U.S.A. Trump Bond Reduced by 68% to $175 million

[Tommy Boy]

Trump Vows to Pay Fraud Trial Bond Cut by 68% to $175 Million

Donald Trump vowed to post a $175 million bond in New York’s civil fraud lawsuit after an appeals court slashed it by more than two thirds and handed him a crucial financial lifeline as state authorities were preparing to start seizing his assets.

www.bloomberg.com

On top of 10 days added. What are we supposed to feel? This guy is clearly above the law. Nobody can do anything about it but kiss his ass and keep giving him chances. Let's all just line up to suck his dick at this point. Nobody has a fucking spine in government and even the judicial branch can't buckle down and get their shit together. Constant free passes. It's so discouraging. Makes you feel like nothing you do matters.

 

[Tommy Boy]

 

[Advocate for Ants! Mouth]

Trump Vows to Pay Fraud Trial Bond Cut by 68% to $175 Million

Donald Trump vowed to post a $175 million bond in New York’s civil fraud lawsuit after an appeals court slashed it by more than two thirds and handed him a crucial financial lifeline as state authorities were preparing to start seizing his assets.

www.bloomberg.com

On top of 10 days added. What are we supposed to feel? This guy is clearly above the law. Nobody can do anything about it but kiss his ass and keep giving him chances. Let's all just line up to suck his dick at this point. Nobody has a fucking spine in government and even the judicial branch can't buckle down and get their shit together. Constant free passes. It's so discouraging. Makes you feel like nothing you do matters.

Just to be clear, he's still on the hook for the full amount should he lose his appeal. He now just needs to post ~1/3 of the total to begin the appeal process whereas before he would have needed to post 110% of it.

It still sucks and shows he lives in a different legal realm than the rest of us, but it's not a complete victory for him (yet). If he wins his appeal then the fix is in.

 

[Jon]

Not a single other non-rich, non-Trump person would have gotten this treatment and THIS is my problem with the US legal system. If you're rich, you're above the law.

This man is a criminal with more evidence against him than any crime I can think of in US history, and STILL he finds a way to weasel out of things time and time again. I hate it and it makes my blood boil that in this country the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The only way to "make America great again" is to fully extirpate people like Trump and his elitist rich ilk from the country and sever capitalism at its destructive head.

 

[Smacktard]

Expected. I have no faith that Trump will ever be held accountable in his life.

 

[Crystal]

...anyone got a few billion dollars I can claim to have? Got a few victimless crimes to commit. Asking for a friend.

But hey, at least he's not trying to take a piss in the women's bathroom.

 

[Fire Queen]

thinking about that one deranged liberal twitter account (palmer report if i recall correctly) that has been tweeting for like six years straight things like

Just woke up.
Had my coffee.
Checked the news.
Trump is going to prison.

 

[Ants!]

Old classic:

...anyone got a few billion dollars I can claim to have? Got a few victimless crimes to commit. Asking for a friend.

But hey, at least he's not trying to take a piss in the women's bathroom.

Warned for illegal acts!

 

[Mark]

 

[Ben]

Not a single other non-rich, non-Trump person would have gotten this treatment and THIS is my problem with the US legal system. If you're rich, you're above the law.

This man is a criminal with more evidence against him than any crime I can think of in US history, and STILL he finds a way to weasel out of things time and time again. I hate it and it makes my blood boil that in this country the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The only way to "make America great again" is to fully extirpate people like Trump and his elitist rich ilk from the country and sever capitalism at its destructive head.

At this point I assume a large part of pussy-footing around and not just being logical is because I feel we're real close to another civil war. It's entirely possible that if we put Trump behind bars where he belongs, we'll have January 6th but exponentially bigger.

America is VERY divided politically, with one side being complete batshit nuts and loving firearms like it's a birthright. All it takes is that thing that catalyzes everything and we're in a bad spot. Not hard to imagine the choice of President causing another North/South divide.

Not to say that he shouldn't be held accountable, he entirely should, but... I think it's more 4D chess than it'd seem on the surface.

 

[Jon]

At this point I assume a large part of pussy-footing around and not just being logical is because I feel we're real close to another civil war. It's entirely possible that if we put Trump behind bars where he belongs, we'll have January 6th but exponentially bigger.

America is VERY divided politically, with one side being complete batshit nuts and loving firearms like it's a birthright. All it takes is that thing that catalyzes everything and we're in a bad spot. Not hard to imagine the choice of President causing another North/South divide.

Not to say that he shouldn't be held accountable, he entirely should, but... I think it's more 4D chess than it'd seem on the surface.

This is a HORRIBLE reason to let people like Trump get away with things. While I don’t disagree with what you’re saying I don’t think we’re savvy enough as a country to be thinking this way. We’d be a laughingstock more than we already are.

The fact that the gun toting birthrighters also directly misinterpret the second amendment so blindly is a disgrace. There is a whole huge discussion to be had here if people want but the reality is that the second amendment does not grant the rights those people argue it does.

And if one man can catalyst a civil war to this extent so we avoid holding him accountable then we’ve already lost democracy. This is already and anarchic autocracy. Which is what we’re closer to in my opinion than a civil war.

Trump adores Putin because of the power and control. He wants America to be Russia. Mark my words. If he wins again the thing he’ll abolish first is voting as we know it. He’s already tried once. But add that to he’ll make a way he can be president for more than one more term and you have a ticking time bomb that if the democrats, independents and moderate republicans don’t get their collective heads out of their asses and find a way to abolish the MAGA crowd from all politics we are in significant trouble.

This is PRECISELY how Hitler came to power legally.

 

[Ants!]

How would that work, though? The civil war still had local figureheads and smaller governments to rally to and a clear geographical divide. Now we’re talking about everyone in all the states of varying shades of purple. You’re johnny redneck, who are you taking orders from? How do you know which random strangers voted which way?

I can never take a prophecy of civil war seriously. I think it’s a bunch of beer drinkers who watch old war movies with a grandiose view of themselves that they don’t deserve.

 

[Mark]

How would that work, though? The civil war still had local figureheads and smaller governments to rally to and a clear geographical divide. Now we’re talking about everyone in all the states of varying shades of purple. You’re johnny redneck, who are you taking orders from? How do you know which random strangers voted which way?

I can never take a prophecy of civil war seriously. I think it’s a bunch of beer drinkers who watch old war movies with a grandiose view of themselves that they don’t deserve.

Agreed. We would sooner see large scale riots in urban environments coupled with isolationists in the rural areas hoping and praying that they can stay in their contained bubble, but armed to the teeth “just in case”. Oh… wait…

I guess it’s because of where I grew up, but I just don’t see it being as clear as a “north and south” battle like it was back then. I’d sooner expect a class war, rather than a politically divided one.

 

[Advocate for Ants! Mouth]

Just to be clear, again, this isn't the only time in the history of bonds where the amount to be paid for the appeal to happen was reduced. It's just obviously both the highest profile and highest dollar value of it in history. This was basically done so they wouldn't seize and sell assets prior to the appeal being completed (because if he somehow won he would need to be compensated for the sold properties and might try to put a case together to get them back). That actually could result in a loss rather than a net neutral transaction based on property values changing over time.

He also paid out nearly a hundred million last week (through a bond) and will be over $200 million paid out next week with this.

 

[Jon]

Even so, most Americans would not have been given this luxury. Doesn’t have to be unique to him but it is another example that he gets catered to more than most. Most people are also not involved with over 90 counts of criminal activity simultaneously. And most people are literally shitting on the constitution and democracy every time they open their mouth demanding respect and crying foul while also simultaneously getting away with anti-American and anti-democratic rhetoric while essentially THREATENING civil war if he doesn’t get what he believes he’s owed.

The fact remains he SHOULDNT have been given this break/extension. Not that it was unheard of or unique to him.

 

[Advocate for Ants! Mouth]

Even so, most Americans would not have been given this luxury. Doesn’t have to be unique to him but it is another example that he gets catered to more than most. Most people are also not involved with over 90 counts of criminal activity simultaneously. And most people are literally shitting on the constitution and democracy every time they open their mouth demanding respect and crying foul while also simultaneously getting away with anti-American and anti-democratic rhetoric while essentially THREATENING civil war if he doesn’t get what he believes he’s owed.

The fact remains he SHOULDNT have been given this break/extension. Not that it was unheard of or unique to him.

That's not the point of my statement. People were going off the deep end talking about the being done to prevent a potential civil war.

He shouldn't have been given this, but he was and it's not without precedent. He just shouldn't have met the criteria set by the precedent. This was not a conspiracy to prevent a civil war... Because he's still making the same threats and won't stop making them regardless of what happens.

 

[Fire Queen]

as someone who’s spent the last seven years teaching american history i can’t wait for whatever the fuck future textbooks are going to have to say about *gestures towards the last decade* all of this

 

[Jon]

That's not the point of my statement. People were going off the deep end talking about the being done to prevent a potential civil war.

He shouldn't have been given this, but he was and it's not without precedent. He just shouldn't have met the criteria set by the precedent. This was not a conspiracy to prevent a civil war... Because he's still making the same threats and won't stop making them regardless of what happens.

No no, I understood the point you were making with your statement. I just disagreed with the premise that a civil war is the prevention. That's more rhetoric HE is pushing. "If I'm not elected there will be bloodshed" is no different than "Stand by and stand ready." He has extremist zealots who are incapable of thinking for themselves. Someone asked who the leader to follow for a civil war would be? It's him and the conspiracy theorist right.

I have NEVER seen someone stick to such blatant lies for so damn long, WITHOUT A SHRED of evidence and people STILL don't see him for the lying charlatan he is. I STILL, to this DAY, cannot understand how there is even ONE person that listens to anything that man says and can follow him. It makes zero sense to me when he has proven he cares so little for the American people, the constitution and what this country was founded and stood for.

Those people that support him fall into two categories at this point, I feel. Either they are lifelong Republicans and blindly follow the party because "Democrats are the devils," or they are uneducated, gun toting, beer swilling redneck morons who can't think for themselves and need some racist and misogynistic zealot to follow because "he thinks like us."

The first group I pity. I feel sorry for them. The second I have no respect for.

 

[Jon]

as someone who’s spent the last seven years teaching american history i can’t wait for whatever the fuck future textbooks are going to have to say about *gestures towards the last decade* all of this

History is written by the victor. It all depends on who wins the forthcoming battles.

 

[Crystal]

as someone who’s spent the last seven years teaching american history i can’t wait for whatever the fuck future textbooks are going to have to say about *gestures towards the last decade* all of this

2016 - 2027: The Monster Battles.

It was a dark time in the Republic, the Glorious Emperor of Orange, His Trumpness was being persistently persecuted, so wrong! In the nether reaches wars were being fought to quell the surge of the Pervert Party, the worst people in history. Trannysexicles and the gays fought vigilantly to convert our kids and rape our women, such beautiful women, but our magical mistress Marjory Taylor-Greene stepped forward and, summoning the power of totally correct facts and yuge science, cut them down with bill after bill until they were finally defeated in the Million Men in Dresses March, biggest victory in history. Glorious Trump declared victory in 2024 and retook the throne from someone totally unimportant and bigly forgetful. He passed great laws, the best laws, stopped all fake news in its' tracks and dismantled the totally wrong department of justice so no one with a net worth over $200million ever needed to have to deal with those awful courtrooms again, so drafty! He changed the laws so he could also sit a third amazing term of six years, so successful, before the failing democrats reclaimed the house, senate and presidency in rigged elections in 2034. So sad!

 

[MC74]

as someone who’s spent the last seven years teaching american history i can’t wait for whatever the fuck future textbooks are going to have to say about *gestures towards the last decade* all of this

This entire decade has been nothing but a complete & utter shitshow of epic proportions. A decade where the political landscape & society as a whole is more divided than ever.

 

[Holly]

I'm disappointed yet not surprised. Teflon Don indeed: every time it looks like his ass is about to get nailed he gets an eleventh hour save. I echo what many have already said: this is proof of the two-tiered justice system.

It's remarkable though, isn't it? Here is an individual who inherited his wealth and despite decades of documented tax evasion and law breaking he has always managed to weasel out of it. An individual who takes no responsibility and has never been made to seriously face consequences. Sure - he's had to pay out fines but thus far nothing that really hurt him. And nearly half the electorate believes (1) all the charges against him are politically motivated witch hunts and (2) this failed businessman and historically bad president is the best choice to elect to the White House.

If Trump is convicted in any of the criminal cases and is faced with prison I'm not sure that they actually will incarcerate him. They should as no one is supposed to be above the law, but it's been demonstrated time and time again that this guy is. I have to wonder if the justice system is afraid of the image of impropriety, or of potential actions by his followers should they take serious action. As CPAC proudly said, "We are all domestic terrorists" and as Trump told them "Stand down and stand by".

 

[Advocate for Ants! Mouth]

In case anyone missed it, Trump paid the bond yesterday. This will mean he's eligible to appeal the decision without his shit being repossessed. If he loses the appeal he needs to come up with the full amount (which will likely result in property needing to be sold).

TBD on the appeal timeline, since that's not officially filed yet.

 

[dimmerwit]

I wonder if he will press for a waiver for his 6-month legal bar on selling Trump Media shares from the company's board. He could easily raise enough to pay off the whole value.

 

[Jon]

I wonder if he will press for a waiver for his 6-month legal bar on selling Trump Media shares from the company's board. He could easily raise enough to pay off the whole value.

His entire legal tactic is to simply get everything to be delayed passed November. He's simply banking on winning the election to get him completely off the hook and either pardoning himself or more likely, forcing the DOJ to drop all suits against him.

The fact that people keep giving him these delays when his tactics are clear is astounding to me.

 

[dimmerwit]

His entire legal tactic is to simply get everything to be delayed passed November. He's simply banking on winning the election to get him completely off the hook and either pardoning himself or more likely, forcing the DOJ to drop all suits against him.

The fact that people keep giving him these delays when his tactics are clear is astounding to me.

Even putting aside the constitutional question on whether a president can pardon themselves, that only applies to federal cases.

 

[Jon]

Even putting aside the constitutional question on whether a president can pardon themselves, that only applies to federal cases.

Which is why he also tried to get the NY and Georgia cases moved to Federal as "official duties of the president." Fact is, non-Federal crimes don't matter to him. A sitting president cannot be actively in court.

As for the constitution, the issue is it doesn't explicitly disallow that under the pardon clauses. The forefathers just never thought we'd have a situation to tel it, because they didn't think the people would allow a criminal to become president....

We sure showed them!

 

[dimmerwit]

Which is why he also tried to get the NY and Georgia cases moved to Federal as "official duties of the president." Fact is, non-Federal crimes don't matter to him. A sitting president cannot be actively in court.

Strictly speaking although this is the current position of the DoJ this is untested by the courts, and it would be a more interesting constitutional case than the self-pardoning one.

But even if he could dodge the NY/Georgia criminal cases, the bond is attached to a civil case. And in this instance the law does seem to be more clearly against immunity since the offences predated his presidency and in any case were not attached to his official duties.

That said, I'm not sure how well a serving president & commander in chief would take to having his personal property seized!

 

[Holly]

At the risk of being brutally pessimistic, it's Trump. Whether he has to lie, cheat, threaten, delay, or steal - he'll get away with what he's done. He'll be allowed to get away with what he's done.

He always has. Why stop now?

 

[Fire Queen]

yeah if they put trump in jail how on earth are democrats gonna fundraise without a guy to point at and go “you don’t want this right? give us money to do nothing”

 

[Mark]

yeah if they put trump in jail how on earth are democrats gonna fundraise without a guy to point at and go “you don’t want this right? give us money to do nothing”

That’s precisely it, and my argument towards some of the rhetoric you hear about him and other politicians. Nah, they’re not “good” people by any stretch, they wouldn’t be in politics if they were, but they’re not necessarily the boogeymen they’re portrayed to be by the other side. If you listen to a strict conservative, they’ll come off as if they’re stone cold serious about how liberals are going to destroy the fabric of America. If you listen to a liberal, you’ll hear all about how this is gonna get banned or that is gonna get repealed without the slightest hint of how things really work in politics, from empty campaign promises to baseless, ignorant shit-talking. It has come to a point where the label “liberal” or “conservative” alone will alienate you from a percentage of the population, and in most instances… those labels don’t mean what they once did, it’s just simple word association.

 

[Jon]

That’s precisely it, and my argument towards some of the rhetoric you hear about him and other politicians. Nah, they’re not “good” people by any stretch, they wouldn’t be in politics if they were, but they’re not necessarily the boogeymen they’re portrayed to be by the other side. If you listen to a strict conservative, they’ll come off as if they’re stone cold serious about how liberals are going to destroy the fabric of America. If you listen to a liberal, you’ll hear all about how this is gonna get banned or that is gonna get repealed without the slightest hint of how things really work in politics, from empty campaign promises to baseless, ignorant shit-talking. It has come to a point where the label “liberal” or “conservative” alone will alienate you from a percentage of the population, and in most instances… those labels don’t mean what they once did, it’s just simple word association.

This really did not become a thing until around 2015 when Trump entered the political landscape though. Politics was always dividing. But most people sat somewhere in the moderate line. It's why people like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema could get elected in the first place. Now? Unless you are an extremist on one side or the other, you don't have a chance.

The MAGA crowd is a problem. Mainly because not only are they extremists, but they are so for setting the country back 100 years at this point. They are racists, misogynists, bigots... They've sent the country into disarray and are truly nothing more than a vocal minority. MOST of this country do not support them, but you cannot hear them.

The DANGER lies in the lifelong Republicans, who only vote red because they, god forbid, can't vote for a Democrat. These people see Trump for the danger he is, but but but but he's a Republican and I need to vote Republican! -_- Which is why people like Liz Cheney and Chris Christie are so important to the effort. Yes, they are Republicans. But they have said they refuse to vote for Trump. Cheney going so far as to say she'll vote for Biden.

This whole abortion ruling in Florida makes me sick, but it's going to be a HUGE evidentiary melting pot for politics moving forward. For those that don't know, the FL Supreme Court rules the (horrible) ban on abortions after six weeks will begin to take effect. But they ALSO ruled that codifying the right to an abortion in the state will be on the ballot in November. This is HUGE. Florida has the most abortions in the country. It has also become a DEEP RED state. Restricting it is dangerous for a LOT of women. So, if 60% of the people here vote YES on 4, abortions will again be legal in Florida up to fetal viability (essentially putting Roe v. Wade into the Florida constitution. We've seen other red states fend off abortion restrictions. But if Trump Country Florida votes to codify it, it will show that MAGA doesn't have the control it thinks it does in the country. It also opens the door to have more states put similar legislative guarantees on their ballots in the future, putting to law the protections that MAGA is trying to destroy.

 

[Mark]

This really did not become a thing until around 2015 when Trump entered the political landscape though. Politics was always dividing. But most people sat somewhere in the moderate line. It's why people like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema could get elected in the first place. Now? Unless you are an extremist on one side or the other, you don't have a chance.

Because becoming president has become more accessible to some, and more exclusive to others, if that makes sense. You have career politicians looking at him like “how did this reality television show clown become president?” after they’ve ground away for decades. Meanwhile, others see it as “shit, it really is about who you rub elbows with, I don’t stand a chance because I’m not out there kissing ass and scheming”. Then, you have the other egotistical clowns that see him do it, and they want to step up and do “better”. When you elect someone like Trump, it creates a power dynamic not unlike when Obama got elected. The only difference is… it isn’t some little black boy looking up to Trump wanting to be like him like Obama had, it’s other limp-dick “money over manners” types looking up to Trump, which is infinitely worse.

The MAGA crowd is a problem. Mainly because not only are they extremists, but they are so for setting the country back 100 years at this point. They are racists, misogynists, bigots... They've sent the country into disarray and are truly nothing more than a vocal minority. MOST of this country do not support them, but you cannot hear them.

They’re not setting the country back 100 years. They’re 100 years in the past. The bread and butter MAGA crowd is an excellent example of social engineering. On one end, you have the “money over manners” folks that have zero issues stepping over others to get where they’re going. On the other end, you have undereducated, uninformed, and comparatively disconnected folks that have zero clue what’s going on in Washington being taken by the hand and guided right into downtown DC to raise hell on January 6th. Under normal circumstances, those two crowds wouldn’t intersect. Under THESE circumstances? It’s a perfect opportunity to paint a picture of marginalization among America’s working and business class, uniting them.

The DANGER lies in the lifelong Republicans, who only vote red because they, god forbid, can't vote for a Democrat. These people see Trump for the danger he is, but but but but he's a Republican and I need to vote Republican! -_- Which is why people like Liz Cheney and Chris Christie are so important to the effort. Yes, they are Republicans. But they have said they refuse to vote for Trump. Cheney going so far as to say she'll vote for Biden.

Agreed. It stays dangerous when you vote for someone for the color tie they wear instead of what they bring to the table. Just like everything else… the right person needs to be hired for the job, not the person that says the right things.

This whole abortion ruling in Florida makes me sick, but it's going to be a HUGE evidentiary melting pot for politics moving forward. For those that don't know, the FL Supreme Court rules the (horrible) ban on abortions after six weeks will begin to take effect. But they ALSO ruled that codifying the right to an abortion in the state will be on the ballot in November. This is HUGE. Florida has the most abortions in the country. It has also become a DEEP RED state. Restricting it is dangerous for a LOT of women. So, if 60% of the people here vote YES on 4, abortions will again be legal in Florida up to fetal viability (essentially putting Roe v. Wade into the Florida constitution. We've seen other red states fend off abortion restrictions. But if Trump Country Florida votes to codify it, it will show that MAGA doesn't have the control it thinks it does in the country. It also opens the door to have more states put similar legislative guarantees on their ballots in the future, putting to law the protections that MAGA is trying to destroy.

Fucking Florida makes me sick, dude. You could tell me that there’s a full scale uprising there tomorrow, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

 

[Jon]

Because becoming president has become more accessible to some, and more exclusive to others, if that makes sense. You have career politicians looking at him like “how did this reality television show clown become president?” after they’ve ground away for decades. Meanwhile, others see it as “shit, it really is about who you rub elbows with, I don’t stand a chance because I’m not out there kissing ass and scheming”. Then, you have the other egotistical clowns that see him do it, and they want to step up and do “better”. When you elect someone like Trump, it creates a power dynamic not unlike when Obama got elected. The only difference is… it isn’t some little black boy looking up to Trump wanting to be like him like Obama had, it’s other limp-dick “money over manners” types looking up to Trump, which is infinitely worse.

The issue here is Republican know that even though the MAGA crowd is a vocal minority, they 1) are a violent and dangerous minority, typically armed, and 2) a large enough chunk of the Republican right wing that they cannot win elections without their support.

That is the ONLY reason you see so much suck up and why "Trump's support is important." Because without him and his cult, you can't win as a Republican. They need each other at this point. So you have lifelong Republicans, once respected, bending the knee and kissing the ring. All the while giving the cult leader an illusion of power and support. Cut off the head of the snake and 10 more grow in its place sort of thing. MAGA needs to be eradicated for this country to have a chance.

Disclaimer in case I need it (wouldn't want violent political rhetoric -_-): I am not saying they need to die when I say eradicated. Just the movement needs to go and anyone associated with MAGA removed from government offices. Back to old school Dem/Rep where, yes, there was a political and ideological divide, but they still crossed the aisle to work together for the betterment of the country... not working against each other to destroy what's left of democracy.

They’re not setting the country back 100 years. They’re 100 years in the past. The bread and butter MAGA crowd is an excellent example of social engineering. On one end, you have the “money over manners” folks that have zero issues stepping over others to get where they’re going. On the other end, you have undereducated, uninformed, and comparatively disconnected folks that have zero clue what’s going on in Washington being taken by the hand and guided right into downtown DC to raise hell on January 6th. Under normal circumstances, those two crowds wouldn’t intersect. Under THESE circumstances? It’s a perfect opportunity to paint a picture of marginalization among America’s working and business class, uniting them.

I know plenty of educated, informed and connected people that love Trump and would die for him. That's the danger we face. The uneducated, uninformed and disconnected people, while stupid, aren't the threat. It's the ones that SHOULD know better but don't. The fact that ANYONE can look at the criminal activity (and the non-criminal but still abominable activity) and support him, worries me. He is 100% a cult leader. And his cozying up to dictators, the lack of care for the constitution (bastardizing it the way he does is sickening), his marginalization of anyone who isn't a rich, elitist or kissing his ass... He's egotistical, narcissistic, sociopathic, self-aggrandizing... this is NOT someone who should be president. This is not someone the forefathers ever though possibly could be elected by the people. The only way to stop him is to beat him. And I'm not sure we can anymore.

Fucking Florida makes me sick, dude. You could tell me that there’s a full scale uprising there tomorrow, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

There are plenty of good people here, stuck in the middle. I moved here for non-political reasons. I came here for family and health reasons. I grew up coming here as a kid. This is not the Florida I grew up coming to. I don't know when it changed, or how, but it was sudden and extreme. I fear walking going to the store sometimes because of all the Trump supporters around. I am an independent, but I will NEVER vote for Trump again (2016 me lives in huge regret). I don't care if it's Biden. I don't like him either, but he is NOT worse than Trump and if you say he is, you're part of the problem not the solution.

Side note... this Trump reposting the truck with Biden tied up, gagged and dead... If ANY other person puts that up, it's considered a threat against the POTUS and is investigated. Trump... "It was just a reposting. I didn't do it." My god can we PLEASE throw him in solitary and throw away the key at this point!?

 

[Mark]

The issue here is Republican know that even though the MAGA crowd is a vocal minority, they 1) are a violent and dangerous minority, typically armed, and 2) a large enough chunk of the Republican right wing that they cannot win elections without their support.

That is the ONLY reason you see so much suck up and why "Trump's support is important." Because without him and his cult, you can't win as a Republican. They need each other at this point. So you have lifelong Republicans, once respected, bending the knee and kissing the ring. All the while giving the cult leader an illusion of power and support. Cut off the head of the snake and 10 more grow in its place sort of thing. MAGA needs to be eradicated for this country to have a chance.

Disclaimer in case I need it (wouldn't want violent political rhetoric -_-): I am not saying they need to die when I say eradicated. Just the movement needs to go and anyone associated with MAGA removed from government offices. Back to old school Dem/Rep where, yes, there was a political and ideological divide, but they still crossed the aisle to work together for the betterment of the country... not working against each other to destroy what's left of democracy.

He’s just the present day king of the playground, that’s all. The sooner someone unseats him and becomes the next big thing in politics, it’s gonna turn into “Trump who?” faster than we saw shit shift when he got elected.

I know plenty of educated, informed and connected people that love Trump and would die for him. That's the danger we face. The uneducated, uninformed and disconnected people, while stupid, aren't the threat. It's the ones that SHOULD know better but don't. The fact that ANYONE can look at the criminal activity (and the non-criminal but still abominable activity) and support him, worries me. He is 100% a cult leader. And his cozying up to dictators, the lack of care for the constitution (bastardizing it the way he does is sickening), his marginalization of anyone who isn't a rich, elitist or kissing his ass... He's egotistical, narcissistic, sociopathic, self-aggrandizing... this is NOT someone who should be president. This is not someone the forefathers ever thought possibly could be elected by the people. The only way to stop him is to beat him. And I'm not sure we can anymore.

Formal education doesn’t make someone intelligent, and I probably should have clarified that point. Just because someone has a college education or a corporate job doesn’t mean that they’re better off than you or I when it comes to their outlook. You can’t buy or teach common sense, and that’s mainly what I was getting at. You can earn six figures a year and still be a dipshit because you spent your life in school with your head down in a book while the world was spinning around you.

There are plenty of good people here, stuck in the middle. I moved here for non-political reasons. I came here for family and health reasons. I grew up coming here as a kid. This is not the Florida I grew up coming to. I don't know when it changed, or how, but it was sudden and extreme. I fear walking going to the store sometimes because of all the Trump supporters around. I am an independent, but I will NEVER vote for Trump again (2016 me lives in huge regret). I don't care if it's Biden. I don't like him either, but he is NOT worse than Trump and if you say he is, you're part of the problem not the solution.

Side note... this Trump reposting the truck with Biden tied up, gagged and dead... If ANY other person puts that up, it's considered a threat against the POTUS and is investigated. Trump... "It was just a reposting. I didn't do it." My god can we PLEASE throw him in solitary and throw away the key at this point!?

That’s everywhere, though, dude. You saw it up in New England back in the day, and you’re seeing a different flavor of it down south now. It’s never everything it seems, and there’s always more in the middle than on the bookends.

 

[Jon]

He’s just the present day king of the playground, that’s all. The sooner someone unseats him and becomes the next big thing in politics, it’s gonna turn into “Trump who?” faster than we saw shit shift when he got elected.

Until he passes away, I don't think that's true. ESPECIALLY if he loses this election too. Politics is not known for it's speed. It's slow and unmoving. Which makes me more worried at the speed at which his mentality took over.

Formal education doesn’t make someone intelligent, and I probably should have clarified that point. Just because someone has a college education or a corporate job doesn’t mean that they’re better off than you or I when it comes to their outlook. You can’t buy or teach common sense, and that’s mainly what I was getting at. You can earn six figures a year and still be a dipshit because you spent your life in school with your head down in a book while the world was spinning around you.

For what it's worth, I'm not referring to intelligence as education. The people I know ARE intelligent AND educated, but they are separate to me. These are intelligent people who, for whatever reason, think he's the second coming of Christ.... Note: he is not, even if he's peddling his toilet paper in the form of a $60 bible with the constitution in it.

That’s everywhere, though, dude. You saw it up in New England back in the day, and you’re seeing a different flavor of it down south now. It’s never everything it seems, and there’s always more in the middle than on the bookends.

It's been like moving to another country, though. Seriously, the shit I see in Florida is like a whole new world. When I went back to MA for the first time in 4+ years last September for my Sister in Law's wedding, it was a WHOLE different world.

 

[Advocate for Ants! Mouth]

yeah if they put trump in jail how on earth are democrats gonna fundraise without a guy to point at and go “you don’t want this right? give us money to do nothing”

Trump would 100% run from jail and that is completely legal. Knowing his base he'd likely get even more rabid support if he's in jail for "fake news"

 

[Mark]

Until he passes away, I don't think that's true. ESPECIALLY if he loses this election too. Politics is not known for it's speed. It's slow and unmoving. Which makes me more worried at the speed at which his mentality took over.

He doesn’t have many grains of sand left in either his political or physical hourglass compared to the level of destruction people are afraid of, though. Yeah, he can sweep in with executive action and sign his name on some shit like he did when he was elected the first time, but like you said… politicking is a long game. Some of the executive orders he signed were wished for by some of his more extreme constituents for a lot longer than he has been in the game, and we saw how quickly the other branches intervened and how quickly the democrats went to work flipping what they could to solidify their campaigns.

For what it's worth, I'm not referring to intelligence as education. The people I know ARE intelligent AND educated, but they are separate to me. These are intelligent people who, for whatever reason, think he's the second coming of Christ.... Note: he is not, even if he's peddling his toilet paper in the form of a $60 bible with the constitution in it.

That’s where it gets tricky, because you have to put yourself in their shoes to see why they feel that way, and in most cases… they’re disenfranchised by the others, and see him as “different” for whatever reason. The same thing happens to other politicians… Biden, Sanders, and your favorite politician all have their hardcore base that refuse to see fault in the actions of their candidate, but, why? In Trump’s case, we could say cult of personality (which pains me to say). In the others? Same damn thing, the basis of the cult is different. The variables. The little details that make up a dangerous presidential candidate. You know the saying, the devil is in the details, and they get lost with all the noise and deflection.

It's been like moving to another country, though. Seriously, the shit I see in Florida is like a whole new world. When I went back to MA for the first time in 4+ years last September for my Sister in Law's wedding, it was a WHOLE different world.

I get it. I moved an hour west in the same state and I feel like I’m in a different country, but the reality is… I’d likely feel the same way if I packed up and moved to Florida or Massachusetts. From what I know of Massachusetts, they’re more like the atypical liberal city and moderately conservative suburban/rural types. That would be a major culture shock to someone from the prototypical liberal cities or stuck-in-time rural areas. Florida? I’d be surprised by the amount of legally open carried firearms and generally callous conservative bullshit I’d see, and I come from a place where we have nearly a homicide for every 4 non-fatal shootings per day on average and a general disregard for everyone.

Where I live now is a lot more conservative, I see Trump banners everywhere I go. I saw a vandalized Black Lives Matter flag just last week. That’s weird as shit to me, but do you know what’s even weirder? The fact that I’m a lifelong resident of a liberal city, and I can’t defend it anymore. I can’t make excuses for the arguments that assholes like Trump make about my city, because they’re not wrong. The worst part is… I’m not alone. I have a friend that left Oklahoma because of the laws targeting the LGBTQ community. I have another friend that’s leaving Ocala, Florida is a few weeks because of the shit you guys have going on down there. We’re seeing a setup for a huge shift where rural folks are moving urban and urban folks are moving rural, and I honestly think that might be what drives change more than anyone or anything in Washington. It’ll take people out of what was once their comfort zone that became “uncomfortable”, and force them to see the lives others lead, ultimately showing that we really aren’t that different after all.