

    On the date of the interview, John McCain had yet to put his thumb down.

    More broadly, I find the repeated claims about how much he’s done to be a little bit pathetic. He’s signed a bunch of bills and issued a bunch of executive orders, but really how many of them were important? So far as I can tell, he’s devoted most of his effort to undoing things that happened during the last Administration.

  92. 92.

    TenguPhule

    @Major Major Major Major:

    so is he going to try the Bannon route and say we must tax the rich for white socialism?

    His answer was gibberish.

    TRUMP: We want – look, the job producers we’re going to take great care of, but we have to take care of middle-income people in this country. They built the country, they started this whole beautiful thing that we have, and we have to take care of them. And people have not taken care of them, and we’re going to.

    And I mean, I have wealthy friends that say to me I don’t mind paying more tax. And I’ll tell you what I sort of don’t like, is when they – you know, you’ll do your charts in The Wall Street Journal and they’ll be brilliantly done, very nice, and they’ll show that a rich guy who made, you know, $25 million last year is going to pay less than he was. In a certain way, I don’t like that. I’d rather take that difference and put it into the middle-income and put it into corporate.

  94. 94.

    debbie

    @Yarrow:

    Damn that reporter for not calling bullshit on all of Trump’s statements. He should have pointed out that it took Obama a year and a half because they met with Republicans, held hearings, etc., etc., etc.

  97. 97.

    Kay

    We can also stop treating Obama’s children the same as these adults. The Obama girls were children. That’s not actually a lifetime designation. We treat children differently than we do adults – all children. That leaves Don Jr out of that possible excuse.

  98. 98.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    We can also stop treating Obama’s children the same as these adults.

    Obama’s children passed more levels of scrutiny then these dickwads did.

  99. 99.

    Adam L Silverman

    @FlipYrWhig: Actually this is a fairly commonplace understanding of what to do with financially underwater property/underwater mortgages by wealthy people. They just walk away from the mortgage. Make the next couple of big purchases in cash, which restores their credit rating, and they’re good to go.

  102. 102.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @James Powell:

    And it was and, as far as I can tell still remains the wishes of the majority of America’s white people.

    Why you want make me cry, I not understand.

  103. 103.

    cmorenc

    What’s really disturbing is that 63 million voters thought “President Trump” was a good idea, and even though some of them are starting to add “at the time” to that thought, there are several tens of millions who still think it’s a good thing.

  106. 106.

    TenguPhule

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Actually this is a fairly commonplace understanding of what to do with financially underwater property/underwater mortgages by wealthy people.

    Found the problem.

  112. 112.

    Major Major Major Major

    @cmorenc: I saw an interview with that sociologist who studied exurban whites in the Great Lakes region, and they said that when they ask the trump supporters they met during the election what they think now, they say:

    –I support him;
    –even though he hasn’t done anything for me;
    –I don’t expect him to;
    –I never expected him to;
    –but at least he’s hurting Muslims and Mexicans;
    –and I wish he’d stop tweeting.

  113. 113.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Remember when he called up Michael Flynn in the middle of the night to ask which was better, a strong dollar or a weak one?

    And Flynn, in what was perhaps the only moment of his adult life in which integrity even dared peek around the corner, and to his everlasting credit, replied, essentially, “I’m sorry, Mr. President-elect. That is not within my own realm of expertise. May I suggest you pose the question to, YOU KNOW, AN ACTUAL FUCKING GODDAMN ECONOMIST???”

  114. 114.

    Adam L Silverman

    @TenguPhule: The other parties to the JCPOA are not going to go along with this. All he’s going to do is further isolate the US.

  115. 115.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Have we covered this one yet?

    Lachlan Markay‏Verified account @ lachlan 32m32 minutes ago
    Trump explains to Bedminster members why he spends so much time at his golf club: “That White House is a real dump.”

    Allahpundit‏ @ allahpundit
    We would have had a sweet week of rage in conservative media if Obama had said that

  117. 117.

    different-church-lady

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Is this one of those things where the other person says something like “quite a speech” and Trump hears nothing but volcanic praise

    TALENT AGENT: “Uhhh… well. That’s… quite an act. You got a name for it?”

  119. 119.

    different-church-lady

    @eclare: Raise your hand if you thought the reason the country rejected Palin was because she wasn’t crazy enough.

  120. 120.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @FlipYrWhig:

    You’d think with health insurance at $12 people could afford to ditch their $70,000 mansions!

    Snort!

    (takes long draught of wine)

    SNORT!!

  125. 125.

    TS

    @Yarrow:

    Some parents have a hard time seeing their adult children as grown ups

    I think it’s more that parents worry about or for their children – forever. That does not stop us letting them go their own way and make their own mistakes and/or successes. Trump excusing his son or making up lies for his son is not what most parents do. Our adult children have to stand up for their decisions & like any other adult, face the consequences of getting it wrong.

  126. 126.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I guess he might try and forget halfway through and revert to “I pay too much in taxes, eat the poor” mid-sentence.

    Until and unless they all join the “Rent Is Too Damn High” Party, I’m paying them no never-mind.

  129. 129.

    zhena gogolia

    You guys are too realistic. I like the WaPo commenters, who think he’s going to resign by the end of the month. They have an effect on me like a soothing warm bath.

  130. 130.

    eclare

    @TS: I still remember my mom telling someone she didn’t have children. I was in my late 30’s, therefore not a child.

  131. 131.

    NotMax

    Repeated (and slightly altered for greater clarity) from the other day –

    Obama: Eleven dimensional chess.

    Dolt 45: Eleven dimensional 52-card pick-up.

  132. 132.

    sukabi

    @Major Major Major Major: Don’t try and read it. It’s not worth it.

    I don’t know how far I got thru the transcript, but I can tell you I’m pretty sure his brain damage is contagious.

    Had to quit reading. Actually felt my IQ dropping.

  133. 133.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yarrow:

    Holy shit. Don’t worry about your house? Nevermind that pesky mortgage. Just walk away and don’t worry about it. It’s the Trump way, after all.

    And feel free to assault a few people on the way out. I’ll pay your legal bills, believe me.

  134. 134.

    Major Major Major Major

    @SiubhanDuinne: IMO triangulating to white socialism would have been a brilliant political play for Trump to make in December or so. Would’ve caused chaos in both parties and let him consolidate power. Probably what Bannon and Miller were hoping for. Fortunately Trump is lazy and stupid and doesn’t care.

  136. 136.

    Adam L Silverman

    Looky! Another general:

    Sessions taps former Army general to lead federal prison system
    WASHINGTON — A U.S. Army general has been tapped to lead the federal prison system, which will likely see its inmate population grow with Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ tough-on-crime policies.

    Sessions announced Tuesday that retired Maj. Gen. Mark S. Inch would lead the federal Bureau of Prisons. He has 35 years of military service.

    Sessions says Inch was a former military policeman who was head of the Army Corrections Command, among other positions. Sessions says that experience makes Inch “uniquely qualified” to oversee the federal prison system, a role he says is “critical.”

    Inch most recently served as an Army adviser on policing issues, developing programs and policies related to the Army’s police organizations.

    He was also commanding general of the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 in Kabul, Afghanistan, responsible for “detainee operations.”

    Here’s this bio:
    army.mil/e2/c/downloads/367336.pdf

    Full disclosure: I’ve done work for the Office of the Provost Marshal General and US Army Corrections Command.

  137. 137.

    Yarrow

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I wish he’d stop tweeting.

    This is the number one most common complaint about Trump by white people, it seems. They don’t care what he does; they care that he’s talking about it on Twitter. Saying it out loud. They just want him to stop talking about it. Deport all the brown people. Refuse entry to all the Muslims. Bomb the Middle East. Beat up and lock up all the black people. That’s fine. Good, even. Just stop tweeting about it and making them uncomfortable.

  138. 138.

    Another Scott

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: But I’m very happy with Anthony. I think Anthony is going to do amazing.

    Oh, he “do”ed amazing, all right…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  139. 139.

    different-church-lady

    @gene108:

    I want someone to ask him “are you the greatest President in American history or the greatest President in the history of the world Just what the fuck is wrong with you?”

  142. 142.

    lollipopguild

    @NotMax: Trump reminds me of the guy in a friendly poker game and its his turn to deal. The game comes to a stop because he is screwing up the process of dealing out the cards because he is trying to cheat. When he is caught and called on his cheating he accuses the other players of cheating also and says “everybody cheats”. Trump thinks he has a lifetime permission to lie, steal and cheat and nobody is going to call him on it or make him stop.

  143. 143.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL:

    I did thing that nobody even wrote about – although, you did.

    “I’m Nobody. Who are you?
    Are you Nobody too?
    Then there’s a pair of us, don’t tell!
    They’d banish us, you know.

    How dreamy to be Somebody.
    How public, like a frog,
    To tell you name the livelong day
    To an admiring bog.”

    (From memory, so I may have misquoted the odd word.)

  145. 145.

    ruckus

    @eclare:
    He has to have a thought to finish it. What he does is react. Not correctly of course, because it’s hard to hear reasonably with his head that far up his ass.

  146. 146.

    Fester Addams

    Um, that’s cognitive impairment. He told us “I have a good brain.” But he was wrong. Because he doesn’t.

  147. 147.

    Gelfling 545

    @FlipYrWhig: Jesus, I think I’m having a panic attack from that. And I don’t get panic attacks. Makes Palin sound like Demosthenes and W look like Solon. I’m shocked he can tie his own shoes though there is no verifiable proof that he can.

  148. 148.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lollipopguild:

    Trump is incapable(uncapable)

    Decapable.
    Miscapable.
    Anticapable.
    Countercapable.

    The English language is a limber and pliant thing.

  149. 149.

    different-church-lady

    @Chet:

    Obama – and one thing I have to say, I’m here now exactly six months. Obama took would you say a year and a half?

    MR. BAKER: Yeah.

    WSJ: He took a year and a half, yeah.

    PRESIDENT TRUMP: Because people were saying, Trump has not produced. I honestly believe for six months I have done more than just about any president when you look at all of the bills that were passed,

    VIM FUEGO: I could play “Stairway To Heaven” when I was 12. Jimmy Page didn’t actually write it until he was 22. I think that says quite a lot.

  151. 151.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Gelfling 545: Seems like a velcro kinda guy, don’t you think?

    @Adam L Silverman: The first comment is great:

    You can vaccinate your pets, but then you are putting them at an increased risk for autism. It’s almost animal abuse if you do. In fact, almost all animal diseases could be cured or treated with hot tumeric tea and coconut oil, so vaccines are really superfluous.

  153. 153.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @NotMax:

    Q: What do you call a hip Borscht Belt comedian?

    A: A beetnik.

    Go back to bed. It’s still early where you are.

  154. 154.

    HeleninEire

    I can’t read the interview. In fact I am going to have to force myself to read this thread.

    Driftglass is one of my favorite bloggers. But I hate David Brooks so much that I cant even read Driftglass excoriating David Brooks.

    Lastly it’s 11:35 pm where I am. I’ve had a beer or 5.

  155. 155.

    Turgidson

    @TenguPhule:

    In fairness to Hair Furor, this is how Republicans have dealt with every policy matter since at least the beginning of Bush the Lesser’s administration if not longer. WMDs in Iraq. All of Paul Ryan’s “proposals” to shred the safety net. Voter “fraud.” And so on.

    So Hair Furor is just doing what they showed him to do, in this particular instance.

  156. 156.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Major Major Major Major: I hate to see an animal or pet suffer, but I hope one of these idiots has a St. Bernard who gets nipped by a raccoon in Brooklyn and goes complete Cujo on the entire freaking neighborhood of hipsters.

  157. 157.

    Shalimar

    @TenguPhule:

    I had Ms. Universe there, like, nine years ago, eight years ago, something like that.

    It was November, 2013. He’s lost all conception of the passing of time. Probably the only reason he remembers he has been in office 6 months is because he has a little digital calendar on his desk that tells him how long he has been king.

  165. 165.

    Shalimar

    @clay: A few followup questions would be nice, but Trump is a trainwreck because he keeps talking and talking and talking without having any clue how anything actually works. The actual questions asked aren’t going to slow that down any.

  167. 167.

    Adam L Silverman

    Boizhe Moi!

    The service is reportedly getting a good deal on the jets, which list for around $390 million and are now sitting in the Mojave Desert.

    President Donald Trump said the projected cost of new Air Force One aircraft was too high, so the U.S. Air Force found a way to lower it: by buying a pair of Boeing 747 jetliners abandoned by a bankrupt Russian airline.

    Air Force officials are now finalizing a contract with Boeing for the two planes, according to three defense officials with knowledge of the deal. The Pentagon could publicly announce the deal as soon as this week.

    “We’re working through the final stages of coordination to purchase two commercial 747-8 aircraft and expect to award a contract soon,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement.

    The Air Force is not expected to disclose the specific value of the contract, but officials said that the military is getting a good deal on the planes. Boeing lists the average sticker price of a 747-8 as $386.8 million; the actual amount paid by airlines and other customers varies with quantities, configurations, and so forth.

    “We’re still working toward a deal to provide two 747-8s to the Air Force — this deal is focused on providing a great value for the Air Force and the best price for the taxpayer,” Boeing spokeswoman Caroline Hutcheson said in a statement.

    The 747s that will be transformed for Presidential transport were originally ordered in 2013 by Transaero, which was Russia’s second-largest airline until it went bankrupt in 2015. Boeing built two of the four jets in the order, but the airline never took ownership of them.

    Typically, an airline makes a 1 percent down payment when it orders a plane, then pays the balance in installments. Transaero did not fulfill its scheduled payments, according to an industry source.

    “Aeroflot absorbed most of Transaero’s existing fleet, but declined to pick up Transaero’s 747-8I orders worth $1.5 billion at list prices,” FlightGlobal reported last month.

    So Boeing flight-tested the two completed jets and put them in storage. Flight tracking data shows that the aircraft, numbered N894BA and N895BA, were last flown in February, to the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, a sprawling facility in the Mojave Desert whose hot, dry air prevents corrosion. This “boneyard” is largely occupied by retired commercial jets that still bear the liveries of Delta, FedEx, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific. Other planes, unmarked, sit with their engines shrinkwrapped in anticipation of one day returning to flight.

    Boeing has been paying to store the two 747s in new condition while searching for a buyer, which allowed the Air Force to negotiate a good deal for them, sources said. It’s similar to the way car dealers discount new vehicles from the previous year when new models hit the lot.

    Turning a standard 747 into a flying White House requires more than a blue-and-white paint job. After the Air Force takes ownership of the planes, contractors will give them a state-of-the-art communications system, defensive countermeasures, and hardening to withstand an electromagnetic pulse caused by a nuclear explosion. New custom interiors will have conference rooms, offices and seating for White House staff, guests and journalists.

    The Pentagon’s 2018 budget request, sent to Congress in February, shows that the Air Force plans to spend nearly $3.2 billion between 2018 and 2022 on two new Air Force One jets. Trump would likely fly on the new planes if he is elected to a second term.

    The 747s currently flown as Air Force One are 747-200s, older models that started flying presidents in the early 1990s.

    Related: Trump’s Air Force One Tweet Rattles the Defense Industry

    Related: Buying a New Air Force One Is Complicated

    Related: Boeing Breaks Air Force One

    Nicknamed the “Queen of the Skies,” the four-engined 747 has been a tough sell in recent years. Airlines instead have opted for cheaper-to-fly two-engine planes like the 777. Boeing has likely built the last passenger 747; any future orders are likely to be for cargo versions.

    United and Delta, the last two American carriers to fly older models of the 747, plan to retire the plane from service by year’s end. Just last week, the iconic aircraft made its last planned domestic revenue flight, a United trip from Chicago to San Francisco.

  172. 172.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Kay:

    I know Sarah Sanders is another nepotism hire but

    Okay, here I am going to go on another SHS mini-rant, with the usual apologies for being lookist.

    I saw a couple of YouTube clips of today’s press briefing. Who thought it was a good idea to dress her in a long-sleeved black velvet thing with puffy beribboned shoulders IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING SUMMER?

    Also, her makeup? The Mooch’s opinions notwithstanding, it looks like it was trowelled on by someone who was fired by Joan Collins in the early ’80s.

    No, sorry, I wouldn’t even know how to be catty.

  174. 174.

    Turgidson

    @Kay:

    The Trump Family created this mess. They can learn to live with it.

    There’s a first time for everything, I suppose.

  175. 175.

    sukabi

    @SiubhanDuinne: had to Google it, but yes! Exactly like falling down an elevator shaft of ignorant confusion.

    Anything intelligible they got from that interview came from Ivanka as she slipped a manila envelope of prepared q&a to Baker as she left.

  184. 184.

    eclare

    @SiubhanDuinne: Someone a few days ago remarked that her make-up recently has taken on a more Fox host-ish look. And they would not be surprised if POS has her on some sort of starvation diet. Remember Bannon’s reason for Spicer’s lack of appearances at one point, “he got fat.”

  185. 185.

    Mnemosyne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I realize there are differences of opinion in this area, but I don’t really see a huge problem in criticizing a public figure’s clothing that s/he wears for public appearances. Yes, you have to stick to the subject of “god, that dress is hideous” and not veer off into criticizing the body under the dress, but I think clothing choices are fair game.

    The one thing that bugs me in the gossip rags is when they make fun of what celebrities wear to the grocery store or to the airport. It’s none of our business what the Possum Queen wears when she goes to the Stop N Shop, but it is our business what she wears to represent the United States of America.

    Shorter me: “that dress is hideous” is a valid criticism; “that woman is ugly” is not.

  187. 187.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    In an internal town hall with employees in February, Baker said that anyone who claims the Journal has been soft on Trump is peddling “fake news,” and that employees who are unhappy with the Journal’s objective, as opposed to oppositional, approach to Trump should work somewhere else.

    The Pravda Street Journal, everybody

  189. 189.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TenguPhule:

    Obama’s children passed more levels of scrutiny then these dickwads did.

    They rolled their eyes at a turkey pardoning. The horror!!

  190. 190.

    danielx

    CAN this man actually speak a coherent sentence and/or keep focused on one topic for more than thirty seconds at a time?

  193. 193.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @TenguPhule:
    Does not compute. Let me get this straight. The Democrats are the ones who don’t care about the good of the country, because they wouldn’t vote on a stupid bill that would destroy healthcare for millions and betray their constituents or help the Republicans do so (they begged to help craft a real bill but weren’t allowed to participate)? Fuck this idiotic failure. Worst leader in recorded history

  194. 194.

    different-church-lady

    @danielx:

    CAN this man actually speak a coherent sentence and/or keep focused on one topic for more than thirty three seconds at a time?

  195. 195.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    It has been reported that he has reading glasses but refuses to wear them if anyone else is around.

    For the Love of FUCK! He’s 71 years old, but he’s too fucking VAIN to be seen in reading glasses?

    I mean, I’ve heard of narcissism, but this is just STUPID.

  198. 198.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @randy khan:

    He’s signed a bunch of bills

    No, he hasn’t. 90% of the incredibly, pathetically small number of ‘bills’ passed by the Senate so far were formal declarations that they don’t approve of Obama’s executive orders. I’m pretty sure those don’t get a signature, even. It is utterly gobsmacking how McConnell has sat and twiddled his thumbs this congress.

  199. 199.

    Smiling Mortician

    @TS:

    Our adult children have to stand up for their decisions & like any other adult, face the consequences of getting it wrong.

    True. But all indications are that Trump Sr. was in the damned meeting. He wasn’t trying to fix a problem for Don Jr. He was trying to fix a problem for himself, prior to throwing Don Jr. under the bus.

  201. 201.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @lollipopguild:

    Wearing reading glasses might make him look OLD!

    Thank the blessed FSM the chins, the wattle, the hair whatever that is on his head, the protruding belly, the abominable posture, and the outsized ass don’t add to his age.

  202. 202.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Frankensteinbeck:
    McConnell blew a lot of political capital on Deathcare. He’s proven to be a legislative failure so far. Just goes to show it takes less work and skill to be an obstructionist than to be a constructive visionary.

  207. 207.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    FUCK YOU SPELL CHECK

    How dreamy to be Somebody.
    How public, like a frog,
    To tell you name the livelong day
    To an admiring bog.”

    Should be “How DREARY to be Somebody,…” and “To tell youR name….”

  209. 209.

    Yarrow

    @TS: Hence my use of the word “some.” There are some parents who never see their adult children as adults. I never said it was healthy or something parents should strive for, just that it does happen.

  210. 210.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Wait, people are worried now about their autistic CATS?

    I love cats, but Jesus Christ, they’re ALL autistic. I mean, it goes with the job description for CAT. I mean, FOR FUCK’S SAKE.

  211. 211.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @debbie: I can still be amused when I see footage of trump and he’s clearly spent some time on the tanning bed and had his colorist. The way his eyebrows are often several shades shinier than his hair or skin, like neon-yellow caterpillars on a pumpkin that somebody dropped… something… on.
    ETA: reporters try to keep track of how much time he spends golfing or yelling at the TeeVee, how long does it take to maintain that tan? Can you watch TeeVee from a tanning bed? Did he order Reince to come in to the Tanning Room and… No, I won’t.

    Used to notice the same thing with Tweety now and again, that he’d had a touch up up top, but now that’s the one political addiction I’ve managed to kick.

  214. 214.

    mike in dc

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I had an immediate “HEY GO FUCK YOURSELF” reaction to that comment. It’s a historic residence with a movie theater, bowling alley, underground bunker and surface to air missile system. You’re living rent-free in a place maintained by taxpayer money. Hey, respectfully, Mr. President, please go fuck yourself.

  215. 215.

    JPL

    Last night the Washington Post had an explosive article about Trump crafting Don Jr.’s statement to the press
    Today NPR has an explosive article about Trump’s involvement in creating fake news
    Sports Illustrated has an article where Trump calls the White House a dump
    and Politico releases a WSJ transcript with Trump that is filled with gobbledgook.

    Wired also had a tape of Jared speaking to interns, but I think that was yesterday.

  216. 216.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @eclare:

    Come sit by me…

    Yeah, gladly. (Was thinking a bit earlier that John Cole, our beloved Blogmaster, needs to rent an entire beachfront Colony for an entire Season, so we can all hang out together and sit by each other and come and go as we please, and say “fuck” as often as we wish without fear of offending our relatives….)

  218. 218.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Yarrow: Remember that commenter from my local paper?

    This his response:

    No crime worthy of impeachment has been committed, except perhaps, by the former administration. God Speed, Sir.

    Me:

    Impeachment is purely a political process. Congress could impeach a president for the color of their shoes if they wanted. Trump, at the very least, should be impeached for gross incompetence and obstructing justice. He’s a danger to us all, including the rest of the world. Everyday, his words and actions and those of his underlings damage our democracy, our global standing, and our culture.
    Also, apparently, a blowjob is an impeachable offense but not obstructing justice. Go figure. And I don’t know what imaginary crimes you’re talking about, but you seem to want a dictator instead of a president who follows the law and is accountable to the People.
    God Speed.

    He basically ran away like a coward.

  221. 221.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Our vet no longer advises that indoor-only cats get annual rabies shots, because there are some cancer risks with the current vaccine (a tumor can form at the injection site). Now they’re supposed to get them every 5 years instead.

    However, that’s an actual scientific reason with some research behind it.

  224. 224.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @debbie:

    My bet is that Kellyann is the makeup artist.

    Jesus, Debbie. I know we’re a feisty bunch here in Balloon-Juice-land, but you’ve stepped over the boundary into Egregiously Cruel. What’s wrong with you?

  225. 225.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Honestly, if Trump was more of a malleable buffoon who didn’t constantly undercut himself and his staff (like a Warren Harding), I’d be more scared of COS Kelly becoming basically Acting President Kelly for all intents and purposes. Are WH staff accountable to anyone else except the POTUS?

  233. 233.

    Adam L Silverman

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?: I read somewhere that generals seem to be a proxy for the President’s father. That’s why he doesn’t publicly disparage them, on twitter or otherwise in speeches or off the cuff remarks. Apparently they are stand in authority figures. Whatever the home dynamic that drove his parents to send him to that military school, the dynamics at the school didn’t do him any favors.

  234. 234.

    TenguPhule

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    I join those who can’t read a transcript of Trump. My brain seizes up. Plus I don’t want to. Reclaiming my time.

    I suffered so you didn’t have to.

  237. 237.

    TenguPhule

    @danielx:

    CAN this man actually speak a coherent sentence and/or keep focused on one topic for more than thirty seconds at a time?

    All available evidence points against it.

  242. 242.

    Morzer

    talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/report-trump-calls-white-house-a-real-dump

    President Donald Trump explained his frequent weekend visits to his own properties by disparaging the White House in no uncertain terms, according to a report published Tuesday by Sports Illustrated.

    Sports Illustrated reported that Trump recently explained his frequent weekend visits to his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, by telling members, “That White House is a real dump.”

    I’ve a feeling that the less than perfect status of the White House might have something to do with the toxic waste that was recently dumped into it.

  243. 243.

    TenguPhule

    @Morzer:

    “That White House is a real dump.”

    First thing that came to mind at that “What has that stickyfingered vomitball stolen from the Whitehouse?”

  245. 245.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Oh he is. He seemed to completely disregard the link about presidents getting charged with obstruction of justice after he denied presidents can be from Yarrow and just shut down. Sad.

    @Adam L Silverman:

    His stupid pathologies and daddy issues are putting us all in peril. Thanks for the info

  246. 246.

    TenguPhule

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Sessions says Inch was a former military policeman who was head of the Army Corrections Command, among other positions. Sessions says that experience makes Inch “uniquely qualified” to oversee the federal prison system, a role he says is “critical.”

    So more Foxes in charge of the Hen house.

    How could this possibly go wrong? //

  248. 248.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @smintheus:

    Scaramucci started wearing his ties at Trump’s favored length rather than the way normal humans do.

    That is hifuckinglarious.

    Somebody, I think it might have been baud, put up a video link a few days ago showing how Mooch mimicked nearly every one of Trump’s characteristic gestures. Seeing the clips side by side in real time was pretty amazing. Cannot find that link, and stupidly neglected to bookmark it at the time, so if anyone has it or remembers, THAT’D BE GREAT.

  249. 249.

    Adam L Silverman

    @TenguPhule: I honestly don’t know if I know Inch. The name sounds familiar, but that may have just been because someone mentioned it to me when I was doing a research project for Office of the Provost Marshal General and Army Correction Command. So I cannot offer an informed opinion.

  250. 250.

    Adam L Silverman

    @SiubhanDuinne: Actually a very effective way to establish rapport. If you go back and look at the pics of the President meeting with Putin at the G20 you’ll see that Putin mimicked his seating posture. Same reason: put the subject/source at ease by giving them a mirror of themselves.

  252. 252.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Robert Meuller’s lawyer-hiring stimulus program rolls on

    Reuters Top NewsVerified account @ Reuters
    EXCLUSIVE: Former Justice Department official Greg Andres joins special counsel Mueller’s team.

    Laura Rozen Retweeted Reuters Top News
    He was dep.AG in criminal division, where he oversaw the fraud unit and managed the program that targeted illegal foreign bribery.

  255. 255.

    TenguPhule

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Actually TF 134 was Camp Bucca. So they brought us al Zarqawi and al Baghdadi.

    So Torture Prison’s lesser known younger prison that never really made a name for itself until after the fact?

  257. 257.

    chris

    Holy hell! Thank you all for sifting through this for me. I tried but had to quit because I could hear his whiny voice and I think I lost a few brain cells before I stopped.

  258. 258.

    TenguPhule

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The other parties to the JCPOA are not going to go along with this. All he’s going to do is further isolate the US.

    And the fact that it will probably kick off active hostilities in the Middle East will be bad too.

  262. 262.

    lollipopguild

    @Morzer: Sad to say but comments like this from trump may turn more people against him than the more serious stuff. On a lot of topics some of his supporters will simply agree to disagree with you but I do not think you will find many of his voters who would agree with him on the White House being a dump. We may see more of his people going “radio silent” rather than trying to defend him on stuff like this.

  263. 263.

    TenguPhule

    @frosty:

    but did you have to quote so damn much??!?!

    You all needed to understand my pain.

    Those were just the highlights. I left out most of the rambling.

  269. 269.

    Adria McDowell

    @Adam L Silverman: There’s a big difference between the military prison system and the fed system. Military inmates tend to have more discipline, believe it or not.

    Good luck to him, I guess. ??

  270. 270.

    NotMax

    @Adam L. Silverman

    Not to mention prisoner deaths.

    Someone, some day, will write a history of the arrogant disregard for and, in cases, deliberate ignoring of the Istanbul Protocols (forensic procedure and investigation by the military) in both Iraq and Afghanistan by both on-site personnel and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

  271. 271.

    Adam L Silverman

    @TenguPhule: TF 134 was an interesting premise. They had developed what they thought, and what appeared to be, a pretty robust deradicalization program. It worked for some of the detainees, but for others having them all at Buca just served as an incubator. They met each other, made connections, reinforced each other, etc. There is a pretty decent literature on this stuff. One book, specifically on the deradicalization of jihadis, which came out in 2010, shows in hindsight just how hard this is to pull off. I reviewed it for one of the polisc journals at that time. What we now know is that this is very hard to pull off regardless of what people are radicalized into.
    amazon.com/Radicalization-Jihadists-Transforming-Movements-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B0026K2AV4/ref=sr_1…

  272. 272.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @TenguPhule:

    Sessions says that experience makes Inch “uniquely qualified” to oversee the federal prison system, a role he says is “critical.”

    So, he agrees with Sessions that blacks are criminal animals who deserve the most brutal treatment possible. Got it. God damn, Sessions is a nightmare.

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    If Mueller keeps bringing more high powered investigators onto the team, does that imply he is finding so much dirt he needs to keep expanding his team to handle it all?

  273. 273.

    Central Planning

    @FlipYrWhig: Oh god, this burns.

    Countries with like 300 million people? The list goes like this: China (1.4b), India (1.3b), US (324m), Indonesia (258m), Brazil (206m), Pakistan (202m), Nigeria (186m), Bangladesh (156m), Russia (142m). Number 10 is Japan at 127m.

    I don’t think we can count on most of those countries as fans of the US.

  274. 274.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Actually a very effective way to establish rapport. If you go back and look at the pics of the President meeting with Putin at the G20 you’ll see that Putin mimicked his seating posture. Same reason: put the subject/source at ease by giving them a mirror of themselves.

    Oh yes, I did some freelance writing work several years ago with three or four NLP practitioners, and in the process picked up some useful information and techniques about mirroring. But with Mooch vis-à-vis Trump, it was just so blatant. And usually, anyhow, one uses these techniques in the presence of the opposite number — not on camera in a press conference.

  275. 275.

    smintheus

    @SiubhanDuinne: OTOH, good thing it’s old news now because it seems a bit too much like a Chris Cillizza act just to have noticed it in the first place.

  277. 277.

    TenguPhule

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    If Mueller keeps bringing more high powered investigators onto the team, does that imply he is finding so much dirt he needs to keep expanding his team to handle it all?

    I would think so.

    Which is a little horrifying once the full implications of that start to settle in.

  278. 278.

    Adria McDowell

    @Adam L Silverman: Just asked my husband about him: he was commandant when my husband was at the DB (USDB at Fort Leavenworth). My husband was just a guard at the time; didn’t really have anything good or bad to say about him, though.

    Wheaton College grad, tho. Fundie school? For some reason, that’s my impression of the place.

  280. 280.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @p.a.:

    Have they installed color coded arrows on the WH floors so he can find his way around yet?

    The little footprints….

  287. 287.

    Felonius Monk

    This interview proves once and for all that Trump defecates through his mouth.

  289. 289.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adria McDowell:

    Wheaton College grad, tho. Fundie school? For some reason, that’s my impression of the place.

    IIRC, Wheaton is fundie and quite conservative but not, like, Bob Jones U conservative. Boys and girls may be allowed to — gasp! — hold hands in public at Wheaton.

  292. 292.

    Adria McDowell (formerly Lurker Extraordinaire)

    What really pisses me off from this interview (there is a lot actually, but….)? Why is it that New Yorkers are expected to up and move* sticks if there are no jobs around, but people in West Virginia don’t have to go anywhere because “coal jobs are coming back”? What the fuck is that bullshit?

    *Not saying that moving isn’t a good idea if there are no jobs; plus moving is really expensive, and if you are already struggling, it’s not feasible. I just had the double standard.

  293. 293.

    Amir Khalid

    I started reading the transcript at the Politico link, and then I gave up. Imagine the stupidest, the most horrible, the most dishonest and reckless things a POTUS can say or do, and Trump will outdo your imagination every day of every week. I am weary of Trump and his unrelenting bad-in-every-wayness.

  294. 294.

    TenguPhule

    @Amir Khalid:

    I started reading the transcript at the Politico link, and then I gave up.

    Up thread to make it easier.

    I tried to summarize the worst highlights.

  297. 297.

    TenguPhule

    @SFAW:

    No WAY! Baud just issued a press release saying he’s behind Poco 1000 percent!

    The chicken decided to display its military credentials.

    It will be marked as a turning point in the Chicken’s campaign.

  301. 301.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Gravenstone: I don’t know because I don’t know whether the custom jobs they’re going to get are going to cost more than if we’d bought a pair of just off the assembly line ones.

  305. 305.

    ??‍? Martin

    Take that interview apart. Throw all of Trump’s sentences on the floor. Now, I dare you to find any one sentence and figure out which one came before or after it.

  306. 306.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Felonius Monk:

    This interview proves once and for all that Trump defecates through his mouth.

    Just threw up in my own mouth. Thanks, Felonious Monk!

  309. 309.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @eclare:

    I hope the universe has an endless supply of “fucks” because we are going through them at an alarming rate.

    I was truly worried that I had exhausted my lifetime quota of “fucks,” but I seem to be golden so far.

  310. 310.

    TriassicSands

    Gerard Baker should be ashamed of himself. What a complete hack! That is one of the worst jobs of questioning I’ve ever seen. He seems almost as stupid as Trump.

  311. 311.

    Jeffro

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    What is this administration’s obsession with the military?

    It’s generals and billionaires, all the way down…

    In all seriousness, this is Trump: billionaires and generals are the only people even remotely close to his level of awesome. Why would he hang out with, much less listen to, anyone else? And doesn’t hiring generals and billionaires mean that he’s above even those fine, lofty folks?

  312. 312.

    randy khan

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    CNN had a breakdown at the end of June of the 40 bills Trump had signed:

    15 were bills repealing rules adopted in the last year of the Obama Administration under the Congressional Review Act.
    8 were more or less ceremonial – naming post offices, etc.
    3 to appoint regents for the Smithsonian (Who knew you needed legislation to do that?)
    2 continuing resolutions
    1 to allow people to be appointed to the board of the Office of Compliance (apparently the authorization to appoint people to those positions was about to lapse)
    1 to allow Mattis to serve as Secretary of Defense

    The remaining 10 bills were a mix of various policy and operational legislation, none of them particularly major. Obama signed fewer bills in his first six months, but they included the stimulus bill, children’s health care, the Lily Ledbetter Act, and a law expanding the FDA’s jurisdiction. IIRC, financial regulation reform followed soon after.

  313. 313.

    sukabi

    @smintheus: the Mooch was heavily into mirroring drumpf from clothing colors, tie length, to hand gestures and phrasing. He REALLY, REALLY needed something from Drumpf, whether it was an out from the taxes he’s going to have to pay on the sale of his company or something else, he wanted something.

  315. 315.

    Groucho48

    @? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?:

    Partly because they want to bask in the glow of what they assume are manly men and partly, I’m guessing, because they have found that there are no national level Republicans that are capable of doing anything constructive, and they don’t trust academics or anyone associated with Obama. That pretty much leaves the military.

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