Cycling UK Forum

Psamathe wrote:But with Trump it seems to be pretty well every time he opens his mouth. And he seems surprised he is subject to any scrutiny. And when his claims are yet again found to be lies (within minutes) he just starts attacking the press.

I don't say you are wrong about out other politicians but it does seem to me that Trump seems either totally detached from reality or has no basis for his policy so has to just make stuff up to support it. I do think he seems to be operating on a very different level from politicians lying about incidents (actually rather broader than just politicians).

TBH, I think it is a mixture. Yes, Trump lies, but do we really expect anything else? His lies are just a bit more extreme than the usual stuff.

On the other hand, the media are absolutely chock full of what Trump has lied about *every* day. I'm sorry, but there are far more important things to worry about. Trump's powers are limited, whatever he might think. The press are like a dog with a bone when it comes to Trump. it has escalated beyond all reason, and I can only suppose that he is deliberately escalating it, and they are playing right into whatever scheme he has in mind. Because despite how he is painted, Trump is not a stupid person, and he has to have thought about the outcome of the whole media vs. Trump scenario. Even if he hasn't, people workng for him certainly have. So why is doing it? Why are they doing it?

Psamathe wrote:So Trump was referring to an event that had not yet happened! Spooky.

Blimey! The guy has all these talents, we didn't even know about!

While the press is busy with him being the court jester he signed an order allowing coal waste to be dumped in rivers.

So not that nice.

More news from Sweden.

Old news, but I hadn't heard it before.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/facing-dea ... e-of-fear/

blackbile wrote:More news from Sweden.

Old news, but I hadn't heard it before.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/facing-dea ... e-of-fear/

So you've managed to drag up two stories (one over a year old) - which sort of supports everybody else's case that there is no issue. And have you noticed how nobody can be bothered to drag up any number of stories from the US ....

Every country has horrific things happen - fortunately they are rare, though the US does seem to suffer more than one would expect (maybe Trump should be addressing "the threat within" rather than focus on countries).

But thanks for illustrating how Trumps focus of Sweden is complete drivel.

Ian

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/fake-news-donald-trump-supporters-gullible-believe-anything-barack-obama-paedophile-hillary-clinton-a7623441.html wrote:Fake news website created to test Donald Trump supporters' gullibility - Reveals they will believe anything
...
“Just for fun, I decided to post some of the stories in Trump fan groups on Facebook to see the reactions.

“To my surprise, the Trump masses embraced my stories as fact, almost universally. It seemed that there wasn’t anything I could write that was too wild or outrageous to be believed by this particular audience.

Amusing if not surprising report of a web site.

Ian

Psamathe wrote:Amusing if not surprising report of a web site.

Ian

As you say not surprising,but very worrying IMO.It's so easy to sell a war to such people.....

Maybe when Trump has his state visit he can go to Cheltenham and visit GCHQ and find out how they wiretapped him for Obama. I'm sure he'd love that (as would his social media fans).

Ian

Bonefishblues wrote:I wish him every success, i really do, but those tweets were really rather childish in nature.

I see that following his rather awkward Press Conference with Merkel, he's been at Twitter again and is now declaring

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-angela-merkel-germany-owes-nato-money-united-states-defence-a7636686.html wrote:"Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!"

Is he still trying to distract everybody from his (or his staff/family) alleged Russian connections or is he just not understanding that e.g. Germany has not subcontracted it's defence to Germany and that the US is not some mercenary force you pay for.

Were I American I'd be more than embarrassed about his Tweets (given his office). Not being American I think for some time the US has had too much power in the world and that Trump and his behaviour (wild baseless allegations, Tweets that beggar belief, etc.) is the man that will see the rest of the world no longer hold the US in such high esteem. Basically, they are pulling themselves down a peg or two (or three or four or ...). Other than the UK (and "Our Theresa") I can't see the rest of the world as prepared to blindly follow the US as they might have been 6 months ago.

Ian

He's becoming the master of the "Look - squirrel" distraction technique​ and is simply rewriting all the accepted protocols of the behaviour of a Head of State, secure in the knowledge that his constituency truly believes even his most ridiculous falsehoods.

...Is my view, based on a few more weeks. What say you?

Bonefishblues wrote:He's becoming the master of the "Look - squirrel" distraction technique​ and is simply rewriting all the accepted protocols of the behaviour of a Head of State, secure in the knowledge that his constituency truly believes even his most ridiculous falsehoods.

...Is my view, based on a few more weeks. What say you?

I think he has/is fast losing the respect of other leaders he will need to depend on over his time in office. Germany is a significant player and his awkward Press Conference followed by a completely mad "Germany owes UK vast sums of money for defence" is yet another step that means he will be taken less seriously and given less leeway by others (both those on the "receiving end" as well as others who see what is going on).

I suspect he may (or may not) at some point recognise that to achieve his goals (whatever they are) he needs more that those who voted for him in the US. He might get to realise it's a big world and only looking to a group in your own country is not enough.

Ian

I think he's achieved his goal already. The ultimate ego trip, surely.

Bonefishblues wrote:I think he's achieved his goal already. The ultimate ego trip, surely.

But most people's ego trip does not involve them making a complete fool of themselves if front of the world.

I do increasingly wonder if he will make it through the full 4 year term. Things should have settled down by now.

Ian