Category Archives: Donald Trump

Steve Bannon Said Ivanka Trump Is ‘Dumb As A Brick.’ You Can Take That To The Bank.

I said so myself in “What Ivanka Wants, Ivanka Gets“:

Donald’s daughter has no place in the White House, no matter how cutely she “argues” for her ambitions:

“I want to be a force for good.” (Who defines “good,” Ivanka? Limited and delimited government means that it’s not you.)

“I want to pursue my passions.” (Your passions, Ivanka, are not necessarily the people’s passions—or even within the purview of their government.)

Whether she’s tweeting about the accomplishment that is the war on Syria or about inflicting her kids on China’s first couple, Ivanka’s tweets have the insipid emptiness of a contestant in a beauty pageant.

“Proud of my father for refusing to accept these horrendous crimes against humanity.”
“Proud of Arabella and Joseph for their performance in honor of President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan’s official visit to the US.” …

In the same column, I also called Jared Kushner her poodle, and asked readers “to study Mr. Kushner. The man’s a mouse. Have you ever heard Jared Kushner utter a word in public? Do you even know what he sounds like? The poor man looks low T—like he might one day go the way of Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner. (I love LGBTQ, so long as they come in peace.)”

It transpires now that, “Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner reportedly agreed that if either ran for president, it would be Ivanka.“ Well of course.

From “Steve Bannon says Ivanka Trump is ‘dumb as a brick’“:

Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, called Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter and top White House adviser, “dumb as a brick” in journalist Michael Wolff’s new book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed a manuscript of the book on Wednesday.

Earlier Wednesday, The Guardian and New York Magazine published excerpts of the book, which included a host of critical comments by Bannon about top West Wing advisers and members of the president’s family.

A spokesman for Ivanka did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This isn’t the first time Bannon has taken a public shot at Ivanka.

Troops In Niger And Norway Now Cheered, As Neoconservatism Is Normalized

Conservatism, Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, Left-Liberalism And Progressivisim, Neoconservatism, Republicans, War

Have you noticed that it’s now quite acceptable, on the so-called Left and phony Right, to casually quip about our troops in Niger and Norway? There is hardly any debate, disagreement or daylight, for that matter, on this dangerously united front between the brain-addled, muddled political factions at all.

This is the gift President Trump has given the neoconservatives, which now comfortably encompass neoliberals and all of Conservatism Inc.

Via Military.com (as everyone cheers for war or considers it inevitable if we want to flex our muscle):

VAERNES GARRISON, Norway — The stated goals of the Marine Corps’ newest rotational force in Norway are to enhance partnerships with European allies and improve the service’s ability to fight in cold weather.

But on a brief visit to the 300-member unit ahead of Christmas, the commandant and the sergeant major of the Marine Corps both described the strategic role the small unit fills — and the fact that a peacetime mission can be preface to combat if circumstances change.

The Norwegian Home Guard base near Trondheim that houses the Marine rotational force was the first stop on Gen. Robert Neller’s annual Christmas tour. …

… The stop was a new one for the tour. The first Norway rotation, from 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, deployed in January and was replaced by a new unit from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, in late August.

Neller emphasized to the Marines that they should remain ready to fight at all times, predicting a “big-ass fight” on the horizon.

NEOCONSERVATISM HAS BEEN NORMALIZED.

‘Trump’s National Security Strategy is Decidedly Non-Trumpian’

Donald Trump, Foreign Policy, IMMIGRATION

Well of course. Trump’s National Security Strategy is largely neoconservative.

Strategically, the Trump administration’s NSS “is thematically consistent with many previous administration’s strategies,” the official who’s read the full draft said. “In fact, it even shares many similarities with” the Obama administration’s 2015 Strategy. … [recognizing] that promoting economic prosperity is core to sustained U.S. global leadership; both highlight the value of preserving an open and liberal international order that has often times benefited the United States; and both underscore the importance of preserving core American principles and values. “What’s most striking is how disconnected the Trump NSS is from the words and actions of the president himself …
… the United States will always stand with those who seek freedom … [and] continue to lead in championing human rights. …
“the United States must continue to attract the innovative and the inventive…[and] create easier paths for the flow of scientists, engineers, and technologists into and out of public service.” [The last sentence is commensurate with Trumpism as it’s vague. What does it means? Who? Immigrants? Hi-tech immigrants must go into government? WTF!?]

“The draft NSS does contain a few uniquely ‘Trumpian’ themes, including multiple references to ‘sovereignty.’”

It states that “the United States affirms its sovereign right to determine who should enter the country and under what circumstances.” It also discusses physical border security, such as through “a border wall, the use of multilayered technology, the deployment of additional personnel” and through the use of “enhanced vetting of prospective immigrants, refugees, and other foreign visitors.”

Another classically ‘Trumpian’ theme is the idea that, while the liberal international order has helped advance U.S. interests in some cases, it has also hurt the United States. The NSS’s second pillar, “Advancing American Prosperity,” notes that “we oppose protectionism, but take the view that globalism and multilateralism have gone substantially too far to the point that they are hurting U.S. and global growth. Our partners and international institutions can and should do more to address economic and trade imbalances, including overcapacity in industrial sectors.”

UPDATED (12/26): So You Know: Trump Tax Relief For Individual Workers Sunsets In 2025

Business, Donald Trump, Individualism Vs. Collectivism, Political Economy, Republicans, Taxation

“Really it was very nice to work as a collective towards a unified nation,” intoned Ivanka Trump, who lobbied hard—and successfully—for the Trump Tax Bill, passed.

Only a handful on the “Right” are daring to challenge the fairness of this Bill to individual taxpayers. Business is still über alles in Trump’s GOP.

Question (if one is allowed to question in strictly bi-partisan America): Under President Trump’s Tax Bill, ALL individual tax relief is said to sunset in 2025. Why? Why is Business above all?

The Economist (“Over the Hill: Tax reform has passed. What now?” 12/20):

Workers will benefit from across-the-board cuts in income taxes until 2025, after which, if Congress takes no further action, most levies for individuals will return to today’s levels or even rise.

AND: “Tax reform: How the Republican tax bill compares with previous reforms” 12/9:

… the Senate bill’s cuts to individual income taxes are to be phased out after 2025, to keep the costs down. What is initially a tax cut for most lower- and middle-earners will turn into a tax increase, because of changes to how tax brackets will be adjusted for inflation.

UPDATE (12/26):

Millionaires on average will get an extra $69,660 boost from Trump #TAXPLAN. Those with less than $10,000 will get an extra $10 to play with. … Things change however once 2025 rolls around. If no change is made, what were tax cuts will become tax hikes, even relative to current law. A majority of Americans in a decade’s time will then pay higher taxes, including 69.7% of the middle quintile.

MORE.