President Donald Trump
I assume it's still acceptable to have a Trump thread in a Politics forum?
So this is an obvious lie - basically aimed at
You don't seem to understand the English language - I said those arguing TEND to be less successful which means there's exceptions to the rule. I think Trump is a ****** - while I side with most conservative talking points he is a low life but I follow actions not words.
We already knew you are a mindless follower drone
A few hours ago, Yoon Suk Yeol, former president of South Korea was sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection. Yoon was elected in 2022 after winning a very close election. His platform was deregulatory, nationalistic, and very anti-feminist. Unsurprisingly, critics in South Korea sometimes referred to his policies as K-Trumpism. In December 2024, Yoon briefly declared martial law:
Mr. Yoon declared martial law on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, saying it was necessary to eliminate what he called “anti-state forces” within the opposition-dominated National Assembly. He called the legislature a “den of criminals” who he said used their parliamentary majority power to paralyze his government.
His decree banned all political activities and placed the news media under military control. Armed troops raided the National Assembly and the National Election Commission. The court on Thursday also found that Mr. Yoon had ordered troops to arrest his political enemies.
Public outrage almost immediately scuttled Mr. Yoon’s attempt to rule by martial law. As soon as they saw Mr. Yoon declare it on TV, citizens rushed to the National Assembly to confront the troops who had come to take over the legislature under the president’s orders. While the crowd held the troops back to prevent them from seizing its main chamber, lawmakers gathered inside and voted down his decree in the middle of the night.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/19/...
The parallels to January 6 are obvious, but the consequences for Yoon of course were far different than the consequences for Trump. Yoon's declaration of martial law (which lasted only six hours before it was unraveled by the legislature) was at the core of the charges that resulted in his life sentence. Trump faced no consequences for his role in January 6 and was reelected president. Part of the explanation is that Yoon indisputably went one important step further than Trump by declaring martial law. But South Korea's experience with harsh authoritarian rule in the past, and what I assume is a better appreciation for how quickly democratic norms can unravel, are probably parts of the explanation as well.
A few hours ago, Yoon Suk Yeol, former president of South Korea was sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection. Yoon was elected in 2022 after winning a very close election. His platform was deregulatory, nationalistic, and very anti-feminist. Unsurprisingly, critics in South Korea sometimes referred to his policies as K-Trumpism. In December 2024, Yoon briefly
99% chance Trump immediately raises tariffs on SK.
South Korea's lessons from fascist rule are recent enough (about 40 years ago now), so you likely have people in the system that knew it first-hand. They know what the future would hold for them and their country if it came back. A strong reaction was also necessary because enough several critical institutions did fail. Armed military forces did actually try to carry out the orders for martial law and set the elected assembly aside.
As far as comparisons to January 6th goes, there are some similarities but also some important differences. For similarities, the sitting president was involved, there was an attempt to overthrow the republic system and there was an inner circle around the president who was in on it.
However, Trump's machinations were mainly political and backhanded, meaning it involved political allies, groups on the ground, private financial support, propaganda and pressuring election officials through backchannels. Yoon's attempts were more institutional, attempting to use decrees and powers of the presidency.
The critical lesson is that in South Korea the elected assembly firmly stood against the attempt with unanimous decree from those members of the assembly who nullified the president's decrees, whereas in the US the elected assembly had a lot of supporters who initially supported the president's attempts to have the election nullified. Though the winds shifted after the storming of congress, but perhaps more so in words than action from those who had initially given him support.
The obvious question of course becomes that happens in the US if the president actually does use openly institutional power to set aside election results or take control of elections in a way that effectively allow the power to decide the election outcome. Will the institutions hold or cave? Will congress do anything? This is not an attempt to be alarmist, because I have no tea leaves that tells what Trump will do. Still, after January 6th, it is certainly a pertinent question for your country. The reins are held by a man and administration with blatant disregard for constitution, law and political norms like peaceful transition of power.
A few hours ago, Yoon Suk Yeol, former president of South Korea was sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection. Yoon was elected in 2022 after winning a very close election. His platform was deregulatory, nationalistic, and very anti-feminist. Unsurprisingly, critics in South Korea sometimes referred to his policies as K-Trumpism. In December 2024, Yoon briefly
I would say the Midterms may be a better example if he tries in any way to fix that . Though the USA at a whole corporate leaders, wealthy, political figures seem to get a pass
A better example would be Canada were Justin Trudeau imposed Marshall law ( Canada Emergencies Act) over a peaceful protest and seized Canadian Bank accounts and arrested protesters . Later the Supreme Court ruled he had no justification for doing it but travels the world doing to Katie Perry what he did to Canada
t_d,
I agree that there were important differences, but I'm skeptical, and I assume you also are skeptical, that those differences were the product of Trump being intrinsically more restrained than Yoon. I believed at the time and continue to believe that Trump was told, either explicitly or implicitly, that he should not expect necessary institutions (military, FBI, Secret Service) to support an effort by him to remain in power by force. In other words, I don't think we can know how far Trump would have gone if he had believed that all the options truly were available to him.
The U.S. military is politically conservative, of course, but in modern history, it has not been an overt political actor in the same way that the military has been an overt political actor in many other countries. And I think there has been a fair of amount of resistance among U.S. military brass to the president using the military as a domestic political tool. I think Trump's inability to completely commandeer the military for domestic political purposes has been a real source of irritation for Trump. Trump has pursued policies that increase the potential for a conflict between the military and the domestic population, or at least the part of the domestic population that hates Trump. For Trump, I think that potential for conflict is a feature, not a bug, and a tentative step in the direction of driving a wedge between the military and the domestic population, which he thinks would augment his ability to use the military as a domestic political tool.
Would not the Epstein files be another example were other countries leaders and COO's are forced to resign. Prince Andrew was arrested today and will not escape justice
t_d,I agree that there were important differences, but I'm skeptical, and I assume you also are skeptical, that those differences were the product of Trump being intrinsically more restrained than Yoon. I believed at the time and continue to believe that Trump was told, either explicitly or implicitly, that he should not expect necessary institutions (military, FBI, Secret Ser
Yes, I am pretty much in full agreement here. I don't think there is a pro-republic bone in Trump's body. His admiration for dictators very likely comes from a belief that these people have it better and easier than he does.
lagtight,
I truly don't know what to make of your politics. On the one hand, you very often "like" or otherwise endorse posts in which I make withering criticisms of Trump--criticisms which, if you agree with them, should disqualify Trump from being president. On the other hand, you happily confirm that you voted for Trump three times. And I assume you would vote for him again if you had the opportunity to do so.
Yes, I am pretty much in full agreement here. I don't think there is a pro-republic bone in Trump's body. His admiration for dictators very likely comes from a belief that these people have it better and easier than he does.
It’s not difficult to reconcile
Trump is a transactional manchild with zero emotional or actual intelligence whose singular loyalty is to trump
He has successfully convinced a segment of gullible idiots in this country that trump = America and to defy trump means to defy America
The cabinet appeases that wanting to elevate by proxy, those who defy him even momentarily are branded traitors even if they were loyal to his movement lock and key to this point
The idea that trump is a patriot or has any devotion to America is the single most gullible and readily disprovable idea there is
Yes, I am pretty much in full agreement here. I don't think there is a pro-republic bone in Trump's body. His admiration for dictators very likely comes from a belief that these people have it better and easier than he does.
Agreed. Trump seems to believe that world history is guided, and should be guided, by a few "great" and "strong" men, and he is one of them. And he also seems to view personal enrichment through abuse of power and grifting as a proper reward for being one of those men. It's a truly toxic mix of narcissism, delusion, and greed.
The idea that trump is a patriot or has any devotion to America is the single most gullible and readily disprovable idea there is
Yep. I have said a dozen times that Trump is the first president in U.S. history who was unable or unwilling to recognize even a theoretical distinction between the national interest and his personal self-interest.
lagtight, I truly don't know what to make of your politics. On the one hand, you very often "like" or otherwise endorse posts in which I make withering criticisms of Trump--criticisms which, if you agree with them, should disqualify Trump from being president. On the other hand, you happily confirm that you voted for Trump three times. And I assume you would vote for him agai
I would not vote for Trump again. I would probably not vote at all if Trump ran for a third term.
Of course, being in California I have the luxury of choosing to not vote since there is a 0% chance of a non-Democrat winning electoral votes here in the Golden State for the foreseeable future.
I won't say that's the dumbest chart I've ever seen, but it's certainly on the short list.
MAGA likes a lot of athletes and a number of celebrities, for example.
Even when I was in the MAGA camp, I got the Covid vaccine.
addendum: I changed my mind: that IS the dumbest chart I've ever seen.
have you mentioned that to any of their faces or just on the internet?
Except the heading was 'conservative hate chart', not MAGA.
And I gave specific examples of ways the chart was ridiculous even when applied to hard-core MAGA.
That said, there is probably an equally ridiculous chart put out by some MAGA person mischaracterizing/broadbrushing Lefties.
