He's joking, It was taken out of context. It was parody. That's not what he meant. That's not what he said (even when it's EXACTLY what he said). He is exactly who he appears to be... a lying, narcissist, fascist, cult leading dictator wanna be. it wouldn't only be for one day... it would be forever.
Policy-wise, actually pretty meaty, even if it's a bit fascist-y. 1. Wants authority to remove bureaucrats he didn't directly appoint. Which smashes down with presidential power the rather tortured system we have for firing federal workers -- but he wants the power to eliminate workers who don't agree with him politically. In a corporation, it makes some sense to fire workers who won't stay aligned with the CEO's strategy (though I think it'd still be out of line for a CEO to jump the chain of command and fire one of his subordinate's subordinates). But, this isn't a corporation. 2. Clean out the National Security agencies and all departments of Deep State actors. That is, the aforementioned bureaucrats that don't agree with him politically. Detractors say the Deep State is made up, but I believe in it. There are institutional bureaucrats who believe in executing the mission of the agency and not the commands of the president. That tension is intentional. Agencies are creatures of the legislature (who write the mission statement) but are headed by appointees of the executive. This is the conflict between rule of law and rule of man. That bureaucratic loyalty to the mission statement above their compliance to political orders is the root of the Deep State, and it's absolutely vital to a democratic republic. This bullet is the reason why Maga is fascism because it says that the rule of man trumps the rule of law. 3. Reform the FISA courts because judges issue warrants based on lies. Really, I think it's just that the hurdle for getting a warrant is low, but I'm not opposed to reining in secret courts. 4. Truth & Reconciliation Commission to expose corruption to the public. I'm cool with that in principle, but I'm sure the way he'd build the Commission it would be a farce with no credibility. 5. Crack down on government leakers. I'm fine with this too. But, probably every Admin hates leakers until they need to have something leaked. DC has a leaking culture now, and with it being so hard to prove someone leaked, I doubt it will be changing. I guess it'll help Trump if he can fire anyone in the federal government without any process. 6. Make IG offices "truly" independent and physically separate. By 'independent' I think he means 'loyal to Trump.' I never had the impression that we had a problem with IG independence, but who knows. 7. Audit system to make sure intelligence offices don't spy inappropriately. That's a fine idea, actually. I mean, he wants it to make sure his own agencies don't spy on him, but I think under other leadership it might be a useful endeavor. But, Trump shows us the risk here, as elsewhere, that processes for oversight can easily be levered into mechanisms to undermine institutions. 8. Move agency offices out of the DC area. I think that's a good idea too. I think there was a time the physical proximity made sense. But, in the age of Zoom meetings, that time has passed. And, it'd be good to spread those sweet federal gigs around the economy more. The Senate-confirmed guys will still want DC offices, but the bureaucracies under them can by anywhere. I doubt it'll change the agency culture in the ways Trump expects though. 9. Ban bureaucrats from later working in the industries they regulated. I get it. You could get some sweetheart regulation when the regulator is hoping to get rewarded later. But, this is a very problematic idea. One, I don't see how you can legally blacklist someone from working in a particular field. Two, if you can do it, suddenly many talented people will not want your regulator job anymore. Three, powerful corporations that want to reward a regulator will still find a way to do so. Four, regulators aren't necessarily getting jobs in the industry as a quid-pro-quo; they have experience, knowledge, and relationships that are genuinely valuable to companies. 10. Constitutional amendment to term limit Congress. Lol, good luck getting that through Congress! But, of course, if he can do that it will greatly weaken Congress and strengthen the executive.
I thought that the Constitution was out the first day, when Trump declares himself God Emperor of the United States of Trump. I suspect that there will be a Constitution burning ceremony on the front steps of the White House, even.
But more likely they'll just continue to misinterpret and cherry pick just the parts of both that they like.
When there are no guiderails like truth, integrity, or right vs wrong, you have republicans that say things like this...
Guess you kinda gotta quit after you rat out your bosses to the police. Staff meetings get awkward after a stunt like that.
An Iowa fight over a Satanic display reminds us: Republicans believe "free speech" is only for them It's become a holiday tradition, especially in the red states. Every year, in response to overtly Christian displays put up in government buildings, the Satanic Temple petitions to set up a display honoring Lucifer in state capitols. They usually succeed. See, the Supreme Court long ago created a loophole in the First Amendment to allow religious displays, by arguing that as long as every group gets to have one, it doesn't violate the "no establishment of religion" clause. By putting up altars to Satan next to the annual nativity scenes, the Satanic Temple makes their point about the silliness of this loophole. More important, however, is the trolling part. Every year, Christian conservatives discover the Satanic display and have a loud, public temper tantrum about it. In this, Satanists prove their point: Conservatives claim to respect religious plurality, but it's a lie. The overt religious iconography on government property was always about promoting the Christian nationalist view that theirs is the only "real" American religion. It's hardened into a ritual because both sides get something out of it. The fundamentalists get a chance to freak out and use this as evidence for their lurid conspiracy theories claiming demonic forces are out to get them. The Satanists and their fans get a chance to remind everyone that Republicans are hypocrites who never really believed all that "free speech" talk. This year, the annual rite is playing out in Iowa, where the Satanists have antagonized the Christians with a goat's head wreath in the Des Moines capitol building. The story has more national resonance than usual, however. It's happening in the shadow cast by a much darker, more dangerous bad faith debate over free speech: The fight over alleged anti-semitism on campus. In their twin quest to divide-and-conquer the left and deflect from Donald Trump's responsibility for unleashing a torrent of bigotry across the U.S., House Republicans decided to host one of their many disingenuous spectacles disguised as "hearings" last week. Three presidents of elite universities — Harvard, M.I.T, and the University of Pennsylvania — were summoned to discuss anti-semitism on campus in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza. In a clip that went viral, these three were unable to state plainly under questioning from Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., that students would be expelled if they called for genocide of Jews. The trick worked as intended, causing the anti-MAGA coalition to tear at each other with arguments over whether these presidents were in the right on free speech grounds, whether the threat of anti-semitism from campus is overblown, and why the voices of teenaged college students are treated as emblematic of the entire left. As Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times wrote, "you can see the trap Stefanik laid." But while people get into often-incomprehensible arguments over the finer points of defining "genocide" and "free speech," what is getting lost is the most important issue: Republicans are a bunch of lying hypocrites. It's this message the Satanic Temple is trying to remind us all of with their holiday display. The MAGA right has been wailing for years about the alleged threats to free speech from hazily defined social pressures like "wokeness" and "cancel culture," but when it comes to opinions they don't like, they don't hesitate to call for the blunt force of censorship. Rest: https://www.salon.com/2023/12/12/an...inds-us-believe-free-speech-is-only-for-them/
I'd put psychopath at the top of those traits. As someone fascinated by the brain I'd love to see a brain scan of Trump. Psychopaths have a lack of remorse or empathy, and little or no ability to experience guilt. Those qualities are Trump in a nutshell. Speaking of nutshells, the amygdala is normally the size of a shelled peanut. Psychopaths have smaller amygdalas. I wonder if his amygdala is the size of a shelled pea. I'd also love to see how much gray matter is in Trump's prefrontal cortex. Some of the most severe psychopaths have the highest amount of gray matter in their prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain crucial for self-control and decision-making. Trump has absolutely zero self-control. I could see his response now if that scan showed a whole lot of gray matter and an a tiny amygdala...
