The Trump Card...

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
As I view the political landscape these days, two things stand out.

(1) The ongoing drumbeat of daily "breaking news" based on unnamed sources is a calculated and intentional attempt to oust or neuter Trump. The "journalists" who engage in this activity are corrupt. They undermine the power, responsibility and credibility our Founding Fathers intended the Fourth Estate (a free press) to have.

(2) Trump continues to act against his own best interest with inexplicable tweets, continuing contradictions and baseless statements. He has total control over these. It's not the mainstream media doing these things, it's Trump himself. While totally unnecessary and totally preventable, these Trump-harmful acts provide endless grist for the MSM mill and energize Trump's critics.

Why does Trump act against his own best interests like this when he does not have to? Why does he continually turn the spotlight onto unproductive topics (most often the investigations) when, as president, he could easily direct it elsewhere?

Make no mistake. Trump could easily direct the spotlight where he wants it to shine. He did it on the overseas trip. He did it with his actions on Cuba when he visited his supporters in "Little Havana" FL. If he went two days without bringing the investigations front and center, and provided other camera-worthy events instead, Trump could change the subject. He could, but he doesn't. Why is this?
 
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OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
after watching this Cuba action...it behooves me that here we were so disgusted that a foreign power(Russia) would try to interfere in our political process...and here we are promoting revolution and upheaval of the Cuban Government....Imagine we are involving ourselves in another countries politics...Hmmm Irony
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
As I view the political landscape these days, two things stand out.

(1) The ongoing drumbeat of daily "breaking news" based on unnamed sources is a calculated and intentional attempt to oust or neuter Trump. The "journalists" who engage in this activity are corrupt. They undermine the power, responsibility and credibility our Founding Fathers intended the Fourth Estate (a free press) to have.

(2) Trump continues to act against his own best interest with inexplicable tweets, continuing contradictions and baseless statements. He has total control over these. It's not the mainstream media doing these things, it's Trump himself. While totally unnecessary and totally preventable, these Trump-harmful acts provide endless grist for the MSM mill and energize Trump's critics.

Why does Trump act against his own best interests like this when he does not have to? Why does he continually turn the spotlight onto unproductive topics (most often the investigations) when, as president, he could easily direct it elsewhere?

Make no mistake. Trump could easily direct the spotlight where he wants it to shine. He did it on the overseas trip. He did it with his actions on Cuba when he visited his supporters in "Little Havana" FL. If he went two days without bringing the investigations front and center, and provided other camera-worthy events instead, Trump could change the subject. He could, but he doesn't. Why is this?
The Fake News Media is trying to take him down. This is his way of fighting back.
The Special Prosecutor is supposed to be doing the investigation on the 'down low'. (quietly) But instead we already have leaks to the Washington Post and others about what is supposedly happening in the investigation.
I want Trump to defend himself from the false narratives. Imo, It's in his best interest to fight back.
 

coalminer

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
after watching this Cuba action...it behooves me that here we were so disgusted that a foreign power(Russia) would try to interfere in our political process...and here we are promoting revolution and upheaval of the Cuban Government....Imagine we are involving ourselves in another countries politics...Hmmm Irony

I would love to go and see Havana, but as an American I can't because unless I have a reason to go there I'm not allowed. What a crock of you know what. I knew that trump would undo what Obama did when it comes to Cuba, so it wasn't a surprise but it still ticks me off.


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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
When Trump directed the imposition of new regulations regarding Cuba, for each of those new regulations, which two existing regulations were removed? Remember, he promised to remove two old regs for every new reg imposed.
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
This is his way of fighting back.

How is his way of fighting back (tweets that continually focus the spotlight on the investigations) working for him? Might another way be more effective?

As the investigations get better organized, more fully staffed (Mueller now has at least 20 lawyers under his command or coming on board soon, with more expected to follow) and gain momentum, this is about much more than the narrative. That's part of Trump's problem. For him, it's all about the narrative. In that regard, he is focusing on the wrong target.

Against the advice of Trump's lawyer (Kasowitz), Pence hired a lawyer of his own. Flynn has had a lawyer of his own for some time; as have Manafort, Page and Stone. Jared and Ivanka each have their own lawyers to represent them in these matters. One of Trump's personal lawyers (Cohen) has hired a lawyer (Ryan) to advise him in these matters. With Kasowitz apparently not enough for Trump, Trump hired an additional lawyer (Dowd) to further advise him on these matters -- which sets up the same kind of competing power structure in this arena that Trump has used for years.

With Trump associates and administration officials rejecting Kasowitz's advice to not hire lawyers, it is safe to assume that other officials will do the same.

These lawyers are not being hired to help Trump. They are being hired to protect the interests of the clients who hire them. It's like they all know they are on a sinking ship, are loathe to publicly admit it, but are eyballing the lifeboats just the same.

Trump is fiercely resisting the investigations, which has the effect of fueling the fires (what you resist persists). If Trump changed his tune and embraced the investigations, they would quickly fade (assuming there is nothing there as he and his supporters claim).

Trump could announce that he wants full disclosure and full transparency. He could pledge immediate and full cooperation with all of the investigations that are underway. He could say he wants a speedy end to these investigations so the American people can be satisfied that no wrongdoing exists, and he could direct his staff to facilitate that outcome. He could say he wants these investigations to be completed (not ended midstream) ASAP so we, as a country can focus on making America great again.

Trump could do this but he is not. Instead, he tries to control the narrative. Trump's associates and administration officials are beginning to see Trump's efforts are misdirected, which is why they are taking action to protect their own best interests, not Trump's.

If there is something wrong in the areas that are being investigated, someone is going to be the first to sing. When that happens, these newly-hired lawyers will advise their individual clients to join the chorus.

If Trump wants a more positive narrative, he needs to embrace the investigations, not resist them. The more he fights, the more he loses.

Imagine a football team with Trump as the head coach. No one would question him hiring an assistant coach, defensive coach, offensive coach, etc. But when the players and coaches on the team start hiring their own coaches, the team is a team no more.

Try another experiment. Open Google News to the Top Stories page. I just did. First story is a Trump lawyer denying Trump is under investigation. Why is that story there? The media did not initiate that statement, Trump's lawyer did. The media covered it.

The next five top stories are about: Mali gunman, Fitgerald crew, Iran missel launch, French election, Beyonce. Six top stories, only one about Trump and that one only because Trump's lawyer issued a statement.
 
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muttly

Veteran Expediter
This is his way of fighting back.

How is his way of fighting back (tweets that continually focus the spotlight on the investigations) working for him? Might another way be more effective?
The Fake News Media is continuously focusing on the investigations regardless, 24/7. Even when there are news stories that warrant more coverage, like the recent congressional shooting, the FNM can't wait to get back to talking about Russia/ Trump collusion and Trump/Comey obstruction drumbeat. Turn on CNN or MSNBC any time of the day except weekend nights when they might take a break and show 'prison life' or episodes of Anthony Bourdain eating, and they're devoting almost all of their coverage to it. Right now you have the Dems in Washington, some never Trump Republicans, the Obama holdovers, and the the FNM who detest him and will do whatever they can to undermine his presidency.
His only solution is to forge ahead with his agenda, and to continuesly fight back by responding to the media distortions, half truth leaks that are distorted by anonymous sources, and the utter lies from anonymous sources and the FNM.
I say more communication, not less is the way.
Whatever one thinks of the Bush presidency and the mistakes he made, one of the things people on the right wanted him to do is fight back more with his critics on a host of issues. But he rarely did. It helped undermine his presidency. People on the right have been clamoring for a politician/ president/ leader who will at least defend themself more. They finally have someone.
I think he should do even more.
I saw a poll where he is at about 50% approval. Not bad considering he has so many factions in Washington that don't like him.
 
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OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
19105932_10210881341847271_4576783405281947529_n.jpg
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
I saw a poll where he is at about 50% approval. Not bad considering he has so many factions in Washington that don't like him.

I regularly view the Rasmussen and Gallup daily tracking polls. At present, Trump is near his all-time lows in both.

If you follow these polls and the daily news, you will see that the less Trump tweets, the better he does in the polls. The less he talks about the investigations, the less the media focuses on them.
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
I love this. Trump is NOT under investigation by the special prosecutor, his lawyer says.
This is great to counteract the Fake News Media who for months refused to report that he wasn't under FBI investigation and also for them now to step over themselves to report that he is NOW under investigation by the SP based on leaks purposely given to the Washington Post. Wonder how long before the SP leaks again. Probably the next news cycle.:rolleyes:
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
I saw a poll where he is at about 50% approval. Not bad considering he has so many factions in Washington that don't like him.

I regularly view the Rasmussen and Gallup daily tracking polls. At present, Trump is near his all-time lows in both.

If you follow these polls and the daily news, you will see that the less Trump tweets, the better he does in the polls. The less he talks about the investigations, the less the media focuses on them.
I find that hard to believe that the Fake News Media would focus less on it. And also for months Trump wasn't even under investigation, yet they spent nearly all of their time on this bogus Russian collusion story fueled by distorted and false anonymous leaks.
Very dishonest media.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
I find that hard to believe that the Fake News Media would focus less on it. And also for months Trump wasn't even under investigation, yet they spent nearly all of their time on this bogus Russian collusion story fueled by distorted and false anonymous leaks.
Very dishonest media.

You don't have to believe it. Check it out for yourself. If you are rooting for Trump like you root for a sports team who you will back no matter what, go ahead and embrace the fake news narrative. If you seek to be open-minded and willing to separate fact from fiction, take that stand and study events like you seek the truth.

What makes fake news fake? Do they say things that are not true? If so does the same standard apply to Trump? If so, there would be a fake Trump also, would their not?

Your call. Open minded and respectful of facts? Or closed minded and Trump is right and the media is wrong no matter what?

If you wish to check it out, start a chart. On one side, list Trump's daily tweets. On the other side list the daily poll numbers. You may be surprised by what you discover.

So too with what you find hard to believe. Start another chart. On one side, list the top three stories and the time given to them of one or two cable news shows. On the other side list Trump's statements, tweets and activities of the day. Here again you may be surprised by what you find.

At this moment, CNN's headline story is "Dems may halt Senate business over healthcare." They are spending a good deal of time on that. It has nothing to do with Trump. It is not true that the main stream media focuses continually on Trump.

Just took another look. News is about Cosby, Navy ship, something going on in the Mideast. In the last 15 minutes of this show, not a word about Trump. And with the reporting they are doing, no one is saying it is inaccurate.

View 60 minutes of cable objectively. Don't be so quick to paint them all with the same fake news brush. Yes, it is corrupt to base "news" on unsubstantiated leaks from unidentified sources. That does not mean all news is fake.

On Google, I just clicked deep enough into the top U.S. Stories to reveal 10. Three of them are about Trump. Two of the three are two days old. Not much breaking Trump news over the weekend as he spends a quiet weekend at Camp David (his first trip there is a news story itself. Is that fake news to report Trump's location and activities over the weekend?

Ranting more .... Today's news includes Trump's tweet that says he is being investigated and Trump's lawyer's statement that Trump is not being investigated. The media reported both events. Who is fake in this case .... Trump? Trump's lawyer? The media?
 
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ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
I wonder what those polls said about his odds before the election.

They said nothing. These are daily tracking polls of the president's job approval rating. In Trump's case, these daily tracking polls began on Inauguration Day. They are a useful indicator because the same pollsters use the same methodology every day. Rasmussen and Gallup numbers differ with Rasmussen consistently showing a higher approval number for Trump than Gallup. That speaks to the different methodologies. To me, it's not the number that is important but the trends these polls show. They move in parallel as Trump's popularity rises and falls.

While it's common for many to highlight the fact that Hillary led in the polls in the general election but Trump won, it is fair, is it not, to also highlight the fact that the polls got it right? They did not poll for the electoral college result. They polled for the popular vote and Hilary won the popular vote.
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
I wonder what those polls said about his odds before the election.

They said nothing. These are daily tracking polls of the president's job approval rating. In Trump's case, these daily tracking polls began on Inauguration Day. They are a useful indicator because the same pollsters use the same methodology every day. Rasmussen and Gallup numbers differ with Rasmussen consistently showing a higher approval number for Trump than Gallup. That speaks to the different methodologies. To me, it's not the number that is important but the trends these polls show. They move in parallel as Trump's popularity rises and falls.

While it's common for many to highlight the fact that Hillary led in the polls in the general election but Trump won, it is fair, is it not, to also highlight the fact that the polls got it right? They did not poll for the electoral college result. They polled for the popular vote and Hilary won the popular vote.
How did they poll in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania before the election? If my memory serves me correctly Hillary polled higher than Trump in Michigan.
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
They said nothing. These are daily tracking polls of the president's job approval rating. In Trump's case, these daily tracking polls began on Inauguration Day. They are a useful indicator because the same pollsters use the same methodology every day. Rasmussen and Gallup numbers differ with Rasmussen consistently showing a higher approval number for Trump than Gallup. That speaks to the different methodologies. To me, it's not the number that is important but the trends these polls show. They move in parallel as Trump's popularity rises and falls.

While it's common for many to highlight the fact that Hillary led in the polls in the general election but Trump won, it is fair, is it not, to also highlight the fact that the polls got it right? They did not poll for the electoral college result. They polled for the popular vote and Hilary won the popular vote.
Rasmusen last prediction before the election which I would assume was derived from their polling.

dddd7623e8d351159cfff29ca5ac3a8c.jpg
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
I find that hard to believe that the Fake News Media would focus less on it. And also for months Trump wasn't even under investigation, yet they spent nearly all of their time on this bogus Russian collusion story fueled by distorted and false anonymous leaks.
Very dishonest media.

You don't have to believe it. Check it out for yourself. If you are rooting for Trump like you root for a sports team who you will back no matter what, go ahead and embrace the fake news narrative. If you seek to be open-minded and willing to separate fact from fiction, take that stand and study events like you seek the truth.

What makes fake news fake? Do they say things that are not true? If so does the same standard apply to Trump? If so, there would be a fake Trump also, would their not?

Your call. Open minded and respectful of facts? Or closed minded and Trump is right and the media is wrong no matter what?

If you wish to check it out, start a chart. On one side, list Trump's daily tweets. On the other side list the daily poll numbers. You may be surprised by what you discover.

So too with what you find hard to believe. Start another chart. On one side, list the top three stories and the time given to them of one or two cable news shows. On the other side list Trump's statements, tweets and activities of the day. Here again you may be surprised by what you find.

At this moment, CNN's headline story is "Dems may halt Senate business over healthcare." They are spending a good deal of time on that. It has nothing to do with Trump. It is not true that the main stream media focuses continually on Trump.

Just took another look. News is about Cosby, Navy ship, something going on in the Mideast. In the last 15 minutes of this show, not a word about Trump. And with the reporting they are doing, no one is saying it is inaccurate.

View 60 minutes of cable objectively. Don't be so quick to paint them all with the same fake news brush. Yes, it is corrupt to base "news" on unsubstantiated leaks from unidentified sources. That does not mean all news is fake.

On Google, I just clicked deep enough into the top U.S. Stories to reveal 10. Three of them are about Trump. Two of the three are two days old. Not much breaking Trump news over the weekend as he spends a quiet weekend at Camp David (his first trip there is a news story itself. Is that fake news to report Trump's location and activities over the weekend?
I think you picked the wrong day to search for fake news Trump stories. It's the weekend and it's Father's Day. Other than the Sunday morning shows, it's pretty dead.
Check back tomorrow. CNN will have continuous Trump coverage. The Media Research Center did an analysis of a day of watching CNN. Ninety two percent of its news was about Trump. Seventy eight percent were negative critics of Trump. A scant three minutes or so was devoted to other news.
I joke with my wife that you can turn on CNN at about any time and you will see them talking about Trump. She has done it a few times and tells me I'm right so that is my chart. If it's CNN or MSNBC, it's usually negative about Trump. They have an agenda. I get it.
They also have the likes of the Washington Post and the New York Times that will produce anonymously sourced stories (fact or fiction, half fact and half fiction, or total fiction) fed to them almost daily, which in turn will be reported and echoed by them to keep the Trump in chaos narrative going. They don't really need the Trump tweets.
 
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