American Politics 4.0 - Orangeyou Glad He’s Back?

[The Yen Man]

I honestly don't know how the Maga / Republican mind works. How can anyone watch that Trump speech last night and not come away thinking it was just some old guy with dementia rattling off fantasy facts made up in his head, and then come away from it thinking "that's my guy!".

I guess owning the libs and telling them to cry harder is more important than actually having someone competent to run the country.

[Senator Clay Davis]

It's a hate movement, nothing more, nothing less. There are no values, approval of policies/ideas are fluid, as long as their "enemies" suffer and their "friends" live on their knees in worship they are "happy".

[troutman]

Many in the MAGA bubble live in a world where they do not ever see negative news about Trump and the Republicans. Ex. many never heard about the attack on Minnesota politicians.

When other networks are covering the economy or Epstein, Fox is running stories about trans kids dominating sports.

[ResAlien]

Dan Bongino is leaving as the FBI's #2. I don’t understand why these podcasters can't seem to immediately learn how to run government agencies. Weird.

[The Yen Man]

With how much information we get from the internet these days, I don't know if I buy the excuse anymore of people not knowing because that's what Fox feeds them. I think they are purposely ignorant just so they don't have to hear things they don't want to hear, even at the detriment of their own economic and physical well being.

A lot of Americans seem to be ok with making their own lives worse as long as it doesn't make others lives better if they feel those others have not paid for it like they have. It's so easy to see what triggers these people.

[ResAlien]

It's not super complicated IMO, nixon's southern strategy continued to grow and became republicans vs everyone instead of only white vs black. Far too much credit is given to the poor conservative voter who doesn't grasp the intricacies of the horrible #### they're voting for. At some point you have to admit the scorpion on your back is a scorpion

[Senator Clay Davis]

Also cannot forget how much Murdoch changed the game. Giving the GOP a quasi-state media gave them a leg up the Dems have struggled to overcome.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Drak

Trump’s brain is definitely in decline. Just take a look at videos of him from 2016 or earlier. He’s also shown other signs, such as a weird leaning forward stance and dragging his leg. His hand is permanently covered in bruises from an obvious injection site and his speech is often slurred, repetitive or totally nonsensical.

Don't get me wrong, I think there is also obvious mental decline and signs of dementia setting in which magnifies everything, but anyone who voted for Trump can't pretend to be shocked now or act like it gives them a pass because dementia isn't something you can predict. Trump has always been this guy, now he is just this guy with cognitive decline.

[cral12]

Originally Posted by Looch City

It's time to unite the Americas!

The United Continents of America.

Led by your democratically elected Supreme Commander Donald BJ Trump.

MAWA - Make Americas Whole Again!

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[activeStick]

I don't think it's that far-fetched that America may have adjusted their long-standing strategy of running the world to pivot to reducing the size of their scope and pulling back to focus on the Americas. Maybe they've come to realize that sanctioning and seizing the assets of countries who don't bend to their will and weaponizing the dollar was ultimately a mistake because without trust in that, countries will move to other options to protect themselves, which are now available and the American stranglehold on key countries is no longer there.

I don't think they've completely given up though on controlling Asia as they still have their vassals in South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Australia and NZ, but I think it's been apparent for a long time the Americans are stretched too thin with the Middle East also being a priority for them, so perhaps a lowering of priority of American control in Asia in favor of a new focus on the Americas makes more sense to them. Protection by the oceans on all sides and plenty of resources too. Would be pretty terrible news for us in Canada as I highly doubt Europe or Australia are coming to our aid if the US takes what they want from us.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I honestly don't know how the Maga / Republican mind works. How can anyone watch that Trump speech last night and not come away thinking it was just some old guy with dementia rattling off fantasy facts made up in his head, and then come away from it thinking "that's my guy!".

I guess owning the libs and telling them to cry harder is more important than actually having someone competent to run the country.

I took a peak at r/Conservative, and the only thing they're talking about is the $1776 bonus for the military. Which, let's be honest, I doubt they're actually going to receive it. Otherwise it seems like conservatives are just trying to bury their head in the sand about how bat#### Trump was in that tirade.

[Firebot]

New Epstein photos released. Several new Epstein specific photos and images, some disturbing ones.

And a random photo of a happy Bill Gates holding a young woman that's clearly not his now ex-wife which only affirms the obvious. Nothing relating to Trump directly but Steve Bannon involved again.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cx231lml3nyt

[troutman]

‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women

The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...core-ios-share

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I took a peak at r/Conservative, and the only thing they're talking about is the $1776 bonus for the military. Which, let's be honest, I doubt they're actually going to receive it. Otherwise it seems like conservatives are just trying to bury their head in the sand about how bat#### Trump was in that tirade.

Are they for the bonus? I'm sure these are the same people who complained about Biden's COVID handouts that caused all of this inflation.

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

Are they for the bonus? I'm sure these are the same people who complained about Biden's COVID handouts that caused all of this inflation.

The 1776 cheques are an obvious ploy to buy off the military. The money does not come from "the tariffs" as he claimed yesterday, it's just coming out of the housing allowance increase that was put into law back in July. It's literally only giving them money that's already theirs but putting a bow on it. This has been the plan for a while.

I expect there to be some sort of new stimmy cheque maybe end of Q2 2026 to try and placate an increasingly hostile population and steer the midterms. I have zero doubt this money not only is already earmarked but comes from the taxpayers and will be sold as some sort of bs health care of tariff refund. People love being hustled.

[Drak]

That “bonus” with Trump’s name on it is just rebranded congressional approved funds that were already there for military housing.

https://www.defenseone.com/policy/20...-bonus/410250/

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by troutman

‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women

The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship. Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/u...core-ios-share

Heres an excerpt from that story...

Tina Davis, who modeled for Ford in the mid-1990s, said in an interview that her Ford booker instructed her to get dressed up and attend a Mar-a-Lago party in late 1994. Just 14 and new to Miami, she was told to “dress sexy,” according to her mother, Sandra Coleman, who had accompanied her to Florida. Eight or nine other models came along on the bus. “All the girls were really young,” Ms. Coleman recalled in an interview. “Some of them could have been in training bras.”

When they arrived at Mar-a-Lago, Ms. Coleman said, her daughter was promptly handed a glass of champagne. She took it away, but waiters kept offering more. Each time one of the middle-aged men at the party approached her daughter, Ms. Coleman would walk over and introduce herself as Ms. Davis’s mother.

During a trip to the bathroom, they ran into Mr. Trump’s new wife, whom they had met earlier. Ms. Maples clasped her hands, Ms. Coleman recalled, and looked her in the eye. “Whatever you do, do not let her around any of these men, and especially my husband,” she told Ms. Coleman. “Protect her.”

(Maples denies she said that)

[Whynotnow]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

He must have needed something for his ego this morning after last nights 'performance'

Press Secretary
I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future! The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.

She knows she congratulated a dead man and that they can’t really be a great team right? Right?….

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by activeStick

I don't think it's that far-fetched that America may have adjusted their long-standing strategy of running the world to pivot to reducing the size of their scopnctioning and seizing the assets of countries who don't bend to their will and weaponizing the dollar was ultimately a mistake because without trust in that, countries will move to other options to protect themselves, which are now available and the American stranglehold on key countries is no longer there.

I don't think they've completely given up though on controlling Asia as they still have their vassals in South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Australia and NZ, but I think it's been apparent for a long time the Americans are stretched too thin with the Middle East also being a priority for them, so perhaps a lowering of priority of American control in Asia in favor of a new focus on the Americas makes more sense to them. Protection by the oceans on all sides and plenty of resources too. Would be pretty terrible news for us in Canada as I highly doubt Europe or Australia are coming to our aid if the US takes what they want from us.

I think that's a big mis-read. Trump is going to take from whatever is weak. If he's shying from China, it's only because he's making deals for them to take Taiwan. If he's shying from Europe, that's only because he's making deals with Putin to take Ukraine and more. If he's shying from the Middle East, it's only because he's making deals with Saudi and Israel. None of this is because America is running scared or fatigued. That would first require them to care about excessive spending.

[GGG]

In light hearted Trump news he has decided to kick off the hunger games for next year.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/polit...uncement-trump

“ In the fall, we will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes — one young man and one young woman from each state and territory,” Trump said.”