Poll: Was Donald Trump ever fit to hold office of the President?

[pmv]

You need to up your standards for CiC.

His tacit approval of foreign dictators while shitting on and abandoning allies like the Kurds? Assassinating military leaders of countries we're not at war with? Outright threats of fire and fury when he felt slighted? Surprise unilateral pullouts with zero notice for allies from the child king of bad faith negotiating? He has gotten us into war, it just hasn't started yet. FWIW he got us into a war with covid, let an international crisis become a domestic emergency where 9/11 body counts happens daily. Still prefers to play golf rather than show up for the fight, I guess just Cadet Bonespurs showing Vietnam isn't the only thing he can run from.

Using the term 'positive' towards anything in the foreign policy record of the Trump admin is, quite frankly, pretty fucking baffling. He has asked his underlings for war on a few occasions IIRC, thankfully to be talked out of it. The credit you want to give should go elsewhere.

I don't agree. It's stretching things to call the COVID19 fiasco a 'war', however costly in lives it has been.
And, sure, his foreign-policy has been inept, and he _risked_ war with Iran. But it didn't happen. And compared to the disasters of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, I think that's something to be thankful for.

I do think one could say his one saving grace is that he's an abject coward. He's scared of getting into a war. And not necessarily because he fears being shot at himself, but because (as a narcissistic, shallow, showbiz guy who knows very little about geopolitics and the world outside the US borders, and still less about any kind of sacrifice for something greater than oneself) he feels out of his comfort-zone and knows he'd be quickly sidelined by others who would display more authority in a war situation.
He could definitely have been worse, in other words.

 

[hal2kilo]

The only positive thing Trump has done is he hasn't gotten us into a war.

There are still 25 days to go.

 

[woolfe9998]

Trump didn't fail to start a war out of principle, because he has none. If Trump had perceived any personal benefit, such as helping him win an election, he would have started one. He could easily have started one in a second term.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

For the first two weeks following his inauguration his net approval rate was positive. I'd say more people believed he's fit in that time frame.

People wanted to give him a chance and were happy a bitter campaign was over. Too bad Trump decided to piss away that goodwill arguing about inauguration crowd sizes and claiming he had the largest margin of victory since Reagan. Shit so patently and obviously false and we were supposed to trust him on anything after that?

 

[SteveGrabowski]

List is quite extensive but all his actions after the election shows he doesn't give a shit about the country so that makes him unfit.

All his actions before the election too.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

Trump didn't fail to start a war out of principle, because he has none. If Trump had perceived any personal benefit, such as helping him win an election, he would have started one. He could easily have started one in a second term.

He tried to start one killing Soleimani. Then he wanted to attempt to start a war with Iran again a couple of weeks ago until even fuckheads like Pompeo said no that's too far and paused him.

 

[pmv]

Trump didn't fail to start a war out of principle, because he has none. If Trump had perceived any personal benefit, such as helping him win an election, he would have started one. He could easily have started one in a second term.

I agree with your first sentence. I don't think I agree with your second, for the reasons I gave in my previous post. In fact I suspect he briefly considered it as an option - with Iran - but then quickly got cold feet and backed away, against the wishes of pro-war folk like Bolton. In that respect he was preferable to Dubya, who was much more an active part of the neo-con gang and gave them everything they wanted.

Trump might have gotten the US sucked into a war by sheer ineptitude and miscalculation, but I don't think he would knowingly start one, even for electoral advantage. I'm not defending Trump, I just don't think Dubya's disastrous actions should be minimised in comparison.

 

[zzyzxroad]

The only positive thing Trump has done is he hasn't gotten us into a war.

Screwing over the Kurds negates that accomplishment and then some.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Screwing over the Kurds negates that accomplishment and then some.

He also almost started a war with Iran by assassinating General Solemani (sp?).

When Trump said there would be a major announcement on that Thursday, I was legit worried he'd call for the draft. I thought to myself "no way in hell I'd die for this fvcker"

 

[Puffnstuff]

This kind of sums him up.

 

[fskimospy]

I don’t think this has been mentioned but I suspect Trump will experience a reverse time effect. With GWB in his last months in office his approval rating was in the toilet but as time passed and partisanship faded his ratings went up some.

I’m pretty confident that the only things keeping Trump’s approval from being in the single digits are partisanship and the personality cult, both of which I expect to fade over time. I would not be surprised if in ten years he is viewed as the worst president in US history. (Lucky for you, Buchanan!)

 

[kage69]

I don't agree. It's stretching things to call the COVID19 fiasco a 'war', however costly in lives it has been.
And, sure, his foreign-policy has been inept, and he _risked_ war with Iran. But it didn't happen. And compared to the disasters of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, I think that's something to be thankful for.

I do think one could say his one saving grace is that he's an abject coward. He's scared of getting into a war. And not necessarily because he fears being shot at himself, but because (as a narcissistic, shallow, showbiz guy who knows very little about geopolitics and the world outside the US borders, and still less about any kind of sacrifice for something greater than oneself) he feels out of his comfort-zone and knows he'd be quickly sidelined by others who would display more authority in a war situation.
He could definitely have been worse, in other words.

He didn't just risk it by OKing acts that might provoke an armed Iranian response, apparently he's outright said "Give me a reason to bomb these guys." He's the worst kind of coward - a cavalier one.

I'm so thankful his reign of stupidity over our troops is almost at an end.

The covid fiasco is a conflict other than war then, but still one against an adversary that we can't negotiate with and who is adept in killing thousands of Americans daily. I don't care what term we can all agree on, the point is it's a fight the coward is still running from. And like with Iran and North Korea, he thinks acting like a cavalier tough guy is a solution.

 

[WelshBloke]

I can't get my head round that people still support him.

I get that he's repulsive to me because of his amoral, psychopathic relationships. Also that I hate the politics that he's decided to embrace just for political expediency.
Also that he's a fucking idiot that can't string a coherent sentence together.
Plus he somehow manages to look like he spends more time sorting out his make up, hair spray, high heels and corset that reading any political briefs and still looks like a sack of shit tied round the middle with string.

But even if you can ignore all that he's still a really shit politician. He achieves fuck all! He's useless if you actually support what he say he does! Why would you not vote the useless old tosser out and get someone half competent in instead?

 

[nickqt]

I don’t think this has been mentioned but I suspect Trump will experience a reverse time effect. With GWB in his last months in office his approval rating was in the toilet but as time passed and partisanship faded his ratings went up some.

I’m pretty confident that the only things keeping Trump’s approval from being in the single digits are partisanship and the personality cult, both of which I expect to fade over time. I would not be surprised if in ten years he is viewed as the worst president in US history. (Lucky for you, Buchanan!)

Trump could start murdering people on live television with meat tenderizers and his approval rating wouldn't drop under 27%.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Only Peanut Man and LBJ had lower ratings at this point in their terms:

How Popular Is Donald Trump?

FiveThirtyEight is tracking Donald Trump’s approval ratings throughout his presidency.

projects.fivethirtyeight.com

 

[WelshBloke]

Only Peanut Man and LBJ had lower ratings at this point in their terms:

How Popular Is Donald Trump?

FiveThirtyEight is tracking Donald Trump’s approval ratings throughout his presidency.

projects.fivethirtyeight.com

Nixon had a 60% approval rating till the end!

 

[fskimospy]

Trump could start murdering people on live television with meat tenderizers and his approval rating wouldn't drop under 27%.

Today yes, because partisanship is so strong. Five years from now I’m not so sure.

 

[nOOky]

I can't get my head round that people still support him.

I get that he's repulsive to me because of his amoral, psychopathic relationships. Also that I hate the politics that he's decided to embrace just for political expediency.
Also that he's a fucking idiot that can't string a coherent sentence together.
Plus he somehow manages to look like he spends more time sorting out his make up, hair spray, high heels and corset that reading any political briefs and still looks like a sack of shit tied round the middle with string.

But even if you can ignore all that he's still a really shit politician. He achieves fuck all! He's useless if you actually support what he say he does! Why would you not vote the useless old tosser out and get someone half competent in instead?

Driving through rural Wisconsin today it was amazing to see Trump signs still up in yards, even one house had shit all over the yard like they were Christmas decorations. Maybe word hasn't gotten to the rubes yet? I still can't help it, I see a Trump sign in a yard and I think to myself "fucking idiot".

 

[ivwshane]

Today yes, because partisanship is so strong. Five years from now I’m not so sure.

By then almost 2 million baby boomers will have died. His numbers will go down as theirs do.

 

[nickqt]

By then almost 2 million baby boomers will have died. His numbers will go down as theirs do.

They keep making new old people every day.

 

[shortylickens]

They keep making new old people every day.

its not the age, its the birth year.
Decades from now "old" people will be covered in slut tattoos and listen to Cypress Hill. And they will not likely appreciate Donald Trumps legacy. But they will probably be conned by some sort of snake-oil salesman.

 

[nickqt]

its not the age, its the birth year.
Decades from now "old" people will be covered in slut tattoos and listen to Cypress Hill. And they will not likely appreciate Donald Trumps legacy. But they will probably be conned by some sort of snake-oil salesman.

Some of the best Nazis were born in the 1890s. They're all dead. And here we are.

 

[shortylickens]

I can't get my head round that people still support him.

I get that he's repulsive to me because of his amoral, psychopathic relationships. Also that I hate the politics that he's decided to embrace just for political expediency.
Also that he's a fucking idiot that can't string a coherent sentence together.
Plus he somehow manages to look like he spends more time sorting out his make up, hair spray, high heels and corset that reading any political briefs and still looks like a sack of shit tied round the middle with string.

But even if you can ignore all that he's still a really shit politician. He achieves fuck all! He's useless if you actually support what he say he does! Why would you not vote the useless old tosser out and get someone half competent in instead?

It is 100 percent propaganda and nothing else. And about half our country sucks up propaganda like a tween sucks up Mountain Dew.
They scare the shit out of me too.

 

[pmv]

its not the age, its the birth year.

That's an interesting question. My suspicion is you are right (Boomers had a very particular trajectory and set of life experiences), but it's hard to know for sure, until it plays out in real time.

 

[pmv]

Why would you not vote the useless old tosser out and get someone half competent in instead?

Because they haven't got anyone 'half competent'? Perhaps he's the best they (that particular demographic, with their particular self-interests) can come up with?