Thank you for this info, Sharon, although it’s again worrying because Trump has no desire to even act like he cares about precedent or wants to play by the rules. It makes me so angry the way he thumbed his nose at the process in 2020, wouldn’t go to the inauguration, etc. & how Biden & Harris will take the high road now, and the country picked this candidate who only cares about himself. I’m not looking forward to living through another Trump administration.
Could you share more about what makes you feel this way? I feel like he insults America and Americans unless they are agreeing with him or giving him what he wants. Aside from a few well-written speeches, his social media posts and rally speeches only seem pro-American about the parts of America that he likes (and deeply angry toward the parts that he doesn't).
He & his team are pro-American if you agree with him. He doesn’t pretend to be a president for all Americans. He sees people like me who disagree with him as the “enemy within.”
Do you mind further explaining why you disagree and what points you believe make Trump and his team very Pro-American? I genuinely am curious, especially as I felt that neither candidate seemed to take an 'every American' stance and instead both chose to focus on who they thought was important solely for votes.
Refuses to sign pledge, have access to intelligence briefings, and plans to fund the transition entirely through donors that aren’t required to be disclosed. What could possibly go wrong!?
I know the comments here can sometimes be an echo chamber, especially about fears of the future, but I also saw several people saying before the election they still planned to vote for Trump. I totally understand not wanting to share when it feels like you’re going to be attacked, judged, or criticized, but if any Trump voter might feel up to sharing how updates like this make them feel now I would be very interested in hearing. Not to condemn, but truly listening to learn.
How do you think he is handling this transition? What reasons do you believe are valid for him not to sign? When you read about his refusal to work with the GSA, how does it make you feel?
I'm with you Katherine. I would like to know what a Trump voter believes about what Sharon shared.
My sister tried to assure me that what happens under Trump won't have any great effect on our day to day living except to improve the economy. I pointed his plan will not improve the economy. I thanked her for trying to reassure me and said "we'll see what happens". I asked her to follow Sharon as she liked Sharon's post election analysis. I'm not having a feud with my family. We have much more to share than politics. He's going to be our president for only four years (hopefully). My relationship with my family is for the rest of our lives. Many may not agree.
i’m an independent who voted third-party for the first time ever; I voted for Biden in 2020. So while I am not the exact audience for your question, I hope I can shed some light from my perspective regarding your questions. I’ll lead with my feelings: I find it difficult to get worked up about it. More on that later.
This preamble is accurate based on other reports I’m reading, but a few notes:
“Because they haven’t signed the paperwork, Trump and his team have been locked out of briefings with the current administration.” - Trump *is* meeting with Biden today.
“It’s unclear if that will change, as Trump’s transition team is saying their lawyers are currently negotiating with the Biden administration over terms of the agreement.” - this little paragraph tucked at the end of the Preamble is saying something. And so is lots of other reporting that points to this working out. Like this one from Politico (All Sides Media bias: Lean Left): https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/09/trump-feds-help-transition-00188603
Lastly, this Preamble reporting is largely about the bureaucracy of transitioning administrations. And one thing Trump and his supporters have consistently expressed disdain for is bureaucracy. Even as an independent, I’m hard-pressed to get worked up about this. GSA is a middleman. It would be great if he signed the paperwork, including the ethics paperwork (although c’mon folks…if you think *any* president cares about that document…). He’ll either sign the documents, or he won’t. If he signs them, today’s worries were unnecessary. And if he doesn’t, he’ll still transition to the presidency, his staff will get the necessary security clearances and all administrative agencies will transition to the new administration.
I tend to think his lack of cooperation (or maybe it’s how he handles everything overall), is quite disrespectful to the job, the government for which he serves and the people he serves.
This nation always has been and always will be full of people who absolutely did NOT respect 'the rules and processes' in place, and our country is better for it.
Sure...except for all those times when not respecting the rules and processes actively made things worse? We have plenty of examples of that too.
I'm not saying that's what's happening here, but rebellion for rebellion's sake seems very in-line with what's in Trump's best interest (and not necessarily America's).
That's a fair rebuttal. As Sharon has said herself: don't hear what I'm not saying. I am not saying his bucking the GSA signing as of today, one week post election, will usher in a sea change of great hope and prosperity for this nation. But I'm also not saying his bucking the GSA signing as of today, one week post election, is a harbinger of death and destruction the likes from which we shall never recover.
I hear you. What I see is the trickle of an oncoming flood. If he ‘bucks the system’ on the peaceful transition of power, the thing that sets our incredible country apart from others, what next? I tell my kids, now 11 and 14, all of the time to ‘start as you mean to go’. In how you treat others, in how you treat yourself, in your work ethic, in your business and rest. Right now, what the 49.5%ish of Americans that didn’t vote for Trump are seeing is a ‘leader’ who is starting in a negative way. He is setting the tone. He has such a great opportunity to begin healing, to show caring, to walk the walk about serving for all… and yet he is thumbing his nose at our great country. And, if someone is in a demographic that feels threatened by his (actual) words (not media spin, but what we have heard him say), this seemingly small and ‘potentially harmless’ non action seems very scary.
I’m a doing everything I can to hold on to hope. But when he does these seemingly little things it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest and Hope is very hard to find.
So, we’ve come to the point where differing views turn into name-calling. I was hoping for a more open exchange, but since that's not where you're at, feel free to scroll on by any of my comments that don't align with your view.
The anger and frustration is palpable. Hopefully, soon, our nation can come together and realize Trump will be our next President. I didn’t vote for either Biden or Harris, however I always had respect for the offices and those that held them. I prayed daily for each of them. The sooner we realize we are not actually enemies of each other, the better we all can be and give thanks for being a part of the greatest nation on earth!!
I think general meetings with Biden might be different than attending briefings. They might have limitations on what they can talk about because of this.
That's a fair statement. That said, I doubt it's all, 'look, we replaced the carpet over there since you were last here'. There is so much going on behind the scenes with the staff of both administrations, that is not likely yet being reported. Biden himself can authorize these briefings whether Trump signs the documents or not...just like Trump did in 2020 (yes, under different circumstances, but the same outcome):
Nonetheless, GSA administrator Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee, waited until November 23 to issue the "ascertainment" letter declaring Biden the "apparent winner"[5][6] on the basis that Trump still disputed the election result. The declaration marked the official start of the transition, and withholding it from the Biden team had denied them $6.3 million, office space, government website status, and access to agencies.[7][8] Separately, Biden was denied daily classified national security briefings[9][10][11] until the Trump administration approved Biden's receiving such briefings on November 24.[12]
I would imagine part of it would be Biden encouraging him to cooperate? The troublesome thing here, aside from following the law established for the good of the country/all citizens, is the part about conflict of interest and security clearance for those who need them. Don’t we want the folks serving us to be uninvolved in things that could hurt us?
Thank you for posting your viewpoint. I found the link to the article interesting also. I am in agreement with you that it will all work out one way or another:)
I didn't vote for Trump, I proudly voted for Harris, and I am not worked up at all about this transition business. It's Trump. We have to get used to this. I intend to save my energy for the more serious things that may happen during his administration that I need to act on. For now, I am trying to come to terms with where we are without catastrophizing every move that is made.
I do agree with this! Given what we know about Trump, it would honestly have been MORE surprising if his team fully cooperated with the transition. Add this to the long, long, oh-so-long list of examples that demonstrate his attitude to power but save your energy for the fights that need it 💜
Yes exactly. I just can not function in a space of anger. When I am in that space, it's difficult to find my way out of it. I've had to step way back from social media because I need to process without having everyone else's opinions thrown at me. I think the algorithms are manipulative and stoke anger even more. I am hoping the comments threads in the Preamble start to shift back toward an attitude of learning and service rather than all of this airing grievance and catastrophizing that I've seen in the last week. I hope that's not taken as a criticism, I just know that it has been hard for me to engage in or even want to read.
Being very online during this whole election process has truly been exhausting. It's nice to step back and just feel my own relief that the election is over. I can enjoy the autumn leaves and weather without having to see hundreds of political signs everywhere. It's a good time to take a breath and rest up to prepare for the next needed thing.
Yes, I think this was a big mistake of democrats during his first term - making a big deal/battle over every single little thing he did that they disagreed with or to mock. Of course a narcissist would take all that criticism and double down.
Hi Katherine. I wasn't familiar with the GSA but did some research. I don't think anything is surprising nor do I have concerns about Trump not signing the GSA (at this point). It appears from some sources that he will sign it, but there are delays. For some additional information, I've linked below about Trump and his transition.
I voted for Trump/Vance as did almost everyone I know personally. I do not have any issues with the transition thus far. I think the reasons Sharon stated at the end of her article explain why he and his team have chosen a different path in terms of moving forward. Similar to Melania choosing not to have “tea” with Jill Biden tomorrow. She and DJT have made choices to do things their way based on how they have been treated the past four years by the current administration.
I promise I'm not trying to pick on you. I appreciate your comments and challenging me to consider a different perspective. Can you share examples of how the current administration treated Trump and Melania badly? I thought Biden exemplified leadership after what he went through in 2020 with Trump (not inviting Biden to the WH to discuss the transition, not accepting the results of the election, etc.).
Ordered the FBI to raid their home and go violate her personal space. All under the premise of looking for documents. An act Biden himself was guilty of with zero retribution. Not to mention Hillary Clinton as well. Trump could have had her prosecuted but chose not to.
Didn't the order come from the DOJ? Trump was asked numerous times for the documents and did not oblige. Biden allowed a search after a single request. What would Hilary Clinton have been prosecuted for? And how is that related to how Biden treated Trump?
Hillary actually destroyed items containing emails, etc. and used personal devices for classified information. The way I see it, her mishandling of sensitive data and Biden’s mishandling of documents are no better or worse than Trumps’s. While all three should have been more mindful and responsible only Trump has been charged with it. Why is that?
I would greatly appreciate a source for the comments about Hilary and the emails. I wholeheartedly believe that if someone did something wrong/illegal, they should face the consequences, no matter what party.
Yeah the thing is, Biden cooperated, Trump did not. Violating Melanie’s personal space? Nonsense. “Treating Trump badly” when Trump does bad things or acts badly. Honestly.
America is no longer by the people, for the people. America is by (buy) and for Trump’s private donors. Their country, their rules. America’s rules do not apply to them, and there are no consequences (thank you, SCOTUS). Sharon, please tell me I’m wrong. Please tell me there’s some accountability.
My only hope is that the people around him realize they do not have full immunity the same way he will. Look at all of those that worked with him in 2020 that are still facing legal battles because they did what he asked. Hopefully those around him will keep that in mind. Also, remember that those in Congress will want to be reelected one day, if they are a part of bringing down the country they are going to have a tough time keeping their job.
Both good points, thank you. Of course, some-misguided people will think they’ll be protected from prosecution because the T admin controls the judiciary, presidential pardons, etc.
It is also concerning to think that we are depending on the foresight of congresspeople to keep our democracy intact. The same people that were bullied into ignoring a bill to address our border crisis instead of taking steps to fix it.
I’m hoping some of them decide to be courageous. Not that they have shown one iota of courage over the past decade in re: to T—- they could provide guardrails maybe should they choose that
All fair comments in this thread. My point (which obviously was unclear), is that our government is now run by Elon Musk and others who will make their own rules for the benefit of themselves with no consequences.
Actually it is BY the people. This is how he won…by the major of the people, whether we agree or not. Regarding “buying” the way, I would kindly remind you the Harris campaign tried buying their way, via millions to celebrities, musicians and the like. Over $1billion in 100 days and still in debt. Let’s not dismiss what actually took place.
Both candidates spent over a billion dollars, and for all of that Trump got the votes of 29% of the American adult population and Harris got 28%. Definitely worth considering the cost-to-vote ratio.
My point was what they actually spent money on. Trump spent $1.4billion over the entire campaign to Harris $1.8billion in 100 days. While your stats suggest the outcome you stated appears close, he won 312 electoral votes vs her 226 and he exceeded in the popular vote by >3.5 million votes.
Whatever money a campaign spends is to theoretically "buy" the election by the standards you're using here, which is fine! We absolutely need to talk more about campaign finance and spending. The Trump campaign took most of its money from large donors - that's just a fact - but it appears that it didn't really matter what ads and endorsements either campaign spent their donors' money on because 3.5 million is an *extremely* close win (and loss) in a country with 258.3 million adults. Literally 1%.
(Thanks to Sharon, we know that Electoral College votes are not remotely proportionate to actual voters and have historically even been awarded to candidates who lost the popular vote.)
Yes, thank you. That was my point. I was not referring to the election, but our American government that is being formed by people that are only loyal to themselves, not our Constitution.
I prefer people that are loyal to BOTH the President AND the Constitution. Actually, my personal fav would be an entire American government formed by people loyal to the Constitution. I did not refer to cabinet members. And when I said by (buy), Elon Musk comes to mind.
Trump didn't just distance himself from Project 2025. He said he knew NOTHING about it. And now he's moving full steam ahead to implement it. Trump said he wouldn't sign a National abortion ban but it is part of Project 2025. So many people believed him and here we are.....and he said our economy is terrible and he's going to fix it, but the economy he is inheriting is a GREAT economy so he's not fixing it, it's already good, but people believed that his tariffs are going to fund everything from childcare to small businesses and now, many of his voters are realizing that the other countries AREN'T going to pay for the tariffs they are. He also promised mass deportation and now people that voted for him are like wait, you are deporting good immigrants and not just criminals? Donald Trump is going to keep all of his promises and none of them will make America great again unless you are a billionaire or a corporation getting huge tax cuts. It's too late for people to realize they voted against their own interests and now our country is going to pay a huge price..and those of us who love this country and voted to save Democracy have to watch it unfold. It is almost more than I can handle. But I am trying to find a way to do something, anything to affect change for the better. I'm open to ideas....
There's a group called Indivisible that is "a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda." https://indivisible.org/ There's a meeting tomorrow (Wed/13th). As for the mass deportations, I don't think it will happen as he's saying it will. We have no infrastructure to make that happen without spending billions of dollars.
It seems like all signs point to the fact the he plans to do whatever he wants. He’s finding every archaic rule and loophole he can to accomplish this. He’s not interested in following the transition process because the info is irrelevant to him because he’ll do what he wants anyway. And if he does do anything illegal, he’ll have immunity. It is absolutely frightening.
The amount of red flags here is astounding and yet this is what people voted for. And the amount of people who asked for this and think it is ok is baffling.
I don’t know which is worse to me - people who voted for Trump who hadn’t read or heard about Project 2025 or those who had and think it’s all great & what they want. Either way I am terrified for my LGBTQ+ kids! As well as all who will be harmed by what the next 4 years will bring.
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis explained how the Trump administration had no clue about what government agencies and the unsung heroes who work for them do. And now…proof that he still has no clue and we’re going right back to “I’m untouchable and I’ll do what I want not what America needs”. As stated in other comments: how is half of America ok with all these red flags? I’m trying to hope for the best but we sure aren’t starting off on the right foot…sigh.
I just looked at my calendar and saw that Trump’s inauguration falls on Martin Luther King Day. I can’t think of anything more antithetical to King’s vision than Trump’s inauguration, and I feel absolutely sick about it. I know a women’s march is being planned for January 18th, but are any protests being planned to honor King instead of Trump on the 20th?
I’m very hesitant to believe he will be hindered by any ‘guardrails’ from institutions or law, past action predicts future behavior - as Nikkie mentioned above, he’s tested the system, and there were few, if any, consequences. Why should there be an expectation that there will be any for the foreseeable future?
Honestly curious: since the Supreme Court granted presidents immunity for official acts, can a sitting president use this to take measures that will protect the constitution? Or are we just to assume this will only be invoked by those undermining democracy and the rule of law - it will serve no purpose for those who respect the law.
I feel that anyone who respects the Constitution and the rule of law wouldn't do things that go against the Constitution. Also what would protect the Constitution - the highest law in the land?
Thank you for this info, Sharon, although it’s again worrying because Trump has no desire to even act like he cares about precedent or wants to play by the rules. It makes me so angry the way he thumbed his nose at the process in 2020, wouldn’t go to the inauguration, etc. & how Biden & Harris will take the high road now, and the country picked this candidate who only cares about himself. I’m not looking forward to living through another Trump administration.
And when we consider what Putin communicated re who T owes.
Same to all you said Grace !
I disagree that he only thinks of himself. He and his team are very pro-American.
Could you share more about what makes you feel this way? I feel like he insults America and Americans unless they are agreeing with him or giving him what he wants. Aside from a few well-written speeches, his social media posts and rally speeches only seem pro-American about the parts of America that he likes (and deeply angry toward the parts that he doesn't).
He & his team are pro-American if you agree with him. He doesn’t pretend to be a president for all Americans. He sees people like me who disagree with him as the “enemy within.”
I’m sorry you feel this way. I disagree.
Do you mind further explaining why you disagree and what points you believe make Trump and his team very Pro-American? I genuinely am curious, especially as I felt that neither candidate seemed to take an 'every American' stance and instead both chose to focus on who they thought was important solely for votes.
Refuses to sign pledge, have access to intelligence briefings, and plans to fund the transition entirely through donors that aren’t required to be disclosed. What could possibly go wrong!?
I know the comments here can sometimes be an echo chamber, especially about fears of the future, but I also saw several people saying before the election they still planned to vote for Trump. I totally understand not wanting to share when it feels like you’re going to be attacked, judged, or criticized, but if any Trump voter might feel up to sharing how updates like this make them feel now I would be very interested in hearing. Not to condemn, but truly listening to learn.
How do you think he is handling this transition? What reasons do you believe are valid for him not to sign? When you read about his refusal to work with the GSA, how does it make you feel?
I'm with you Katherine. I would like to know what a Trump voter believes about what Sharon shared.
My sister tried to assure me that what happens under Trump won't have any great effect on our day to day living except to improve the economy. I pointed his plan will not improve the economy. I thanked her for trying to reassure me and said "we'll see what happens". I asked her to follow Sharon as she liked Sharon's post election analysis. I'm not having a feud with my family. We have much more to share than politics. He's going to be our president for only four years (hopefully). My relationship with my family is for the rest of our lives. Many may not agree.
i’m an independent who voted third-party for the first time ever; I voted for Biden in 2020. So while I am not the exact audience for your question, I hope I can shed some light from my perspective regarding your questions. I’ll lead with my feelings: I find it difficult to get worked up about it. More on that later.
This preamble is accurate based on other reports I’m reading, but a few notes:
“Because they haven’t signed the paperwork, Trump and his team have been locked out of briefings with the current administration.” - Trump *is* meeting with Biden today.
“It’s unclear if that will change, as Trump’s transition team is saying their lawyers are currently negotiating with the Biden administration over terms of the agreement.” - this little paragraph tucked at the end of the Preamble is saying something. And so is lots of other reporting that points to this working out. Like this one from Politico (All Sides Media bias: Lean Left): https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/09/trump-feds-help-transition-00188603
Lastly, this Preamble reporting is largely about the bureaucracy of transitioning administrations. And one thing Trump and his supporters have consistently expressed disdain for is bureaucracy. Even as an independent, I’m hard-pressed to get worked up about this. GSA is a middleman. It would be great if he signed the paperwork, including the ethics paperwork (although c’mon folks…if you think *any* president cares about that document…). He’ll either sign the documents, or he won’t. If he signs them, today’s worries were unnecessary. And if he doesn’t, he’ll still transition to the presidency, his staff will get the necessary security clearances and all administrative agencies will transition to the new administration.
I tend to think his lack of cooperation (or maybe it’s how he handles everything overall), is quite disrespectful to the job, the government for which he serves and the people he serves.
You know what? How about Trump respect the rules and processes? Good Grief.
This nation always has been and always will be full of people who absolutely did NOT respect 'the rules and processes' in place, and our country is better for it.
Sure...except for all those times when not respecting the rules and processes actively made things worse? We have plenty of examples of that too.
I'm not saying that's what's happening here, but rebellion for rebellion's sake seems very in-line with what's in Trump's best interest (and not necessarily America's).
That's a fair rebuttal. As Sharon has said herself: don't hear what I'm not saying. I am not saying his bucking the GSA signing as of today, one week post election, will usher in a sea change of great hope and prosperity for this nation. But I'm also not saying his bucking the GSA signing as of today, one week post election, is a harbinger of death and destruction the likes from which we shall never recover.
I hear you. What I see is the trickle of an oncoming flood. If he ‘bucks the system’ on the peaceful transition of power, the thing that sets our incredible country apart from others, what next? I tell my kids, now 11 and 14, all of the time to ‘start as you mean to go’. In how you treat others, in how you treat yourself, in your work ethic, in your business and rest. Right now, what the 49.5%ish of Americans that didn’t vote for Trump are seeing is a ‘leader’ who is starting in a negative way. He is setting the tone. He has such a great opportunity to begin healing, to show caring, to walk the walk about serving for all… and yet he is thumbing his nose at our great country. And, if someone is in a demographic that feels threatened by his (actual) words (not media spin, but what we have heard him say), this seemingly small and ‘potentially harmless’ non action seems very scary.
I’m a doing everything I can to hold on to hope. But when he does these seemingly little things it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest and Hope is very hard to find.
He’s obviously a jerk. Come on.
So, we’ve come to the point where differing views turn into name-calling. I was hoping for a more open exchange, but since that's not where you're at, feel free to scroll on by any of my comments that don't align with your view.
The anger and frustration is palpable. Hopefully, soon, our nation can come together and realize Trump will be our next President. I didn’t vote for either Biden or Harris, however I always had respect for the offices and those that held them. I prayed daily for each of them. The sooner we realize we are not actually enemies of each other, the better we all can be and give thanks for being a part of the greatest nation on earth!!
Did I call you a name? No. 🙄🥱
And you wonder why he feels the way he does.
Who feels what way?
Agree Tammy.
Just like everyone respects him? LOL
Respectfully, he's not a six year old 😂
I think general meetings with Biden might be different than attending briefings. They might have limitations on what they can talk about because of this.
That's a fair statement. That said, I doubt it's all, 'look, we replaced the carpet over there since you were last here'. There is so much going on behind the scenes with the staff of both administrations, that is not likely yet being reported. Biden himself can authorize these briefings whether Trump signs the documents or not...just like Trump did in 2020 (yes, under different circumstances, but the same outcome):
Nonetheless, GSA administrator Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee, waited until November 23 to issue the "ascertainment" letter declaring Biden the "apparent winner"[5][6] on the basis that Trump still disputed the election result. The declaration marked the official start of the transition, and withholding it from the Biden team had denied them $6.3 million, office space, government website status, and access to agencies.[7][8] Separately, Biden was denied daily classified national security briefings[9][10][11] until the Trump administration approved Biden's receiving such briefings on November 24.[12]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_transition_of_Joe_Biden
I would imagine part of it would be Biden encouraging him to cooperate? The troublesome thing here, aside from following the law established for the good of the country/all citizens, is the part about conflict of interest and security clearance for those who need them. Don’t we want the folks serving us to be uninvolved in things that could hurt us?
I am enjoying hearing your perspective, Tammy. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for posting your viewpoint. I found the link to the article interesting also. I am in agreement with you that it will all work out one way or another:)
Thank you for doing all the research on things! Live it when people research like I do! Your explanation is very well done!🤗
I didn't vote for Trump, I proudly voted for Harris, and I am not worked up at all about this transition business. It's Trump. We have to get used to this. I intend to save my energy for the more serious things that may happen during his administration that I need to act on. For now, I am trying to come to terms with where we are without catastrophizing every move that is made.
I do agree with this! Given what we know about Trump, it would honestly have been MORE surprising if his team fully cooperated with the transition. Add this to the long, long, oh-so-long list of examples that demonstrate his attitude to power but save your energy for the fights that need it 💜
Yes exactly. I just can not function in a space of anger. When I am in that space, it's difficult to find my way out of it. I've had to step way back from social media because I need to process without having everyone else's opinions thrown at me. I think the algorithms are manipulative and stoke anger even more. I am hoping the comments threads in the Preamble start to shift back toward an attitude of learning and service rather than all of this airing grievance and catastrophizing that I've seen in the last week. I hope that's not taken as a criticism, I just know that it has been hard for me to engage in or even want to read.
Being very online during this whole election process has truly been exhausting. It's nice to step back and just feel my own relief that the election is over. I can enjoy the autumn leaves and weather without having to see hundreds of political signs everywhere. It's a good time to take a breath and rest up to prepare for the next needed thing.
Hi Marianne. Thank you for sharing. Appreciate your perspective.
So true. We have to build stamina for the daily idiocracy that’s coming.
Yes, I think this was a big mistake of democrats during his first term - making a big deal/battle over every single little thing he did that they disagreed with or to mock. Of course a narcissist would take all that criticism and double down.
Is anyone else finding that Substack is cutting off the ends of comments?
Hi Katherine. I wasn't familiar with the GSA but did some research. I don't think anything is surprising nor do I have concerns about Trump not signing the GSA (at this point). It appears from some sources that he will sign it, but there are delays. For some additional information, I've linked below about Trump and his transition.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/09/trump-feds-help-transition-00188603
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/08/nx-s1-5111947/trump-transition
Yet how can he complain about delays when his team are the ones causing them?
Agreed, I’d welcome counter thoughts on this because, personally, I’m petrified.
I voted for Trump/Vance as did almost everyone I know personally. I do not have any issues with the transition thus far. I think the reasons Sharon stated at the end of her article explain why he and his team have chosen a different path in terms of moving forward. Similar to Melania choosing not to have “tea” with Jill Biden tomorrow. She and DJT have made choices to do things their way based on how they have been treated the past four years by the current administration.
I promise I'm not trying to pick on you. I appreciate your comments and challenging me to consider a different perspective. Can you share examples of how the current administration treated Trump and Melania badly? I thought Biden exemplified leadership after what he went through in 2020 with Trump (not inviting Biden to the WH to discuss the transition, not accepting the results of the election, etc.).
Ordered the FBI to raid their home and go violate her personal space. All under the premise of looking for documents. An act Biden himself was guilty of with zero retribution. Not to mention Hillary Clinton as well. Trump could have had her prosecuted but chose not to.
Didn't the order come from the DOJ? Trump was asked numerous times for the documents and did not oblige. Biden allowed a search after a single request. What would Hilary Clinton have been prosecuted for? And how is that related to how Biden treated Trump?
Hillary actually destroyed items containing emails, etc. and used personal devices for classified information. The way I see it, her mishandling of sensitive data and Biden’s mishandling of documents are no better or worse than Trumps’s. While all three should have been more mindful and responsible only Trump has been charged with it. Why is that?
Because Trump refused to return the documents.
I would greatly appreciate a source for the comments about Hilary and the emails. I wholeheartedly believe that if someone did something wrong/illegal, they should face the consequences, no matter what party.
Yeah the thing is, Biden cooperated, Trump did not. Violating Melanie’s personal space? Nonsense. “Treating Trump badly” when Trump does bad things or acts badly. Honestly.
Lisa, it appears you simply want to argue in this space. I do not wish to further take part.
This man has been nothing but a test to our entire system. If there is a way around it, he’s going to find it.
He’s like the ridiculous warning labels where we should know better, but enough people make the mistake that it has to be clearly stated.
Trump had the warning label, half the country just ignored it or missed it.
America is no longer by the people, for the people. America is by (buy) and for Trump’s private donors. Their country, their rules. America’s rules do not apply to them, and there are no consequences (thank you, SCOTUS). Sharon, please tell me I’m wrong. Please tell me there’s some accountability.
My only hope is that the people around him realize they do not have full immunity the same way he will. Look at all of those that worked with him in 2020 that are still facing legal battles because they did what he asked. Hopefully those around him will keep that in mind. Also, remember that those in Congress will want to be reelected one day, if they are a part of bringing down the country they are going to have a tough time keeping their job.
Both good points, thank you. Of course, some-misguided people will think they’ll be protected from prosecution because the T admin controls the judiciary, presidential pardons, etc.
It is also concerning to think that we are depending on the foresight of congresspeople to keep our democracy intact. The same people that were bullied into ignoring a bill to address our border crisis instead of taking steps to fix it.
I’m hoping some of them decide to be courageous. Not that they have shown one iota of courage over the past decade in re: to T—- they could provide guardrails maybe should they choose that
All fair comments in this thread. My point (which obviously was unclear), is that our government is now run by Elon Musk and others who will make their own rules for the benefit of themselves with no consequences.
Actually it is BY the people. This is how he won…by the major of the people, whether we agree or not. Regarding “buying” the way, I would kindly remind you the Harris campaign tried buying their way, via millions to celebrities, musicians and the like. Over $1billion in 100 days and still in debt. Let’s not dismiss what actually took place.
Both candidates spent over a billion dollars, and for all of that Trump got the votes of 29% of the American adult population and Harris got 28%. Definitely worth considering the cost-to-vote ratio.
My point was what they actually spent money on. Trump spent $1.4billion over the entire campaign to Harris $1.8billion in 100 days. While your stats suggest the outcome you stated appears close, he won 312 electoral votes vs her 226 and he exceeded in the popular vote by >3.5 million votes.
Whatever money a campaign spends is to theoretically "buy" the election by the standards you're using here, which is fine! We absolutely need to talk more about campaign finance and spending. The Trump campaign took most of its money from large donors - that's just a fact - but it appears that it didn't really matter what ads and endorsements either campaign spent their donors' money on because 3.5 million is an *extremely* close win (and loss) in a country with 258.3 million adults. Literally 1%.
(Thanks to Sharon, we know that Electoral College votes are not remotely proportionate to actual voters and have historically even been awarded to candidates who lost the popular vote.)
OK
Is there a source on Trump’s spendings? I had read $300million or so for his campaign and would like the correct info. Thanks.
Ok I just found this which broke it down, I had just seen the campaign donations, not the others. https://www.opensecrets.org/2024-presidential-race/donald-trump/candidate?id=N00023864
Trump didn't buy his election any more than Harris did. But his donors sure are buying their way into his cabinet.
Yes, thank you. That was my point. I was not referring to the election, but our American government that is being formed by people that are only loyal to themselves, not our Constitution.
Did you read Sharon's piece on the major donors for each campaign?
Would you choose people who are not loyal to be in your cabinet? Who specifically are you referring to buying their way in?
I prefer people that are loyal to BOTH the President AND the Constitution. Actually, my personal fav would be an entire American government formed by people loyal to the Constitution. I did not refer to cabinet members. And when I said by (buy), Elon Musk comes to mind.
Also, this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/
“You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House.”
“Giving $1 billion would be a “deal,” Trump said, because of the taxation and regulation they would avoid thanks to him.”
Trump didn't just distance himself from Project 2025. He said he knew NOTHING about it. And now he's moving full steam ahead to implement it. Trump said he wouldn't sign a National abortion ban but it is part of Project 2025. So many people believed him and here we are.....and he said our economy is terrible and he's going to fix it, but the economy he is inheriting is a GREAT economy so he's not fixing it, it's already good, but people believed that his tariffs are going to fund everything from childcare to small businesses and now, many of his voters are realizing that the other countries AREN'T going to pay for the tariffs they are. He also promised mass deportation and now people that voted for him are like wait, you are deporting good immigrants and not just criminals? Donald Trump is going to keep all of his promises and none of them will make America great again unless you are a billionaire or a corporation getting huge tax cuts. It's too late for people to realize they voted against their own interests and now our country is going to pay a huge price..and those of us who love this country and voted to save Democracy have to watch it unfold. It is almost more than I can handle. But I am trying to find a way to do something, anything to affect change for the better. I'm open to ideas....
There's a group called Indivisible that is "a grassroots movement of thousands of local Indivisible groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda." https://indivisible.org/ There's a meeting tomorrow (Wed/13th). As for the mass deportations, I don't think it will happen as he's saying it will. We have no infrastructure to make that happen without spending billions of dollars.
It seems like all signs point to the fact the he plans to do whatever he wants. He’s finding every archaic rule and loophole he can to accomplish this. He’s not interested in following the transition process because the info is irrelevant to him because he’ll do what he wants anyway. And if he does do anything illegal, he’ll have immunity. It is absolutely frightening.
The amount of red flags here is astounding and yet this is what people voted for. And the amount of people who asked for this and think it is ok is baffling.
I don’t know which is worse to me - people who voted for Trump who hadn’t read or heard about Project 2025 or those who had and think it’s all great & what they want. Either way I am terrified for my LGBTQ+ kids! As well as all who will be harmed by what the next 4 years will bring.
Same my friend, same.
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis explained how the Trump administration had no clue about what government agencies and the unsung heroes who work for them do. And now…proof that he still has no clue and we’re going right back to “I’m untouchable and I’ll do what I want not what America needs”. As stated in other comments: how is half of America ok with all these red flags? I’m trying to hope for the best but we sure aren’t starting off on the right foot…sigh.
I just looked at my calendar and saw that Trump’s inauguration falls on Martin Luther King Day. I can’t think of anything more antithetical to King’s vision than Trump’s inauguration, and I feel absolutely sick about it. I know a women’s march is being planned for January 18th, but are any protests being planned to honor King instead of Trump on the 20th?
It’s also my birthday 😩 It’ll be a sad one for me.
Mine is Jan 15 and I am already kind of dreading it.
If there are MLK celebrations I’d love to know!
Me too!!
This is so scary. Does no one who voted for him realize this is scary??
I’m very hesitant to believe he will be hindered by any ‘guardrails’ from institutions or law, past action predicts future behavior - as Nikkie mentioned above, he’s tested the system, and there were few, if any, consequences. Why should there be an expectation that there will be any for the foreseeable future?
I’ve really got to stop listening to these updates first thing in the morning (sigh)
I know, I feel the same way.
I feel the same. It’s nearly impossible for me to find the hope.
Honestly I'm so sick of this guy already.
Honestly curious: since the Supreme Court granted presidents immunity for official acts, can a sitting president use this to take measures that will protect the constitution? Or are we just to assume this will only be invoked by those undermining democracy and the rule of law - it will serve no purpose for those who respect the law.
I feel that anyone who respects the Constitution and the rule of law wouldn't do things that go against the Constitution. Also what would protect the Constitution - the highest law in the land?