160 Comments
User's avatar
Deborah J.'s avatar

Trump gave our strength and viability as a country away for money.

Edward Jay Allan's avatar

Specifically, money for himself and his brood. Certainly his vacillation vis-a-vis, e.g., Tiktok, is curious. And the people on Taiwan must be feeling rather queasy. But Ivanka has trademarks and royalties on stuff that probably very few Chinese, or anyone else, actually want.

Not really mentioned is that for some years, China has been beating us substantially in the production of scientists with advanced degrees.

NubbyShober's avatar

Trump's selling out to China is primarily because he is a KGB (FSB) intelligence thrall, and has been since at least the early 1990's, and his controller--Vladimir Putin--has ordered him to do so. His subservience to the Axis of Russia/China/NK can only be explained two ways: "Useful Idiot," and "KGB Thrall." Lets just call out DJT for what he is: a spy under the control of a hostile foreign government. A traitor.

The China grift$$$ accrued for him by his children is just gravy.

Dianne's avatar

I am not sure that many Taiwanese are opposed to a China takeover, I'd like to hear more about that in the truthful press.

David Moscatello's avatar

The vast majority (>80%) of Taiwanese are opposed to a takeover by China. Some want independence, more want the status quo.

Ellie still in the mix in 26's avatar

His life is transactional - it is the way he was raised from toddlerhood. He'd dig up his mother and sell her for a profit.

Ricardo Grinbank's avatar

Now, all of them sudden his most idiot son, Eric, is a billionaire !!!!!

Any question?

Andan Casamajor's avatar

And is teasing presidential asperations 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😱

Ricardo Grinbank's avatar

Good luck with that...😅

RenaldoMooon's avatar

Money is a secondary benefit. Trump doesn’t have the authority to control the economy directly, but these BS trade policies allow him to control inputs and force businesses to “kiss his ass” and give de facto control. Axing DEI policies allows him to hire a goon squad at $100K+ each. Ignoring court rulings further establishes himself as an authoritarian, while hand-wringing ensues about confronting a President.

Yodagirl's avatar

Spot on Deborah J!

Hiro's avatar

Actually, I blame the Republican senators who confirmed Trump cabinet members knowing that they are not capable of managing the country.

Bobbette Strauss's avatar

…or to protect himself from Putin’s blackmail? Does make many of us wonder doesn’t it?

Irena's avatar

More than a passing mention should be made of the effect on Ukraine. Russia can continue destroying that country with financial/military help from China. And there should be more information from The Contrarian about who is "advising" the WH on foreign policy.

Daniel Solomon's avatar

MSM fails to report that Russia is on the verge of economic collapse, that Moscow has been burning, that Russia has lost more than a million soldiers, that Ukraine has been destroying Russian oil and gas production. Gabbard won't tell Trump, so he'll nevef know that he's the sucker for Putin's art of the deal.

Irena's avatar

Thar's why this recent unholy alliance is so potentially devastating to Ukraine. As for "telling" trump; i don't think he listens to anyone.

Charles's avatar

Who in his clown regime has the guts to tell him the truth. Trump may be as dumb as a post, but he knew he could not have anyone who knows what they are doing, or would oppose him, in his second administration. Absolute success! He has surrounded himself with ignoramuses and nincomppoops! The Republican Congress went along with every one of his insane picks.

Cary Indivisible's avatar

The emperor who has no clothes plays golf a lot.

L B Rose's avatar

He lives in his own imaginary universe. Facts and reality are strictly forbidden.

Betsy L's avatar

Hey, he knows more than the generals and the intelligence community! Just ask him!

Daniel Solomon's avatar

National security officers are supposed to "brief" him daily.

Don Kennedy's avatar

(shrug) what good is a daily briefing if the president will not listen to It unless it tells him what he wants to hear?…

bakeneko's avatar

But he's too busy being "diapered" for that.

Richard Graham's avatar

North Korea is giving Putin 15,000 of his soldiers for cannon fodder. Sad for these young boys!

Ricardo Grinbank's avatar

Also sad for the Ukrainians Richard. 😒

Ricardo Grinbank's avatar

Easy answer Irena, Vladimir Putin. Any doubt?

Thomas Moore's avatar

Another useless idiot, Hegseth, leveled blame at Biden for driving China and Russia together. Never mind it is happening seven months into the Trump regime. Trump's biggest parade is the parade of lies emanating from the White House. The stench of desperation is in the air.

John Ranta's avatar

Trump is not just incompetent. If that was the case, then the people and institutions around him could keep things more or less on track. No, Trump is belligerently ignorant. He clings to any number of demonstrably false ideas - the primacy of fossil fuels, the wonder of tariffs, the crime-ridden carnage of cities, the glory of Putin and Xi, the devastation of immigration, resentment of elites and expertise, etc - and he will use all of his power to force those ideas on the rest of us. Trump is a profoundly ignorant man who is determined that we must all live in his ignorant world.

Dr. Judith Schlesinger's avatar

"He clings to any number of demonstrably false ideas" - like, the gaudiest gold defacing the White House is an improvement. Or, that his MAGA women all have the same face and that's a good thing. Need I go on?

Thanks as always for your clear-eyed wisdom, Jen. Too bad he doesn't read your stuff. Oh - forgot - he doesn't READ. Can you issue a comic book version for useful idiots?

The Coke Brothers's avatar

Trump makes America sicker, poorer and less secure among others. His voters should not be forgiven

Daniel Solomon's avatar

We wuz robbed. Did Trump admit that Musk stole Pennsylvania?

The Coke Brothers's avatar

Let's assume we were (although I doubt it, given how stupid people prove to be every day). What are we going to do about it?

Daniel Solomon's avatar

It takes a DA in Pa to get off the schneid. It's a state crime.

There were fraud allegations in several counties but the new Republican AG is not following up.

There are also a lot of new claims that are not reported by MSM or, for tyhat matter, here.

E.G. “In December 2024, I was personally involved in an NSA‑authorized forensic audit of the 2024 election. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz won—by a wide margin. Trump lost dramatically. There are multiple layers of complexity to this cover‑up, including transnational organized crime syndicates that extend far beyond the United States and our elections. To that point, I work in the human trafficking sector, which intersects with the stolen election(s) and has ties to Trump and Epstein—not to President Biden, Vice President Harris, or Governor Walz, but to the Democrats and other allied interests responsible for burying the audit.” — Adam Zarnowski, ex-CIA agent and author of Jörmungandr

https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/ex-cia-whistleblower-the-nsa-audited

Who else was involved?

Ricardo Grinbank's avatar

Good point Brothers. All of them are in complicity with those inside the regime sabotaging this country.

WAYNE LARSON's avatar

I made a similar comment in The New York Times a few days ago, but not as comprehensively add devastatingly as Jen writes here.

“All that Xi needs to do is to continue maintaining his public affability while Trump‘s bellicose bullishness drives the creation of a new and huge Pan Asian adversarial alliance. Smooth move, Donnie. Whatever made you think that you are a diplomat?”

Stephen Brady's avatar

Donold doesn't think. He reacts. And always in a direction that makes things worse for Us.

Don Kennedy's avatar

His malignant narcissism 🫤

It's Come To This's avatar

I guess the same thing that made him think he’s a successful businessman, a fabulous President, tall, svelte and deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. Bullshit is a powerful drug, whether spoon-fed to morons or self-ingested.

Chris Dortch's avatar

Why do people continue to fear and bow down to this fool? He's a sham—from his crappy hairpiece to the lifts in his shoes, to his supposed business acumen. One can only surmise that Republicans aren't really Americans. They've wanted to destroy government since long before Reagan began the process in earnest. The trouble is, oafs like Trump and those who kiss his ring don't think things through. Repercussions don't mean a damn thing to them, not that they could understand them. The mess he's made just since January is going to take years to overcome, if we ever do. He's ruined institutions and alliances, set our battle against climate change back years, and dealt a serious blow to race relations. Other than Hitler, I can't think of a more hateful human in history.

Punkette's avatar

Spot on, Chris. 🎯

Elizabeth Fenlon's avatar

Most autocracies last a generation, so yeah, it will take years to undo this murderous monster’s damage.

HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

That's been my concern ever since he took office this time around. His first term was plenty bad--especially the way he wrapped it up--but the damage he has done internationally since Jan. 20 this year is immense. Then again, he's always wanted to be an official member of the Murderous Dictators' Club, but the men in the top ranks of that know what a loser he is.

David's avatar

Dear Leader's first Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, said it all after working for a while for this

turkey: "He's. f*****g moron."

Harvey Perry's avatar

H.L. Mencken wrote, “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

Mary McCue's avatar

Why is it so difficult for the MAGA-nuts and the Republican House and Senate to understand that Trump is sending the country right down the shitter? Why?

The Coke Brothers's avatar

Some are stupid, some think they're in on the grift, some are actually in on the grift. Also, they have come to regard politics and society as a team sport, where there must be a winner and a loser. They are either on the winning or on the losing team, and they perceive trump as the winning team. That is why there is no compromise, no meeting in the middle with them, and appeasement as Biden tried it does not work. They want it all, it's all or nothing to them. Which is why we will all end up with nothing.

John Manuel Andriote's avatar

All the destruction of American greatness so that Trump and his herd could “own the libs” and enjoy momentary relief from the conviction that their own poor choices are why they are so miserable.

Don Kennedy's avatar

As long as they feel that someone is worse off that they are, they are now happy. Pretty poor choice, I agree.

Norm J.'s avatar

He's so pleased as to the huge improvements he's made in the US economy and the standing of the USA in the world, but he's only really happy that he's extorted billions out of many organizations and other countries and his family have made billions in the last 7 months through his personal corruption and lawlessness. We can't get rid of him fast enough, that would help, but the MAGA movement could keep the administration of nut cases in place and then where would the country be until 2028 unless we as voters make the move and wrest power from them in mid-term elections?

Jim Reddick's avatar

To somewhat mangle the words of King Henry II, will no one free us of this blithering idiot?

Richard Graham's avatar

Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society worked 30 years for this to happen in America. Every article written about DJT must include these two organizations. Our children/grandchildren will suffer.

Bob Hinton's avatar

Excellent points. Thank you. Trump is proving himself to be more incompetent than many thought, and he is rapidly ruining our country in the process. I am so sad.

Dianne's avatar

Seriously why don’t the maggots see the destruction the moron has already wrought on our beautiful country? My guess is they won’t until they are personally affected. And then what? Will they join us in revolt? Or will they be submissive like Congress?

Cindy B.'s avatar

Contrarian, you do NOT NEED to put his photo with your story. We KNOW what he looks like. I came to your page and nearly choked on my coffee when his face was the FIRST thing I saw. Please DO NOT do this.

Alan Greenstein's avatar

I find myself cheering on every country that the US is punishing for various reasons. Good luck to you and please turn your back on the US.

dB's avatar

Damn right, Alan. And isn’t it strange to wish the worst for the US?

dB

Ivan Tufaart's avatar

Well, we're getting exactly what we asked for-- and what we deserve-- even though Red America is too stupid to realize we were asking for it.

Tina Rhea's avatar

We're getting what 49% of us asked for and deserve. Trump has never gotten a majority of the votes. Clinton beat him by nearly 3 million votes in 2016, but the electoral college decided that those votes weren't in the right places, and once again (as in 2000) gave us a president most voters had rejected.

patricia's avatar

electoral college must go

Yodagirl's avatar

I've been posting the same thing Alan G!

WAYNE LARSON's avatar

That is a bridge too far, Alan. Please tell me that you still love your country.

Alan Greenstein's avatar

I want Trump to fail. He breaks the law every day. He sows division. He takes away people's rights. I love my country and it is hard to observe Trump destroying it.

dB's avatar

Wayne, does offering a critique mean you don’t “love” your country?

dB