5 ms·

Maybe Trump Should Not Have Given This Speech

20 points by handfuloflight 7mo ago

SilverElfin 7mo ago
Every speech or press release or tweet is a vehicle for corruption and grift. You can bet his family is trading every single one.
- handfuloflight 7mo ago
  Who will investigate it? Who will do anything about it? What can be done?
  - simmerup 7mo ago
    The people that investigate Trump are fired or pushed out
  - jfengel 7mo ago
    Why should anything be done? This is what America voted for. We get another vote in November. Americans can express whether they think this was a good idea or not. If they aren't overwhelmingly opposed to it, then democracy has spoken. At that point it will be up to the rest of the world to decide what to do about a nation that has, and will continue to, invade other countries, apparently unprovoked.
    - scarecrowbob 7mo ago
      Jeebus, this is dark. This is why I can't vote. I can't give my ethical status as a human over to what the masses of folks in the US think is okay. It's kind of a disgusting proposition. Like, you who are in the thuick of it, you who have given your voice over to empire, you expect the rest of the world to do something about the horrors done in your name just because... what? The assholes you live around "voted" to do something evil, lesser or greater? And now you're doing evil, too? And it is, somehow, "up to the rest of the world?" That's bleak and you really should think if "democracy" (or it's pale ghost that haunts US politics) is doing anything useful for your status as an ethical human. It's entirely possible that you indeed do have such a boot on your neck that you really can't resist the power of empire in its core, but for [insert your preferred diety here]'s sake, you don't have to roll your soft belly over and take the kicks.
      - jfengel 7mo ago
        Yeah. I vote for the lesser evil. My ethical status is less important to me than trying to make the world a better place, even if imperfectly. I believe that my ethical status would be in more jeopardy right now if I could have prevented a clearly criminal war, and chose not to. My actions, not the actions of others, determine my ethical state. It does mean I face an ethical quandary now. Thus far I have upheld the social contract of democracy. I have not broken it in an attempt to end this war. That is an ethical stain on me, which I live with as best I can. It is my inaction, not the actions of the country, which stain me. I will vote again when I can, and right now I'm going to hope that ends the war. That will not be sufficient, but one of my moral principles is "It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it". If it suffices... then it suffices, and I will do my best with what happens after that. If it does not suffice, then I will be faced with an even worse moral quandary, and I hope I find the strength to do whatever seems right in that dire circumstance.
      - verdverm 7mo ago
        I recommend Jon Stewart's podcast with Heather Cox Richardson from this week. They talk about the ceding and concentration of power, and how we the people can take ours back. Not something that can happen in a midterm or maybe even the next ten years. But at least we are talking about it more and their words will help us articulate things better to our neighbors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwX9wC6Ov2Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwX9wC6Ov2Y
    - simmerup 7mo ago
      The rule of law should apply to everyone, if government officials are breaking the law and being protected by the executive branch that's a sign of deep disfunction in your system
- mindslight 7mo ago
  I agree with that explanation much of the time, but here it would seem to require a level of self-awareness that just isn't there. And it's not like his handlers would expect much market movement from having him dementedly ramble on TV.
JohnFen 7mo ago
I honestly have no idea why he gave this speech at all (and particularly on April Fool's day). He said nothing he hadn't already said a thousand times before. What was his goal here?
- Betelbuddy 7mo ago
  >> What was his goal here? Simplifying the work for lawyers presenting evidence, at his future trial for war crimes in The Hague. His immunity is only in the face of the US legal system, and the horrors that will be upon us soon, will lead a future US President, to do the decent thing and extradite him. I pitty Pete Hegseth, who will have to share a cell with him.
  - deleted 7mo ago
    [deleted]
  - nslsm 7mo ago
    Because George Bush is rotting in a prison cell now, isn’t he.
    - simmerup 7mo ago
      George Bush probably had sympathy becausde his warw as actually wellplanned and he took the time to build consensus. Trump is actively trying to annoy as many people as possible. (and that's with some British understatement thrown in)
- mindslight 7mo ago
  I'd guess to make sure we know his reasoning - as it all makes sense in his own head, from his perspective the problem must just be that the People don't understand. The same effect as why a certain type of criminal will readily confess everything, thinking the police will empathize with them and accept their need to have done it.
- Henchman21 7mo ago
  The only way to consistently make sense of Trump’s actions is to assume his goal is to destroy the West at the behest of his handlers in Russia, et al. Deny it all you want. Its obvious if you can see past your own views.
mitchbob 7mo ago
https://archive.ph/2026.04.02-141826/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/trump-iran-war-speech/686663/ https://archive.ph/2026.04.02-141826/https://www.theatlantic...
marssaxman 7mo ago
The author complains that Trump's address was "a disjointed series of complaints, brags, and exaggerations (along with a few outright lies)" as though the man has ever had more to offer. He's been blathering on like this for a decade; what else would you expect?
Sabinus 7mo ago
If Trump isn't prosecuted by the next admin, the USA is lost.

Every speech or press release or tweet is a vehicle for corruption and grift. You can bet his family is trading every single one.

handfuloflight 7mo ago
Who will investigate it? Who will do anything about it? What can be done?
- simmerup 7mo ago
  The people that investigate Trump are fired or pushed out
- jfengel 7mo ago
  Why should anything be done? This is what America voted for. We get another vote in November. Americans can express whether they think this was a good idea or not. If they aren't overwhelmingly opposed to it, then democracy has spoken. At that point it will be up to the rest of the world to decide what to do about a nation that has, and will continue to, invade other countries, apparently unprovoked.
  - scarecrowbob 7mo ago
    Jeebus, this is dark. This is why I can't vote. I can't give my ethical status as a human over to what the masses of folks in the US think is okay. It's kind of a disgusting proposition. Like, you who are in the thuick of it, you who have given your voice over to empire, you expect the rest of the world to do something about the horrors done in your name just because... what? The assholes you live around "voted" to do something evil, lesser or greater? And now you're doing evil, too? And it is, somehow, "up to the rest of the world?" That's bleak and you really should think if "democracy" (or it's pale ghost that haunts US politics) is doing anything useful for your status as an ethical human. It's entirely possible that you indeed do have such a boot on your neck that you really can't resist the power of empire in its core, but for [insert your preferred diety here]'s sake, you don't have to roll your soft belly over and take the kicks.
    - jfengel 7mo ago
      Yeah. I vote for the lesser evil. My ethical status is less important to me than trying to make the world a better place, even if imperfectly. I believe that my ethical status would be in more jeopardy right now if I could have prevented a clearly criminal war, and chose not to. My actions, not the actions of others, determine my ethical state. It does mean I face an ethical quandary now. Thus far I have upheld the social contract of democracy. I have not broken it in an attempt to end this war. That is an ethical stain on me, which I live with as best I can. It is my inaction, not the actions of the country, which stain me. I will vote again when I can, and right now I'm going to hope that ends the war. That will not be sufficient, but one of my moral principles is "It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it". If it suffices... then it suffices, and I will do my best with what happens after that. If it does not suffice, then I will be faced with an even worse moral quandary, and I hope I find the strength to do whatever seems right in that dire circumstance.
    - verdverm 7mo ago
      I recommend Jon Stewart's podcast with Heather Cox Richardson from this week. They talk about the ceding and concentration of power, and how we the people can take ours back. Not something that can happen in a midterm or maybe even the next ten years. But at least we are talking about it more and their words will help us articulate things better to our neighbors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwX9wC6Ov2Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwX9wC6Ov2Y
  - simmerup 7mo ago
    The rule of law should apply to everyone, if government officials are breaking the law and being protected by the executive branch that's a sign of deep disfunction in your system
mindslight 7mo ago
I agree with that explanation much of the time, but here it would seem to require a level of self-awareness that just isn't there. And it's not like his handlers would expect much market movement from having him dementedly ramble on TV.

JohnFen 7mo ago

I honestly have no idea why he gave this speech at all (and particularly on April Fool's day). He said nothing he hadn't already said a thousand times before. What was his goal here?

Betelbuddy 7mo ago
>> What was his goal here? Simplifying the work for lawyers presenting evidence, at his future trial for war crimes in The Hague. His immunity is only in the face of the US legal system, and the horrors that will be upon us soon, will lead a future US President, to do the decent thing and extradite him. I pitty Pete Hegseth, who will have to share a cell with him.
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
- nslsm 7mo ago
  Because George Bush is rotting in a prison cell now, isn’t he.
  - simmerup 7mo ago
    George Bush probably had sympathy becausde his warw as actually wellplanned and he took the time to build consensus. Trump is actively trying to annoy as many people as possible. (and that's with some British understatement thrown in)
mindslight 7mo ago
I'd guess to make sure we know his reasoning - as it all makes sense in his own head, from his perspective the problem must just be that the People don't understand. The same effect as why a certain type of criminal will readily confess everything, thinking the police will empathize with them and accept their need to have done it.
Henchman21 7mo ago
The only way to consistently make sense of Trump’s actions is to assume his goal is to destroy the West at the behest of his handlers in Russia, et al. Deny it all you want. Its obvious if you can see past your own views.

mitchbob 7mo ago

https://archive.ph/2026.04.02-141826/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/trump-iran-war-speech/686663/ https://archive.ph/2026.04.02-141826/https://www.theatlantic...

marssaxman 7mo ago

The author complains that Trump's address was "a disjointed series of complaints, brags, and exaggerations (along with a few outright lies)" as though the man has ever had more to offer. He's been blathering on like this for a decade; what else would you expect?

Sabinus 7mo ago

If Trump isn't prosecuted by the next admin, the USA is lost.