The Trump Card...

[ATeam]

This war will be over soon.

When? How? Trump did not say in his speech tonight. What can you say that he didn't?

Iran does not have a new regime or a new president. The president of Iran is Masoud Pezeshkian. He has been the president since July 2024.

Once again, it seems Trump's imagination is running loose in his head. He lives and acts in a world that does not exist.

Why do you keep believing the utter BS Trump puts out? You love fact checking me. Why don't you do the same with Trump?

 

[muttly]

When? How? Trump did not say in his speech tonight. What can you say that he didn't?

Iran does not have a new regime or a new president. The president of Iran is Masoud Pezeshkian. He has been the president since July 2024.

Once again, it seems Trump's imagination is running loose in his head. He lives and acts in a world that does not exist.

Why do you keep believing the utter BS Trump puts out? You love fact checking me. Why don't you do the same with Trump?

The Left needs to put their pompoms away. The objectives are about complete. No protracted war. Oil and gas prices will be coming way down in a few weeks. The stock market will go way up. People are getting their tax refunds and their additional money. This will be a spring and summer full of prosperity The Left will be bumming about this reality.

 

[ATeam]

The objectives are about complete. No protracted war.

The problem with that is Trump has been saying that since he started the war. The war is over a month old now and there is no end in sight. The missiles keep flying. The Straight of Hormuz is closed to Iran's enemies. No talks are happening. Iran shows no sign of a cease fire.

Oil and gas prices will be coming way down in a few weeks. The stock market will go way up.

Maybe. You are stating a market outlook. Time will tell. But the immediate dip in oil prices that happened before Trump's speech has reversed. Brent Crude is over $105 a barrel again. The "Trump bump" in the markets over the last couple days is reversing too. It seems the markets found little to cheer when Trump addressed the nation.

People are getting their tax refunds and their additional money.

That money is now going straight into their gas tanks, and into the higher cost of goods that higher fuel prices cause.

This will be a spring and summer full of prosperity The Left will be bumming about this reality.

Prosperity for Trump and his billionaire buddies, absolutely. The wealth transfer from the lower and middle class to the uber-rich continues. For the rest of us, I'm not so sure.

Notwithstanding my "coming soon, the Trump recession" comment, I don't like to predict market outcomes because too many variables are unknown. But I am beginning to believe that higher gas prices are going to persist for months if not years. That's because numerous oil facilities in the Middle East have been destroyed. It will take months if not years to bring them back on line.

Trump, Israel and Iran could make peace right now, and they could reopen the Straight of Hormuz, but the oil facilities will still be in ruins. That's not a quick or easy fix.

If Trump carries through with his threat to destroy Iran's oil facilities, the effect on US gas prices will exacerbate.

 

[muttly]

Pesky fact:

 

[muttly]

Prosperity for Trump and his billionaire buddies, absolutely. The wealth transfer from the lower and middle class to the uber-rich continues. For the rest of us, I'm not so sure.

Grok fact check:

 

[ATeam]

Grok fact check:

That's not a fact check, it's a history lesson. The Trump gas price surge of over $1 per gallon is the largest monthly spike in US history. It is recent and ongoing. The price move is not reversing, it is persisting. Historical statistics do not include such a thing so, for purposes other than comparing the past to the present, historical statistics are irrelevant when explaining our present circumstances.

 

[muttly]

That's not a fact check, it's a history lesson. The Trump gas price surge of over $1 per gallon is the largest monthly spike in US history. It is recent and ongoing. The price move is not reversing, it is persisting. Historical statistics do not include such a thing so, for purposes other than comparing the past to the present, historical statistics are irrelevant when explaining our present circumstances.

Cute little talking point that will be just a minor blip in history. Compare that to to sustained higher gas prices month after month and year after year under Biden.

 

[Ragman]

 

[ATeam]

Cute little talking point that will be just a minor blip in history. Compare that to to sustained higher gas prices month after month and year after year under Biden.

Compare that to the $0.29 to $0.31 cents Americans paid when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Both items are equally relevant today. I highly doubt that Americans filling their tanks right now are thinking about Joe Biden. And if they are, they may be remembering the better days under Biden.

This gas price chart is shared for your information and convenience.

For context: the primary driver for the 5-month period under Biden where gas was over $4.00/gal. was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. Russia was one of the largest oil exporters in the world at the time and the immediate threat of sanctions and supply disruptions caused Brent crude oil to spike above $120 per barrel. Today (Apr 2, 2026), Brent crude is $109.46/barrel.

 

[muttly]

Compare that to the $0.29 to $0.31 cents Americans paid when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Both items are equally relevant today. I highly doubt that Americans filling their tanks right now are thinking about Joe Biden. And if they are, they may be remembering the better days under Biden.

This gas price chart is shared for your information and convenience.

For context: the primary driver for the 5-month period under Biden where gas was over $4.00/gal. was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. Russia was one of the largest oil exporters in the world at the time and the immediate threat of sanctions and supply disruptions caused Brent crude oil to spike above $120 per barrel. Today (Apr 2, 2026), Brent crude is $109.46/barrel.

View attachment 24714

Roughly the last 43 months of Biden’s presidency gas prices averaged over 3 dollars a gallon. 5 months gas averaged over 4 dollars. And 2 of those months spiked to near 5 dollars a gallon. Thanks for playing.

 

[Ragman]

Pam Bondi is out as attorney general​

Live updates: Pam Bondi is out as attorney general

Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted by President Donald Trump. Trump named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general.

apnews.com

 

[Ragman]

Pam Bondi has officially been fired by Donald Trump for failing to do more to cover up the Epstein files and protect child predators.

Imagine going in front of Congress to discuss the Epstein investigation, only to make an ass of yourself by ranting about the Dow Jones being above 50,000, desperately trying to suck up to Trump — only for the Dow to dip below 50,000 immediately after and never rise above it again.

Then, a few weeks later, you get fired anyway for failing to adequately cover up child trafficking and protect those who preyed on and abused children.

Pam Bondi has earned herself a permanent spot in the Hall of Disgrace.

May she join Kristi Noem in f*cking all the way off.

 

[muttly]

Pam Bondi has officially been fired by Donald Trump for failing to do more to cover up the Epstein files and protect child predators.

Imagine going in front of Congress to discuss the Epstein investigation, only to make an ass of yourself by ranting about the Dow Jones being above 50,000, desperately trying to suck up to Trump — only for the Dow to dip below 50,000 immediately after and never rise above it again.

Then, a few weeks later, you get fired anyway for failing to adequately cover up child trafficking and protect those who preyed on and abused children.

Pam Bondi has earned herself a permanent spot in the Hall of Disgrace.

May she join Kristi Noem in f*cking all the way off.

Do you have a link for this cut and paste post?

 

[Ragman]

 

[Pilgrim]

Compare that to the $0.29 to $0.31 cents Americans paid when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Both items are equally relevant today. I highly doubt that Americans filling their tanks right now are thinking about Joe Biden. And if they are, they may be remembering the better days under Biden.

This gas price chart is shared for your information and convenience.

For context: the primary driver for the 5-month period under Biden where gas was over $4.00/gal. was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. Russia was one of the largest oil exporters in the world at the time and the immediate threat of sanctions and supply disruptions caused Brent crude oil to spike above $120 per barrel. Today (Apr 2, 2026),

Compare that to the $0.29 to $0.31 cents Americans paid when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. Both items are equally relevant today. I highly doubt that Americans filling their tanks right now are thinking about Joe Biden. And if they are, they may be remembering the better days under Biden.

This gas price chart is shared for your information and convenience.

For context: the primary driver for the 5-month period under Biden where gas was over $4.00/gal. was the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. Russia was one of the largest oil exporters in the world at the time and the immediate threat of sanctions and supply disruptions caused Brent crude oil to spike above $120 per barrel. Today (Apr 2, 2026), Brent crude is $109.46/barrel.

View attachment 24714

See chart below

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1UpSA&height=490

 

[muttly]

View attachment 24715

This meme illustrates that NATO countries are freeloading off the U.S. Its not because they are more virtuous.

 

[ATeam]

See chart below

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1UpSA&height=490

Your post highlights a sourcing issue. I got my chart number from Grok, I did not ask Grok what its source was. I assumed, perhaps incorrectly it was the AAA numbers. Your chart comes from a government agency. I'm happy to compare like to like. In a month or two, we already know what your Bureau of Labor Statistics chart will show. That's fine with me. It too is a credible source.

 

[ATeam]

This meme illustrates that NATO countries are freeloading off the U.S. Its not because they are more virtuous.

That's the thing with memes. You can make them say anything you want them to say.

Personally, I'm willing accept the meme's face-value message. A world that respects the U.S. more than ever before does not:

• Decline to share underwater surveillance data or sonar tracking of adversary submarine movements
• Strike back with reciprocal tariffs
• Close allied bases to the US
• Ignore U.S. Department of Justice extradition requests for high-profile criminal targets
• Coordinate production cuts in oil or energy to intentionally spike U.S. inflation
• Deny emergency docking or "safe harbor" rights to U.S. Navy ships in distress or needing repair
• Publicly criticize U.S. military doctrine as a threat to global stability
• Stop seasonal snowbird stays from Canada
• Refuse to provide destroyer escorts for U.S. flagged commercial vessels transiting high risk zones
• Systematically seize U.S. intellectual property as a formal state policy
• Deny Strait of Hormuz access to US ships
• Scale back purchases of U.S. Treasury bonds to weaken the federal credit
• Close allied airspace to the US
• Create regional trade blocs that intentionally and explicitly exclude U.S. participation
• Decline to join U.S. led maritime protection Task Forces in the Red Sea or Persian Gulf
• Prevent us from buying rare-earth elements they previously allowed us to buy
• Publicly pursue independent nuclear deterrents due to a lack of faith in the U.S. security umbrella
• Expel U.S. diplomats or intelligence personnel
• Withdraw from joint anti piracy patrols in the Gulf of Guinea or the Malacca Strait
• Nationalize U.S. corporate assets without compensation
• Demand the immediate removal of U.S. military personnel from long-standing regional hubs
• Place restrictive caps on the number of U.S. students or researchers allowed in-country
• Reject U.S. mediated peace talks in favor of third-party negotiators
• Refuse to participate in Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in contested international waters
• Hedge against the U.S. dollar by shifting reserves to gold or the Yuan
• Stop visiting the US as tourists from numerous nations
• Impose "neutrality" rules that prevent U.S. warships from refueling at previously accessible allied stations
• Sign comprehensive security pacts with U.S. adversaries as a direct replacement for U.S. protection
• Issue formal travel warnings advising their citizens against visiting the U.S. for safety reasons
• Vote against US interests in the UN Security Council
• Deny the use of deep water ports for the pre-positioning of U.S. naval supplies and fuel
• Leverage critical supply chain bottlenecks to force U.S. diplomatic concessions
• Fire missiles at US targets
• Develop independent satellite navigation systems to bypass reliance on U.S. GPS
• Withdraw from longstanding bilateral intelligence-sharing agreements
• Limit the number of U.S. naval personnel allowed on shore leave in allied ports for "security reasons"
• Ignore U.S. sanctions by establishing alternative shadow-payment systems
• Establish "no-go" zones for U.S. commercial vessels in international waters
• Decline to participate in joint military exercises they previously hosted
• Shift primary intelligence-gathering cooperation to rival global powers
• Refuse to provide Patriot missile batteries to the US
• Publicly mock the U.S. Commander-in-Chief or diplomatic staff during international summits
• Opt out of long standing annual naval exercises like RIMPAC or Balikatan to avoid offending U.S. rivals
• Accelerate the liquidation of U.S. Treasury holdings to diversify into gold and non-dollar assets
• Issue formal travel warnings advising their citizens against visiting the U.S. due to safety concerns or civil unrest.

All of this has been done since Trump began his second term.

Contrary to Trump's claim, it does not seem like the world respects the U.S. more than ever before. The above list suggests the opposite. In fact, the world disrespects the U.S. more than ever before.

The loss of that respect is one of the many tragedies delivered by Trump.

 

[ATeam]

If "We Have All The Cards, [and] They Have None ..."

On April 1, in his address to the nation, Trump referred to Iran and said, “We have all the cards, they have none.”

Question: If “We have all the cards, they have none," how did Iran manage to shoot down a US F-15E Strike Eagle jet fighter?

Answer: Trump is lying. Iran holds many cards.

They just downed a US fighter and they continue to launch missiles with pinpoint accuracy, even after suffering 12,300 strikes by the US and Israel. Iran has far more cards than Trump seems to able to understand or is willing to admit.

 

[ATeam]

Another Trump Lie Exposed -- This One Catastrophic

In his April 1 national address, Trump said, "They have no anti-aircraft equipment. It’s been annihilated. Our pilots are flying over there and they see nothing. There is nothing left to hit them with."

If the fool believes he can send US jets into Iranian airspace with impunity, he is sadly mistaken. A US F-15E jet was shot down today by Iranian fire. A US rescue helicopter was struck by hostile fire and landed safely after fleeing.

Additionally, a U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthog crashed into the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. It went down after being targeted by Iranian air defense systems positioned along the coast. The pilot was rescued by US forces.

Two US jets downed by Iranians in the same 24 hour period. How is that possible when Trump told the nation just 2 days ago that "They have no anti-aircraft equipment. It’s been annihilated?"