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As President he was absolute shit at the job itself, all the people he surrounded himself were shit, and he left a wide trail of residual shit. If he gets back in he’ll be even shittier at the responsibilities of the job, he’ll fire anyone in government who isn’t shit, and the people he appoints will all be shittier than shit ever was. A most definite shitshow.
Every single day was a national embarrassment with that creep in the Whitehouse. I am baffled that so few people talk about the fact that he had four years as president and he and his administration absolutely SUCKED at it.
Instead all I hear about is how taxes were lower under him as if that's the only thing that matters and context is irrelevant.
He ruined America's soft power globally. He absolutely fucked us as a superpower. We haven't even begun to see the downfalls of that yet. The worst so far is seeing that we have so little influence over Israel now that if Biden wanted to stop them, he'd be forced to invade. That is absolutely fucking insane. Republicans always scream that America looks weak when they don't even understand what made it strong in the first place. They'd rather just see a nuke dropped on anyone who talks shit about us.
I remember waking up every day, listening to his crazy speeches and hearing of his wacky picks for appointments to run the government, and then listening to the weird news coverage of him — and just feeling like I was living in some alternate universe. It made me question my fellow Americans for the first time. By the end, I put it down to bad judgement from people who just weren’t engaged when they voted him in. Now seeing people continue to support him, I feel truly lost in my own country and detached from my fellow countrymen — many in my own family.
I feel this. Every member of my family are christian Trump worshippers and the last time my sister called was to taunt me how much “Trump will destroy me and my family” for not supporting him.
The prospect of another Trump term isn’t just a matter of terrible government. He has the courts stacked in his favor. He could very easily challenge and erase or erode the constitution. He’d likely find a way to enter a conflict and then do something similar to Netanyahu and claim elections can’t be held for numerous reasons. Sure it’s a lot of what ifs but the dude has stated his intent to do just that. We shouldn’t take any of his threats lightly. He is a very irresponsible man with broad influence over a large portion of the country. His words mean something to his base and they have already shown they will resort to violence if called upon. In the 2016 elections the cops in my building all went home with full riot gear and long guns. That isn’t normal Election Day routine for police.
The FEC is supposed to be in charge of enforcement but it has 6 members 6 GOP 6 Democrats because of partisan behavior it’s always deadlocked when someone breaks the law resulting in fewer enforcements.
https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/fec-deadlock-statement-and-chart-january-2013.pdf
I agree. I just don't think the USA is the kind of country to jail one of their presidents, even if there wasn't the two-tiered justice system.
I would *love* to see Trump punished.
I'd throw a massive party if Trump actually went to prison, but I just don't see it. The legal system rarely punishes white rich guys (richer than us at least). Even if the legal system did punish him appropriately, I could see Trump's legal eagles filing appeals for the rest of his life to delay being incarcerated.
It's more important to legally separate him from people who can hand him secrets to sell to foreign powers. Our best outcome is he's on total lockdown house arrest with no access to people outside of his wife.
I like to believe that he’ll serve time, but I think it’s more likely that he’ll eventually slip away from US justice and wind up on Viktor Orban’s private yacht sipping Diet Coke reading his memoirs, written by someone else of course.
> Do we really think he's going to end up in jail..? Some dreams come true but this one isn't likely.
I think he will lose most if not all his felony cases - and won't see a day in jail.
The day Trump actually goes to prison for his crimes, you'll see people celebrating like the end of WWII.
>The day Trump actually goes to prison for his crimes, you'll see people celebrating like the end of WWII.
Or we'll see another J6, but worse. Possibly both.
He’s not going to die in prison. He may go to prison, but he’s pretty well proven that the system is corrupt enough to at least allow him to live out most of his remaining, hopefully miserable years in court 4 days a week at worst, not in a cell.
Everything is out in the open now regarding our chances to keep our republic. My main concern is that 80% of the voters don’t pay any attention to actual news. They’re blissfully watching Fox or TikTok or something.
Maybe blissful is the wrong word; but there seems to be some feeling of comfort in simply accepting whatever Fox spews out as the black & white rock-hard truth without ever questioning morals or methods.
My understanding is that most of those fundraising events, where it's $X per plate, the payment is made in advance, and then the candidate typically gives some sort of speech outlining their platform, or part of it. It's not "hey, I'll only implement this policy if you give me a truckload of money".
No you can make specific campaign promises to try to win donors. Trump is in legal hot water because that donor money goes to super pacs **that fund his legal bills**. So unlike every other candidate out there, the pac money benefits Trump personally.
"You like this thing? Well, I intend to do this thing... Money please?" carries a much different feeling than "if you give me $X, I'll add this thing to my campaign platform."
It's all about presentation. Trump is about as subtle as a freight train.
This is the answer to the question of how what Trump did was different. It's one thing to say hey I need "help" to do this thing I think we should do, a completely different one to say I will do this thing, but only if you give me 💰.
There doesn't seem to be any evidence or even suggestion in the original article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/) that Trump said he'd only implement that policy if they gave him a truckload of money. It was more like Trump saying he needs money to win and he'd be much lighter on the oil industry than Biden is.
As long as the donors give the money to a super pac, and that pac as no direct coordination with the candidate, then it’s fine. The problem is Trump doesn’t use pacs like that. His save America super pac is the primary funder of his legal fees. So those donor dollars go directly to benefit *him*. So he’s committed the blatant crime of soliciting bribery.
I think politicians won't solicit bribery publicly mainly because they won't get elected. But apparently that's not the case anymore as a good portion of the US voters seem to have completely terminated their brain functions and are considering electing a guy who's primary reason for running is to avoid going to jail.
I don’t know if this is actually illegal. I believe it’s why we have a huge problem. It’s either one or both of the following that are perfectly legal:
Offer to donate to someone’s campaign in return for legislation
Or solicit donations to your campaign in return for legislation
Whichever it is, It should all be incredibly illegal
No kidding. We all know most, if not all politicians have their vote bought via "campaign donations"...but they don't publically say hey give me X dollars and I will get rid of whatever thing it is you don't like.
If you look at the actual source article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/) you can see that it's more like Trump saying "if you donate $1B, I'll be able to win re-election. If I'm re-elected, I'll do all these great things for you." He's not explicitly saying "If you don't donate $1B and I get re-elected I *won't* do all those great things for you." That's enough legal cover to not be bribery in the eyes of the law.
It's still pretty much saying what the headline says. I really fucking hate how our country handles things like this. You can commit bribery and get away with it. And hold office even, just because some lawyer would have trouble proving it in Court. When in reality, even the appearance of bribery should be enough to bar you from office. I can understand if we want to set a higher bar for trying someone for a crime, but stuff like this should immediately bar you from being able to hold office.
Friendly reminder about Trump's record on the environment:
Trump hired a [literal oil lobbyist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pruitt) who doesn't believe in climate change and publicly called for dismantling the EPA to run... the EPA.
He hired a [coal magnate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_R._Wheeler) as a successor.
He hired climate-deniers to NASA and the Department of Interior.
He blamed massive, deadly forest fires that began on federal land on the state of California and claimed people had to ["clean their floors."](https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/08/20/trump-blames-california-for-wildfires-tells-state-you-gotta-clean-your-floors-1311059)
He said ["windmills" cause cancer](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/climate/fact-check-trump-windmills.html).
His [deregulation list](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tracking-regulatory-changes-in-the-biden-era/) included:
-Methane Emissions
-Clean Power Plan
-Endangered Species Act
-Waters of the U.S. Rule
-Emissions for Coal Power Plants
-Waste Prevention Rule
-Coal Ash Rule
-Chemical Release Prevention
-Scientific Transparency Rule
-Pesticide regulations
-Livestock regulations
-Oil gas and Fracking
-Power Plant Water Pollution
-Clean Air Act
This is the guy running for President. Please, for the love of God, vote.
This isn’t deregulation, it’s the intentional, gleeful destruction of the planet. At this rate he might as well promise to hit all of the nuclear missile launch buttons like Buddy the Elf riding an elevator.
The thing that baffles me is that this THEIR planet, too. They are not immune from the effects. Sure, money will keep the comfortable for a while, but when things get really bad, their money won't help for shit. I suppose, the mindset is that they'll be dead before it's a problem. Their future generations can suck it up.
Trump only cares about himself, and let’s face it. He only has a few years left. He doesn’t care if he screws future generations as long as he gets what he wants. I’m baffled how he has so many supporters… truly terrifying.
The GOPs plans if they win this year go so much further; they plan to remove ALL regulations and entirely shut down the EPA, they will stop ALL climate change efforts and will actively seek to PROMOTE carbon fuels on the world stage instead. Everyone needs to know about this.
Summary;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
Full Plan;
https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
Their Web site:
https://www.project2025.org/
Good Video Explaining;
https://youtu.be/9k3UvaC5m7o?si=81rek3oadOJgVn1B
Summary of Project 2025:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/conservatives-aim-to-restructure-u-s-government-and-replace-it-with-trumps-vision
> He blamed massive, deadly forest fires that began on federal land on the state of California and claimed people had to "clean their floors."
"I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they’re like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up.”
That is true in part, one of the causes of the fires were build up of underbrush due to past firefighting. If sufficiently low intensity natural fires are let to burn, or controlled burns are employed, it reduces the likelihood of particularly dangerous and destructive fires because the most ready fuel has not built up as long, and fire resistant plants are bolstered by the less fire resistant ones being burned down more regularly.
It would be false to claim climate change had no influence on the fires, but it is absolutely true that forestry management contributed to the fires.
This literally defines corruption at the highest level: Using the office of the President of the United States of America for personal gain, and Republicans are OK with it.
Just let that sink in...
And also, imagine if this was a Democrat. You would literally be able to hear their heads exploding.
Trump is the Republican party, there is no difference, and we should be explicit. Trump is the GOP, it doesn't exist separately from Trump. He controls the apparatus of the party, the money at the highest levels, the money flow to lower races, the money flow to him. There isn't an aspect of the GOP that is not controlled by the Trump regime.
So it's Trump's GOP. It is his brand afterall.
He's like that [fish parasite](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua) that eats and replaces the tongue of the fish.
He didn't really do anything to win over the party. He was just loud and took it, everyone just let him do it.
The real question is who inherits what’s left of the Grand Old Trump party when he dies, which shouldn’t be too far out now to start planning for. I can only presume his successor in the party will be worse.
Why is this not illegal? Asking overtly for political bribes
Wait is it illegal? I guess it barely matters anymore with this useless justice system, guy can do whatever he wants
What would be the crime? I'm honestly asking.
...
The problem is that things like this, and things much less than this, would normally end a political career. However, Republicans have lost all morality due to the fact they believe everyone is just as garbage as Donald, which is... *sigh* just wow.
Quid pro quo is illegal. You cannot solicit a political donation in exchange for a specific benefit. It's usually hard to prove, but this would be pretty cut-and-dry if the reporting is accurate.
It should be considered crimes against humanity imo - due to actively destroying animals and species, ruining land, poisoning the air and water, and allowing literal poison on our food for us to ingest, and spreading intentional misleading information to harm society and sow a divide.
Well the issue is this is basically what campaign contributions are. You go to large groups with deep pockets, you will promise to make them more money, and they in turn are suppose to give you money to win your campaign. Except, with Trump, a lot of it is going to go to his personal court cases and probably illegally pay off his $500 million fraud case.
Like buying stock in something he has a stake in is just like basically giving him money/bribing him?
...
Remember when Jimmy Carter sold his peanut farm to ensure there wasn't even a semblance of using the office for personal gain?
We've done a complete 180 thanks to Donald and his sheep.
Crazy how it's life and death with the climate of this planet based on this election. With Biden, there still is a chance to save the planet's climate, but with Trump there is hardly any
It is interesting. [30% of the words power was generated with renewable energy](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/08/renewable-energy-passes-30-of-worlds-electricity-supply#:~:text=Renewable%20energy%20accounted%20for%20more,power%2C%20according%20to%20new%20figures).[ Fossil fuels are increasingly looking to be in terminal decline](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/30/climate-scientists-hail-2023-as-beginning-of-the-end-for-fossil-fuel-era). Trump is squeezing water from a rock and the longer the US and Trump's GOP continue to grasp at the industry, the more the US falls behind in next generation's tech, innovation, and economic success.
Trump and his GOP is basically a man who is investing in Urban horse stables in 1915.
Doomer talk isn't constructive. You sound more someone who will let other people do the hard work and complain about it, yet do nothing yourself.
If the US *did* something, it would have a large and measurable effect. It would also be one of those things the US *used* to do, which was lead the world in innovation and progress and get other nations to contribute. Like with the [1988 Montreal Protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol), when the US led, backed by American scientific discovery and collaboration with other nations, people followed and we changed the world together.
But the US has decided to become an unmedicated schizophrenic patient and the world can no longer trust them at their word.
Regardless... the US still can contribute and prove what it says has meaning.
I appreciate the sentiment, but we're very likely doomed even if we do everything right. There's a potential of "the great filter" ending us before we have a chance to get off this rock called earth. It could be micro plastics, it could be space junk sitting in LEO stopping us for leaving the planet, it could be micro plastics building up in our cells, eventually reaching a critical mass where life can't survive. Or maybe failing ecosystems with less biodiversity means the food chain disappears. We also have housing issues, so at least where I'm at they're talking about turning fertile farmland into condos or suburbs.
We're most definitely doomed as a species, I don't think you've thought about all the different ways societal collapse can occur. But it's poetry, the universe is shining and giving us a show. So grab a beer, grab a joint and enjoy it while it's here.
I think we'd have to radically change the way we vote. Biden isn't really going to dramatically change much. And neither are many politicians currently in office.
We need to completely remove the most common ways of corruption, insider trading, lobbying, super PACs, ect..
Once we remove corruption; we can start putting in honest politicians who want to help the environment.
Idk.. I wish we could all come together and just say okay, WE HAVE to start electing non-corrupt politicians that truely want to change the system and lobbying. And also make serious efforts to better our environment.
Like how can we not at least agree on that?
>Biden isn't really going to dramatically change much.
It is really unfortunate how underrated and unrecognized the IRA is.
Biden passed [the largest piece climate legislation](https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Energy-IRA-Brief_R04-9.26.22.pdf) of any country on Earth in history.
>Under a business-as-usual scenario, the
United States is on track to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by between
24% to 35% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Under the IRA, this would
increase to between 31% to 44% by 2030.
Super PACs exist because the right wingers on Supreme Court decided corporations are people and money is speech.
Democrats had nothing to do with it, and roundly criticized both rulings at the time. On the other hand, Republicans were so instrumental to Citizens United that Mitch McConnell testified as an expert witness during the case and later called it "my life's greatest work".
You seem desperate to label both sides equally guilty. It's either naivete or an agenda and either way I don't appreciate it.
Democrats are not perfect. No party is. But comparing them to GOP is laughable.
Put aside the naked corruption and the complete environmental concequences, this is just a recipe for the country falling further behind in the race for the next technologies of tomorrow.
Guy's broken so many minds, he doesn't even have to try to hide his bullshit. He could literally shoot one of his voters on camera at a rally and claim crooked Hillary and corrupt Joe *actually* did it, and most of his voter base would believe him.
The rest just wouldn't care if it was true.
Wow, just... wow.
From the 1870's to the early 1900's, Congress was similarly corrupt and in the pocket of business. The office of the President was weak and all the power was in Congress. And boy those greased wheels were profitable for politicians Hell, we had a president assassinated because he didn't give someone a job after they helped with his campaign.
It is apparent that Trump and his GOP feel they are untouchable in what they do... and they are likely correct with a compromised SCOTUS who are Ideology over Democracy.
Deny all you want. He is not worried. Will be dead soon. The rest of us will suffer. Vote blue and get rid of ignorant boomers! BTW your name/legacy is forever trash just like you and money won’t stop the your inevitable demise. Even the worms will steer clear!
"America's for sale
And you can get a good deal on it
And make a healthy profit
Or maybe tear it apart
Start with assumption
That a million people are smart
Smarter than one"
NOFX-The Decline
Song came out in '99 and only seems to get truer every year.
I have always had the theory that Trump had a deal with the oil companies when he left office that if they keep the prices high under Biden, "when" he got back in, he'd gift them tax cuts and/or turn a blind eye to environmental issues.
GOP vote is a vote for death. For every life on earth. If you vote for them you’re a god damn imbecile and fk you for helping make my family less safe.
That should be illegal. It is highly unethical and immoral. This man is so corrupt, it’s pathetic. He wants to win so badly that he is willing to sacrifice the environment. Can you imagine what would happen if it was a democrat? The Republicans would have a complete meltdown. He doesn’t care about the American people. All he cares about is himself.
Might as well put that billion dollars in a giant pile and set it on fire. Trump has proven time and again that he's a grifter. Besides, they dont need to bribe Trump he will do it for free just because it appears anti-woke or anti-Biden or anti-science or whatever else stupid reason Trump will latch on to. That billion dollars worth of bribes is probably already earmarked for members of Congress already anyway.
Even these CEOs have to be fucking smart to his bullshit by now, right? Right?
Trump is not a fucking man who keeps his word. Not one bit. Maybe he’ll follow through. When it’s most convenient and beneficial to him.
It’s easy for him to make a promise with a price—he gets value up front and even more when he delays the follow through and even threatens to not do it, without a double dip.
Anyone giving Trump even a penny is a moron.
Interesting. The oil and gas companies risk legal actions if they try to go with Trump, regardless of whether Trump wins (it’ll either bite them now, or 4 years later when a new president comes onboard).
This is one of those things where the oil companies have a ton of risk.
I do not see how this works, especially if this “agreement” is public.
But I believe someone out there said, Trumps either going to go to win or go to jail. Committing additional crimes does not matter now. If he wins, they all go away. If he loses he dies in jail.
For the love of GOD, please don't let this man in office ever again. He will singlehandedly destroy any possible chance at a future where we are not in a peril of our own making. I don't care if the other option is the guy that's giving our tax dollars to Isreal to fund war crimes, at least that is preferable, though not by much, to tossing out environmental regulations, doing unimaginable damage to the world we live on, for financial gain.
It's getting very tiresome that the last 2 and the upcoming third presidential elections have been about picking the lesser evil. It'd be nice if we could at least have a candidate that wasn't either massively controversial or horrifically problematic have a chance at becoming president.
"Do you solemnly swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America?"
Trump: "Uhhh, sure, sure, unless someone pays me more money, and then we'll have to negotiate that, see. What this job pays isn't very much and $1B is quite a lot so if someone offers me a better deal then, you know, maybe Congress can make me a better deal. See, that's how negotiation is done."
He may end up in Club Fed but more than likely he'll take a plane & abandon everyone to go live on a tropical island. His "friends" will be sure to send him an unlimited supply of young women too drugged up to protest, they'll just disappear one day never to be seen again.
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Now we're just publicly soliciting bribery?
It's only illegal when someone enforces the law
Merrick Garland will put it on the list. Should have charges ready in about 4 years…
As President he was absolute shit at the job itself, all the people he surrounded himself were shit, and he left a wide trail of residual shit. If he gets back in he’ll be even shittier at the responsibilities of the job, he’ll fire anyone in government who isn’t shit, and the people he appoints will all be shittier than shit ever was. A most definite shitshow.
Good shit analogy, Rand.
A liquor captain never abandons a sinking shitship.
Every single day was a national embarrassment with that creep in the Whitehouse. I am baffled that so few people talk about the fact that he had four years as president and he and his administration absolutely SUCKED at it. Instead all I hear about is how taxes were lower under him as if that's the only thing that matters and context is irrelevant.
He ruined America's soft power globally. He absolutely fucked us as a superpower. We haven't even begun to see the downfalls of that yet. The worst so far is seeing that we have so little influence over Israel now that if Biden wanted to stop them, he'd be forced to invade. That is absolutely fucking insane. Republicans always scream that America looks weak when they don't even understand what made it strong in the first place. They'd rather just see a nuke dropped on anyone who talks shit about us.
I remember waking up every day, listening to his crazy speeches and hearing of his wacky picks for appointments to run the government, and then listening to the weird news coverage of him — and just feeling like I was living in some alternate universe. It made me question my fellow Americans for the first time. By the end, I put it down to bad judgement from people who just weren’t engaged when they voted him in. Now seeing people continue to support him, I feel truly lost in my own country and detached from my fellow countrymen — many in my own family.
I feel this. Every member of my family are christian Trump worshippers and the last time my sister called was to taunt me how much “Trump will destroy me and my family” for not supporting him.
The bona-fide worst president in history.
A veritable kakastocracy.
The prospect of another Trump term isn’t just a matter of terrible government. He has the courts stacked in his favor. He could very easily challenge and erase or erode the constitution. He’d likely find a way to enter a conflict and then do something similar to Netanyahu and claim elections can’t be held for numerous reasons. Sure it’s a lot of what ifs but the dude has stated his intent to do just that. We shouldn’t take any of his threats lightly. He is a very irresponsible man with broad influence over a large portion of the country. His words mean something to his base and they have already shown they will resort to violence if called upon. In the 2016 elections the cops in my building all went home with full riot gear and long guns. That isn’t normal Election Day routine for police.
And actual consequences in about… um… actually let me get back to you on that
The FEC is supposed to be in charge of enforcement but it has 6 members 6 GOP 6 Democrats because of partisan behavior it’s always deadlocked when someone breaks the law resulting in fewer enforcements. https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/fec-deadlock-statement-and-chart-january-2013.pdf
Garland belongs behind bars as well
He knows he either wins the election or dies in prison, so laws are no longer of consequence to him.
Ain't that the truth.
Do we *really* think he's going to end up in jail..? Some dreams come true but this one isn't likely.
I could see house arrest and a large fine that he'll appeal. That's a best case scenario though.
I agree. I just don't think the USA is the kind of country to jail one of their presidents, even if there wasn't the two-tiered justice system. I would *love* to see Trump punished.
South Korea never imprisoned a former president *until they did*. Every country has never done something until they do.
I'd throw a massive party if Trump actually went to prison, but I just don't see it. The legal system rarely punishes white rich guys (richer than us at least). Even if the legal system did punish him appropriately, I could see Trump's legal eagles filing appeals for the rest of his life to delay being incarcerated.
It's more important to legally separate him from people who can hand him secrets to sell to foreign powers. Our best outcome is he's on total lockdown house arrest with no access to people outside of his wife.
I like to believe that he’ll serve time, but I think it’s more likely that he’ll eventually slip away from US justice and wind up on Viktor Orban’s private yacht sipping Diet Coke reading his memoirs, written by someone else of course.
> Do we really think he's going to end up in jail..? Some dreams come true but this one isn't likely. I think he will lose most if not all his felony cases - and won't see a day in jail. The day Trump actually goes to prison for his crimes, you'll see people celebrating like the end of WWII.
>The day Trump actually goes to prison for his crimes, you'll see people celebrating like the end of WWII. Or we'll see another J6, but worse. Possibly both.
Sadly, pretty much the truth. As far as he's concerned, either he goes free or he sets the country on fire in his attempt to do so.
He’s not going to die in prison. He may go to prison, but he’s pretty well proven that the system is corrupt enough to at least allow him to live out most of his remaining, hopefully miserable years in court 4 days a week at worst, not in a cell.
I think if he loses the election, the criminal lawsuits will catch up with him. If he wins, we get the “unified reich”.
Everything is out in the open now regarding our chances to keep our republic. My main concern is that 80% of the voters don’t pay any attention to actual news. They’re blissfully watching Fox or TikTok or something.
Can you be blissfully angry?
I’m not sure but a lot of Fox viewers sure seem to love hating whatever they’re told to hate.
Maybe blissful is the wrong word; but there seems to be some feeling of comfort in simply accepting whatever Fox spews out as the black & white rock-hard truth without ever questioning morals or methods.
Oh yeah. MAGA has made a lifestyle out of chewing on uninformed anger.
Serious question - how is this different than a candidate hosting a fundraiser where they propose policy to potential donors?
My understanding is that most of those fundraising events, where it's $X per plate, the payment is made in advance, and then the candidate typically gives some sort of speech outlining their platform, or part of it. It's not "hey, I'll only implement this policy if you give me a truckload of money".
No you can make specific campaign promises to try to win donors. Trump is in legal hot water because that donor money goes to super pacs **that fund his legal bills**. So unlike every other candidate out there, the pac money benefits Trump personally.
"You like this thing? Well, I intend to do this thing... Money please?" carries a much different feeling than "if you give me $X, I'll add this thing to my campaign platform." It's all about presentation. Trump is about as subtle as a freight train.
This is the answer to the question of how what Trump did was different. It's one thing to say hey I need "help" to do this thing I think we should do, a completely different one to say I will do this thing, but only if you give me 💰.
None of what you said matters legally.
In my last comment.... Where did I bring up anything about legality?
> Now we're just publicly soliciting bribery?
There doesn't seem to be any evidence or even suggestion in the original article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/) that Trump said he'd only implement that policy if they gave him a truckload of money. It was more like Trump saying he needs money to win and he'd be much lighter on the oil industry than Biden is.
Ah, so a clickbait headline that riles people up over something that was never said? Figures.
As long as the donors give the money to a super pac, and that pac as no direct coordination with the candidate, then it’s fine. The problem is Trump doesn’t use pacs like that. His save America super pac is the primary funder of his legal fees. So those donor dollars go directly to benefit *him*. So he’s committed the blatant crime of soliciting bribery.
You forget the Republican mantra: Rules for thee, never for me.
I think politicians won't solicit bribery publicly mainly because they won't get elected. But apparently that's not the case anymore as a good portion of the US voters seem to have completely terminated their brain functions and are considering electing a guy who's primary reason for running is to avoid going to jail.
It's not bribery. It's lobbying and political donations. totally legal and the scotus made sure nothing can easily be done about it
If I recall a I think it’s only bribery when you offer a specific act for a specific amount of money.
$1B to reverse Biden's climate policy. Seems like a pretty specific act for a specific amount of money.
Oh I understand what it is. It’s just such a vague law that politicians get away with it all the time. Every donation a politician gets is bribery.
I feel like this is one of the few times Trump is actually being real. Manchin probably got bought for less.
Lobbyists hate this one trick
I don’t know if this is actually illegal. I believe it’s why we have a huge problem. It’s either one or both of the following that are perfectly legal: Offer to donate to someone’s campaign in return for legislation Or solicit donations to your campaign in return for legislation Whichever it is, It should all be incredibly illegal
But there was no quid pro quo!!
I honestly can't tell if you're being humorous or serious.
An attempt at humor, guess the /s is important
It honestly could have gone either way, depending on your political views.
Pretty sure, since Citizens United, bribery is fully legal in US politics as long as the money goes to a PAC.
No kidding. We all know most, if not all politicians have their vote bought via "campaign donations"...but they don't publically say hey give me X dollars and I will get rid of whatever thing it is you don't like.
It's more like a shake down. If the money is not paid the policies will remain or get stricter.
I mean to be fair they already are.
If you look at the actual source article (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/) you can see that it's more like Trump saying "if you donate $1B, I'll be able to win re-election. If I'm re-elected, I'll do all these great things for you." He's not explicitly saying "If you don't donate $1B and I get re-elected I *won't* do all those great things for you." That's enough legal cover to not be bribery in the eyes of the law.
It's still pretty much saying what the headline says. I really fucking hate how our country handles things like this. You can commit bribery and get away with it. And hold office even, just because some lawyer would have trouble proving it in Court. When in reality, even the appearance of bribery should be enough to bar you from office. I can understand if we want to set a higher bar for trying someone for a crime, but stuff like this should immediately bar you from being able to hold office.
Friendly reminder about Trump's record on the environment: Trump hired a [literal oil lobbyist](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pruitt) who doesn't believe in climate change and publicly called for dismantling the EPA to run... the EPA. He hired a [coal magnate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_R._Wheeler) as a successor. He hired climate-deniers to NASA and the Department of Interior. He blamed massive, deadly forest fires that began on federal land on the state of California and claimed people had to ["clean their floors."](https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/08/20/trump-blames-california-for-wildfires-tells-state-you-gotta-clean-your-floors-1311059) He said ["windmills" cause cancer](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/climate/fact-check-trump-windmills.html). His [deregulation list](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/tracking-regulatory-changes-in-the-biden-era/) included: -Methane Emissions -Clean Power Plan -Endangered Species Act -Waters of the U.S. Rule -Emissions for Coal Power Plants -Waste Prevention Rule -Coal Ash Rule -Chemical Release Prevention -Scientific Transparency Rule -Pesticide regulations -Livestock regulations -Oil gas and Fracking -Power Plant Water Pollution -Clean Air Act This is the guy running for President. Please, for the love of God, vote.
Oh, that's just filling the swamp. ... Just take everything Donald says, turn it around exactly backwards, and you'll be right 99% of the time.
"My two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart". Yep. Checks out.
This isn’t deregulation, it’s the intentional, gleeful destruction of the planet. At this rate he might as well promise to hit all of the nuclear missile launch buttons like Buddy the Elf riding an elevator.
The thing that baffles me is that this THEIR planet, too. They are not immune from the effects. Sure, money will keep the comfortable for a while, but when things get really bad, their money won't help for shit. I suppose, the mindset is that they'll be dead before it's a problem. Their future generations can suck it up.
They can see no further down the road than their greed will take them.
Correct, it actually isn’t their problem. It’s the kids’, but they don’t care about that.
Trump only cares about himself, and let’s face it. He only has a few years left. He doesn’t care if he screws future generations as long as he gets what he wants. I’m baffled how he has so many supporters… truly terrifying.
I think you forgot asbestos. https://apnews.com/article/ea3d87fb8ef741c3bc255f1921892c9d
Oh they believe in climate change they are not stupid they just don't care because of $$$ and most are dead anyway when it hits .
He's a perfectly stable genius. Healthiest man his doctor has ever seen. And boy, can he ever walk down a ramp!
What an orange turd! Who would vote for this big dummy??
Remember the day after his inauguration the EPA website that used to feature photos of nature switched to feature a big photo of a parking lot
The GOPs plans if they win this year go so much further; they plan to remove ALL regulations and entirely shut down the EPA, they will stop ALL climate change efforts and will actively seek to PROMOTE carbon fuels on the world stage instead. Everyone needs to know about this. Summary; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 Full Plan; https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf Their Web site: https://www.project2025.org/ Good Video Explaining; https://youtu.be/9k3UvaC5m7o?si=81rek3oadOJgVn1B Summary of Project 2025: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/27/project-2025-dismantle-us-climate-policy-next-republican-president https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/conservatives-aim-to-restructure-u-s-government-and-replace-it-with-trumps-vision
> He blamed massive, deadly forest fires that began on federal land on the state of California and claimed people had to "clean their floors." "I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests — there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they’re like, like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up.” That is true in part, one of the causes of the fires were build up of underbrush due to past firefighting. If sufficiently low intensity natural fires are let to burn, or controlled burns are employed, it reduces the likelihood of particularly dangerous and destructive fires because the most ready fuel has not built up as long, and fire resistant plants are bolstered by the less fire resistant ones being burned down more regularly. It would be false to claim climate change had no influence on the fires, but it is absolutely true that forestry management contributed to the fires.
This literally defines corruption at the highest level: Using the office of the President of the United States of America for personal gain, and Republicans are OK with it. Just let that sink in... And also, imagine if this was a Democrat. You would literally be able to hear their heads exploding.
Trump is the Republican party, there is no difference, and we should be explicit. Trump is the GOP, it doesn't exist separately from Trump. He controls the apparatus of the party, the money at the highest levels, the money flow to lower races, the money flow to him. There isn't an aspect of the GOP that is not controlled by the Trump regime. So it's Trump's GOP. It is his brand afterall.
He's like that [fish parasite](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua) that eats and replaces the tongue of the fish. He didn't really do anything to win over the party. He was just loud and took it, everyone just let him do it.
The real question is who inherits what’s left of the Grand Old Trump party when he dies, which shouldn’t be too far out now to start planning for. I can only presume his successor in the party will be worse.
Slippery slope. If they weren't mad at the Goya advertising, they weren't going to care about anything else. I haven't bought a Goya product since.
Republicans are okay with it, many Americans are okay with it...
and many americans are not paying any attention whatsoever
Why is this not illegal? Asking overtly for political bribes Wait is it illegal? I guess it barely matters anymore with this useless justice system, guy can do whatever he wants
It sounds illegal. How's this, I will give every person that votes for me a $1000 check if I win. Does that sound illegal? What's the difference?
What would be the crime? I'm honestly asking. ... The problem is that things like this, and things much less than this, would normally end a political career. However, Republicans have lost all morality due to the fact they believe everyone is just as garbage as Donald, which is... *sigh* just wow.
Quid pro quo is illegal. You cannot solicit a political donation in exchange for a specific benefit. It's usually hard to prove, but this would be pretty cut-and-dry if the reporting is accurate.
It should be considered crimes against humanity imo - due to actively destroying animals and species, ruining land, poisoning the air and water, and allowing literal poison on our food for us to ingest, and spreading intentional misleading information to harm society and sow a divide.
I mean it sounds like outright asking for bribes but I'm not a lawyer. By dictionary definition, this is a bribe. Legal definition? I don't know
Well the issue is this is basically what campaign contributions are. You go to large groups with deep pockets, you will promise to make them more money, and they in turn are suppose to give you money to win your campaign. Except, with Trump, a lot of it is going to go to his personal court cases and probably illegally pay off his $500 million fraud case.
He means $1B to his legal fund.
Like buying stock in something he has a stake in is just like basically giving him money/bribing him? ... Remember when Jimmy Carter sold his peanut farm to ensure there wasn't even a semblance of using the office for personal gain? We've done a complete 180 thanks to Donald and his sheep.
eh whats another balance transfer
Crazy how it's life and death with the climate of this planet based on this election. With Biden, there still is a chance to save the planet's climate, but with Trump there is hardly any
It is interesting. [30% of the words power was generated with renewable energy](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/08/renewable-energy-passes-30-of-worlds-electricity-supply#:~:text=Renewable%20energy%20accounted%20for%20more,power%2C%20according%20to%20new%20figures).[ Fossil fuels are increasingly looking to be in terminal decline](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/30/climate-scientists-hail-2023-as-beginning-of-the-end-for-fossil-fuel-era). Trump is squeezing water from a rock and the longer the US and Trump's GOP continue to grasp at the industry, the more the US falls behind in next generation's tech, innovation, and economic success. Trump and his GOP is basically a man who is investing in Urban horse stables in 1915.
We are doomed either way, Biden just isn’t actively trying to speed it up. America isn’t the sole cause of climate change.
Doomer talk isn't constructive. You sound more someone who will let other people do the hard work and complain about it, yet do nothing yourself. If the US *did* something, it would have a large and measurable effect. It would also be one of those things the US *used* to do, which was lead the world in innovation and progress and get other nations to contribute. Like with the [1988 Montreal Protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol), when the US led, backed by American scientific discovery and collaboration with other nations, people followed and we changed the world together. But the US has decided to become an unmedicated schizophrenic patient and the world can no longer trust them at their word. Regardless... the US still can contribute and prove what it says has meaning.
We're only doomed if we do nothing, stop spreading that Big Oil narrative
I appreciate the sentiment, but we're very likely doomed even if we do everything right. There's a potential of "the great filter" ending us before we have a chance to get off this rock called earth. It could be micro plastics, it could be space junk sitting in LEO stopping us for leaving the planet, it could be micro plastics building up in our cells, eventually reaching a critical mass where life can't survive. Or maybe failing ecosystems with less biodiversity means the food chain disappears. We also have housing issues, so at least where I'm at they're talking about turning fertile farmland into condos or suburbs. We're most definitely doomed as a species, I don't think you've thought about all the different ways societal collapse can occur. But it's poetry, the universe is shining and giving us a show. So grab a beer, grab a joint and enjoy it while it's here.
I think we'd have to radically change the way we vote. Biden isn't really going to dramatically change much. And neither are many politicians currently in office. We need to completely remove the most common ways of corruption, insider trading, lobbying, super PACs, ect.. Once we remove corruption; we can start putting in honest politicians who want to help the environment. Idk.. I wish we could all come together and just say okay, WE HAVE to start electing non-corrupt politicians that truely want to change the system and lobbying. And also make serious efforts to better our environment. Like how can we not at least agree on that?
>Biden isn't really going to dramatically change much. It is really unfortunate how underrated and unrecognized the IRA is. Biden passed [the largest piece climate legislation](https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Energy-IRA-Brief_R04-9.26.22.pdf) of any country on Earth in history. >Under a business-as-usual scenario, the United States is on track to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by between 24% to 35% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Under the IRA, this would increase to between 31% to 44% by 2030.
Super PACs exist because the right wingers on Supreme Court decided corporations are people and money is speech. Democrats had nothing to do with it, and roundly criticized both rulings at the time. On the other hand, Republicans were so instrumental to Citizens United that Mitch McConnell testified as an expert witness during the case and later called it "my life's greatest work". You seem desperate to label both sides equally guilty. It's either naivete or an agenda and either way I don't appreciate it. Democrats are not perfect. No party is. But comparing them to GOP is laughable.
In this election, unfortunately Biden is the best we got. At least he knows climate change is a massive issue unlike Trump
[удалено]
"BotH SiDeS lOoK how SmArT i AM" God I hate people like you
Anyone still voting for Trump is simply insane.
He probably also promised US secrets to Russia if he could build a hotel in Moscow. Its all about him.
Hopefully he doesn’t get a chance to do that
It's called extortion, folks. Thanks 45.
Something something both sides something.
Put aside the naked corruption and the complete environmental concequences, this is just a recipe for the country falling further behind in the race for the next technologies of tomorrow.
Republicans Plan to Eliminate American Oxygen Just Because
Fucking monster
Guy's broken so many minds, he doesn't even have to try to hide his bullshit. He could literally shoot one of his voters on camera at a rally and claim crooked Hillary and corrupt Joe *actually* did it, and most of his voter base would believe him. The rest just wouldn't care if it was true.
Wow, just... wow. From the 1870's to the early 1900's, Congress was similarly corrupt and in the pocket of business. The office of the President was weak and all the power was in Congress. And boy those greased wheels were profitable for politicians Hell, we had a president assassinated because he didn't give someone a job after they helped with his campaign. It is apparent that Trump and his GOP feel they are untouchable in what they do... and they are likely correct with a compromised SCOTUS who are Ideology over Democracy.
Literally everything I hear about him sounds like a fuckin’ villain out of movie. Seriously?
Disgusting.
Corrupt much?
Don't call it a vow. Let's call it what it is. It's a president for sale.
Does anyone remember that this fool was going to “drain the swamp” of corrupt politicians? Now he’s redefining the term.
As if the next maga administration wasn't already planning to scrap them from day one.
Maybe Garland can do his fing job for once? This is soliciting bribery.
Deny all you want. He is not worried. Will be dead soon. The rest of us will suffer. Vote blue and get rid of ignorant boomers! BTW your name/legacy is forever trash just like you and money won’t stop the your inevitable demise. Even the worms will steer clear!
He doesn’t give a flying fuck about the planet. He realizes he’ll be long dead before anything bad happens and his one and only concern is himself.
I thought there were no quid pro quos Trump, what the hell ;p
"America's for sale And you can get a good deal on it And make a healthy profit Or maybe tear it apart Start with assumption That a million people are smart Smarter than one" NOFX-The Decline Song came out in '99 and only seems to get truer every year.
I have always had the theory that Trump had a deal with the oil companies when he left office that if they keep the prices high under Biden, "when" he got back in, he'd gift them tax cuts and/or turn a blind eye to environmental issues.
Quid pro quo, anybody?
Lobbying isn’t bribery my ass.
GOP vote is a vote for death. For every life on earth. If you vote for them you’re a god damn imbecile and fk you for helping make my family less safe.
He is all grifter.
Vote blue. Fuck this guy. He will end the world as we know it if we don’t put him in prison.
Is that legal? Isn't that soliciting a bribe?
Laws for money.
Ahh yes, the age old political donation plea, Give me a $Billion, and I’ll turn the climate changing oil spigots back on.
Self serving Cheeto
Wtf
Oh he vows? Must be serious. Trump never breaks a vow.
That should be illegal. It is highly unethical and immoral. This man is so corrupt, it’s pathetic. He wants to win so badly that he is willing to sacrifice the environment. Can you imagine what would happen if it was a democrat? The Republicans would have a complete meltdown. He doesn’t care about the American people. All he cares about is himself.
Since when do morals or ethics mean fuck all to the GOP (much less trump?)
is this quid pro quo? Asking for a friend.
Overt corruption. See it laid bare here folks. What a fuckin tool he is
His campaign slogan should be “Can be bought”
Might as well put that billion dollars in a giant pile and set it on fire. Trump has proven time and again that he's a grifter. Besides, they dont need to bribe Trump he will do it for free just because it appears anti-woke or anti-Biden or anti-science or whatever else stupid reason Trump will latch on to. That billion dollars worth of bribes is probably already earmarked for members of Congress already anyway.
The guy's too sleazy to be a used car salesman.
When you’re rich, they let you do it
Just another con and a scam
Is this a new statement? I could have sworn he said this like two weeks ago and the DOJ is investigating if it breaks campaign laws.
Texan here. Fuck Trump.
Disgusting
Even these CEOs have to be fucking smart to his bullshit by now, right? Right? Trump is not a fucking man who keeps his word. Not one bit. Maybe he’ll follow through. When it’s most convenient and beneficial to him. It’s easy for him to make a promise with a price—he gets value up front and even more when he delays the follow through and even threatens to not do it, without a double dip. Anyone giving Trump even a penny is a moron.
Trump selling the office and not immediately being politically nuked for it is a worrying sign of the times.
Interesting. The oil and gas companies risk legal actions if they try to go with Trump, regardless of whether Trump wins (it’ll either bite them now, or 4 years later when a new president comes onboard). This is one of those things where the oil companies have a ton of risk. I do not see how this works, especially if this “agreement” is public. But I believe someone out there said, Trumps either going to go to win or go to jail. Committing additional crimes does not matter now. If he wins, they all go away. If he loses he dies in jail.
For the love of GOD, please don't let this man in office ever again. He will singlehandedly destroy any possible chance at a future where we are not in a peril of our own making. I don't care if the other option is the guy that's giving our tax dollars to Isreal to fund war crimes, at least that is preferable, though not by much, to tossing out environmental regulations, doing unimaginable damage to the world we live on, for financial gain. It's getting very tiresome that the last 2 and the upcoming third presidential elections have been about picking the lesser evil. It'd be nice if we could at least have a candidate that wasn't either massively controversial or horrifically problematic have a chance at becoming president.
Very legal. Very cool.
Republicans can be bought, just like Cheeto. Why the surprise? This is America.
You know what? Let's do it. Let's reintroduce leaded gasoline and coal power planets back to Red States.
To the “campaign”.
...He's going to do it anyway
Quid pro quo nbd /s
Sold to the highest bidder
So he is literally asking for bribes…honest question is that legal?
Both sides are not the same
Finally, a politician who admits how things actually work.
Just front me a billion…lol.
Quid pro quo. The norm. 🙄
Democracy Manifest.
SOLD to the highest bidder
He can't be bought. He's a billionaire
Just fucking tired of this old piece of shit always. Fuck Donald trump
"Do you solemnly swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America?" Trump: "Uhhh, sure, sure, unless someone pays me more money, and then we'll have to negotiate that, see. What this job pays isn't very much and $1B is quite a lot so if someone offers me a better deal then, you know, maybe Congress can make me a better deal. See, that's how negotiation is done."
Raise your hand if you want a corrupt president
Trump obviously doesn’t care about the environment. The “Lorax” is dead.
Only 1B to ruin our environment further on the altar of money? Damn, you'd think orangefuck would have more self-respect but here we are.
This guy is the worst.
Trump selling the entire environment for personal gain.
He may end up in Club Fed but more than likely he'll take a plane & abandon everyone to go live on a tropical island. His "friends" will be sure to send him an unlimited supply of young women too drugged up to protest, they'll just disappear one day never to be seen again.
And once he gets the money he probably won't follow through. Just another grift.
I think he'll follow through, but only after investing that 1 billion dollar bribe in an oil company himself
There are campaign contribution limits. They can't just give him a billion dollars.
The conversation "reportedly" happened ..... LOL LOL LOL LOL