Trump: The Wild Card

Nan Donald Trump, Politics, , ,

wildcard-trump
Do you remember how, at the beginning of all the election commotion,  tRump threatened to run as an Independent if he didn’t get the Republican nomination? (The reason being he wasn’t being “treated fairly.”) Then, after basking in some of the media coverage he loves so well, he agreed to be a good little Republican and signed the “Loyalty Pledge.”

Of course there are obvious advantages to being supported by one of the major political parties as opposed to running as an Independent. A big one being all sorts of financial assistance. For example, once tRump officially became a “Republican,” he was backed by such dollar-worthy supporters as Peter Thiel, Carl Icahn, Tom Barrack, Woody Johnson, Stephen Feinberg, Steven Mnuchin, Sheldon Adelson, Robert Mercer, T. Boone Pickens, Stanley Hubbard, Darwin Deason, Wilbur Ross, Andrew Beal, and John Paulson. (Can you not agree that he’s going to be beholden to these fellows at various points in time after he takes office?)

But that isn’t the point of this post. Something crossed my mind today and I’ve been curious to know if anyone agrees with me.

After reading about and listening to (“60 Minutes”) our President-Elect (hate to even type those words), I’ve noticed how he’s been slightly altering some of the things he said he was going to do if elected. And many of the changes are in direct opposition to the Conservative POV. So I’ve been asking myself … could it be that the whole Independent vs. Republican hullabaloo was a sham? Could it be these were things he wanted to do from the very beginning? Could it be that he made this agreement more to pacify the party so he could move forward with legitimacy while all the time he had “The Trump Plan” in the back of his mind?

It’s become apparent his choice of cabinet members has disturbed many. Others are surely bothered by some of the policy statements and requests (security clearance for family members) he’s made since the election.

Can we help but wonder what else this Wild Card is planning?

56 thoughts on “Trump: The Wild Card”

  1. I agree he is a wild card. But as to a clever plan behind it all, I am doubtful. I think the more obvious answer is that he really is a wild card.

    I recall back to the campaign it was noted that on many issues it was hard to determine Trump’s position because he flip flopped so often. It seems to me that he is person with few ideological passions, rather his positions seem based on what is best him at that time, which seems to best explain why his positions change so frequently.

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  3. I doubt our boy has anything resembling a plan whatsoever. I do like that the Republican party isn’t doing back flips over tRump’s cabinet picks and so on. 4 years of Republicans ripping themselves apart will hurt my feelings not one bit.

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  4. I am worried that he will have no plan, no thought that could last more than a few hours, much less than a day or night. His ability to simply deny things he had clearly said, was on video saying and unashamed to deny worries me. He could make a horrible mistake, a military call and then after it went wrong say he never ordered it. Again these two men in those offices make me very worried. Hugs

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  5. I think in a lot of ways Trump is the wild card. He likes doing things his way (or the highway) and will no doubt only tolerate sycophants in his presence. So Trump is in charge of the “Fuck you I’ll do it my way party” If that’s not a political wild card I don’t know what would be.

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  7. Just saw this on Facebook (posted by Godless in Dixie from a Tweet):

    John: *writes Revelations* Lord, the end is signaled by trumpets?

    God: No, Trump/Pence.

    John: Right. Trumpets.

    God: Fine. They’ll know.

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  8. “I’ve noticed how he’s been slightly altering some of the things he said he was going to do if elected.”

    Yes. Even his acceptance speech was much, much different than the rhetoric he threw around during the campaign.

    Personally, I think all politicians say things they don’t mean during campaigns just to get elected. Trump included.

    I do think he’s a wild card though. I don’t think he fits into the box of either party, and if you think about it, he’s really destroyed both parties. I think we will have to wait and see what he’ll do when he’s sworn in.

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  9. Pay attention to some of the possible picks for tRump’s advisors, etc. Notice that Steven Mnuchin, Wilber Ross, and Tom Barrack are all included — each of them in the “dollar worthy” list I mentioned above in my post.

    No surprisingly, tRump is following the politician’s creed: “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” Oh but wait! Didn’t tRump run on the platform that he was NOT a politician? *rolling on the floor laughing*

    A couple of other names that I saw on the list truly make me gag: Joe Arpaio (former highly bigoted Arizona sheriff), Mike Huckabee (former Arkansas governor and religious nut), and Sarah Palin (former beauty queen and totally wacko ex-governor of Alaska).

    I know it’s already been agreed, but I have to say it one more time: the next four years are going to be insane!

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  11. Have you been reading about his proposed tax reform policy? Set aside that it will hit poorer single parents hard (which is reprehensible). Apparently he’s talking about getting rid of the per-child credit in favor of a larger (fixed) standard deduction. You know whom that part will hit hardest? Families with lots of kids… among whom are Fundagelicals, Catholics, and traditional rural farm families.

    Apart from whether it’s a good policy or not… what struck me today (in terms of your observation that he’s changing his tune post-election): I can’t think of a nicer way to say “Thank y–” … uh, actually, I mean “Fvkk you” … to a big group of people that put him in office. We’re gonna make America great again, and regular working folk are going to improve economically… oh, except you guys.

    P.S. Of course Trump’s “policies” are like the weather in Colorado… “Don’t like it? Wait 5 minutes.” So anything that comes out of his mouth really means nothing until it’s enacted. Still, the fact that he’d even say it is quite the misalignment from a big group of supporters that thought he had their back.

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    • Indeed! If you dig around a bit and really examine his “plans,” you’ll find they are a long way from helping those who supported him. And the sad part? The people who waved their flags, flashed their campaign banners, put Trump/Pence signs in their yards, wore their little red baseball caps, and believed his Make America Great Again rhetoric — they are the ones who will never know what hit them until it’s too late.

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  12. I came across this quote in the comments section of Captain Cassidy’s blog over on Patheos. It was just too good not to share:

    “As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”

    – H. L. Mencken
    July 26, 1920 Baltimore Evening Sun

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  13. President-Elect’s Legal Team Wants Judge To Delay Trump University Case
    http://www.npr.org/2016/11/18/502539446/president-elects-legal-team-wants-judge-to-delay-trump-university-case

    “Hey, Donald… tell us again about how wrong it was that so-called ‘Crooked Hillary’ didn’t get prosecuted for allegedly breaking the law! Tell us again about how you’re going to Washington to fight the ‘rigged system’ that favors the elites! Because *you* would never use Presidential status to evade the rules that apply to every other citizen, would you?”

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  15. Two phrases I marked today in an article motivated me to share it with you. I hope you will also find the full text worth reading.

    (Sorry I don’t know how to typeset italics or bold).

    ===Write a list of things you would never do. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will do them.
    Write a list of things you would never believe. Because it is possible that in the next year, you will either believe them or be forced to say you believe them. ===

    and:

    —You may be wondering why I am writing a letter to Americans in a Dutch news outlet. It is because I do not trust the US outlets to remain free, and believe that many are already compromised. —

    Please click on the following link:

    https://thecorrespondent.com/5696/were-heading-into-dark-times-this-is-how-to-be-your-own-light-in-the-age-of-trump/1611114266432-e23ea1a6?utm_source=De+Correspondent+-+English+public+list&utm_campaign=c29cbedbff-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_11_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7bb174c8f0-c29cbedbff-85201169

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  16. Federico, thank you so much for sharing this article. It is a very sobering look at our future but few can deny that what she writes is much too close to fact. I’ve been trying to stay hopeful that things won’t be as bad as many have predicted but each passing day is undermining that hope.

    I fear that many are going to discover that all is not as it seems and pain and disappointment is but a breath away.

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    • This essay, and another fascinating one of a Dutch journalist of that source, convince me that unfortunately they don’t exaggerate. The title of that article is “Waking up in a New World Order”; it marks the November 8 outcome “not only an electoral earthquake, but also a geopolitical one”.
      Nan, until now I have been trying, hard, to support your optimism, but I’m afraid I cannot sustain it. – A good reason to keep following your blog!!

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    • I’m with you on #1. The only other is #4 (I actually think this may be a good thing.)

      The problem with this list is it’s put together by a believer, so he is happy with: the possible ending of (evil) legalized abortion, the option of getting a conservative Supreme Court judge, Mike Pence as the VP-Elect, Mike Pompeo (a Hawk) as Director of CIA, and the bonus item … “allowing religious freedom for religious educational institutions.”

      This guy may be gleeful now, but the way tRump has and continues to shift gears related to his “campaign promises,” his attitude may change.

      Re: #8? I’ll believe that when it happens. Especially if he’s forced to put his regular business into a blind trust.

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      • He will give up the presidency before ever putting his assets in a blind trust. That would mean selling everything he owns and putting that money into a trust run by others. He can not and will not do that. for several reasons, his assets are not as large as he pretends, his connection to less than reputable organisations here and overseas, and his own ego. Simply put his brand and his assets go down if he can’t parley this presidency into more profit. As he is profit driven he won’t do it. Hugs

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  18. Trump’s Taiwanese phone call is likely a portend of things to come.

    What odd’s Trump never even considered the diplomatic consequneces? My guess is that the Taiwanese initiated the call and Trump could not resist talking to some folk who were going to tell him how glad they were that he won.

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    • Totally agree, Peter. He continues to prove on a pretty much daily basis his “wild card” status.

      My understanding is several leaders of various countries have called him but he hasn’t spoken to all of them. The fact he chose to talk to the Taiwan leader considering all the ramifications is just another example of his ignorance of foreign affairs.

      Some have speculated the reason he’s doing these “thank you” rallies is because he needs/thrives on the adulation of crowds. How in the world is he ever going to make it through a full week — yea, even a DAY — in the Oval Office?

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  19. I was interested in a story where Mark Wahlberg recalls an earlier discussion he had with Donald Trump:

    The actor told The Guardian that he and the president-elect had a lengthy conversation at a celebrity golf event for charity a decade or so ago, and the future leader of the free world did most of the talking. According to Wahlberg, Donald Trump’s favorite topic was himself.

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  21. I heard a Trump advisor say that the problem with Trump’s critics is that they take what he says seriously. The implication was that Trump doesn’t really mean a lot of what he says.

    I do fear that unless Trump closes his Twitter account he will run the risk of doing real damage to international relations, it seems fairly clear that his tweets are like thought bubbles rather than carefully reasoned positions. This starts to become a potential problem when dealing with other countries like China where face and honour is a critical part of the culture.

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  22. Absolutely, Peter! Not only that, there are certain phrases and idioms used by Americans that would/could be an insult to someone in another country.

    There’s no doubt, he’s a walking time bomb. And IMO, that “Trump advisor” is talking out of his you-know-what. He’s just trying to cover up/excuse his boss’s complete idiocy!

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    • Apparently Trump operates on little sleep, around 4 hours per night, and is prone to send off Tweets in the wee small hours.

      The State Department will need to establish a special Tweet response team to smooth over Trumps thought bubbles going forward.

      I think I will need to dust off my copies of West Wing and imagine an alternative President:

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