Trump’s Troubles

https://wapo.st/47rE7Qi

Former president Donald Trump denigrated his domestic opponents and critics during a Veterans Day speech Saturday, calling those on the other side of the aisle “vermin” and suggesting that they pose a greater threat to the United States than countries such as Russia, China or North Korea. That language is drawing rebuke from historians, who compared it to that of authoritarian leaders.

"We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections,” Trump said toward the end of his speech, repeating his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. “They’ll do anything, whether legally or illegally, to destroy America and to destroy the American Dream.”

Trump went on further to state: “the threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within. Because if you have a capable, competent, smart, tough leader, Russia, China, North Korea, they’re not going to want to play with us.”

The former president’s speech in Claremont, N.H., echoed his message of vengeance and grievance, as he called himself a “very proud election denier” and decried his legal entanglements, once again attacking the judge in a New York civil trial and re-upping his attacks on special counsel Jack Smith. In the speech, Trump once again portrayed himself as a victim of a political system that is out to get him and his supporters.

Yet Trump’s use of the word “vermin” both in his speech and in a Truth Social post on Saturday drew particular backlash.

“The language is the language that dictators use to instill fear,” said Timothy Naftali, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. “When you dehumanize an opponent, you strip them of their constitutional rights to participate securely in a democracy because you’re saying they’re not human. That’s what dictators do.”…

… Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, told The Post “those who try to make that ridiculous assertion are clearly snowflakes grasping for anything because they are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and their entire existence will be crushed when President Trump returns to the White House.”

[Russ]

The man is effing deranged. And to think even people over here would like to see him as president again.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Russ

The man is effing deranged. And to think even people over here would like to see him as president again.

For the entertainment value in seeing everybody lose their minds if he did indeed win.

Originally Posted by Pierre

For the entertainment value in seeing everybody lose their minds if he did indeed win.

”OK, The world was destroyed, but at least we oWnEd ThE LiBs…"

[peanut]

Originally Posted by Russ

The man is effing deranged. And to think even people over here would like to see him as president again.

Not sure about him 'Making America great again (and again)' but he does make America / politics a little bit more interesting. Obviously not all for the right reasons. But he's never boring I'd give him that.

[Russ]

I’m not exactly sure when it was that America was “great” in the first place but there you go.

For the pure danger he possesses whilst in power I’d happily forgo the “entertainment factor”.

Although the pure entertainment of seeing him sent to prison would be priceless.

One can only hope….

Originally Posted by Russ

The man is effing deranged.

Originally Posted by Russ

Although the pure entertainment of seeing him sent to prison would be priceless.

One can only hope….

Cool, something I can fully agree with Russ on.

[ianch99]

Mr Trump's been reading the wrong sort of books

Happy Thanksgiving message from the former President (posted at 02:03am his local time).

Originally Posted by Hugh

Happy Thanksgiving message from the former President (posted at 02:03am his local time).

Anyone else would have been locked up for contempt of court weeks ago. I wonder how much more of this the judge will take.

[Mr K]

Am currently catching up on 'Crown Court' on Talking Pictures (true it's taken me 50 years to 'catch up'....)

Keep expecting Trump to appear, to be found Not Guilty by the numpty jury of course, despite overwhelming evidence.....

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Am currently catching up on 'Crown Court' on Talking Pictures (true it's taken me 50 years to 'catch up'....)

Keep expecting Trump to appear, to be found Not Guilty by the numpty jury of course, despite overwhelming evidence.....

Seems unlikely a jury would be involved as apparently your lawyer has to be competent enough to tick a box requesting one and sadly for donny as yet that is an unaccomplished aspiration

[pip08456]

George Santos has been expelled from the US House of Representatives

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by pip08456

George Santos has been expelled from the US House of Representatives

Lock him up!

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-app...ck-2023-12-01/

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled that Donald Trump must face civil lawsuits over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by his supporters, rejecting the former president's claim that he is immune.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that Trump was acting "in his personal capacity as a presidential candidate" when he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol on the day of the riot. U.S. presidents are immune from civil lawsuits only for official actions.

The ruling clears the way for Trump to face lawsuits from U.S. Capitol police officers and Democratic lawmakers seeking to hold Trump responsible for the violence by his supporters during the riot, which was an attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The case is one of several civil and criminal challenges facing the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.

The unanimous decision focused only on whether Trump could be sued, and said nothing about the merits of the cases themselves.

Bit more detail here (no paywall)

https://wapo.st/3Gq9TSj

The unanimous decision by a federal appeals court in Washington is expected to be appealed and also offers insight into how the court could view Trump’s argument that presidential immunity also protects him from being charged criminally for his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election.

“When a first-term President opts to seek a second term, his campaign to win re-election is not an official presidential act,” Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan wrote for the three-judge panel. “The Office of the Presidency as an institution is agnostic about who will occupy it next.”…

… At a hearing nearly a year ago, the judges argued about how to distinguish between protected presidential speechmaking and unprotected personal agitating. One judge, a Trump appointee who served in his administration, said during the December 2022 hearing that Trump’s case was complicated because the former president was plausibly accused of instigating violence in his message to supporters.

The “arguable incitement,” Judge Gregory G. Katsas said, “makes this a hard case.”

But in the end, the judges drew the line differently, saying what mattered was not the violence of the rhetoric but the fact that Trump had offered no evidence that his speechifying before and on Jan. 6 were about anything other than his own desire for reelection.

“Trump … has made no argument as to why his actions alleged here should be treated more like the State of the Union than [a] campaign ad,” Srinivasan, an Obama appointee wrote.

Despite agreeing on the decision, all three judges wrote separately — underscoring the unprecedented and complicated questions involved. Katsas joined Srinivasan’s opinion in full, adding that “when the President speaks at campaign events … he normally does so in a private capacity,” although he “may occasionally render official speech even during a typical campaign event.” For example, he said, a president could announce he is replacing a member of the Cabinet during a campaign speech.

The decision will also impact another case in which an additional eight Capitol Police officers are suing Trump over the injuries they suffered during the riot. But Trump is likely to ask the entire D.C. Circuit to hear the case, and then the U.S. Supreme Court.