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Announcements Mar 25, 2026 at 4:29 PM

Trump’s ‘absurdly incoherent’ Iran pleas leave allies befuddled

Posted by Large_banana_hammock

https://www.politico.eu/article/donlad-trump-strait-of-hormuz-allies-befuddled/
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specqq Mar 25, 2026 +183
Don’t worry folks. He can get way more absurdly incoherent than this.
183
Kink_Panda Mar 25, 2026 +42
The mad king will continue till someone stands up and stops him. That's not likely to ever happen sadly. Edit: Typos
42
PDXisathing Mar 25, 2026 +13
Where's Jaime Lannister the one time you need him..?
13
PageVanDamme Mar 25, 2026 +12
Banging his sister
12
z900r Mar 25, 2026 +13
Kind of a Trump thing to do.
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Pretend_Handle_7639 Mar 26, 2026 +4
Resigned out of cowardice
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IrrelevantLeprechaun Mar 25, 2026 -5
Only ones who can stand up to him are congress democrats, and they refuse to. We are fucked.
-5
purpleWord_spudger Mar 26, 2026 +4
you're wrong. I am not going to explain it because you're either intentionally wrong to be inflammatory or you aren't smart enough to research and understand our system of government before commenting and either one is a waste of my time. but you're definitely wrong.
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ElysiumSprouts Mar 25, 2026 +19
Can he though? He's so far gone. At this rate, he'll loop back around to sanity. *sad delusional noises*
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Deicide1031 Mar 25, 2026 +22
He’s already gone. Only reason why this didn’t get worse is because the navy is smart enough to know that if they go in people will die. Iran has hundreds/thousands of drones ready to go and American ships are massive, there’s no way they block every single drone from that close in a strait.
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PageVanDamme Mar 25, 2026 +5
I know a LOT of GWOT-era veterans. (As in not only served during that era, but was the “boots on ground.”) Not one, I mean not one that I know thinks boots on ground is a good idea regardless of their politics.
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Medallicat Mar 25, 2026 +4
Because unlike politicians (and their corporate overlords) we actually know what the terrain looks like on the northern shore of the MEAO. Civilian politicians think it will be another desert storm with air superiority and massive columns of tanks rolling across the desert. Iran’s topography is overwhelmingly defined by rugged mountain range and a high central plateau, making its terrain vastly more similar to Afghanistan’s mountainous landscape than the flat, low-lying deserts of Iraq. The terrain makes ground invasion difficult, providing immense natural protection through inaccessible terrain, similar to Afghanistan. Not only that but most major Iranian cities are often located in high mountain valleys, whereas major Iraqi cities are in the central plains. It is a natural fortress, so much so that the Ottoman empire had more success invading Europe than it did in Iran. You have to go as far back as the Umayyad caliphate (650-750CE) to the last time Iran was occupied by another Empire and that was before the reconquista and the crusades when Spain was also under occupation and colonisation by the Umayyad Caliphate, and prior to that it was Alexander the Great in 330BC. Not even the roman empire was able to control Iran.
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pontiacfirebird92 Mar 25, 2026 -11
>Only reason why this didn’t get worse is because the navy is smart enough to know that if they go in people will die. What proof do you have of this?
-11
Deicide1031 Mar 25, 2026 +10
They didn’t go into the strait even though DT keeps saying “everything’s fine” and calling people “cowards” for not entering. He isn’t just talking to foreign countries and he did this c*** to the armed forces last term when they ignored a dumb suggestion.
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Miltthedog Mar 25, 2026 +6
What an idiotic troll question.
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pontiacfirebird92 Mar 25, 2026 -4
Why is that a troll question? The military works for Trump. What proof is there that the Navy is going against Trump's orders? As far as I can tell they are all-in on this religious crusade to die in the name of Israel and Christ. There's no proof that anyone in the military is questioning Trump at this point.
-4
ArchdukeToes Mar 25, 2026 +4
Trump knows full well that an American ship being sunk (or even badly damaged) would also sink him and the Republicans at the midterms. The war is already unpopular, but losing a ship? You wouldn’t be able to see his allies for dust.
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pontiacfirebird92 Mar 25, 2026
I honestly don't think that would change anything. Congress is still 100% behind Trump even if they say differently when they're in front of a camera. Republicans named Trump their King and are treating the war in Iran as such. Their actions are louder than their statements. And the citizens of the nation have no voice in the matter. They are safely ignored by Congress.
0
Broken-Digital-Clock Mar 25, 2026 +6
I'm sure that plenty are questioning it. What they are doing about it is another story.
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specqq Mar 25, 2026 +10
I don’t believe there’s any bar I could set that Trump can’t lower.
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tekani11 Mar 25, 2026 +3
I think I set the bar at complete utter destruction of every single planet in the universe. I don't think that's even possible for ANYONE. Then again, I could be proven very wrong. And at that point, who would be left to care!?
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specqq Mar 25, 2026
Are you just discounting the multi worlds theory of quantum mechanics?
0
tekani11 Mar 25, 2026 +3
I am. And I'm tired of pretending I am. 
3
lactose_cow Mar 25, 2026 +3
he's gonna keep getting worse. he's gonna slur and wander and fall asleep more and more. im hype for when he gives a press conference and is unable to form a proper word for at least 60 seconds
3
Im_Talking Mar 25, 2026 +2
I would like Trump and McConnell to give a joint press briefing where they just stand there for 15 minutes locked down.
2
LordBloodraven9696 Mar 26, 2026 +1
Their brains are hitting “ Ctrl-Alt-Delete” far too often for them to be in charge of anything these days.
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paxrom2 Mar 25, 2026 +3
He has moments of clarity like when he said he wont get to heaven
3
whatproblems Mar 25, 2026 +1
the market will believe it all
1
Queasy_Range8265 Mar 25, 2026 +2
People still think he has anything true to say? Regarding war and tariffs he always claims to be talking to leaders which has never been true.
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z900r Mar 25, 2026 +1
Dementia only goes one way.
1
Kushwayne Mar 25, 2026 +61
There is a high chance that Trump's daily Fox News-style briefing is the only outside information he is getting. This + the age factor would explain this complete disconnect from reality. We may be experiencing the first AI presidency. Not that the President is AI, but everything he sees in the world is either made or altered by AI, and then fed to him in his daily briefing.
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00notmyrealname00 Mar 25, 2026 +43
I think you're close on this, but it's simpler than calling it an AI presidency. The people surrounding the president have been placed there by technocrats, oligarchs, and foreign state actors in order to insulate the president from reality. This would explain his claims like having high approval ratings, focusing on nonsensical topics, and general dismissal of feedback in the form of clarifying questions from reporters. Plainly, the president is in a manufactured bubble.
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UnguentSlather Mar 25, 2026 +14
And he’s already a deeply compromised grifter, so him being a declining dotard just shifts the “benefit” of the grifts, wars, and shitty policies toward other bad actors as well as they manipulate him. The grift, graft, violence, and bigotry were already embodied in this ogre, and now the parasymbiotic politicians and Epstein class can juice him harder than if he was more aware.
14
Kushwayne Mar 25, 2026 +4
Oh yea, I definitely agree with ya. Will be interesting to see how historians unpack this period.
4
00notmyrealname00 Mar 25, 2026 +4
I'm a history buff myself, so I think about this a lot, too. Some aspects of his presidency will be prefaced with "The president believed at the time..." In order to contextualize some of the decision making he's made. But, what I'll be super interested in thumbing through is the inevitable analysis from FOIA requests specifically around documents and communication that were directly fed to the president. Honestly, this will be the only way to really understand how the f*** someone could be so tone deaf and disconnected. I'm a little concerned that a large portion of historians will just dismiss his poor judgment with implications of dementia, when in reality, that clearly doesn't tell the whole picture. Yes, he almost certainly has early onset dementia. But, some of these decisions being made are too directed to be chalked up to short circuits in the brain.
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illit3 Mar 25, 2026 +2
When he did rallies every other week it kept him in touch with the sentiments of his base. He would A-B test all kinds of stuff to see where his base was and just go with that. Now that he's old and tired he can't do it anymore. Trump's problem isn't that he is doing things that are wrong, ineffective, or stupid. His problem is that he's not doing the wrong, ineffective, and stupid things that *his supporters* want him to do. He's serving the people you alluded to; Israel, Saudi Arabia, peter thiel, Stephen miller etc.
2
RoseCityHooligan Mar 25, 2026 +2
He’s also placed a lot of yes-men in his own orbit. All of which stand to profit off of him remaining in power and they on his good side. Death of Stalin level stuff.
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After-Smoke-3971 Mar 25, 2026
Bingo.
0
Cancel_Culture_Club Mar 25, 2026 +4
[They literally are just making compilation videos of explosions to show him](https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-iran-war-montage). Jfc how can republicans keep letting this go on?!
4
z900r Mar 25, 2026 +2
> This + the age factor Trump was always a malignant narcissist, regardless of age. Narcissists believe in their own confabulation after a minute. He does think that he is the greatest president in history etc. A narcissist is also unlikely to be interested in anything that isn't a transaction for him personally. No point in trying to brief him on the history of Iran, he just wants a win, today. At this point, Trump is at an advanced stage of frontotemporal dementia. He's very disinhibited. Basically lost whatever filter he ever had, and you can tell. Most likely he can't retain much details about anything. I assume he's being manipulated coming and going by his staff.
2
start_select Mar 25, 2026 +1
No this is the same as every other Republican presidency since Nixon. He is reading a script prepared by Nazis just like Reagan and both Bush’s. The only thing new is he isn’t a Republican, and he is a bad actor. I.e. he is a crook stealing their coup and doing a bad job reading his lines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_84 They are fascists with a plan to invade Cuba, fake a migrant insurgency (ms13), fake a domestic insurgency (antifa), cause a Islamic insurgency or create cover for a false flag attack (Iran), using all of the above as cover for concentration camps and secret police. They have been like this the whole time. The only thing new is the conman trying to steal their plan and that he has a big mouth. You were not supposed to know Alligator Alcatraz existed until you were inside having a serial number tattooed on you.
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No_Celery_5373 Mar 25, 2026 +84
For America this is about getting Trump a win, not about securing the strait. That's not the same thing as securing the strait.  You could secure the strait today by withdrawing and surrendering.  America has been enslaved to an egomaniac's whims and you're trying to make it like it's also your allies jobs to cater to your pedophile king, It is not. Again, you could secure the strait quite quickly by simply admitting failure and leaving, but this is basically all about Trump trying to save face and scrape some kind of win out of this epic failure. 
84
Late-Dingo-8567 Mar 25, 2026 +36
He's just never actually been told no in his life with teeth.   Iran isn't f****** around and he won't get a victory... the question is the cost to the American people.  
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I_Have_A_Nightmare Mar 25, 2026 +20
Not true one person did use their teeth it's a matter of record even.
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Late-Dingo-8567 Mar 25, 2026 +8
Took yall long enough to take the bait,  ty
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SwissChzMcGeez Mar 25, 2026 +3
ty for your attention to this matter.
3
quadralien Mar 25, 2026 +1
You are a master 
1
refred1917 Mar 25, 2026 +17
Women have tried to tell him no, but we know how he treated them.
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Nelliell Mar 26, 2026 +1
That's why I think this conflict is going to drag on for a while. I don't see any hope for peace until Trump is out of office. Iran has no reason to bargain with him, and he's alienated all of our allies while depleting our munitions. It seems common knowledge to everyone *but* Trump and Hegseth that a land invasion of Iran is a bad idea, but I wouldn't put it past them to sacrifice more American troops on this vain crusade. Already, Iran is finding ways to fight back with c**** drones and even silhouettes painted on tarmac. I hate that I have to add this, but please don't misinterpret this as a pro-Iran comment. I acknowledge how dangerous Iran is. But doing it alone, and doing it this way, is doomed to failure. It is a futile waste of American blood, money, and firepower.
1
yoursandforever Mar 25, 2026 +4
And making a few bucks on the side.
4
Purify5 Mar 25, 2026 +5
If America withdraws Iran will attempt to force its Persian Gulf neighbors to sell their oil in not US Dollars. And without the American promise of protection than may be willing to do it. If enough oil trades in other currencies the value of the USD will plummet along with American purchasing power and America's ability to raise money for its government. Withdrawal wouldn't just mean the 10th crusade would be deemed a failure. It's about Iran's ability to further accelerate the decline of the American hegemony.
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rdyoung Mar 25, 2026 +6
This is one of the theories around why we went after Iraq after 9/11, they were working with others in the area (and still are) to have their own petro dollar. Oil is already being traded in currencies other than usd and this is a ridiculous argument as to why we should keep losing lives and resources on something we can't possibly come out of as a victor or even just a bit better off.
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Purify5 Mar 25, 2026 +3
Venezuela and Libya were trading oil in not US dollars too. And, they also got bombed. It seems like the new way to get countries off the USD reserve is to create a crypto that is backed by a basket of currencies so that no one country gets the purchasing power benefit that the United States has enjoyed for a century. My conspiracy mind says that the US government is helping to get all these data centres built so that they can have a back door available to take down such a currency. Ultimately, it is in the United States best interest to keep the USD as the reserve and the Americans will stop at nothing to do that.
3
UnguentSlather Mar 25, 2026 +7
So be it.
7
lethargy86 Mar 25, 2026 +2
Right, that’s why this conflict has no end in sight. Even if Trump wanted to walk away or even did, Iran won’t let him. The price they exact would be too high, in terms of what they’ll do to the strait. No way in hell either side is backing down right now
2
32lib Mar 25, 2026 +2
That's why you think before you act. The Trump administration is incapable of doing that.
2
Historical_Bend_2629 Mar 25, 2026 +15
Allies aren’t “befuddled,” they are tired of an unfit moron and his cabal, and developing strategies of their own.
15
Ya_Got_GOT Mar 25, 2026 +5
“Clean up my mess. Wah! Wah!” “B**** we aren’t your nurse.”
5
FoxyInTheSnow Mar 25, 2026 +5
I think the issue is that trump and his entire entourage of cabinet secretaries, advisors, media fluffers, sycophantic podcasters etc... have no idea about history, geography, economics, energy, philosophy, engineering, science, politics… you know, all that stuff. Trump himself used to have some expertise in pulling off sleazy deals for blocks of flats in Queens and the other outer boroughs. And a baffling talent for self-promotion. And that's it. It got him pretty far, but now he's finding himself up shit's creek and he's asking his countrymen and his erstwhile allies to grab a spoon and start eating him out of the faecal quagmire he's up to his t*** in. This strategy may not work out. the american empire is definitely in the middle of its decadent, declining stage and it's picked the perfect leader to make sure they don't slow down on the way out of relevance.
5
RecipeFunny2154 Mar 25, 2026 +8
Feels like he's told us this was over a few times now. The date keeps getting pushed back. The things Iran does, even when they say it advance, are "shocking" to the admin. They can't define real goals, but they get upset if asked about that. They consider any sort of rebuilding or planning as woke. We're assured this will work out this time because all previous Presidents were simply dumb. BBC had an article last week where they talked to Iranians there who were initially supportive of the war. But the comments made it *very* clear that they really had no true idea how Trump operates (and I get it, they have their own issues there). One of the closing quotes was how they had no idea what to think because Trump says something different every day. They're learning this in a very sad way. There's a lot of shit that apparently can be pulled if they refuse to call something a "war". At some point Mission Accomplished will be announced. Trump keeps trying to do just that, from my perspective. And maybe this admin could trick enough people into thinking that, if we weren't simultaneously sending MORE TROOPS there and Iran didn't have the same social media access everyone else has. The idea that the average Iranian citizen is just going to pick things up and move things in a proper, safe directionafter we create power vacuums in a country full of factions seems ludicrous to me. And meanwhile, there are people all over this admin profiting on stocks related to it. I hope it chisels off even a small percentage of his base, even if I simultaneously feel saddened over the fact that their only real issue with any of it is often just gas prices.
8
xMagnis Mar 25, 2026 +1
>if they refuse to call something a "war" Yeah, he's calling it an "excursion", so they're going with cruise ship rules. Limited liability for damages to your property and luggage. I imagine "excursion" has very little real legal meaning compared to "war", it's ridiculous they are using it.
1
mrg1957 Mar 25, 2026 +2
He belongs in a memory unit.
2
geoffvro Mar 25, 2026 +6
Americans are befuddled as well, so we're all in the same boat.
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AmyNotAmiable Mar 25, 2026 +3
I'm just laughing at this point. I'm transgender, so I've spent the past 18 months in a pretty constant state of terror as the rest of the country cheers on the increasingly extreme depravities being carried out against people like me. I'm fresh out of fear, that's been on backorder since last June. The only certainty I have right now is that I won't be drafted into this war. The alternatives aren't great, but watching the rest of you sleepwalk into doom with the same "meh" attitude that you took when they started on us is...a little bit comforting, I guess. At least you don't value your own skins more than mine. Now I'm just curious to see if the heat cranks up quickly enough for this quiet majority that I keep hearing about to get off their asses, or if we'll all have to burn alive before the next generations start trying to bring the temperature down. Welcome to the ride, folks!
3
IrrelevantLeprechaun Mar 25, 2026 -1
This. 70 million of us voted Kamala but now we are basically trapped in this hellhole with no way out. There's nothing we can do about any of this, and we get no support for it. Just foreign people constantly shitting on us as "lazy Americans" as if this is our fault.
-1
B-Z_B-S Mar 25, 2026 +4
Not as befuddled as Trump is.
4
SwvellyBents Mar 25, 2026 +3
Best quote in the article... “I’m proud of our ‘no.’”
3
damnthistrafficjam Mar 25, 2026 +3
I don’t know if I’ve ever commented on Trump’s health, because it seems to me like evil makes you live longer. Lol. But he looks like shit lately, and is still drifting off to sleep in public. It’s beyond understanding how his “leadership” isn’t being challenged. But then, we have his entire cabinet being incompetent to deal with as well. Other nations need their own plans. We can’t be relied upon for anything at this point.
3
Aggravating_Teach_27 Mar 25, 2026 +2
>It’s beyond understanding how his “leadership” isn’t being challenged. The main media are full-time sanewashing his evil moronic disgusting incompetence and his many crimes. A Biden sneeze would have had weeks of non-stop criticism, while Trump's falling asleep, incoherence, raping kids, stealing billions, selling pardons for money, deploying an American Gestapo that kills Americans and starting wars to distract from the fact he's a pedophile deserves nothing more than a yawn from American media. If you ever have an American Nüremberg, media owners and editors-in-chief must be the first ones to be judged and sent to jail, for being the necessary enablers. They know full well they are lying to promote a demented Hitler/ pedophile. A life sentence would be extremely lenient.
2
yoursandforever Mar 25, 2026 +3
Bear steps in bear trap.  Demands concessions before removing foot.
3
ambientocclusion Mar 25, 2026 +3
“At no point in your rambling incoherent answer did you approach anything that could be considered a rational thought…”
3
RoseCityHooligan Mar 25, 2026 +3
Sure do love that we have a mechanism in place to remove presidents incapable of fulfilling their role for exactly this reason. Too bad the Republican Party will always put themselves above what is best for the country.
3
PleasantDreamsicle Mar 25, 2026 +3
There are allies left? That’s the real news.
3
Imaginary-Ad-7919 Mar 25, 2026 +7
"This war violates international law", Trump will never understand it.
7
AcanthisittaNo6653 Mar 25, 2026 +6
It is a test for the "world's policemen" when Iran closes the strait. Oh that's right, there are no world policemen, just the US trying to escape the fire they started but can't put out.
6
LividTacos Mar 25, 2026 +2
We have allies?
2
smurfsundermybed Mar 25, 2026 +1
Yes. The best ones. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia, and sometimes North Korea!
1
Persea_americana Mar 25, 2026 +2
Can't we just send him to Iran?
2
MindOk8618 Mar 25, 2026 +2
How many allies does US have left? Board of Piss?
2
ChatamKay Mar 25, 2026 +2
Allies.. haha. Said as if America has allies.
2
MakalakaPeaka Mar 25, 2026 +2
Very literally \*everything\* about this war is incoherent. The only 'reason' we're in this is that absolute bell-end wanted a war to distract from everything else illegal he's doing.
2
ithinkyouresus Mar 26, 2026 +1
There is some kind of wishful thinking telephone game going on where he’s not accurately remembering the reports his yes men are giving him and he’s parroting them to the press in a way he can be not wrong. Either way this war seems to be entirely out of his control
1
FantasticBicycle37 Mar 25, 2026 +5
That's because they're trying to sanewash it into something coherent. Trump is trying to distract from Epstein, and that's all there is too it. Stop trying to make it make sense
5
Manmetbaard Mar 25, 2026 +2
Which allies?
2
Imaginary-Ad-7919 Mar 25, 2026 +2
Maybe it is ex allies.
2
OneAvocado9988 Mar 25, 2026 +2
Republican Christians enabled this dementia ridden clown. I'm sure russia and israel arent too befuddled by Dementia Don
2
imjustsurfin Mar 25, 2026 +2
When it comes to this Iran war, tRump's position is akin to that of a one-armed man hanging from a cliff, with an itchy arse!!
2
ANTILAMER13 Mar 25, 2026 +1
He is trying to make sense of why the House of Saud thinks they hold America’s leash. [Damning New Documents Obtained By Judiciary Democrats Reveal Trump Stole Classified Documents to Advance His Business Interests](https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/damning-new-documents-obtained-by-judiciary-democrats-reveal-trump-stole-classified-documents-to-advance-his-business-interests) [The letter](https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-03-24-raskin-to-bondi-doj-re-classified-docs.pdf)
1
Independent_Tie_4984 Mar 25, 2026 +1
At this point I'm wondering if they'll let Grandpa dementia launch a nuke before they 25th him.
1
kwakenomics Mar 25, 2026 +1
I seriously think there’s a real chance that republicans flip on him after the midterms and support conviction in the senate once the impeachment reaches there. He is actively losing their elections for them, and they know that the second half of his term will be even worse.
1
IrrelevantLeprechaun Mar 25, 2026 +2
It's not just a chance. It's a guarantee. Republicans are already fleeing from him like rats off a sinking ship. Trump can see he's done for, which is why he's trying everything in a desperate attempt to hold onto control. But there's no stopping what's coming for him now.
2
Vanga_Aground Mar 25, 2026 +1
The man has full blown dimentia. How long will it take the US media to work this out?
1
stormywoofer Mar 25, 2026 +1
Im not surprised by much this kid f***** does. Trump and his supporters are messing up the entire world economy. They will feel the financial pain soon when usa is in a multi decade depression but with horrible inflation.
1
Fit-Significance-436 Mar 26, 2026 +1
At what point do ppl uniformly get sick of his stupidity?
1
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