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You are here: Home / Open Threads / A Lesson in How Trump’s Bit Works

A Lesson in How Trump’s Bit Works

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I posted about Trump’s tariff threats towards Mexico, as well as how his advisors are talking about a war with Mexico, and predicted that it would amount to nothing, which it did.  I’m not a genius to make that prediction, btw. How, exactly, it amounted to nothing, and how quickly nothing arrived, is worth a closer look.

After Trump’s tariff saber rattling, he and Claudia Sheinbaum had a call.  Here’s what Trump said about the call on Truth Social:

A Lesson in How Trump's Bit Works

This is what Claudia said about it:

A Lesson in How Trump's Bit Works 2

So, here’s what happened:

  1. Trump shit talked about tariffs, Claudia pushed back.
  2. She and Trump had a phone call, where I’m guessing she pushed her point that Mexico had already done a lot to stop the flow of migration.
  3. Trump chose to not listen well and/or misrepresent Claudia’s position the call to justify not having a tariff war that he wasn’t going to have in the first place.
  4. Claudia again pushed back and now we have a both sides view of the conversation reported in the media.

Trump’s bit or schtick:

  1. Provocation and big media coverage.
  2. Discussion with the target of the provocation framed by Trump as capitulation.
  3. Media reporting normalizing this – not treating it as shit talk followed by a non-capitulation.
  4. Trump finds a new target and issues a new provocative threat, repeat ad infinitum.

As long as media and other observers fail to recognize the schtick and call it out, Trump’s going to run this play over and over, because, let’s be clear, it works really well for him, and has for most of his life.

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    86Comments

    7. 7.

      @mistermix.bsky.social

      @different-church-lady:

      I think this overlooks how quickly Trump can just go back to tariffs at the next brain misfire.

      If it reads that way, it’s unintentional.  I fully expect Trump to return to tariffs and Mexico again and again and again, with slightly different made-up provocative statements, repeating the pattern and the schtick.  He just won’t do it tomorrow.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      David Collier-Brown

      “I’ve just got off the phone with Mr. Trump, and he agreed with me that Mexico was doing a good job on the border, eliminating the need for extraordinary tariffs.”

      Preferably posted about 30 seconds after the phone goes back into the cradle (:-))

      Reply
    10. 10.

      moonbat

      Truth is we now have (again) a reality show government where there is a lot of yelling and screaming and intrigue and nothing good really ever happens. It’s been his shtick since The Apprentice. He sees that as the high point of his existence and so why wouldn’t he go back to that playbook again and again?

      We also sadly have a reality show media who is looking for clicks and drama (and lower taxes) and so they lap it up. Of course they won’t call him on it. Biden’s ‘flaw’ wasn’t being old it was governing competently. Competent is boring to these people.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      Jay

      during Little Donny Convict’s first disastrous presidency, there was a specific scenario that we saw play out over and over.

      step one: Donny would propose some ruinous policy, or make some fuckbrained pronouncement. Mexico’s going to pay for the wall! covid will disappear by Easter — like a miracle!

      step two: Donny would get clocked upside the head by reality. Mexico basically told Donny to sit on it and twirl, and covid went on to kill over a million Americans. no matter, because —

      step three: despite the vigorous head-clocking, Donny would nonetheless claim victory. he built the wall! (he didn’t.) he vanquished covid! (he didn’t.)

      the final step in this kabuki dance would be when, upon hearing the great (imaginary) news of Dear Leader’s victory, his gaslighted cultists would spontaneously orgasm, and proclaim that a greater genius had never walked the face of the earth.

      https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/elderly-golfer-clownfucks-his-way

      we saw this whole stupid dog-and-pony show play out again just this week.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      Geminid

      @rikyrah: Syria’s a big country and Assad is a survivor, so this is an upredictable situation. The Syrian rebels have captured Syria’s second largest city though, and just opened up a new front. They also captured large stockpiles of weapons and ammunition that Assad’s panicked troops left behind.

      One big question now is whether anybody is willing to die for Assad. The rebels have adopted a policy of clemency towards prisoners, and that is a smart tactic as well as a moral one. Assad’s army could defect in units or desert individually..

      Two factors may have contributed to Assad’s predicament besides the fact that pretty much everybody hates him. Russia has stripped Syria of many of its forces in order to fight Ukraine, including fighter bombers. They also sent most of their private military contractors on to Africa, and those are getting chewed up by insurgents in countries like Chad and Mali.

      A second factor is that Hezbollah forces were withdrawn from Syria to fight in Lebanon. They were Assad’s toughest troops and helped save his regime ten years ago.

      I guess a third factor is that just about everybody in Syria has a smart phone.

      Reply
    14. 14.

      Steve LaBonne

      And both our media and foreign leaders take the bait every time, when it’s almost two months until he’s actually in power! He’s an idiot in most ways but he has a genius-level feral talent for keeping himself the center of attention.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Melancholy Jaques

      @Jay:

      By this time next year, 45% of the country (100% of Republicans) will believe that Trump actually did invade Mexico, taught them a hard lesson, and won major concessions.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      different-church-lady

      when it’s almost two months until he’s actually in power!

      Jesus, I completely forgot about the part where having conversations with other heads-of-state without actually being president used to be considered way the hell out of line.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      FLD

      I have come to believe quite firmly that we will avoid the worst case scenario (Christifascist disaster) by getting dumped into a twilight zone of Trump never actually doing anything. It won’t be good, but we’ll only be half as fucked.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      Another Scott

      Reality usually wins, eventually, and often sooner. And the brainiac hackers often aren’t all that smart. E.g. TheRecord.com:

      When the accused Kitchener-based hacker known online as “Waifu” threatened a woman on the messaging app Telegram, it was the beginning of his downfall.

      ‘Waifu” had been bragging about his criminal exploits in open groups on Telegram. But when he threatened Allison Nixon, the chief research officer at the U.S. cybersecurity firm Unit221B, his days were numbered.

      Nixon is the co-owner of the U.S.-based cybersecurity firm named after the home address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and when she saw the violent threats against her, Nixon tasked one of her researchers to uncover his real identity.

      After making a critical mistake in what cybersecurity types call “operational security,” a member of Nixon’s team was able to follow the digital bread crumb on the internet, the dark web and messaging apps to reveal “Waifu’s” real identity.

      She did not want to talk about how Unit221B did that, saying hackers learn from the mistakes of other cybercriminals, making it more difficult to catch them in the future.

      It was not easy and took several months, she said. “Waifu” is associated with a subculture of cybercriminals that includes thousands of creative hackers deploying sophisticated ways to steal data and extort money from their victims, she said.

      But Unit221B and Mandiant, the cybersecurity company owned by Google, found out who he was and passed the information to law enforcement.

      “We put some time into that this year, and we are basically half of the reason he got identified,” said Nixon during a telephone interview. “We have had that name for months; we have been waiting for the arrest.”

      A Washington court issued an arrest warrant for Connor Riley Moucka, 25, for conspiracy, computer fraud and abuse, extortion in relation to computer fraud and aggravated identify theft.

      Moucka, 25, was arrested in a Stanley Park house in suburban Kitchener on Oct. 30. He is scheduled to appear in a Kitchener court on Friday, Nov. 29. American law enforcement wants him extradited to stand trial in Washington.

      Moucka is alleged to be the mastermind behind the Snowflake hack — one of the biggest data breaches in history.

      […]

      He made one error in what Nixon calls “operational security” and the game was up — Unit221B figured out who he was.

      In response, “Waifu” started writing Telegram posts full of false and misleading information under different names. But he was also bragging about his crimes, and then he started attacking Nixon.

      “All this accomplished was to draw a tonne of attention from a bunch of people he should never have attracted attention from,” said Nixon.

      Moucka remains in jail at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex. His court appearance on Friday is about scheduling future court dates. It is not known when the extradition hearing will begin.

      How the case unfolds from this point depends on whether Moucka has access to the internet from inside Maplehurst, said Nixon. If he can access his cryptocurrency to pay for lawyers, it could be a long legal fight to get him out of the country and into a courtroom in Washington.

      “The whole situation is so ironic for this Moucka person,” said Nixon.

      He repeatedly threatened her and her company on Telegram, which were not even working on the Snowflake hack at the time.

      “Why would he target a company that is not working on his case and specializes in identifying cybercriminals?” said Nixon. “It is just the stupidest thing ever.”

      On that last bit, DJT says hold my Pedialyte.

      Best wishes,
      Scott.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      zhena gogolia

      @moonbat:

      Biden’s ‘flaw’ wasn’t being old it was governing competently. Competent is boring to these people.

      Sadly true. Which is why I’m feeling hopeless.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      frosty

      @Nukular Biskits: ​ Evenin’ to you too, from the Mason-Dixon line where it’s 29 degrees and “Tomorrow’s temperature is forecast to be COOLER than today.

      I am so not ready for this.

      ETA: I’ve tried three times and I can’t color the word blue. Oh well, use your imagination.

      Reply
    33. 33.

      SiubhanDuinne

      @rikyrah:

      I did too, but I sure do wish she hadn’t used the honorific “President” Trump in her response. He’s President-elect until January 20, 2025. I don’t expect him to use the appropriate designation but I’d appreciate it if foreign heads of state, elected officials, and journalists everywhere could bother to get it right.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Nukular Biskits

      @frosty:

      Forecast for Gulfport was 37 degrees by sunrise tomorrow.

      Problem is that we have clear skies tonight and the wind is finally dying down so surface frost is a likely thing.

      Moved all the susceptible plants onto the back porch.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      hitchhiker

      Maddow used to say constantly that there’s no point in reacting to what he says.

      Pay attention instead to what he actually does. He’s a vicious gasbag with the world’s juiciest microphone, provided eagerly by people who know better but don’t give a fuck. Some shit will eventually dribble out, I guess, but no matter how runny and pathetic it is, half of the people in the USA will apparently believe he produces massive logs every time he tries.

      He’s succeeded in making public life unbearable instead of merely irritating. Quite the achievement.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      Gloria DryGarden

      @hitchhiker: unbearable.

      vicious gas bag.  Watch what he does. Ok

      Well if only maddow would do a 5 minute report  on what he does.. she takes too long, and I don’t need my outrage stirred even deeper.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      kindness

      I was out putting lights up and my (ostensibly liberal) neighbor came over…well, my dog loves the neighbors and if any of them come out he’s on them like glue.  So in talking about our Thanksgiving, I said there were strong Trump contingent in the family but no one brought it up.  She started by saying ‘I voted for Biden last time (isn’t that the same as saying you have a bunch of black friends but I never see you with any of them) but this time voted for Trump because of the economy.  What I heard her say was that she said she’s a racist (possibly misogynist too) who could never vote for a black woman.  Then she went on about a few of her friends who have dropped her because of it.  I was like, oh that’s too bad.  Grabbed the pup and went back to putting up lights.  I still like the family but their judgement sucks.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Gloria DryGarden

      @frosty: my pal in NW Georgia is feeling very cold in his unheated tiny home. It sounds quite cold.

      We have winter here sometimes, and when it zigs and zags into 30s and 20s, even we get uncomfortable. And we expect some cold. Denver Colo.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      Another Scott

      @frosty: (If you use the colored text feature in the Visual tab, any coloring will go away as soon as you edit the comment (no matter how many times you put the color back).  So you have to make sure you won’t need to edit it before posting.)

      Best wishes,
      Scott.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      frosty

      @Another Scott: That’s good to know, and not much help since my comments start randomly in visual or text, probably text 2/3 of the time. I have to edit all of those to make sure they look OK.

      So I’ll just forget the colors for now.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      karen marie

      @RevRick:   I don’t know about the regime but I have to laugh at David Carden, U.N. Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, when he says shit like “Civilians and civilian infrastructure are not targets and must be protected under International Humanitarian Law.”

      I mean, what the fuck, Dave?  Have you been outside much?

      Reply
    55. 55.

      karen marie

      @FLD:   Except that Trump never did anything but fuck around talking to his friends.  It’s the people Trump hires to do stuff that should scare the shit out of you.  As has been pointed out numerous times, the first time he sat his fat ass in the WH, he had relatively normal people in important positions.  This time the authors and proponents of Project 2025 are running the show.

      Reply
    56. 56.

      mrmoshpotato

      @kindness:

      She started by saying ‘I voted for Biden last time (isn’t that the same as saying you have a bunch of black friends but I never see you with any of them) but this time voted for Trump because of the economy. What I heard her say was that she said she’s a racist (possibly misogynist too) who could never vote for a black woman. 

      The “economy.”  Sure Trump trash Jan.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Another Scott

      WhiteHouse.gov – Biden press gaggle today (excerpts):

      [..]

      One last question.

      Q Mr. President, there are many Americans who are worried about the future this holiday season. What is your message to them?

      THE PRESIDENT: My message is to just remember who we are.

      Look, you all have a very tough job. And I’m not being solicitous — a really tough job. Think about it. If — we — I — I remember a couple weeks ago, the survey done: How do people feel about where they are? It was at 62 percent and (inaudible) percent thought they were doing pretty well. What do they think about the direction of the country? Thirty-five percent — only thirty-five percent or so thought it was moving in the right direction.

      I think there’s an explanation for that. If you think about it, what do you — I’m — it’s not a criticism of the press — and I mean this; you know me too well — (laughs) — is that you turn on the television and you don’t see a lot of good news. Even the stuff that is good news doesn’t seem to sell very well. And so, when you turn on the TV, everything looks bad. Everything looks bad.

      And now you have — I forget what the number is, but an exceedingly small number of people watching mainstream television and reading the newspapers. I forget the number, but you know better than I would. And they’re way down.

      So, where — where do you get your news? And what — and how do you know what you’re getting is not just what you’re looking for as opposed to what’s happening? Not because of you. Not — I’m not being critical of the press.

      I’ve talked to too many of you privately. You’ve been around a long time, and you got a hell of a job.

      I mean, you know — anyway, I don’t think — I want to make sure this transition goes smoothly. I want to make sure it goes smoothly. And all the talk about what he’s going to do or not do, I think there may be a little bit of internal reckoning on his — in his party, what — what he is going to do or not do.

      So, it remains to be seen. And — and the Congress is — is so razor thin across the board, it’s going to be a — I think it’s going to require what usually happens in these cases: some real compromise. But we’ll see. We’ll see.

      And on Thanksgiving, I’m hopeful.

      Thank you so much.

      11:15 A.M. EST

      A wise man.

      Hang in there, everyone.

      Best wishes,
      Scott.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      hitchhiker

      @Gloria DryGarden:

      Let’s agree to never miss a chance to say that Maddow is annoying, no matter how bad the gasbag gets, because that’s the important thing.

      For the record, I haven’t needed to watch or read or listen to a single minute of “news” since election night. A glance at topic titles here is sufficient to confirm that reality is still reality, and morons are still morons.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      moonbat

      @zhena gogolia: Truth be told — and I AM telling on myself because this speaks to how deeply perverse I am — I have felt keener since the massive disappointment of this election’s outcome. Keener, meaner, ready to fight.

      I had to skip Thanksgiving with Trumpist family this year because I KNEW I would not be able to be polite. I would go in looking to do battle. I figured it was best to spare the clan me in warrior mode. lol

      Reply
    62. 62.

      RevRick

      @dc: You and me both. Her rallies were packed and filled with joy and energy, while Trump’s were the same tired thing. To say I was floored by the outcome is an understatement.

      Reply
    68. 68.

      different-church-lady

      @kindness: So, the response is: “The economy. Tell me what is is about the economy.” And listen as she ties the metaphorical rope around her own throat.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      Dan B

      @moonbat: My partner wanted to see his family in Bellingham but decided against it because he realized he would probably be unable to control himself.  We went to my brother’s house and had fun followed by brother making it clear he was terrified and feeling hopeless.  We need to gather in small groups regularly to talk about the horrors and what to do about them.  Groups can figure out actions that have a high probability of working.  I’d love to do street theater that attacks the fascist power groups and make visual and storytelling that gets social media eyeballs.  The turds hate sunlight.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Gloria DryGarden

      @hitchhiker: noted. And no it’s not the important thing. I must not have realized it’s saturated with frustrated folks who got annoyed with certain needy sources.

      Meanwhile, just need the micro mini news. Even Colbert is too much some days.

      It’s all too much, but I don’t think it’s safe to ignore too much. Little headlines, an opening paragraph..that would do me.

      Interested in community building. Little micro attacks often seem counterproductive. Cheers.

      Reply
    73. 73.

      getsmartin

      @Nukular Biskits: I’ve always said that living roughly an hour from New Orleans makes our existence here in Mississippi somewhat tolerable. Contrasting this place against where my wife is from, near Tupelo, we live in Shangri-La.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      Sure Lurkalot

      I wonder how Australia’s social media ban will work out. It’s perverse that the tech guys are warning it will drive youth to the dangerous corners of the internet while admitting they could do things to make their own cesspools less toxic for kids.

      Actually, these fuckwads could make their platforms less toxic for everyone and that they don’t and won’t is Exhibit A for why self-regulation is ridiculous on its face, Exhibit B for a structure that holds people accountable for the dire externalities they cause and Exhibit C for “every billionaire is a policy failure” (h/t Comrade Scott).

      Reply
    75. 75.

      Gloria DryGarden

      Hope, optimism, pessimism

      Just trying to light a candle, brighten the darkness a little. Affirmations to create a bubble of possibility, and a better mindset.

      Faith, is, if this match won’t light, I’ll try another one.

      Wrote a better comment, but I somehow zapped it while scrolling to post it. Shit happens. Some would point out that Mercury is retrograde

      Reply
    77. 77.

      Lyrebird

      @getsmartin: @Nukular Biskits:  Wish I’d known when I was there oh before Katrina by a little.  The folks I was visiting aren’t there any more.  (ETA I would take long walks, almost started naming the larger clumps of Spanish Moss.)

      I sometimes wonder if the most conservative of the bunch would’ve stayed home rather than vote for the orange menace, because he considered Trent Lott too shamelessly corrupt.  Lott was playing tee ball compared to Trump family corruption.

      Best to youse and yours.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      Sister Golden Bear

      @karen marie:

      This time the authors and proponents of Project 2025 are running the show.

      While blustering and then declaring victory is Trump’s bit, this is exactly why I’m less than sanguine about my prospects as trans woman during the next four years.

      Plus Trump did personally follow through on some his threats—just ask the 15,000 trans people he kicked out off the military in 2017 (via a Tweet). Although it’s probably worth noting that, unlike Mexico, trans people in uniform lacked the institutional power to fight back.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Gloria DryGarden

      @mrmoshpotato: thank you. I hope she lurks here. I’ll go see if she has a Facebook presence. I wrote to Brian Tyler Cohen once- he got subjective and a tad snarky, and I didn’t like it.

      Ooh those Facebook followers can Really flame a person and call them an asshole. But it was worth it. His tone changed.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      MrPug

      And let’s face it, the people who fall for this and think “oh, my, Trump just fixed the border and he’s not even in office yet” are, how do you say this, fucking morons.

      Reply

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