Trump is sure of what he wants. Lower immigration numbers, stronger border security, merit-based immigration, no lotteries, 'Dreamers' cannot sponsor their parents who broke the law and other relatives. Not complicated. Democrats want unconditional amnesty for the Dreamers (or a 'clean' bill as they call it).
1
Is he not able to remember his own words? "I want a bill of Love"? "I support DACA"?
2
This Potus is traumatised. He is riding on the back of a tiger, and scared to death he may end up inside it. He has a few enablers advising him how to hang on. But he has no idea when Putin or Flynn will reveal the compromising materials. No other way to explain why he is so frightened of them.
1
This whisper campaign that the President does not know what he wants is ridiculous on it's face. You can't take a single comment made in the course of a meeting and ascribe a sweeping characteristic like this. It was clear at the end of that meeting that the President knew exactly what he wanted; a phased approach that included DACA legislation, Border Wall funding, the end of the Visa Lottery, and the end of chain migration. Those that read otherwise into this situation are being exceedingly disingenuous.
1
There can no longer be ANY DOUBT that Donald Trump is totally unfit to serve as POTUS.
The headline is INCORRECT. "A President Not Sure of What He Wants Complicates the Shutdown Impasse"
We know what he wants: More money than he can count, a blonde with a well-endowed chest, a round of golf and a cheeseburger. Oh, yeah, ... ADULATION whether deserved or not, the more cloying the better. (Lots of adulation.)
4
Stephen Miller appears to be the President of these U.S. when it comes to setting the tone for immigration policy since President Bannon left.
4
This continuous changing-of-the-guards does not ensure the loyalty that Trump wants.
You have to go deeper to discover what is really behind the shutdown. Consider the Republicans are in danger of losing the house and senate, and for sure, if they do, the President will not be able to continue his unpopular agenda. So, they have to make it so the Democrats are the obstructionists, blocking everything even what Democrats really want; i.e. social programs. Negotiations on legislation are only Republican delay tactics for later reversals that remove all social programs because of budgetary concerns resulting from the Trump tax gift. If the Democrats threaten another shutdown, they get blamed for hurting the military. Trump wins again. Meanwhile Trump watches the fight from the sidelines like a WWW wrestling match, throwing fuel on the fire, but leaning toward deportation as the final solution. Meanwhile another group of Senators are doing their best to discredit Mueller so when they indite Trump for Treason there is doubt it is legitimate and the investigation is deemed political. Bottom line, for Trump to get what he wants he creates chaos and generates a lot of smoke and mirrors and comes out looking like the good guy who is dealing with non-funbctional Congress. In reality the American people are witnessing a deliberate attempt to change America to the will of a right wing minority of racists and bigots afraid that brown and black people will take over their role as the privileged class. One thing for sure is that the 1%, come out on top.
1
How would the Democrats get rid of Miller, if they were minded to?
Focus in on him for a few days and get him on the front pages. That would do it.
3
My fondest desire is that Steve, Kelly, and djt are sitting in the Oval Office, while that poor ill Huckabee girl reads these comments to them!
We know what this president wants: oligarchy, unchecked power, more money at everybody else's expense, undivided adulation and reverence, impunity, porn stars, hookers, appointees and politicians and a doctor who unabashedly and unconscionably lie and cover-up on his behalf, a completely white male dominated America, the destruction of the free press, a police state according to his version of the rule of his laws, Big Macs, Big Macs and more Big Macs, and more and more time off from the job he was elected to so he can take his clown makeup off, climb out of his Spanx, dye his hair and just play golf while everything and anything else of meaning and substance to any other person on this planet rots in his wake.
4
The headline misses the point in saying "President Unsure of What He Wants Complicates Impasse." In fact, he is sure of what he wants but that has little to do with policies. Trump is absolutely sure -- and I'll leave it to others to determine how much of it is conscious and how much is unconscious -- that he wants to be the center of attention. At that he is laser focused and a true master. The view that he is not clear on policies is because he actually has none, his words, tweets, and actions changing to meet his fundamental goal, attention on himself, preferably cheers, but boos acceptable as preferential to no attention at all.
2
Some seem to want to fight political battles like the British Redcoats fought at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The Redcoats (so the story goes) would march in lined up in battle lines with drums pounding and fifes playing.
Then they would fire volley after volley at the enemy while absorbing return fire at the same time. The bloody carnage would continue until one side or the other staggered away, the loser, while the victor remained.
The American colonists, by contrast, would peck away at the British Redcoats while they were moving or unready to fight. They refused to stand and fight like the British thought proper. They fought to win.
You expect Donald Trump to just say exactly what his bottom line for a deal is, and then fight it out with the other side? Does anybody do big deals that way? Losers, maybe. But Donald Trump fights to win.
2
What the President was called by Mr. Tillerson, Mr. Bannon and several others have been repeatedly reassured rather specifically. This one, especially its title, is a good example.
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!'
Upton Sinclair
2
Richer and safer. There has never been a president more sure in what he wants.
And that is why Trump was elected.
1
Safer? He looks traumatized at times and with reason. The roar of the rallies, the condemnation of half the Country, I feel sorry for the man and have sensed from the beginning, when The Press announced his running for President, that he was walking on thin ice.
With Trump, he's had no actual consequences other than his integrity, credibility and terribly low poll numbers, about which he'll make up falsehoods anyway, or say it's fake news.
But his failure as a man who bragged about splendid deal making, yet disappeared from immigration negotiations, was front page and above the fold, as they say in the news business. People were paying attention.
Fiddling while Rome burned, as well: All set to fly off to his Florida property to take hundreds of thousands from people willing to pay to be with him.
And as his vice president, usually Teflon-coated, was roundly accused of using military troops as political props. It's been quite a mess.
1
As a business attorney who has been involved in negotiating billions of dollars of deals over a long career, I'd say Donald Trump is doing pretty well in his negotiating.
No experienced negotiator is going to be clear on what their bottom line is. No experienced decision maker is going to do the actual negotiating. Those technical mistakes make it very hard to reach a deal.
Better to be cagey and feel out what the other side really wants, and what they are willing to give up. Sure, people walk out of deals all the time (the same thing, more or less, as a shutdown). And deals do sometimes fall apart.
But most of the time you can reach a deal even in heated negotiations. Sometimes the heat even makes it easier. I suspect that is what will happen here.
Politicians and these two journalists have an attitude like litigators have. They expect both sides to stake out a position, and then flail at one another until a winner and a loser emerge. That can work, but it doesn't work well.
Business people, like me and like Donald Trump, do things in a more civilized manner. We don't worry about winners and losers as much as getting things done. Sometimes with our win-win attitude we even get tired of all the winning!
3
Well said!!
@John
What about his bigoted impulses?
Or how he was overruled by his own chief of staff and another adviser, who called Republicans on Capitol Hill to stop him from negotiating with anyone.
The man has handlers. Literal handlers. As if in a nursing home.
A key Republican senator said the white house has become an adult day care center.
His staff complain he's like a child, who has what they talk about in my line of work: Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Malignant Narcissism, and Chronic Inability to Abide by a Work Schedule. Inattentive, disinterested and demands visual aides with single sentence memos for his intelligence briefings.
His own staff set up a schedule for him. It reads like Kindergarten Class.
TV Time, Tweeting Time, Try to Get to the Office by Noon, McDonalds' Time, Phone Buddies Time. He isn't at the oval office til noon, and is in bed with a cheeseburger by 6:00 p.m. Did you see his empty desk today in that photo of him in the office "working?"
P.S. The Donald is obsessed with winners and losers. It's all he talks about. He still can't get over he lost the popular vote.
2
That's an awful lot of blather to apparently not have noticed that this was not a business negotiation.
President Trump, this is what I want:
1)Significant border security upgrades.
2)End all lottery and chain migration. Each applicant should be considered on their merits, not having a relative here.
3) once security has been agreed upon and funded, give legal status to dreamers but not voting rights. Their should be no reward for illegally bringing your children into our country and we also shouldn’t reward democrats for their pandering to illegals.
4) End all H1B programs. This has become nothing more than companies importing sheep labor from India and costing citizens their jobs.
1
The majority of Americans agree with you
So Trump doesn't lead. He is being led by Miller and Kelly! Have they taken the Darth Vader's place?
I for one will be waiting for SNL.
1
Donald is not the President
Apparently Steven Miller and John Kelly are the President.
Or maybe anyone who wanders into the oval office is the President.
In spite of the so called test of Donald's cognitive ability, there is daily evidence of Donald's cognitive decline.
4
America should consider the chaos that would be caused in Mexico/Central America by deporting 800k dreamers and their 10 million strong family members. The United States must promote stability to prevent illegal immigration. How about spending the $20 billion on Mexican infrastructure? At least hire them to build the wall...
Think of what is left of the mighty Colorado when it reaches the Mexican border. Think of the economic benefits that are denied. How would we feel if Canada were to utilize all the waters of the Columbia River prior to reaching US borders?
Seriously? What Trump wants is a mystery?
The characters surrounding him should give a clue (Nazis, Miller, Bannon et al)? The rallies and inflamed Americans should give a clue? Drive down the rural highways south of the Mason Dixon; see the large number of Dixie flags and Trump flags on people's front yards. He wants that.
Trump wants what every extreme narcissist wants; I.e., roiling controversy everywhere in which he occupies a central position; the spot light on him constantly, a large contingent of supplicants; and the entire world breathless either in their support, or in their chagrin.
He knew what he wanted, and laughed all the way to the White House.
What on earth does the other half; i.e., the democrats . . . want? I get they are all chagrined with Trump. And marching here and there. And doing a lot of protest "after the fact," and talking about building common ground with right wing zealots. I wonder where what that common ground is, and what democrats are willing to let republicans burn and blow up.
But I am not seeing any effort to organize, bring out the vote, register people, engage Millennials, talk to every minority that Trump has mocked, insulted etc.
Given the clamor for Oprah, it is quite evident that democrats remain clueless, directionless, and disorganized. What Trump wants, he has got (modern day mix of Caligula and Nero), what democrats want has amounted to a hill of beans. Calling Kamala Harris.
Kalidan
guess you missed the protests and voter drives this past weekend in the news coverage then
1
So is it "President Kelly" who calls the shots now? Or maybe it is "President Miller"?
4
The “bad-guy” in this mix is Steven Miller who is virulently anti-immigrant. He is the reincarnation of Trump’s bulldog lawyer Roy Cohn. He looks like him and shares all of his political points of view. It was Miller who shot down the first bipartisan agreement.
1
Miller and Kelly are co-presidents as Trump just warms a seat somewhere holding his phone and DVR-ing cable news shows. GOP Senator Cornyn exposed that fact as a certainty this very weekend.
"Bi-partisan"?
When it is Lindsey Graham representing Republicans on immigration, it is not bi-partisan. Love it how the median loves some words.
Donald Trump fears the truth.
In 2016 Donald Trump paid $130,000 in an effort to hide the truth.
How much and how often has Donald paid to hide the truth.
Donald Trump fears the truth.
1
One can only imagine how Trump acted as a "businessman" given the numerous documented reports of how he cheated contractors who worked for him. The only thing Trump is sure of is his claims the crowds were "the biggest" during his inauguration [sic].
2
Donald Trump has said "I'm the only one that matters."
Told us he has the greatest memory, highest IQ, and was the best student. Has the best words.....
Let's not forget he couldn't handle a condolence call with a grieving military widow.
That tax bill? We heard from him then, didn't we!
He and his cabinet alone will make off with $3.556 billion dollars in eliminating the estate tax, as his tax plan will.
It will be left to historians to explain how his presidency was just about enriching himself, while dividing the nation every way possible simply for power.
2
I disagree: Trump knows exactly what he wants, which is to build his brand and profits. Any other goals are simply irrelevant unless they support that priority. What is a bit more complicated is how to present that self-serving goal in ways that appear to be good for the American public, despite the fact that it has absolutely no benefits for anybody but Mr. Trump.
2
He has stated many times what he wants: the wall, end chain migration, end the visa lottery. There, was that so hard?
1
Neatly overlooking the minor detail that he has absolutely no idea what at least two of those things are, and about as much idea of how the third would work, making it a bit difficult to know what he's actually asking for. Does he want the things that go with the words he mouths, or does he want something else entirely that exists mostly if not entirely in his imagination?
This doesn't look like a president unsure about what he wants. It looks more like a hostage situation. He looks at what the Democrats will do for 800,000 people who were brought in as children. As soon as he gets an agreement he demands more. Meanwhile he runs an ad which is a complete lie. He says the Democrats are demanding to let in criminals in turn for a budget. Excuse me? Children who stay with their parents in obedience with their parents are not criminals. The Democrats aren't holding the budget hostage. They are giving in to GOP terrorism. Mitch Mc-Con-man has said he will "consider" DACA and CHIP by February 6. I hope he will, but I think he's lying.-
6
Let's be clear Stephen Miller works for Trump precisely because Trump's view on immigration is exactly what Miller tells him it is. Trump the Commander-in-Chief ---off-Channel-Surfing is lazy and he's not working America's issues he's letting his staff work the issues; Kelly the Marine who hates Democrats in congress and Miller who hates immigrants who aren't white. Inside Trump's administration, there is no policy process---just a scrum amongst extremists.
5
Dear Mr President will you please clarify exactly what you want. How about a tweet with bullet points (the dots that are like periods) listing your priorities. Please include the total cost of your wall.
5
Did I not read somewhere that we have three (3) EQUAL branches of government? Why does our so-called Congress keep deferring to the president BEFORE they DO ANYTHING? Create legislation and then pass it on to the President to approve or veto and be done with it, spineless wonders of Congress..........
3
If you really believe that Trump is not sure of what he wants you are the most naive people on the planet. So far, in spite of all his illegal money laundering deals, not paying contractors and banks, disparaging everyone, especially those who are famous and accomplished just for the fun of it, and literally spitting in the face of everything America stands for, he is way ahead of all of you. When in God's name are you going to realize that everything he does is deliberately designed for an effect and has nothing to do with what his real intentions are?
2
Why show your cards until the offer is made.
1
Now.....if I was an evil, manipulative, back alley, shiv sharpening operative? If I wanted to make someone disappear? If I wanted a particularly repellent, scraping, obsequious liar banished to the darkest reaches? (Not that I am..this is for illustrative purposes only} I would whisper in an ear..." Why do I bother trying to engage..... ahem.....when SM is the real brains over there. Policy has to go through him anyways....so cut out the waffles and get right to the ham and eggs." Not that the thought has ever crossed my mind.
1
The man is, quite simply, incompetent.
6
The first person addressed this morning was McConnell. Not the Senator in Kentucky where thunderheads are seen, the green grass swept by the winds, but Mr. McConnell in Greenpoint, N.Y., with a young cluster of jolie grand-daughters.
Both Parties to stand back from Trump. Dream on, because it is not going to happen. Joining Senator Feinstein of California in wanting a "clean DACA bill" and failing in accomplishing this Act, is the Failure of America. A 'Failed America' and the end of Democracy.
If there is one person, one American citizen, who this Leader trusts, regardless of color, creed or conviction, now is the time to keep Trump company. It could be his butler or a family member, but listen to what he has to say, and bin the noise, turn down the volume, try to make him laugh.
Do not let Despair enter the room behind closed doors. The Children for a Wall. The Wall will come down. America, the World is watching and let us not commit one of the largest moral blights in contemporary history.
1
Every day we see the President's inability to understand, sort and separate issues. His tweets (or rather re-tweets of Fox soundbites) are then picked up by a populace also unwilling to think about immigration for more than two minutes. "They should come here legally, like my ancestors did." Nope. For most Americans, their ancestors came neither legally nor illegally. They just got on the boat and were processed. No visa. No application. No sponsor. No educational screening. Fact: there is no pathway to citizenship, or a pathway to a green card, for those granted time-limited reprieve from deportation, i.e., those who were brought here as kids. There is NO LEGAL MEANS for them to remain absent DACA. No line to join. No book to sign. Trump as a businessman should honor a contract. These kids came forward on the assurance that they would not be deported for two years, renewable by payment of $500. They went to elementary and secondary school here. Maybe even Trump would show some mercy and not want to deport them before age 18. So we pay for their education and then deport them, after which they will not be eligible for re-entry for a decade at least? Makes no sense. What a businessman. Please, someone hire a consultant to break it down for him. (And not Miller.)
7
Would please say this out loud : this president does not know what he is doing. He does not understand his own job, nor does he have any sense of how government works. He deflects, he changes the subject, he blames whomever is in his sight at the moment. His handlers do not seem capable of teaching him how to run a country. There seems no way to bring this government down. This has taken "flying blind" to a new level, and so much is now at stake on so many levels.
3
President Trump, if we are to believe reports, is at once an ironfisted autocrat or is reined in by his staff. He is a healthy 70-year-old but shamed to not be healthy enough to be an NFL athlete. He is a real estate deal-maker or a bench-warming, no-talent second stringer.
All at once, all at the same moment but never in the same article.
Wish you guys would make up your minds.
1
Actually Trump knows what he wants. He wants to make money off the presidency. Send him, and his secret service, to his clubs and golf courses everyday at tax payers' expense and he will be happy as a clam and will no longer interfere with the government's business. In terms of that he wants to be a dictator that gives dictators everywhere a bad name because dictators want to dictate but this one does not even know that.
That's the way to run a pre-Fascist government to his liking.
3
When Trump said "[G]ood people don't go into politics.", I wonder if he was talking about himself.
Am I wrong? Did we elect Steven Miller or general Kelly to anything.No we did not!
And the country as a whole did not elect McConnell to an office of any kind.
I’m not comfortable with a White supremacy rep advising Trump,or a retired military man either .We are all Agreed That Trump is incompetent how ever
No rasist like Miller will ever represent me how about you?
5
So odd—-a country whose image is one of compassion is lead by a thug. And even in one of the moments in which he wants to present himself as compassionate he is constrained from doing so by a 32 year old most of us would not share a lunch hour with. Somebody please—-make this stop.
5
#45 wants to be a king or dictator, not a president. We all know that. The Reps have no intentions of keeping their word - we all know that also.
It will be harder and more severe for everyone if the Dems get their spines back and hold to the line on another shut-down - which of course #45 wants (he's said so publicly twice, one as a candidate and again while prez). Anything to get more $ into his own pockets and out of ours.
McConnell will break his word as always, and the world is a less safe place with no fixed budget in place. Who needs that stupid wall added into a budget that is doing away with most every citizens well-being? Hire some more border guards instead - would be creating those additional jobs you talk about but do nothing about except ride on Obama's coat-tails.
Ryan, forget about doing away with Social Security, Medicard and Medicaid. 'We' paid for SS and M/C and Congress should NOT be able to touch that $ ever - and should pay back what they've already stolen from us citizens (about a trillion $). It is 'our' $. All you've done is show that Congress are thieves and that the 'full trust' of the U.S. gov means nothing. Your hero Ms. Rand collected Social Security as I'm sure you know. And you benefited from it yourself as a youngster.
2
How wonderful.
The United States of America has elected President Jello.
What we didn't know was that this particular flavor only comes in vanilla.
4
Trump's defining characteristic--that he shares with his supporters, by the way--is laziness.
He is lazy, physically, mentally, and morally. Because his daddy made enough money that it just didn't matter what lil Trump did, how bad his instincts were, how infantile his tastes were and are--it didn't matter, and thus he learned to not even try.
Not sure what his supporter's excuse is, though. Seems to me to just be: if black people are going to have an equal shot at success, I'm flipping the board and going home.
Lazy infants. All of them.
3
Our so-called excuse for a 'president" is very sure of what he wants. More money in his pocket. And dictatorship so he can set up an unlimited flow of money to his pocket and to the pockets of his despicable family.
7
Let us remind ourselves that living in democracy is expensive, complicated, often troublesome, requires even temper, compromise and good intentions for the benefit of all !
3
The White House has delivered memorandums to Congress detailing what the President thinks should be included in a compromise immigration bill. During a Saturday briefing, White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short held up printouts of the memos to show reporters. There is no mystery what the White House wants, and it time congressional leaders stop pretending they are confused. Congress should used the memorandum as a guide rather then individual congressmen's interpretation of presidential tweets and telephone conversations. It also time to stop pretending pretended that Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Lindsey Graham can broker deals with the White House. The Senate first has to broker a deal with the House of Representatives.
1
The headline misses the point in saying "President Unsure of What He Wants Complicates Impasse." In fact, he is sure of what he wants but that has little to do with policies. Trump is absolutely sure -- and I'll leave it to others to determine how much of it is conscious and how much is unconscious -- that he wants to be the center of attention. At that he is laser focused and a true master. The view that he is not clear on policies is because he actually has none, his words, tweets, and actions changing to meet his fundamental goal, attention on himself, preferably cheers, but boos acceptable as preferential to no attention at all.
6
As appropriate punishment for Trump and Republicans, I am going to donate my "tax break" (money stolen from the future) to democratic campaigns.
I want a president and congress that ARE sure of what they want, and who want things that represent hope, honor and decency. I have spent the past year feeling utterly hopeless. That has to change.
6
Despite Huckabee Sanders' insistence that Senator Schumer needs to be schooled by this White House because every Republican is perfectly clear on what Trump wants, the rest of the Senate and House leadership seemed pretty unsure of what Trump's position might be today. And whether it will be the same tomorrow. Or the next day.
4
The current president likes confusion, it hides that he has no center, no policies, very limited knowledge of this country. Yet he continues in office. What is wrong with us?
6
Wrong title. My understanding is that republicans and democrats struggle with this issue of trump changing his position.
1
Amazing. We all watched Trump during his televised meeting professing his "love" for DACA. Now he's literally and personally attacking Sen. Graham for trusting that statement. It is clear what the president "wants". He wants to run a reality t.v. show and bases his decisions and response solely on how much chaos he can cause. The one thing we learned from this shutdown is that Trump is an obstacle to negotiation, and should be left out of any further discussions.
1
To suggest the President is not sure of what he wants is completely unfair. It's obvious he wants to sit behind his desk, scowl on his face and a sharpie clenched in his manly hands waiting to sign something. The words written on that paper might mean nothing to him but the signing ceremony is what he wants.
2
Democrats struggle - period!
Donald Trump promised, “We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning.”
Well, if this is winning, I would hate to see what losing looks like.
11
There are things Trump believes and wants. Primarily, to be thought of as Incredible, Great, The Best, etc. Next, to make sure his interests are protected. Third, same for those loyal to him. Fourth, for everyone else just to do as he commands. He has no moral compass other than one that hews to these things. Call them the axioms of his internal system of logic.
Anything else is up for grabs, depending on how it affects those four Trump axioms. He is kind of is okay with DACA, but if he thinks his base isn't (which affects axioms 1, 2, and 3) he'll gladly throw them to the wolves. He has racist tendencies, but if foregoing them helps him maintain his axioms, he'll do that...until someone points out how that hurts his axioms with his base, and then the rudder flips, because right now he considers cementing his base the surest way to maintain his axioms. If he detects that he can safely act in a racist manner, he will. And does.
When one understands this, one can never really be surprised by what Trump does. Anything that seems surprising is so only because one failed to learn about all of the factors touching on the particular axioms involved in his decision making at a given point. Since Trump is cognitively and educationally rather undeveloped, save for a native cunning in the manner of a con man, he rarely parses all the available information that might touch on staying the course of his axioms. Thus, the phenomenon of him seeming to flip based on who spoke to him last.
5
The economy thinks President Trump is great
"Nobody knew getting a retired Marine to manage a daycare center could be so complicated."
18
With trump out of the picture for 3 days, it allowed the Senate to do its job.
6
All the president wants is to win. He doesn't "want" anything. The worst possible tax law? It passed. It's a win. The worst judicial nomination approved? It's a win. That's all he wants. That's why he changes his mind so often. It doesn't matter what passes, and long as he scores a point.
7
Trump's voter base is only about a third of the country and those voters are extreme relative to the rest of the country.
Blame those voters and the rich billionaire donors for preventing Trump from doing reasonable things.
Campaign Finance Reform is needed so Congress and the President are not just puppets on a string.
11
No doubt this president, who once asked an adviser whether a strong dollar is “good or bad,” will acquit himself well at the World Economic Summit in Davos. Sure he will...
“Fire and Fury”? “Confusion and Ignorance” is more like it.
6
Like it or not, Trump is our modern day George Wallace, but what makes Trump even worse- is the fact that we never elected Wallace to the highest office in the land. We KNEW better, even then.
We have lost our collective soul as a nation. And I'm not sure we'll ever get it back, ever again.
14
Souls are software. They are written from the experience of living. Life is hope, and hope is life.
1
"In my experience, the reality is that the president knows what he does not know and does not think he needs to know it,” said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign adviser. “He’s a C.E.O. The tiny details are for his staff.”
Sam, this type of "leadership" couldn't lead a bunch of waddling ducks into a pond and is the reason djt is an impotent leader. I've interviewed dozens of C.E.O.'s of multi-billion dollar publicly traded companies. Everyone of them without fail knows the tiny stuff AND the big stuff. Those that don't are followers, not leaders.
12
Jeff Bezos has a sophisticated working and evolving model of scale independent structure he is implementing at Amazon. He is a real public company CEO. Trump runs a family business.
5
These are all folks who opened their hearts and their lives to sign up for the chance to gain citizenship as adults by meritorious conduct.
Welcome to the USA.
3
Lindsay Graham's comment - attributing the problems to the President's staff members - is the equivalent of me blaming my dog for making the wrong investment decisions.
IS this a kinder, gentler way of saying that Trump has no substance, that he IS jello, that he is a moron? That he cannot even directly supervise his closest aides? None of us elected Stephen Miller, whose behind the scenes intolerance of other views may be more extreme than Bannon's. We are stuck every single day with his media rep Ms Huckabee-Sanders, who spouts bile - which also must be with Presidential blessing
Sen Graham - don't waste your breath blaming staffers - get rid of their figurehead.
16
Sam Nunberg, Trump's former campaign adviser said, "In my experience, the reality is that the president knows what he does not know and does not think he needs to know it. He's a CEO. The tiny details are for his staff."
So, when is running the United States of America a tiny detail? When did keeping America's government agencies running become a tiny detail? These things were important until Trump stepped into the Oval Office.
11
President Trump, being a quick learner, got it right.
2
Please go on and explain further. Please.
Perhaps if Democrats would be willing to explain why they want illegal versus legal immigration there wouldn't be such opposition.
One of the requirements of the Dreamers was that they had to be here for at least 8 years. This gave them plenty of time to apply for legal citizenship.
So what do Democrats or any American have to gain by giving citizenship to individuals whose first act is to commit a crime? Not a very good audition.
3
The children did not have the legal capacity to commit a crime as their first act. That's what qualifies them as "dreamers." Any other conclusion you reach is irrelevant.
7
Kelly acts as if he is fulfilling some patriotic duty serving as chief of staff, but he is just an enabler who is there because he wants to be close to power. Miller is an alt-right weirdo more like Bannon but a better dresser. To Trump they are both throw-away people who he will use as long as it suits him and will drop like hot potatoes and disparage the minute he sees it in his interests to do so.
17
John Kelly, Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows otherwise known as Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster of the alt-right susurrated in split tongue lisps sweeting nothings into Trump’s ears, “Your best dreams will come true with Democrats piked heads stamped with SHUTDOWN if any gushing bloody murder by illegals occur during impasse… and “You’ll never know how much you truly love not paying people for services rendered until you’ve stiffed servicemen and women of their already paltry pay”. Since Trump has only two ears, the third monster head, Stephen Miller, lisped sweetnothings into Trump’s nostrils but was escorted out to dare care center by security detail for also obsessively piquing the president’s nose.
5
It would help a great deal if the NYT chose to publish comments from responders from both red and blue states. I know the arguments from Blue Staters but I'm looking for some cogent responses from Red Staters. Perhaps there aren't cogent arguments from Trump and Republican supporters other than he's been so successful he must know what he's doing but let's see.
2
It isn't that the NYT declines to show comments from people in red states, it is that they don't get any. Few people in red states read the NYT and those who do read it don't submit comments to articles.
1
"The president was either unwilling or unable to articulate the immigration policy he wanted, much less understand the nuances of what it would involve."
The president is unwilling or unable to articulate much of anything except for his constant obsession with Hillary Clinton. The Republican senators are finally realizing or admitting that Trump doesn't know what he's doing...about anything.
10
So...is anyone surprised? I guarantee this rube doesn't even know what a "shutdown" is, why it happened, how it happens or how to stop it.
It's more than obvious that his handlers set this clown up as a "business person" so they could take advantage of him and rake in even more profits they can store overseas.
I further guarantee that this faker president has less capital saved than a cornponer like me, but I can assure you that at least I know know how to make a buck and save it. Which is why he doesn't want anyone to see his measly lower-class tax returns.
How we all got conned by this rube and let the dumb uneducated fascist clowns claim a victory is the stun job of all time.
And just for the record, he actually lost by several million votes, while we all just stood there and let it happen.
Unlike the armed republicon voters, who stole the election (with the help of the russians), all of whom who would have been out in the streets with their guns protesting a Hilary Presidential win.
Great job, American "voters"!
10
Bravo ! " how we all just stood there and let it happened " is the conundrum of the century. Maybe we didn't. The Russians did it.
2
Donald is a man of someone else's principles.
5
The only thing that President Trump is sure of is that he's the center of the world's attention. He'll do anything to maintain that fantasy.
9
Trump wants his own reality television show so he can boss contestants around. He doesn't want the hard work and compromise of being President in a democracy.
11
Trump needs to fire Miller at once.He is a Breibart fascist and as such does not belong in American government much less in America.
17
Why does someone like Steven Miller wield so much influence on any policy? He is too young, unqualified and inexperienced. Trump truly is a puppet.
14
Graham thinks that Trump is being misguided by his staff into changing his mind after making deals with him. I think that he fails to understand that Trump's staff is obeying Trump, not running loose without any disciplined leadership. Trump is obviously a man with a mediocre intellect but he is not the puppet of Miller nor Kelley. They know exactly what Trump wants with respect to immigration, to cater to the xenophobes on the right and to not hurt businesses which make lots of money and ignore both worker safety and environmental destruction to make more money. Trump does not want a deal made that will fail to please the right wing, nativists in the Republican Party. But, Trump is basically a coward. He cannot stand up to opponents face to face with any kind of grace. He will say whatever he needs to avoid unpleasantness when he could have to face it, even agreeing to things which would cause him to go against his true intentions. But he leaves his staff to be the bad guys, the ones who seem to force him to renege on his agreements. That's Trump, a coward, a bully, and a big fake.
12
Corporations do illegal things all the time and get a slap and a plea agreement. Kids brought into this country as minors are to be tossed to the wolves of the GOP propaganda machine. It is why moderates are so riled up by the GOP. Unfairness as far as the nose can smell and eyes can see.
12
Aside from President Trump being the most incompetent man ever to sit in the Oval Office, he may be the weakest President in history, too.
Donald Trump has both Stephen Miller and John Kelly controlling him, and they are not providing the necessary counsel for the best bipartisan solutions to problems, in fact the more I hear of Stephen Miller, and what I've witnessed from John Kelly, they should both be fired immediately.
John Kelly who was supposed a moral compass, is a liar and most likely promotes and encourages Trump's racist rants.
9
It is hard not to agree with this summary conclusion.
2
Lead, follow, or.... get on a plane to Davos.
5
The problem is Trump is incompetent as president. He doesn't know enough about policy to even have any guiding principles.
4
"A President Not Sure of What He Wants..."?
Sums up the sorry state of political affairs perfectly! "What, ME worry!"
Except that, personally, Trump knows exactly what HE want: never-ending attention from one and all, ego-stroking from seeing his name in print and on the news constantly, putting himself in a position of power to make/break the lives of millions, and, of course, LOTS of personal profits from blatant conflict-of-interest commingling of his business interests and government policies and decisions!
6
The Democrats have put people who have entered this country illegally ahead of US citizens and funding the military personnel who protect us. The priorities of the Democrats should be taken to task. NYTimes - how about covering this on your Editorial page and for once not be biased toward the Democratic party.
2
The Republicans refused to allow a vote to pay the troops. And it's the Democrats refusing to fund the military? Alternative facts.
3
@Charlie
Nope, you have been misinformed. Democrats wanted to fund military personnel but Mitch McConnell refused to bring it up for a vote. Its on C-Span, you should watch it.
3
It's ok for you to go against the facts. It's impossible for leading media organisation to do that. Got it ? Or is that a bit too complicated ?
2
I'm insulted every time I see that sloppy liar get on a podium and point the fingers at everyone but her boss, oh, I was talking about Sara Huckabee Sanders and not Donald Trump....although, they can both be interchangeable.
18
Mr. Trump should ask Stephen Miller, that is who apparently makes the decisions in this White House. Mr. Trump is too weak to make a decision and stand by it.
3
A guy who run a borderline criminal bankrupt syndicate is now POUS!
Here's what we have in Obama and will never see in the con artist we have now:
1) his sense of humour
2) his willingness to do what is right
3) his sense of right, wrong and common sense
5) his strong sense of family
6) his willingness to listen and debate an opinion that is different or opposite his opinion
And we all wonder how that happened?
15
Because "gadfly" is not a philosophy.
2
Actually Trump just got everything he wants: Democrats fold, GOP controls the legislative agenda on immigration. Nice try, NYT.
2
One thing is certain, the Democrats were appropriately being blamed for the shutdown so they folded like an umbrella
1
Republicans worked hard to put their chosen leader Trump in the White House despite his known ignorance, vulgarity and enormous pathological ego. They know Trump collaborated with the Russians and helped them to steal the 2016 election. At bottom, they don't really care what a fool Trump is because he is clown act cover for the Congressional dismantling of every social program in the US and the destruction of the environment. The GOP is the servant of a handful of super wealthy donors. Nothing more. Corporate Fascism has come to America.
14
Trump continually appears not to know what he wants with respect to governing the country precisely because he never really wanted to govern the country. The notion of his aspiring to the presidency was, and is, a complete sham. He is, rather, the figurehead of a vast criminal enterprise involving everything from money laundering to conspiring against his own country. This is why every single action of his is against America’s interests and in favor of Russia’s. His uncertainty, contradictions and flip-flopping only further exacerbate the discord, division and distrust that Russia and Putin have wanted to sow in the US and the West.
9
If a president has clear, thoughtful policy principles, there is no shame in having appointed officials help a president clarify, sharpen, and polish the execution of principles.
However, the US now has a president who is un-informed, incompetent, and a duplicitous people-pleaser who enjoys pulling the rug from under others' feet. His advisors are at war to seize control of policy. Trump's promises today are meaningless when given, and are proven meaningless within 24 hours.
Members of the Republican party do not trust Trump, and the American public have no objective, rational and factual basis to trust him either.
Trump has less persuasive allure than the inflatable skydancing balloon man that lures one into a used car lot that sells rebuilt salvaged vehicles.
4
You imply all along that he is mentally ok ? If he is, it is as confusing as Sen Graham puts it. But if he is not, then everything falls into place. No need trying to explain the unexplainable.
1
Over here we have similar lack of leadership . All the tough talk on immigration doesn't do a thing except appease the very right wing .
We both have leaders that don't know how to lead or more importantly govern .
2
It's more proof that Trump is merely a symptom of the problem, which is Republicans. Obviously, Trump wants to get along with Democrats. He wants to be liked by everyone. Several times so far, he has indicated willingness to work with Democrats, only to renege on his words after conferring with Republicans, who he also wants to be liked by. The real problem isn't Trump, it's the Republicans. They have been the party of NO ever since Ronald Reagan. They refuse to negotiate or dial back their demands, which has also forced the Democrats to move closer to the center to appease them.
5
The Trump administration has been in chaos and disarray during the one year , for many reasons : The economy is under huge influence of huge debts and rising budget deficits a year , immigration reforms including DACA under threats , Healthcare issues led by Trump care with increases in costs and uninsured folks estimated at 13 million . President Trump has not been able to make up his mind on any major national issues , if he keeps changing his mind , based on the last person he talked to, led by popularly known his short memory span . It is complicated , he has discovered after entering in the Office . A challenge no CEO of any major Corporation will survive this long . What do you think ?
1
It isn't that he is "not sure", It's that he has no idea what he "wants".
2
The man actually said he thought the presidency is going to be an easy job. Much easier than his previous shenanigans. Check it out.
To people who have never negotiated anything of significant value except an infrequent car or house purchase, Trump's behavior may seem irregular. But to those who are involved with high stakes negotiations where the outcome could have a significant or life-changing outcome to them personally, this is jot unexpected.
The side holding the strongest hand in a negotiation can obtain critical information on the other side by appearing to be concerned on "hearing them out". It should not be unexpected why the strong side says " I feel for you. I really do. But my hands are tied. The best I can do is ..."
I've been involved in many negotiations on both sides. It is much better to be the holding the strong hand - as Trump does.
2
Mr. T needs someone to blame. His very existence depends on having a scapegoat.
That's why he never gives any direction or expresses any firm opinions. There's always a probability they will be wrong and he won't have his security blanket scapegoat.
Jello anyone?
4
The Democrats just solidified the Latino vote going into the 2018 mid-Term with this DACA debacle. Along with the way he treated the Puerto Rican Americans, many of whom have migrated to Florida and who will obtain residency in order to vote in Florida, trump is in real trouble for 2020. He is left with the advice of Stephen Miller and Stormy Daniels.
2
Has the legislative branch forgotten that they serve their constituents rather than the executive branch? Bring on the legislation. Let the executive veto. Overturn the veto.
2
Unfortunately, this is an irrelevant point, the government was shutdown for the weekend, the 2013 shutdown lasted 16 days. Trump will write this up as a victory for his deal making skills and so may the electorate.
1
Mr. Trump may be unsure of what he wants, but the overwhelming majority of the people knows what it wants: an end to the ghoulish fire and fury that this administration has brought us to.
1
When you elect a clown, a circus is sure to follow!
14
Ambitious staff abhor a vacuum.
4
I wouldn't be surprised if Miller and Kelly have Komprimat on Trump for added leverage.
6
When trump gets to a fork in the road, run for the hills.
3
Trump is the little boy asking what he should do, and Stephen Miller is the parent. A poisonous parent, indeed.
11
Suppose Miller and Kelly were guiding the discussions at the turn of the last century? How many of us would have been turned away? My grandparents certainly m. Yours? Even those on the Mayflower were escaping something. Suppose the First Americans sought to contain the European settlers from coming in, after all they brought small pox, other diseases and cheated them out of their land. ‘I suppose not all Europeans were rapists, disease ridden and swindlers, some were nice people.’
Miller, Kelly and other conservatives are holding sway over trump, who seems to momentarily agree with whomever is sitting in the room with him. A sad commentary on the ‘leadership’ of djt. Maybe even Ivana and Melania would not have made it in...
The principals and ideals this country are founded on are important. When refugees and immigrants have been thwarted entry into the US, we are denying the Founding Father’s their beliefs and ideals. What makes the US and the Constitution great is that the great experiment works. It has faltered at times- slavery and denying Jewish refugees escaping Nazi Germany- but it has worked more times than not. We have entered a shameful time in our history. A time when Congress and President who will be remembered as bigoted, do-nothings and cowards.
9
The US was founded on the principle that the mostly undiscovered and undescribed continent to the west was a vast empty land ripe to be populated to the limits God sets by the four horsemen of apocalypse.
2
The mad house is being run by the inmates.
8
OMG - Only in this white house would "the small stuff" be the core principles of the President's position on the funding bill and the dreamers. No one elected either Steve Miller or John Kelly. The president really is a puppet.
12
1. Our Constitution mandates legislation by consensus; the GOP doesn't even allow our elected Dem/Ind representatives to participate. (This disenfranchises the majority of voters nationally who vote Dem.) The majority party is not meant to rule alone. And the Hastert rule (named after a pedophile) should be discarded to foster actual bipartisan legislation --- which clearly would have improved the tax bill.
2. Our president clearly does not understand policy enough to recognize his own words handed back to him. Frankly, when a general controls personal and informational access to an elected president, we would call this a coup in another country.
3. Congress needs to retake its responsibilities to legislate, declare wars or not, and provide oversight over a corrupt and inept president.
What we have right now is NOT democracy. The most honest rationale by the GOP on the recent tax bill was to pay back their donors.
McConnell vowed to obstruct every action by the previous president. We are all reaping the disfunctionality he sowed.
7
Trump comes from a world where judges are paid to back his version of the story through well connected lawyers.
"usa999" wrote a fine comment, and I'd like to copy the last sentence in that comment because it addresses much that is wrong with the so-called White House response to the shut-down: "Kelly's job is to keep the staff functioning, not to make policy. Miller is simply an operator acting on behalf of some obscure interests, not those of the American people or President Trump. They should go."
This was the point I wanted to make, too--that Kelly and Miller should not be playing a role in the decision-making about DACA or the shut-down. Neither is qualified, neither was elected, and neither has the knowledge or the integrity to be given so much power by Trump. He's letting these dreadful surrogates do the work of the President.
8
Trump wants to be loved by everyone. But few get loved the way he wants to be by more than a third of the people.
The president will do whatever senior political advisor, Stephen Miller, will recommend him to do. Miller is the one responsible for the mess we are in.
8
Please, no more celebrities elected president. next time let's elect someone who knows policy. This president only cares about making headlines. Next time I'll vote for a candidate that understands the constitution and how our government should work.
9
Congress could make his indecision and flip-flopping completely irrelevant by simply passing a bipartisan bill and overriding any veto he throws their way. Why are they still even paying any attention to what he says, when his mind changes from one hour to the next depending on what his staff tells him?
8
Trump knows what he wants. The only thing complicating this is his perpetual style of playing games. saying one thing and doing another. He wants what Miller and Kelly want which is strict immigration controls.
1
Trump is unsure of what he wants because he has no depth on the issues. That is why he agrees with every point of view from everyone in the room. After all how can you impugn a particular viewpoint when you don't know enough about the issue to offer up an intelligent response. So what he does is to agree with everyone in the hopes that he will seem smart. Ann Coulter said it best, his televised meeting with congressional leaders on DACA proved everything said about him in the book Fire and Fury to be true.
6
Years ago, Colin Powell had articulated that "Leadership is a lonely position". The implication was that a true leader doesn't delegate decisions; but the execution is. It can happen when the leader knows what she/he wants with a firm conviction.
In stark contrast, this article describes that as chief executive, Trump is incapable of leading. He doesn't have a vision or a value system that drives his policy. Therefore, he delegates the decision making.
In other words, he is a boat made from paper in torrent, dragged in multiple directions by varying forces. A scary position for the country.
7
As a mental health professional, I am ethically prohibited from publicly diagnosing Mr. Trump. But I treat a lot of children, many of whom act up and disrupt their social environments as a means of maximizing the attention they get and keeping everyone focused on them. We know Trump craves attention and loves to see himself on TV. He certainly gets to keep the news focused on him by acting inappropriately. It's hard not to compare his behavior to that of a child.
13
I wonder how it will play to his base when Trump's goon squad starts rounding the DACA folks up? That would include, I presume, those serving in our military. Great pre-mid-term optics there- armed ICE guys banging down doors, entering workplaces and schools... Or does Trump think these folks are all going to line up at the border for their exit stamps?
10
What? Trump knows what he wants. 100%. Date with a porn star/daughter, a good spanking, and all the money in the world. This is not a complicated man.
Send over a bucket of wings, some good press, and the man's life is complete.
He does not want to end poverty, cure cancer, pay tax, or see American workers lives secure. He doesn't even appear to want to see his own feet.
11
The presidential staff is not elected. they should not be the deciders. Given that there is a revolving door at the WH for staff and that they are not answerable to the American man on the street, for their decisions, I do not like this situation. There is a great lack of responsibility in Trump's WH along with a great amount of overweening entitlement.
18
The whole Trump fake-show is a projection onto a blank screen.
4
From what I've read, Stephen Miller was a despised, racist jerk in High School and hasn't changed. If his fellow teenagers were smart enough to boo him off the stage during a racist speech, how is it that people who should be wiser and more experienced are now letting him dictate his nation's policies? Trump and the Republican party have turned our world upside-down. Come the 2018 elections, we all need to boo them off the stage! If we can switch Congress to democratic control, we can prevent additional horrible bills like the Tax plan and also prevent the stonewalling of investigations into Trump and Republican malfeasance. Vote the Republicans out of power!
29
Well at least we know that whenever Trump does make up his mind it will be considered wrong regardless. That’s quite an incentive to do so.
1
Trump is a very shallow guy with a very short time-horizon, working on problems of fractal complexity that people hypothesize might be solved by quantum computers. He doesn't have the right stuff to read fractals for their allowed pathways.
4
@John Doe: That's because he never, ever does the right thing. He puts zero effort into his job. He prefers to watch Fox and eat cheeseburgers.
Perhaps the president “with perfect test scores” who believes successfully identifying a giraffe puts him on the short list for Mensa has no idea what he wants because he simply has no idea at all. Ever. About anything.
17
Anyone want to know Trump listen to the comments Senator Tammy Duckworth made about him and the Vietnam War. A hero who lost both legs serving her country with honor. A man whose family paid off the draft board, a man who had bone spurs or some sort, but was out every other day playing tennis (tennis then golf now). A man who was a coward while other men and women fought and died or had their lives destroyed by serving their country he did what he has always and continues to do. By the way he can't claim that the story about his sex affair with Stormy Daniels is fake news since the Wall Street Journal is nowhere close to being a liberal publication. As he has his whole life he sets up two dummy companies to hide that he had sex with a prostitute. I will bet and let me see one of his base attack it he paid the money and if by chance we got to see his tax returns you the taxpayer paid for it as he will take it off as a business deduction. He got caught taking the $10,000 for a Tim Tebow football jersey from his fake dummy setup charity and using money people had donated to purchase it for his own collection to hang in his office. See, with the Donald his money is his and why your money is also his. Make American Great Again what a joke. Jim Trautman
16
So there you have it. The so called 'strong' leader just does what he is told by staff members or whoever he spoke to last. Why does your country allow this clearly unfit person to remain in office?
14
Our elections are like the "liquidity windows" these guys build into their real estate deals. Once every year you can reset something, but it takes six years for the whole shebang to go around.
Stephen Miller looks and behaves like a young Roy Cohn and I'll bet that is the reason Trump listens to him. Trump is clueless, doesn't understand the issues here and defers to people who align with the ugliness of his own inner compass. He's simply child who plays lackey to the biggest class bully in order to camouflage his own ineptitude.
17
Trump thinks he's tuned into the frequency Kenneth was looking for.
1
I am confused as well.
He was a strong supporter of Pro-Choice. Now he is steadfast against it.
He lambasted Wall Street hedge funds tax loop holes. And now? They continue.
He lambasted lobbying in Washington. And now? They have more influence than ever.
Just last week he supported DACA. And now? He is against it!
10
Trump has a very bad case of present-hedonism, which means he is is amnesiac about 5 minutes ago and not thinking any further than 5 minutes ahead.
2
Trump's wishes vis-a-vis immigration are well known: a border wall, the end to chain migration, and the end to the diversity lottery. Why does the Times find that so hard to understand? The Democratic Party's wishes are also quite transparent: to change the demographics of the country to ensure permanent electoral victory. Hence the soft and gauzy term "The Dreamers" to describe people who by law have no right to be here and the snarky and mean-spirited term "The Deplorables" to describe half the people who voted for Trump.
If you don't like being considered deplorable, I would invite you to not act as such. Dreamers aren't responsible for your rotten lot in life, Bob. Nor are the changing demographics in this country. Read DACA. Its recipients, who, in your words, have no right to be here, certainly do A LOT in order to be able to stay here. More so than a lot of people who probably, in your view, deserve to be here. Being American isn't about a flag or an anthem or where you were born. It's about ascending. Whether you like or agree with it, these Dreamers are here. And they've done everything that's been asked of them. And they are ascending. If you don't like it, tough. But I would be willing to wager one day, one of these Dreamers may save your life. Or a loved one's life. Instead of being the type of person who roots against people ascending -- a deplorable -- be someone who roots for them. And ascend yourself. Its your right, as an American, and theirs, too, regardless of where they came from or who brought them here.
6
Most of the Reader Picks posts here are on-target.
What's missing from the top ones is the hypocrisy of the Evangelical christians, who want to have things THEIR way ALL the time.
They need to accept that life is messy and they can't control everything all the time, including the number of abortions that happen; their chief agenda.
12
Why does it even matter what the President wants? The Republicans need to LEAD by negotiating with the Democrats and presenting legislation to the President. Then if he doesn't like it he doesn't sign it. They then override his veto and we move on. Make each bill a "clean" bill, lather, rinse and repeat. Or is everyone in Congress only looking out for their next campaign?!
8
Isn't there some constitutional mechanism to remove a President whose ignorance is an impediment to both parties?
5
yes there is, impeachment, but HOR who must start process won't and 25th amendment, both would require people who are Republicans to stand up and do the right thing for the country. Not sure that Pence would be any better option, that would leave Paul Ryan next in line...no one wants that, the country did not want him as a vice president. Republicans (most) seem to be waiting for Mueller investigation to complete so they can say they had no choice. Congress has been avoiding it's responsibilities for years
He wanted to humiliate the Democrats and show that he could use the worst racist language and in the end no one would stop him. He turned out to be right. We have gotten used to facilitating the power of a man who compare nations to latrines, by next year he will bellow racial epithets at mass rallies and we will accept that too. This is a shameful nation.
8
This is the idiot that said he is a "stable genius" but he probably can't remember what he had for breakfast, never mind what he agreed to today which will be gone by bedtime.
Congress needs to step up to the plate and remember that the founding fathers put them 1st in the constitution for a reason, the're suppose to set the rules on how the government will be run, not the president.
Do your job.
7
Burgers for Breakfast!
How come the woman in the picture of Kelly and Ayers is not mentioned? Is she that unimportant?
2
He and his advisors are playing “Good-Stupid-Weak-Cop, Bad-Cunning-Strong-Cop”.
2
We have a know nothing president with the attention span of a fly , not interested in really learning the ins and outs of governing. He himself stated soon after being elected he hadn't anticipated how hard being president would be. He is used to delegating to his underlings . Unfortunately , he has that creepy Stephen Miller as his Rasputin advancing his own beliefs and agenda . Could it be?? He has found his Roy Cohn??
5
We Americans will never have an honorable government again until Trump, his advisors and white supremacist Republicans are out of office. A simple truth and one worth working toward.
12
The quote of the day by Sam Nunberg is pure, unadulterated doubletalk!
1
Sam Nunberg is deluded. Watch interview of him on news shows; rambling, disjointed and immature.
2
didn't get past headline.
DUH.
Oh, please, Times, stop casting him as though he is educated and knowledgeable and reflective and just still goshdarn uncertain.
He doesn’t know what he is doing. Period.
And we are in horrific trouble because of it.
Please be more accurate with your headlines.
9
So if those who support innocent, hard working "illegal" immigrants like the dreamers are complicit in every murder committed by an illegal immigrant, does that mean the white supremacists in the White House and Congress are complicit in all those mass shootings committed by angry white guys?
11
It sounds as though the fetid Washington swamp that Trump swore clean up, has settled in the White House, in the guise of WH staff.
8
It’s a vain hope that Trump will take the lead in negotiating any real compromise on anything. At a gut level, he considers himself president of his most ardent supporters and fans—not of all Republicans, let alone the country. It has always been clear that Trump is happiest in front of an adoring crowd, promising them everything and stoking every grievance he can think of. His vast and fragile ego feeds on that, and he’s not about to jeopardize it by acting as president of the whole United States.
8
Trump is the epitome of the statement that a university education is no guarantee of intelligence. Worse, however, is his perpetual brag that going to a good school is all the education he ever needed. That is the definition of a fool. So is it really a surprise that he has not one intelligent thought in his head, or is incapable of making a single decision remote from wanting a McDonald's hamburger? Kelly and Miller are steering Trump's brain and Republicans are following like lemmings.
9
He want's a burger and fries ... no, wait, he want's a pizza ... a bucket of chicken? Other than that, he wants a call after the shut down is over, so he can tell the people what a GREAT job he did to take us back from the brink. Who wouldn't want that?
4
The Donald is simply in over his head, and has been from day one! The WH is no place for an “apprentice”, especially one with no leadership qualities, a solid background in doing the people’s business, and an once of integrity. This is real life, not a reality program that would never make the cut because it is so poorly scripted, directed and the actors third rate. Is Trump even a member of the Actors Guild? No “People’s Choice” here, and forget about the Oscars.
The best he could ever do is be remembered as “the worst president ever”, and a real looser, as his empire falls.
4
We know what he wants. He wants to play golf and visit his hotels. He wants to be photographed with heads of state. He wants to watch 4-8 hours of Faux News a day, eat cheeseburgers and steaks, sign things, and send out tweets.
He has no concept of what it is to do his job, and he has no desire to learn it or take on any tasks he can hand over to his puppeteers. Period.
11
If President Bone Spurs truly has ODD (Opposition/ Defiant Disorder) then it should be easy.
Simply go opposite of what you want, he'll go opposite that and then vote yes.
Anyone can outsmart Jello!!
3
The guy who's face is on "The Art of the Deal" book, sure does not know how to make a deal.
3
Not sure what he wants? How about a double bacon cheeseburger, large fries, super-sized soda pop, super-sized slice of double-chocolate cake with extra chocolate icing, and The Wall and NO IMMIGRANTS! And make it snappy!
4
What? No showboating today? But he's a former "Dean" of a "University" - surely he can come up with some "very good words" that he can string together in a coherent sentence. On second thought, yeh right - who are we kidding. Even his sycophantic GOP court jesters don't believe that.
4
That's the problem we are facing having an unqualified, unfit, unethical, uninformed, and incurious 70+ year old to be our president.
So, he is unsure of what he wants!
What make the situation worse is that this jerk pretends he knows everything and blames others for his failings.
9
Kelly is a right wing immigration extremist.
We all know that Steven Miller is a twisted conspiracy theorist. But I thought that Kelly came on board to help control the volume and quality of information coming to the president. Kelly is now the main problem. Did this thinking and behavior compromise this work as a General?
7
Trump is reined in by his own staff because he is intellectually lazy, relying on staff to do the work. Unfortunately, staff like Miller are right-wing nut jobs.
4
Back in the early '80's Brit singer/songwriter Joe Jackson had a hit with "You Can't Get What You Want ("Till You Know What You Want)". I've been singing it to my kids for almost thirty years and to an extent it has/is sinking in. The problem with Trump is what he wants is some subjective, undefinable ego gratification; e.g., with the World's legions genuflecting and anointing The Donald the one true "Master of the Universe". My sarcasm and hyperbole aside, such is as close a description of what Trump wants as can be had,
4
There is a simple solution if Republicans could grow a spine.
Republicans need to work with Democrats to reach a compromise agreement. Ignore the conflicting information from the white house, and vote, and pass the bill.
Send it to the President. There is a lot of smoke coming from the White House, but the President doesn't have the emotional integrity to veto the bill. The onus would be directly, unambiguously, on him. It would make him look bad. For Trump that is a punishment worse than death. Looking good, being a hero, being a winner are all the elements important to Trump.
The government cannot continue to function with zero direction from the White House. This budget issue isn't really different from the healthcare bill. The president was content to let McConnell and Ryan work out the details. It was different in that Congress couldn't pass a bill.
Grow a spine, Republicans, and let the President embarrass himself. He has been embarrassing the Republican leadership in Congress. Let him show the American people where the problem really lies. This President really, really won't like being put in that position.
5
When a businessman negotiates he is generally prepared to walk away from a deal will not give him something he wants for what he is willing to concede. In most business transactions, it is not the end of the world if he walks.
Not so for heads of state. It isn't like buying a car or a piece of land for there is always another car or property that can be bought at the 'right' price. In statesmanship, when a deal goes bad it can mean the end of the world for somebody because the stakes may literally be life or death. When a TV show suffers from bad ratings and drastic plot twists are introduced to recover only fictional characters suffer, no real people are harmed.
The guy in the White House needs to realize this. DACA recipients, government workers, the citizens of the United States; these are all real people who will consequentially be affected by the faulty perceptions of a media hound.
America is not a TV show. Make America Real Again!
3
Hello, pro shop. Yeah, it's Don. Hey, I got 4 but don't know if I want 2:00 or 2:30. Hold on a sec...Steve? Okay, make it for 2:30. Credit card number? Nah, the tax payers will pick it up.
4
I suggest McConnell has forgotten that the Senate and the House is a separate branch of our Government. He appears to be overly concerned about what Trump will accept. Since it is evident that is almost impossible to predict, he should proceed with whatever the Senate and the House decide. Then put it on the President's desk and show the Country where the buck stops.
Miller
McConnell
Kelly
Three main obstacles to negotiation.
Miller is a devout anti-immigration zealot. A probable racist.
McConnell is only concerned about making the Dems look bad. Legislating is not what he wants to do, its what he reluctantly might do...when pushed.
Kelly cant keep relying on his "distinguished service", as an effective means to negotiate in a system for which has no real skills.
As for Trump and what he wants. He wants the applause. He wants the Wins, but not with the work. He expected obeisance when he arrived. He expected he'd rule from a distance, while his obedient minions would do all the hard-work. Like any maniacal leader, he would reap the benefits of the hard work of others.
Trump is the best example of why we do not need any more "Business Giants" vying for the job of POTUS. No more! People need to wake up. Winning at business (which we still don't know how big his wins are!) especially when its all about You (ala Trump) in no way makes for a good president. Running a business, selling a trade-mark is not good training for governing.
No more.
Its time to focus on what We The People want...and stop giving a hoot about what this abomination of a president wants...!!
5
The people who elected trump are the ones who echo the sentiments of miller and kelly. trump's inability to function as a president was always clearly evident, but it didn't matter to miller, whose singular goal is to emulate the nationalist policies of the 1930s Germany. He will stop at nothing. trump is just a tool.
5
I felt bad for the "Donald" rather than attend his fund raising event at his hotel he was forced to stay in Washington eat cheese burgers, his two scoops of ice cream and cartoons. Of course he collected big amounts of money and won't pay a nickel in taxes. Living here in Canada we have started to prepare for life after he leaves NAFTA by making deals with China, the Pacific Rim, India and the European Union. Canadians where positive opinions of Trump sit at 10% know the man is not to be trusted and America is not a partner a nation can count on any longer. A nation that elects a man who is mentally disturbed that throws tantrums like a little child. Yes, the stock market is soaring check back by reading a good book to the causes of the crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, the crash in the Reagan Years, the Dot Com crash and the most recent the crash of 2008. Oh, the stock market was flying then one day someone wrote a piece about how phony it really all was and a house of cards one giant ponzi scheme. Down came the house of cards. I see now legislation to loosen those nasty bank controls that were put into place after 2008. The "Donald" and the 1% don't worry when the crash comes it never hurts them the little guy will lose his house, but they will still make billions. It never stops and sadly like Einstein said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." Jim Trautman
5
Bar Tennent. If Trump knew exactly what he wants, the shutdown would never have happened.
2
We are really experiencing a modern day model of 'IDIOCRACY' that Socrates despised. In order to practice a better governance, educated citizens in true sense need to compose the majority of the society that is still impossible even in the 21st century.
1
I had doubts , I must admit , that my views and opinions about america were correct . I’m 67 yrs old and have read extensively about this country , it’s people and it’s institutions . What I’ve came across painted a somewhat shocking and disturbing picture . With the election of Trump my doubts have been erased . Trump and his followers have brought what was hidden by rhetoric and spin to the surface . It is really stunning and befuddling in a negative way .
2
Both parties have tried to hold the country hostage with partisan bills to advance their own agendas. Both parties are wrong to do this. Immigration reform in any form is very controversial and should never be included in a separate funding bill. Americans should be angry at both parties for using the budget as a club to beat the other party over the head to gain some political advantage.
We need immigration reform which will resolve these issues: (1) should the DACA people be given temporary alien status or full citizenship? (2) should the current immigration policy of "chain migration" be retained or should the policy of "merit" immigration be substituted in its place? (3) should there be a suspension of immigration from certain other countries; (4) should illegal aliens be given a path to legal status without being deported? (5) should illegal aliens be given a path to actual citizenship and the right to vote? (6) Should we take further measures to block illegal immigration, including a border wall with Mexico? (7) What are the respective powers of the Congress, the President, and the Judiciary with regard to immigration matters?
These issues, and others not mentioned, should be included in an immigration reform bill and not affixed to a budget resolution.
28
Many correct criticisms of the Trump need no repetition. We should focus on the role of Steve Miller. He is an outlier with extreme, weird views of how democracy works, with essentially ignoring or celebrating American values, such as, but limited to, fairness, respect for others, encouraging and helping those who want and are working towards better lives and aspire to the American dream.
What is most important is how he got in to the position of influence, especially influencing the President. The latter seems to be attracted to mercurial, persuasive and articulate right wingers who dominate his attention and succeed in forcing him to be obedient even if he does actually believe them or their policies. Witness the DACS discussion. Trump's gut seems to say, "Let's do the right thing for DACA youth and adults." But he withdraws his views when Miller and now Chief of Staff Kelly and others draw him back from his instincts and tell him what to do and how to handle and then change his views.
Miller and Roy Cohn, former personal advisor to Trump and the close aide to Joseph McCarthy, the architect of "Red Scare" movement in the 50's & 60's, have worrisome similarities. Both are right wing and have charismatic personalities that appeal to Trump because the latter is attracted to men with what he accepts as omnipotent knowledge and righteous. In fact, Miller, Bannon, & Cohn are just the opposite. Miller has to reigned in and/or leave. He's dangerous.
All this goes to show that a man who has not studied the issues is unable to take a strong position, let alone know his own mind. Our President, by his ignorance and apparent refusal to study, has allowed himself to become a very weak leader. He has already fallen into the deep trench in which our previous Republican presidents have existed, the trench that allows the "real" Republican Party to dictate the presidency. The Populist is gone and the "PUPPET" now presides.
62
You have to go deeper to discover what is really behind this impasse. The Republicans are in danger of losing the house and senate, and for sure, if they do, the President will not have a chance to continue his unpopular agenda. So, they have to make it so the Democrats are the obstructionists, blocking what Democrats really want and that is protection of social programs. What we see as negotiations are only Republican delay tactics for later removal of all social programs. If the Democrats cave on the shut down, it means they are not committed and Trump wins. If the Democrats continue, they get blamed for all the bad stuff. Trump wins again. Meanwhile Trump watches the fight from the sidelines like a WWW wrestling match, throwing fuel on the fire, but leaning toward deportation as the final solution. Meanwhile another group of Senators are doing their best to discredit Mueller so when they indite Trump for Treason there is doubt that it was fixed and the investigation is deemed political. Bottom line, for Trump to get what he wants, create chaos and generate a lot of smoke and mirrors and come out looking like the good guy who is being plotted against. While in reality, the American people are witnessing a deliberate attempt to change America to the will of a right wing minority of racists and bigots afraid that brown and black people will take over their role as the privileged class, with a President who is making sure his people, the 1%, come out on top.
12
They need cover to fill over 200 judicial vacancies in an 800 seat court system to put the US under the rule of their imaginary creator.
Not sure what he wants ????
I know what I want...impeachment proceedings.
15
How can we trust the GOP majority leader after he stole a seat on the Supreme Court form President Obama?
13
McConnell complaining about a filbuster looks like a comedy routine.
3
CEO's know every tiny detail. Great CEO's are astonishing in how fast they learn all the details of a business just a short time after they walk through the door. The executives that don't learn the details were the executives I saw the CEO fire. Given Trump bankrupted casinos, a government shutdown is not at all surprising.
10
There is nothing to see in his presidency.
2
It's not a matter of being unsure......He doesn't know what he wants. He said in the televised meeting "You are the experts......bring me a deal and I'll sign it". That's pretty clear.
7
Or he wont. Depending on whether or not it's time for tee.
1
Probably without ever reading what he signs.
1
Trump is a strutting bullying rooster crowing about his greatness with no comprehension of the complexity of government issues. He runs toward whoever has a handful of grains to throw at him and when they are eaten, he whips around to the next person who he thinks has grains. Stephen Miller and John Kelley are the keepers of his chicken coop.
11
Our First mentally ill President has no political rudder.
What could go wrong with that ?
10
The president wants whatever the last person in his ear told him.
7
Trump emerged from his office today didn't see his shadow, therefore there will be six more weeks of negotiations.
8
So much winning.
The Dems should pass whatever it is and then when trump and Ryan etc follow through with their lies which surely will happen, the American voters will have more information to base their votes on in November. Sad that we have to specify that it's American voters we're referring to and not Russian.
5
"Not sure" is a heck of a polite way to say that we have a clueless/lying fool in the White House, and a lot of people fighting over whose turn it is to lead him around by the nose.
10
I just spent two weeks in a developing nation with a population that would normally wish for a better relationship with the USA and a chance for a better life here. They are willing to work for it. However, they are astounded at how divided the USA has become. Trump should just keep lounging around, watching TV, playing golf, and Tweeting his irrational, indecisive hate speech. It has benefits:
1. Less people will want to come to a place with a maniacal leader
2. Tweeting is free. A border wall costs billions and is plagued with logistical issues - I hope there is no compromise by the Dems here, or else get the border states to pay for the wall if they want it
3. It is motivating political action against a mostly white, wealthy, selfish patriarchal society and may spark change
Let's hope the tide will turn in favor of Dreamers and social progress.
62
If we all focus on how important Miller is then Daffy Donald will fire him. Daffy can't stand having anyone other than him receive credit for anything.
Daffy reminds me of Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, incompetent but still wanting to play all the parts.
7
Yeah, it’s so very hard to serve as a leader of an increasingly diverse country while at the same time staying true to the narrowing monolithic racist base that got him elected. Kind of like waving off a rescuing ship because of the complexion of the people on-board while his is sinking. Decisions decisions???
9
I do not believe Trump is capable of empathy, and consider his musing over protecting the dreamers as "incredible kids" to be nothing more than running an idea up the flagpole. I wrote about this today: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/22/1734953/-Advisers-are-feeding...
6
Both Stephen Miller and Senator Lindsay Graham are described as outliers in the same article. I suppose it depends on whether you are commenting from inside the White House or outside this manic mansion.
4
President is unsure, really.
When he was sure, did I miss?
3
All these negative missives about our president. Shameful. Maybe there is something going on here the is bigger than all of us. Perhaps he is pretending to be horrible to boost the TV ratings. Maybe he is doing all of the this only to enrich his own pockets. Let's step back and think about this before making a judgement.
3
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
It has been a year. Plus he campaigned for two years prior to getting elected.
He is what he is, what he has always been.
Stop waiting for a miracle.
There is nothing going on behind the curtain. The man is a pure facade.
2
Who are we to question the intelligence of a billionaire? Anyone who can amass that much money is thinking on planes we cannot even conceive. His long term plan is probably so complicated none of us can even understand it. Best we leave him to his genius.
"He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool; shun him."
7
Stephen Miller is a big problem to the administration. He is a very troubled person and should be fired. His parents have my pity.
13
The Democrats and Republicans should just approve whatever they agree on and give it the President’s to sign. He and his staff are so dense that they would not have a clue what they are signing anyway. Just tell them it was a big victory for the GOP. We already know the President does not read. So, go ahead, you have nothing to loose.
5
Trump is a placeholder president. He is not versed on any policy other than marketing ploys, lying about people as well as insulting them (Obama, the entire GOP list of candidates, the media, women, ex-staff members, members of Congress and the Senate, to name a few). He is, at best, a media personality who knows how to keep himself in the limelight. His so-called base does not represent the vast majority of Americans. They have been snookered by his bombast. An electoral college organizational problem of considerable magnitude got him a job for which he is unprepared and intellectually unqualified.
The extreme right controls the GOP, with no regard for the general will of the vast majority of people at large. The GOP will eventually suffer permanent damage for abetting tail-wag-dog policy.
Puppet prop-ups in his staff see Trump's utter failure to lead as their opportunity to pull the strings of policy. The Commander in Chief does not have a clue what he wants (other than to be reelected since it's nice to be prez..). This is what a puppet-presidency looks like. Kelly, someone who sees nukes as a viable alterntive, is inserting himself into policy instead of doing what must be done; that is, to bring the truth of this incompetence to the fore and let the Constitution's procedures work to bring stability to governance. Terms limits for the Congress and Senate must be discussed and implemented as well as unlawful gerrymandering that skews majority representation.
91
Very well stated.
I am not an expert on these issues by any means, but the Center for Immigration Studies has been listed as a hate group by The Southern Poverty Law Center:
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/center-imm...
At that link, the SPL says: "what precipitated listing CIS as an anti-immigrant hate group for 2016 was its repeated circulation of white nationalist and anti-Semitic writers in its weekly newsletter"
The NYTimes cites them in these immigration articles as a group looking for tougher immigration control. This seems like they are normalizing extremes due to the extreme views of the people in power now. It's telling that the only group that journalists can go to for a position supporting the hardliners in the Republican party is one accused of spreading white nationalism.
But, looking at further entries in my search there is this article:
http://www.politifact.com/florida/article/2017/mar/22/center-immigration...
where they discuss how Krikorian denies being the head of a hate group and then they list evidence for and against CIS being a hate group. Ugh, I need to go to work. Let's all be nice to each other.
9
Over the weekend, the White House comment line had a pre-recorded message, the gist of which was the Democrats are holding the government and military funding hostage over an "unrelated" immigration problem. No mention of the 5 republicans, who voted against the budget, or the fact that they control all 3 branches of the government. This is what we are dealing with. Petty, juvenile, and uncompromising people. How do you negotiate when one side refuses to budge or make good on any agreement? It's always heads I win, tails you lose with the Trump administration. Stephen Miller should not be negotiating anything more serious than dinner reservations or tee time. And Kelly's credibility is diminishing by the minute. The fate of hundreds of thousands of people who have lived in America a majority of their lives, and have homes, families, and jobs/businesses, is not a "tiny detail."
9
Trump knows exactly what he wants: American citizens first, this is our country
Assuming that’s true and not just a slogan, he doesn’t know how to make that happen.
3
Trump wouldn't care if 99% of American citizens died a slow painful death and given what his party is doing to health care, that will be the fate of many of us.
2
No, Trump is all about WHITE citizens first. But sorry, America belongs to ALL of us.
1
There is one thing that Trump clearly wants and that is a white America. that requires the deportation of non whites and blocking any non white immigration into the US. He is not alone. That is what his base wants. That is what the so called Freedom Caucus in the House wants. That is Trump's White House staff wants. That is what the directors of ICE and Homeland Security want. They all want the dreamers deported and the way the Republican party opperates they are more than likely to get them deported.
5
With a president who is so shallow and vain, who wants the person with him at the moment to like him, it's no surprise that we're in the mess were in.
This is no way to govern.
Impeach.
8
The headline misses the point in saying "President Unsure of What He Wants Complicates Impasse." In fact, he is sure of what he wants but that has little to do with policies. Trump is absolutely sure -- and I'll leave it to others to determine how much of it is conscious and how much is unconscious -- that he wants to be the center of attention. At that he is laser focused and a true master. The view that he is not clear on policies is because he actually has none, his words, tweets, and actions changing to meet his fundamental goal, attention on himself, preferably cheers, but boos acceptable as preferential to no attention at all.
4
Excellent piece of journalism NYT.
POTUS Trump only wants one thing, well maybe two. First, his massive insecure ego as a narcissist needs continuous preening and adulation. The need to be the center of attention and to have others cower as he behaves like a spoiled 8 year old and middle school bully simultaneously. Second, he wants lots of money and wealth to validate his stature among peers, many who have been far more successful as business people, entertainers, and intellectuals. Trump has learned wealth is the greater equalizer in society - people may hate you and find you boorish, but when you have lots of wealth, they can't ignore you. Megalomania fueled by avarice leads to Marie Antoinette moments, and Donald Trump has shown all Americans he totally lacks any empathy towards the citizens (and non-citizens) of this country.
Couple Trump's deficiencies with an unwillingness to dive in and understand issues because intellectual curiosity and attention to details and viewing the bigger picture is totally lacking, I'm not surprised "Mr. Art-of-the-Deal" can't provide leadership to develop compromises between very impassioned sides of a debate and tough argument.
Republicans might say Trump is providing "leadership", but we all know this is a lie. Republicans are acting as sycophants, knowing Trump's rabid base lacks the same intellectual requirements and are unable to work through the details to craft meaningful compromise. Recipe for failure.
6
So, Trump says yes to everyone. If he were a woman, some folks would invoke a certain word for that behavior. No moral compass, hence a "Stormy"45.
2
If it's true that Schumer accepted Trump's demand for a wall, that negotiation should have been broadcast live on air. Video evidence hasn't stopped the White House from lying before, but at least the truth would've been available for those who still care about the truth.
1
The only way the shutdown ends is for Republicans and Democrats in Congress to ignore Trump entirely and make their own deal without him. Trump will then sign whatever bill they put in his desk and declare himself a big winner.
5
Historians look at the past and try to decide when one era ended and another began. It is harder to be aware, in the present, of when an era is ending and another is beginning, and to act on this insight. Although not recognized by some, the era when our country prospered by welcoming an unlimited number of unskilled, poorly educated immigrants has come to an end. We no longer have land to be cultivated or factory jobs to be filled.
We have entered an era when we need to limit the number of people who move here, and to be selective as to who they are. We could adopt the Canadian immigration system which restricts non-refugee immigrants to those who could contribute to the economy and could easily assimilate.
Lightly restricted immigration once made America great. Now it has become a burden. We should restrict non-refugee immigration to those we need.
"As long as Stephen Miller is in charge of negotiating immigration, we are going nowhere. He’s been an outlier for years.”
The problem with Stephen Miller being the roadblock to sensible immigration policy is easy to solve.
Put him on the cover of Time Magazine.
He'll be chased out of the White House faster than Trump can tweet a flipflop on any given issue.
6
The very simple question is this: do we believe people brought here as young children should have a right - as adults - to petition the government for citizenship or other lawful status? If so, when will the Congress authorize this?
It looks as if Stephen Miller and John Kelly have filled the power vacuum left after Steve Bannon left.
The question is, is Kelly the president and Miller the V.P. or is it the other way around?
7
1. The president does not know what he does not know, say some.
2. But the president does know what he does not know, say others.
3. He would say he knows what he needs to know, and leaves what he does not need to know to others.
4. Be that as it may, Is it true that what he does not know would fill the Atlantic Ocean?
5. And what he does know would fit neatly in his bedside drawer?
1
In a government shutdown,"the president is always to blame," said Trump in 2013. He was right then and he is right now.
2
I am so tired of "winning".. OMG I miss Obama.
Will Farrell mimed "W" by coming out on stage with a smirky smile and asking the audience "How do you like me now ?" It is sadly funny.
5
Until the Alt-Right makes up their minds, Trump won't be able to make up his mind.
8
The Alt-Right should not be a factor in these discussions, period.
They are extremists.
Many folks will be familiar with the concept of "preferred pronouns."
Some folks prefer "She/her/hers" while others prefer "Per/per/pers" while others prefer "They/them/their."
Our president's preferred pronouns: "me/my/mine!!!!"
11
He's in over his head! Come on! We need a coup. This is insanity.
27
Clearly, being a billionaire is not a prerequisite to running a government. Yes, that's what he's supposed to be doing now, running a government.
Maybe he's not a fool, although I remain unconvinced. But he is a crass, hypocritical, pathologically lying snake.
24
Trump: “I hear the Democrats are going to be blamed & the Republicans are going to be blamed [for the shutdown].
I actually think the President would be blamed.”
Apr 7, 2011: Trump’s interview with NBC’s “Today”. Trump blamed the President for a possible 2011 shutdown, now he must blame himself for this shutdown.
9
Darth Vader lives. We thought Bannon leaving would improve things but ultimately trump isn't up to the task and is easily manipulated. That's the reason he has always had a henchman, e.g. Roy Cohn or his ilk, and his children around to run interference and run the business. Trump is so far in over his head we are drowning, and Kelly and his little sidekick Miller know it. They are the new power behind the throne. Machiavelli would be proud.
15
"President Not Sure" ? It's official. The United States has finally followed in the footsteps where the satirical sci fi movie "Idiocracy", in 2006 suggested we would go.
Check out President Not Sure's address to the nation in the movie. You are going to wish he was he was your president. It's that good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHm6FsgJM8
9
The one thing we can be sure of..
Trump wants to keep "Stormy Daniels" off the front page, and off the evening TV news.
The latest name for the White House is..(Besides "The House of Lies")
"Diversions-R-Us"
11
Democrats- do not settle for promises. Keep the government closed until you get a real piece of legislation protecting Dreamers and CHIP and defering funding for the wall until 2021
12
Defer? Why fund the National Bigotry Monument at all?
Ah, c'mon, we know what our racist president wants. It's no more black immigration. At that White House meeting with sens. Durbin and Graham he made it very clear. Imagine all those republican congress people, including Secretary of Homeland Security, and only one democrat to bear witness to the despicable tirade. Except for Durbin and Graham they are too cautious to admit that the president is their spokesman. This group all want what he described. They are equally racist in their actions and agenda.
11
Trump is inexperienced at being anything other than an brute autocrat, which he was able to be when he ran his own private business. Subtlety eludes him, complexity baffles him, and disagreement enrages him. Neither his experience, nor his emotional constitution, equip him to deal with the realities of governing.
Indeed, Trump is not sure what he wants, because the matters at stake, unlike the construction of a wall, are simply too complicated for him to grasp.
13
One good thing to come from all this is Senator Graham calling out the usually behind the scenes power of Stephen Miller and also the inappropriate policy role Kelly has assumed for himself. Miller is the dark force behind so many of this administration's terrible actions, executive orders, etc. His agenda is not for the good of the country and he should be removed from such a position of power over the president.
Maybe if enough people point out to Trump that he is the policy puppet of Miller, it will activate the president's TV ego enough to say "You're fired" to Miller! One can only hope. Meanwhile let's keep the spotlight on Miller's excessive influence on President Trump. Check out his background and influences.
Tough times for the country.
13
Maybe if Trump were a reader, he would see the Miller and Kelly are getting CREDIT for the policy he is now following, then his EGO will become enraged. He could lash out at them publically and follow his earlier, better instincts to help the dreamers. I know that this is wishful thinking, but maybe the press should write some laudatory article about the other two and leave Trump out.
6
Trump loves to give people nicknames; I haven't heard any as apt as when he was called Jell-o. I hope Jello Trump sticks. He is responsible for this debacle, and the Republicans who lie to prop him up are right behind him.
10
Has Trump ever been sure of what he wants? It seems to change depending on whats on TV.
6
The 'Tuesday' Trump revealed a not-so-secret secret. He said he'd sign anything that was sent to him. McConnell should accept that truism and just make a deal with Democrats. Then if negotiations with the House produce a bill, send it to the President. Schumer and Graham are right. There is no way to negotiate with Jell-O nor with someone who doesn't know what he wants. So just pass SOMETHING however imperfect it may be. He'll sign it.
6
Experience being a worthy teacher, where it comes to believing that Donald J. Trump or Senator McConnell would really keep his word to Democrats, one might borrow from a noted Republican president with a slight change:
Don't Trust and Verify.
1
So the son of an unskilled economic immigrant (Trump's mother) and grandson of two others (his father's parents) and husband of two immigrants who has 4 children parented by immigrants is taking a hard line on immigration. The hypocrisy of this should astonish me but it sadly does not.
We don't normally hold 8 year old children who commit murder responsible for that crime and punish them as adults, so why do Trump and the immigration hardliners hold those who were 8 (or 2 or 5 or 10) year old children when they came here responsible for the "crime" of crossing the border without permission and labeling them criminals and punishing them? The Dreamers were not able to make legal or illegal choices; the should not be punished.
8
Leave the small stuff to the staff??? What is the "big stuff?" The government is "shut down" while this debate rages on, with no plan from POTUS, and we are told this is small stuff he does not need to know.
Each day I become more convinced the man is just in his toy room playing while his staff create the image he is in charge. Unelected, unpopular aids are running the country.
8
He's not sure of 'what he wants' in this crisis because he's not sure of how he can keep playing the president game. Mueller lurks. His media are shrieking like the subversives of 1933, and it's all an attack on the honest media. He was described in 2016 as a clear and present danger. Is anyone surprised?
6
Trump is an incompetent with zero values, morals or philosophy which is why he "doesn't know what he wants." The only things he values are himself and money. That's it.
14
The picture of Trump on the phone in the Oval Office over the weekend says it all.
Empty desktop, an empty head posing with a phone to his ear, no one on the other end of the line.
Trump is lost, lonely and wants to be loved and adored.
It's all so sad. This little boy in a 71 year old body is ripping the country to pieces with his endless need for validation.
30
I whole heartedly concur - a pitiful sight to behold indeed. But as pitiful as a sight made by the most insecure person to ever hold office, if not to ever draw a breathe,...what’s worse and infinitely more appalling is what it says about us as a country to put such a person in that position. I’ve shaked my head in utter disbelief everyday since Nov. 8, 2016.
4
In photographs of other presidents at their desk in the Oval Office, there are usually at least some stacks of papers, presidential reading. Every picture of Trump's desk shows it empty.
2
This mess is now the Deer in the Headlights Administration with Elmer Fudd as its bumbling leader.
13
"A President Not Sure of What He Wants Complicates the Shutdown Impasse"
"But Mr. Trump is also a showman who is intensely focused on pleasing the audience in front of him at the moment, a habit that some confidants believe has led to misunderstandings about what the president is actually willing to accept in any deal. He often leaves people with the impression that he agrees with them, stressing whatever position is convenient at the time."
your headline about the president not sure what he wants is dead wrong but the showman charming his audience nails it perfectly.
this is what's going on with trump. his policy stance is clear and consistent with kelly, miller and a majority of the house gop caucus.
those who say he's unsure and like jello are mischaracterizing trump to undermine his credibility on the issue and for political reasons; those who genuinely believe he's not sure what he wants just aren't paying attention.
the reality is that the house gop holds all the cards on immigration as they will not accept anything that's not right of center; forget the senate.
2
Your analysis is contrary to several close aides and associates who say that he agrees with the person he spoke to most recently. To me, "jello" is an apt description. "Jello Donnie" should be his new nickname -- although I'm torn with "Draft Dodger Donnie" which is more alliterative.
6
Here we have a situation where Our Elected Congressmen and Senators are being overruled by two unelected helpers of the President. What kind of President allows this? He is the one who should be directing them. Not the other way around. It is obvious that we need a different President. NOW!
12
The reality is that trump doesn't care about policy. He is too preoccupied with power, money and the need to be adored.
7
I think when all is said and done, Gen. Kelly should get a distinguished service medal for ensuring Pres. Trump is not blindsided by one faction or another, but that he hears both sides of the argument.
It should be obvious to Trump and GOP:
The majority of Americans do not support hard-line, far-right, extremist immigration policy.
When Trump removes Stephen Miller and replaces him with a qualified moderate, he will find more success in negotiating with those Democrats who represent the majority of moderate American voters.
Until then, and until the GOP stops bending to the Extremist Freedom Caucus, they can expect nothing but opposition.
America, by it's nature, is more center than either party is willing to admit. In fact, the majority of America likely polls more LEFT of center.
Also, REPEAL CITIZENS UNITED. Small numbers of rich, EXTREMIST ideologues like the Kochs and Mercers should not be able to hold our Democracy hostage.
Justice John Roberts should be ashamed of himself.
12
" Mr. Trump is also a showman who is intensely focused on pleasing the audience in front of him at the moment ..." This is the erroneous thrust of too many discussions of Trump's behavior.
The flaw in that logic is the embarrassment that ought to occur as a result of being repeatedly corrected by his staff. No CEO with an honest cognitive grasp of what was going on around him would suffer that continuing embarrassment.
The concept of a day care center expressed by Sen. Corker seems appropriate. The vision of a 12 mo. old child learning to walk with adults providing assistance seems far more appropriate than that of a "stable genius."
8
Trump’s word, or signature, are worthless.
6
The Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, was on national tv Sunday morning. He had some VERY IMPORTANT news for the country, which has INTENTIONALLY been buried by the Mainstream Media. As anyone who pays attention to the process of funding the Government should know, ALL spending Bills are mandated by the US Constitution to originate in the House. They are then considered by the Senate and differences negotiated. The negotiated Bills are then passed and signed by the POTUS. HERE is the important part-- As of September 2017, A FULL FOUR MONTHS AGO, the House had completed and passed ALL twelve Appropriation Bills necessary to fund Fiscal 2018, and sent them to the Senate for consideration. ALL TWELVE BILLS were fillibustered by MR Schumer and Senate Democrats, and therefore, by Senate Rules , could not be brought to the floor for consideration , debate or votes. Senate Dems are Railing on National television about governing via short term bills and blaming Republicans for the problem. THEY ARE MISLEADING YOU. We are in the current situation because of their ABSOLUTE REFUSAL to allow even a single House Appropriation Bill to come to the Senate Floor for consideration. They have been using EVERY procedural dirty trick possible to derail the funding of the government for over four months and now, are not willing to take the blame for the situation they intentionally created. The sad comedy continues...
And the Democrats have every right to block legislation they don't like using the same methods that the Republicans have used for years. Remember McConnell saying that his goal was to see that nothing passed that Obama or the Democrats wanted. So you might as well cut out the all caps outrage and search your memory back just over a year ago. It's both sickly funny and pathetic to realize how short Republican memories are.
5
The GOP DID NOT apply a blanket fillibuster to ALL twelve appropriation bills, with NO attempt to negotiate, like the Dems did this time. They objected to Funding certain aspects of O-care, so they voted against what they objected to. Of course minorities have a right to try and block items with which they disagree, but the Negotiate Nothing, Fillibuster All approach is specific to this fiscal 2018 budget process and has not been seen before.
"A shutdown falls on the President's lack of leadership. He can't even control his party and get people together in a room. A shutdown means the President is weak."
- Donald J. Trump, 2013
5
As has been said many times, there is a lack of leadership at the top. A President who is not sure what he wants and a congress where one side is battling to keep what we have in terms of social programs, and the other, intent on destroying it. Trump wants to be able to say, I really want protections for DACA while the Republicans say "oh yah we will negotiate" with no intention to get it done. In the end, the Democrats will be blamed and all illegals will be deported.
“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.”
― H.L. Mencken
Welcome to America's collapsed IQ: TRUMP 2018
141
@Socrates: "Democracy is the concept that the common people know what they want.....and deserve to get it, good and hard!" H.L.Mencken
1
When will Republicans face the fact like the majority of Americans already know that an unqualified egotistical maniac, and want to be king is incapable of being a leader in a democracy?
13
I wouldn't put it quite that way.
Trump is quite sure what he wants. He wants what is best for him. Being President is his get out of jail free card. The bankrupter in chief craves adulation and moolah.
Humanity, meaning, a hospitable earth? Not in his TV room, or in his corrupt brainbox, trained by Roy Cohn and Roger Miller, and supported by mean racists like General Kelley.
12
Can anyone, aside from Robert Mueller, say with 'complete certainty' Trump's enabling a 'shutdown' isn't payback on his loans from Putin backed oligarchs?
5
Stop listening to Miller. He's poison, untrustworthy and dangerous.
18
Forget the shutdown. That this congress has allowed Trump to serve in office for a year is the biggest failure of our government. Perhaps ever. He is unfit, unqualified and entirely unable to do the job--in any capacity. He lacks emotional stability, all ethical or moral character and doesn't have the intellectual capacity to comprehend even the basics of our foreign or domestic policies. He's a puppet and a shill. Yes, partly for this republican congress, partly for the pentagon. And he's clearly only working for himself and his businesses. But who else is he a shill for? That's a frightening prospect.
17
It looks like the President is doing nothing because he wants to divide Republicans and Democrats even more so the people can cast doubt on our political system. That is what Russia wants and that is what Trump is doing.
18
Maybe Trump isnt taking a definitive position on the issue because he knows that whatever it is, Dems will be against it. Why give them a hard target to oppose?
For goodness sake, put a bipartisan bill in front of him and tell him if he doesn't sign he owns the shutdown lock, stock, and barrel, but that Congress has done its job and will do no more. Trump will sign it because he never takes the blame for anything, and he will say he got exactly what he wanted and that it is the best bill ever. Problem solved.
155
Basically that was done last week, and he said yes but the extreme right congressional caucus Cotton, McCarthy, etc, call up Kelly and Miller all day long and they in turn feed Trump their reactionary dogma and easily change his mind. Remember, Miller and Kelly standing on either side of him, the bill on his desk, he will always cave.
6
While that is all very true, you are forgetting that bipartisan legislation would still have to get past Roadblock McConnel.
If anyone owns this fiasco it's the Senator from Kentucky. The Democrats should be shouting that little fact from the rooftops.
2
Safe upon the solid rock: I love your idea, but stephen miller and john kelly will not allow trump to sign it. They are in charge, don't you know? trump cannot even change his underwear without their approval, it seems.
4
" The captain is in the chartroom, Gazing on a star.
He don't know where we're going cause he don't know where we are"
Grand Funk Railroad
14
I've just finished Michael Wolff's Fire & Fury. For anyone crying foul of its central message, that Trump is not fit for purpose as Commander In Chief, a read of this article goes such a long way to support that premise.
11
The President's unreliability, confusion, inconsistent positions & inability to grasp details is due mainly to mental unfitness. Without Bannon to guide him, he has to rely upon someone else-- Tom Cotton for example-- hence all the micro-managing congressional phone calls to Mr. Kelly. The other day, Trump emerged with Kevin McCarthy at his side. McCarthy looked for all the world like a bodyguard, placed there to prevent Trump from contracting himself. Trump is dangerously exploitable by domestic and foreign foes alike because he is mentally unfit and unstable. Now, the far right wing of the Republican Party has finally figured out how to exploit him thru Kelly.
17
This is a hard one for Trump; he doesn't benefit directly so he's unsure. Though it is my thought he would be against DACA so he can please his base.
14
What a disaster our government is! The President is incompetent and clueless, changing his mind and his opinions by the minute. The Republican majority in the House and Senate are running around like mice in a maze, accomplishing nothing. Isn't this the time Superman should swoop down and fix it all?
11
What does number 45 want? Well, first - as with all insecure, spoiled children who know they are inadequate and unloved - he wants to be the centre of attention. He wants to hold his breath and stomp his feet while everyone around him runs around trying everything to make him happy. This makes him fell important.
He is not smart enough to craft a deal on his own. He is not confident enough to have his staff handle it. He is not smart enough to gather the facts, study the information and make up his own mind.
This will not end quickly.
26
What can the American people make of the Republican's like Mick Mulvaney joking about being in charge of his first government shutdown on Fox, or Donald Trump tweet out months ago about needing a good government shutdown or Eric Trump saying a government shutdown is good politics for his father?
The Democrats have continually offered bills to fund troops, continue the government and Donald Trump keeps telling the Republican's not to negotiate.
What we have is a Republican President in Trump and a Republican congress that is obstructing themselves, when they control all three branches of government, they don't know how to legislate.
203
The reason for the Bully in Chief’s inability to make decisions on things that matter to Americans is that he has no experience in public office or in public finance.
Remember the guy went bankrupt four times trying to game the system but on his own account and not in a public office. And he was caught with fraud and blew it four times !!!
This “All Show and no Content” in Chief president is America’s biggest liability !!!
Moreover, the Republicans of both houses are behaving like puppet lap-dogs to their wealthy lobbyists, interest groups and patrons, who are revelling in their tax cuts and making lots of money in the stock markets.
The result is that the Republicans of both houses lack the moral courage to do something about the Bully in Chief !!!
There is a desperate and real need for true leadership of the caliber of FDR who will lead and guide America forward !!!
9
One of my favorite signs being carried at the Women's March this Saturday in NYC read "Elect a Clown- Get a Circus" - Never so true or apt!
10
"I alone can fix this"
There are consequences to cancelling everything Obama, and the president will not learn a thing from this self imposed shutdown, but...........
"What have you got to lose"
9
Really tired of headlines like this: "President not sure of what he wants." This guy has zero leadership skills and is uninterested in governing or the pubic interest. It's simply all about one thing: The Donald. Governing should not be about "what he wants" but about leading in the interest of the country as a whole. But the only thing this crass buffoon cares about is "What would be best for him hold onto power, maintain the most so chaotic environment, focus attention somewhere other than on the investigation into corruption and collaboration with Russia so he can grab more of the public's money for himself and his Mar-a-Lago cronnies. He has no moral or even political compass. And neither do the sycophants surrounding him and providing a veneer of legitimacy.
13
Why do we even entertain what he says as having even a semblance of reality? We all know this man is mentally and morally bankrupt and is living in a fantasy world, a TV reality nonsense show. By trying to figure out what he says or wants is to give credibility to his insanity. Let's just call him what he is...a nut job, a con man, a liar, and a man incapable of demonstrating leadership in any capacity. Children in pre-kindergarten make more sense than this sad excuse we have in WH. All he cares about is about is watching TV, playing with his twitter, and playing golf, none of which qualifies as leadership or Presidential.
12
This is what happens when people elect a candidate who promises everything - or something different depending on the audience. It's impossible to deliver on any promise.
The tragedy is that the sharpest minds in the media - and Clinton's own campaign political consultants - didn't cover Trumps own policy contradictions. The most powerful opposition ads would have been split screens showing him spouting two sides of the same position on the campaign trail. Instead, the media followed the bait and gave unwarranted scrutiny to Clinton's emails while ignoring Trumps policy contradictions - making the election based on personality: Clinton's untrustworthy vs Trump the TV pitchman.
No wonder people are looking for another celebrity to get us out of this mess.
10
Trump was elected to put an end to illegal immigration. He should stand his ground and do what he promised them. The democrats are splitting the US citizens who want control over their borders. Since when it has become taboo to decide who comes in. Now illegal aliens are dictating our policies. Wrong!
Why not just indulge his well documented weakness for flattery? You could end the shutdown in minutes.
3
Because Kelly & Miller have him locked in his playroom until they scuttle any possible DACA deal.
3
Geez, I thought we learned in the primary campaign; Trump is a know-nothing liar who can't make a deal because he is a know-nothing liar.
12
I suggest one way of ensuring the GOP are held responsible for every lie, every reversal, every failed negotiation, every moral failing of the president and the party is to assign the blame to one man; Donald Trump.
He may be a symptom, he may be a figurehead, he may be a puppet..who cares? Start every story, every Democratic party lament with this assertion; we cannot do x because Trump is a liar, we cannot achieve y because Trump is using his office to profit, we cannot achieve z because Trump is a coawardly leader...
Hold that man to account. Forget about his enablers; they will all be tarred with a very legitimate brush.
6
Love Is A Learned Trait.
Hate Is A Learned Trait.
Prejudice Is A Learned Trait.
And Organized Crime Is A Learned Trait.
7
Ha! Sen. Graham was called "an outlier for years"? Good luck finding a more relevant politician in America, Gidley.
2
He was parroting a line Graham had used to describe Stephen Miller. One of them was right. Enough said!
1
What we have here is a self-manufactured crisis by the man who says he is the master negotiator, and what the country is finding out is that Donald Trump can't negotiate himself out of the paper bag.
Donald Trump idea of negotiating his to try and bully, not negotiate in good faith, continually move the goal post, then throw down a take or leave it offer walking away.......there is a reason that Donald Trump was a pariah in the New York business community and no one wanted to deal with him or trust him.
I think the Republican's better get Tony Schwartz to negotiate for them, since he is actual author of "The Art of the Deal" for Donald Trump, it's obvious that Donald Trump hasn't read his own book and doesn't have a clue when it comes to making a deal!
7
The President can vacillate all he wants. I seriously doubt he is reined in by his staff. Isn't he supposed to be insane anyways?
2
Do not get me wrong. But where are the tweets now? It is scary to have an incompetent and uninformed President who can easily be influenced by inexperienced, racist people around him.
Is this America First, now? Thou don't know the Art of Deal?
2
You can't trust or negotiate with a terrorist like Trump.
3
The only for sure thing about Trump is he wants the Mueller investigation to go away, he could care less about anyone or anything else..some kind of "stable genius"
4
He leaves the small stuff to his hired help. The lives of 800,000 Dreamers and the shutting down of our government are small things!?! Only in the minds of small people these are small things.
2
I love this hearsay, guesswork reporting.
He may know exactly what he wants...and I'm sure he does. Others, from BOTH parties, pushing and pulling from all sides doesn't mean he doesn't know what he wants.
At every turn you attempt to make this man out a fool. If he is so dumb...explain his billionaire status. Even if true that his father gave him everything to start...explain how he took a few million and turned it into billions. If it is so easy...why aren't the brilliant men and women of the New York Times all billionaires?
9
A. He's Not a billionaire, not even close.
B. He has a lifelong history of corrupt dealings and not paying.
C. He is a fool, in every manner and every tweet.
D. Billions do not equal brilliance.
19
I think you are the only person writing here who is sure "he knows what he wants". That to me is the meaning of simple, blind faith. Sadly this is not a good precedent for a functioning government, as it is an experiment of a novice with prejudiced ideas and shoot form the hip answers it is an utter failure.
7
He had about $200M at his father's passing. He turned it into Billions by using lawyers specifically a Mr Cohen, not the current one, to protect him from the consequences of his follies. The NYT did a recent article in which his wealth is estimated at $8B today. They then go on to point out that if he had conservatively invested that $200M when his father passed he would be worth $12B today. He's so brilliant that he one of the most greedy men in 100 years lost out on $4B dollars.
7
How exactly do "security measures" have anything to do with people whom have been here for years and are living as law abiding Americans serving in the military, working or attending school?
There is an unspoken resentment here. I think people like Mr Miller want them all deported. There is no other rational reason to be opposing settling the matter especially since Schumer basically gave the president everything he said he wanted.
Miller and the rest of the holdouts are wanting to do something that makes them feel like they have "power" and further's the suppression of their intrinsic insecurity in the face of people they feel inferior to.
8
Miller & Kelly don't even want LEGAL immigration, which shows the real foundation for their thinking. They're like those "fine people" with tiki torches.
3
Here is one the reasons we should never hire an outsider for President. They do not have government experience to parse right from wrong, their opinions are useless and they are at the mercy of the “insiders” they hire to make their way through their responsibilities. Add to it that Trump is essentially dis-interested in his responsibilities and temperamentally unsuited for the Presidency.
7
When the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, the first thing they did was get a valid Visa stamp from the local authorities. That is how all Europeans are "Legal,: right?
7
trump knows what he wants. he wants to be loved, universally ansd without qualification, to be wrapped in warm, reassuring love.
3
I could not detest Lindsey Graham more if he showed up in the halls of Congress wearing a cowboy hat instead of a baseball cap. In my humble opinion, any grown man who shows up to his job in a baseball cap should be sent home to don more appropriate clothing. Petty? Nit-picky? I think not. Our elected officials dressing like running our government is some sort of hobby or little league coaching operation is damaging our national image, not to mention their own reputations.
You might want to check out some pictures of Trump before you criticize the ball cap. The only thing different is that Trump makes money on each cap that's sold.
2
The Republican Party forever owns the Trump disaster. They are 100% to blame for an unqualified, ill-prepared, unstable, unsure president. 100%...
12
I think the republicans are more or less fine with the current status quo. As thieves, they've robbed the bank, made plenty of key judicial appointments, dismantled some of the govt, which was the original design of Bannon et al, and have cut expenditures. They know they should get trounced in the next election, so they'll take whatever and be on their way having created much disarray.
Unfortunately, it'll be up to the dems to clean up the mess once again and get the blame.
8
That the President is "unsure" of what he wants, and that he is "disconnected" from the negotiations have been the talking points adopted by the Democrats and their allies in the media since the shutdown. But in fact, the shutdown has been orchestrated to kibosh the president's gala one-year anniversary and to kowtow to the radical base that styles itself the "resistance" to all things Trump. No one is fooled by the spin that Trump is the cause of the shutdown. Get ready for "release the memo" momentum and the bombshell that the FBI has "lost" emails (again).
1
Just stop with the nonsense. You can't say "no one" thinks the shutdown is Trump's fault. In fact, the majority does.
9
According to CNN? But its all moot now. Now about those "lost" emails...
It is obvious that our alleged "President" is too much dominated by staff members who have extremist agendas, and he has no mind of his own. I know the President should have to know everything about everything, but this one has no clear goal or agenda of his own, aside from putting on a show and making money off it.
3
General Kelly has no business advising Trump on immigration policy or any other policy for that matter, but the real problem is Miller, with his cold demeanor and lack of empathy and a long history of racist attitudes. Trump is so eager to please and be liked that he vacillates on policy decisions, because he has no policy, no vision, no backbone. Three more years of this dangerous approach to governing, as he grows even more bubbled-headed.
5
The headline misses the point in saying "President Unsure of What He Wants Complicates Impasse." In fact, he is sure of what he wants but that has little to do with policies. Trump is absolutely sure -- and I'll leave it to others to determine how much of it is conscious and how much is unconscious -- that he wants to be the center of attention. At that he is laser focused and a true master. The view that he is not clear on policies is because he actually has none, his words, tweets, and actions changing to meet his fundamental goal, attention on himself, preferably cheers, but boos acceptable as preferential to no attention at all.
7
The Republicans over the years have called various Democratic candidates "flip-floppers." I don't hear that word now that one of their own (in name only, it seems) is in the White House.
4
So true, this current White House occupant is the all time, world record holder for flip flopping. No competition.
1
I know what I want. I want our congress to operate through collaboration and compromise so that all of us are represented. It is wrong to obstruct compromise as done by the Republican party for the past 9 years and as this President is doing now. Everyone needs a voice.
6
“The misconception is that the president does not know what he does not know. In my experience, the reality is that the president knows what he does not know and does not think he needs to know it,” said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign adviser. “He’s a C.E.O. The tiny details are for his staff.”
Yeah, I also know what the president does not know. Pretty much everything that is not specifically about him personally. But I hope the "tiny details" are not something that his staff have to deal with, because THAT could be embarrassing, for them.
3
At this point, I think $18 billion for The Wall would be money well spent. It would give Trump something to do that he nominally understands. He could supervise the construction, pick out some colors for The Wall, and leave the grown-ups alone to get some work done.
9
You could do a better job?
Run for office
Both the Senate and the House seem poised to agree on a continuing resolution which would end the current shutdown, while protecting the DACA “Dreamers” and CHIP.
They are being stopped by two white men – one young and one old – who have not been elected anyone. It is absolutely incredible!
Stephen Miller and John F. Kelly are the two unelected men, both members of Donald Trump’s staff, who are holding America hostage.
Miller and Kelly are hyper-conservative ideologues who hate immigration to the United States in any form, especially when it involves persons of color. Both Miller and Kelly also have demonstrated prejudice against black Americans whose families have lived in America for many generations.
Forget, for a moment, Donald Trump whose cluttered mind and sensitive ego make it impossible for him to focus on any serious policy issues.
How can men like Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan and other Republican leaders in Congress bow meekly to two radicals – Miller and Kelly – who have not won at the polling booths the right to impose themselves on the nation?
6
Have you won at the polling booth? We do not want DACA
Military and CHIPS are in the bill
I once had a boss who reminds me of Trump. He was not the brightest understood little about the nuances of anything and were it not for his staff, had little talent for getting things done. However, with his big booming voice he came off as someone of power who got things done. Like Trump, perhaps his greatest flaw was that no matter what the best decision was, he always seemed to listen to the last person who had his ear.
3
We will all pay for this chaos, this lack of critical thinking, this greed and this corruption. The "payment" has already started. New studies, new evidence all around us that America is in decline, the country's wealth disparity and control by the elite has given us Trump. This year China will surpass us in retail sales which means American companies will now shift strongly to selling in China, which pulls them away from America -- it pulls their money, their interests and their product designs to China. Just another sign of our decline. Wait until Social security, Medicare have to be cut, then we will start to look like Nicaragua. Think about the opioid epidemic. 100 people a day in USA die from that. Factories gone because of all the weaknesses of capitalism. K-12 education deteriorating. Children can't think because they are staring at their cell phones all day. Entertainment and consumerism prevail as we deteriorate. The Federal government is in chaos an can't make the simplest decisions about immigration. Immigration! It's not rocket science, it's not that critical, it's only immigration! So we don't touch climate change and all the other item noted above. Ask yourself why this is happening.
2
The U.S.A. and the states educate whoever walks in their doors. They are not allowed to ask and do not know the legal status of their students. That results in heroic efforts to teach English along with subject content, per our rigorous standards, to those lacking those skills. America is shooting ourselves in the foot to deport those at the beginning stages of becoming productive, life long taxpayers right after we have spent billions educating them. The economics alone are absurd!
2
I know what he soesn't want, and isn't interest in. That's what's best for the country as a whole, benefitting the common good and majority with the least disruption.
3
It is indeed unfortunate that immigration policy is being shaped, in part, by Stephen Miller. He can only be described, in the most generous terms, as someone with disturbingly racist views; he is a provocateur who enjoys stirring up feelings of inferiority in his supporters.
Mr. Trump would be well-advised to seek counsel elsewhere.
303
For that matter, the Times should be reporting on both what Miller is actually doing now, and his past actions with Sessions and the groups he has worked with.
If an avowed racist is determining national policy, you need to call it out, specifically and call Miller what he is.
5
But Mr. Trump agrees with Stephen Miller's disturbingly racist views. And besides, there is no "well-advising" Donald Trump. He surrounds himself with yes-men until they embarrass him for some reason and he fires them. We really can't lay the current debacle at the feet of a miscreant like Stephen Miller, as much as I would like to.
"And Republican leaders, bruised by past experience with a president who has rarely offered them consistent cover on a politically challenging issue, are loath to guess at his intentions."
Republican leaders (the intelligent ones) are evidently learning about dealing with Trump. His followers still believe that Trump is sent from God.
And Alex Conant's statement:
“This is what happens when you have a president who is not clear and consistent on what he will accept: It emboldens all parties to take positions that they won’t compromise.”
When you talk with Trump followers, each has his or her own interpretation of what Trump wants.
And Stephen Miller:
"...he cut his teeth on Capitol Hill as a lonely gladiator against bipartisan efforts to overhaul the immigration system and provide a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million unauthorized immigrants."
Why are all these extremists, like Bannon, off on their own? It's dangerous to have these people advising a confused president.
And the irresponsible Hogan Gidley:
“As long as Senator Graham chooses to support legislation that sides with people in this country illegally and unlawfully instead of our own American citizens, we’re going nowhere,” said Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman. “He’s been an outlier for years.”
Anyone who has any intellectual capacity whatsoever knows that Lindsey Graham understands politics and is with the mainstream. It's Gidley who's the perverse outlier.
We're in for a long year.
9
When history is written 100 years from now, people won’t be able to believe that this incompetent was President.
26
I can't believe it now.
The immigration phobia is proving so difficult to get over by Trump as to make him comfortable even under the uncertainty of the government shutdown.
4
Now that Bannon's gone - 'It's Miller Time'! Apparently Stephen Miller now has Trump's ear and is making the decisions, since Trump has no idea how government works, or how to make a deal. No one voted in 'President" Miller, and isn't he below the legal age to be president anyway?
54
When you have a leader who is incompetent, who hasn't a clue what's going on, who is more interested in cheeseburgers, diet cokes and Fox and Friends than doing what he was elected (God help us) to do...there's chaos and I don't see that changing over the next 3 years (God help us)..... My fear now is that this fool will get re-elected (GOD HELP US)
4
This is what happens when we have a President that doesn't know issues, or legislation, and has a guy like Stephen Miller elitist xenophobe with a racist and White supremacist mindset manipulating Trump's mind.
52
This is confusing. I was unaware that Kelly and Miller controlled the Senate. But the statement by them "John F. Kelly, and senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, make clear afterward that such a compromise was not really in the offing — unless it also included a host of stiffer immigration restrictions" leads me to wonder who is really running this show. Trump has placed a group of extremists in the WH and this group appears to be a replacement for him. So is our immigration policy from Kelly and Miller or Trump? This is more than one should expect from advisers. The GOP has it's own ideas on immigration and they may not fit with Kelly and Miller. Or perhaps it is Kelly and Miller who the GOP fear and will give in to their wishes. Oh for some clarity. No government can stand this for very long without breaking apart. Just what Trump really wanted?
12
Who are you trying to kid with this article? Another bash Trump article. The President has been clear on what he wants ever since before the election. The only Democrat agenda is obstruct everything and anything this President does...apparently even at the cost of military families and families needing CHIP and many more. I am disgusted at the Democratic party. Putting politics and illegal aliens above American citizens.
He said he supported a DACA amnesty law and then reneged or he’s been lying all along.
8
Didn't Republicans try to stop everything Obama wanted to do. Additionally, they publicly announced what they were doing. What to you expect?
2
@Sheldon, you validate my point that Trump supporters read into Trump's statements whatever they want.
4
this is what5 happens when you elect somebody not because she knows what she's doing but because he's telling you what you want to hear
17
Are WE SURE the "President" is NOT sure of WHAT HE WANTS? He WANTS more pats on the back, more praise for every breath he takes, more laudatory comments in ALL the media, more ways to keep collecting more money from the taxpayers, more ways to get away from the Russian Investigations, MORE of everything he is now only getting from FOX (FAKE) News!!! His 'base' and he
are convinced "stupidity is a virtue"!!!
23
It's not that Trump is a maverick that has plans that go again the system, he has no plans at all just slogans that his followers eat up. He doesn't know how to fill in the blanks or put together a cohesive plan the needs more that just a reversal of an Executive Order. In addition he has a staff that have their own agendas. it's not just about the economy stupid.
7
He isn't able to rub two words together and get a cogent sentence. He hasn't a single original thought. He is able to tweet nonsensical and useless musings. He can bloviate with the best blowhards on the planet. He wastes precious resources and time. He doesn't read, think or plan. He does love to chase women, especially those who don't really want anything to do with him, or work in the sex industry.
He spends lots of time thinking of new ways to cheat the system while avoiding paying his fair share of income taxes. He avoided serving in the military. He appears to be a racist, misogynist and pathological liar. And, in the very near future, with the help of Mueller and our intelligence services, his alleged treason and money laundering schemes will be exposed.
All in all, 45 is a failure as a leader and human being. He can lie, obfuscate, tweet, pose, golf, self-enrich and hide, but the truth will always shine a light on his misdeeds and our democracy will end his tyranny.
28
Meet our new co-Presidents, John Kelly and Stephen Miller.
I'm sure they two will be grace the next cover of Time Magazine!
And Donald will be so proud.
10
No, absolutely *no one* is greater than the Donald. Maybe an article about Kelly and Miller buried in the back pages.
While clueless Trump tries to show a resolve that is 'evolving' from moment to moment, he is being 'inspired' by a rigid republican doctrinaire and nasty white supremacist called Stephen Miller; to apply cruelty gratis to immigrants brought here as children by their undocumented parents, and who know no other country but these United States is a disgrace. Using them as a political football is despicable. They ought to be accepted as an integral part of the American community, period. Have Trump and Miller forgotten they themselves come from immigrants that escaped persecution, and allowed to have a new life on this side of the Atlantic? The 'Dreamers', so far, have contributed to these United States so much more talent that Trump and Miller combined couldn't even dream of. Building walls instead of bridges is so shortsighted it stinks. And ignoring the richness of our diversity a tremendous loss, proper only in a 'closed mind'. Excluding 'the other' is tribal at it's worst, and will go on to destroy the trust in our democratic institutions...and the trust in each other to be able to do what's right.
11
Hard to believe the other White House racist, Jeff Sessions, can't find his way into this fray. If our Prez is the "least racist person..." I wonder why he has surrounded himself with staff who also deserve the label. Making America white again, one day at a time.
10
I think the fact is that many politicians did not want to associate themselves with the Trump administration, and thus he ended up with staff who would not be first choice for the Executive Office.
1
We have no functioning President. He sits at an empty desk without a coherent thought in his head. Sorry, we did not elect Steven Miller, or Steven Bannon, or Jared Kushner, or.......we elected a vacant suit, a potted plant who gets watered twice a day...
68
We have the first Presidential Trainee in the new television Reality show at the Whitehouse and it is a failure in the ratings.
57
President Trump seems very sure of what he wants: adulation from his base supporters. although he doesn't have actual positions of his own, he spends most of his energy promoting his own popularity, much of it trying to,read what will go over best with his supporters, tryig things out on Twitter, and making bellicose and nutty statements.
don't let the baggy dark suits or red caps fool you: this emperor has no clothes.
21
He will parrot whatever he hears last- be it Fox News, Stephen "The Weasel" Miller, "Comatose" Ben Carson. This is a man with no convictions- except for anything that benefits him directly.
25
New book out soon by Trump: The Art of Being Told What I Want By My Handlers
43
Intellectual lightweight, moral vacuum.
38
Please, not three more years of this insanity!
27
I think the most surprising thing for me about the Trump presidency is how uncertain he is, despite the bluster, the bragging, the yelling, the image he's set up for himself as some sort of consummate deal maker.
That he's so easily rolled by staffers like Stephen Miller, whose arrogance and insolence are inexplicable save for the fact he knows his boss is malleable to a fault, shows tremendous weakness.
A man who doesn't know his own mind trying to be a Supreme Leader in some sort of authoritarian mode is really an anomaly in history. Most authoritarians, would be or otherwise, know exactly what they want.
World leaders are watching and waiting to pounce, knowing the US is being led by a paper tiger in a Manhattan suit, a man with no sound instincts or nuance.
This man is a coward: a mean-spirited, vindictive coward, but a coward all the same.
128
Did that Canadian Test cover memory the next day? No.
4
@Christine — He’s been able to talk a good game all these years, been able to bulldoze his way to whatever he wants by sheer force of personality, and has surrounded himself all these years with toadies and synchophants who will stroke his massive ego and tell him (probably on an hourly basis) just how brilliant he is. This has been going on probably since his childhood.
Now, it isn’t working. Hence his paralysis and too many people all too ready to take advantage of it. It’s not so much cowardice as incompetence, and being in way over one’s head and not knowing what to do about it. Trouble is, this sends a bad message to the nation and the world, since indecisiveness is not a good trait in the so-called leader of thr free world.
Like an illiterate who has learned how to bluff his way through life, he’s learning that there always comes a day when that bluff is called. Being able to yell the loudest means nothing when you can’t do your job.
5
You've never worked in real estate. Let me explain. Developers operate with OPM--other people's money. To convince them to lend, and lend heavily, they have to concoct financial spread sheets and projections and pump the whole project up so much that the lenders are all hyperventilating with greed. If the project succeeds, you're a hero. If the project fails, who cares, everybody takes a hit on the bankruptcy, and banks keep mum because they don't want anybody to know what big dupes they are. Everything is deductible from federal taxes. No real losers, except people who paid for condos in advance that they're never going to move into or casino owners who can't pay off the loans with profits that never materialized.
Trump calls himself a builder, but the architects and general contractors and structural engineers are the real builders. He's a deal maker, and anybody with a working brain knows he made plenty of bad ones, and got rich by playing income tax games and selling China-made ties which he can only sell because he's conned people into believing he's a success story. All he cares about is his image because that's what makes him money. He has to burnish "the brand."
This is the United States government. There are repercussions to "deals." They affect real people, not greedy investors easily blown off. He's never developed a moral center, so he vacillates. No surprise to me.
And the con Bloomberg predicted continues.
6
“A shutdown falls on the President’s lack of leadership. He can’t even control his party and get people together in a room. A shutdown means the President is weak” -- Donald Trump, 2013
691
Not exactly, he loves what they are doing. McConnell, Ryan and chaos are Trumps ace in the hole.
1
The Democrats should have had this printed on t-shirts and worn them on the floor of the House and Senate. Or maybe hats...Trump likes hats.
4
"I never said that"
"That was then; it's totally different now."
"I was right; re-opening the government was a huge triumph for my leadership."
Which one, I wonder? Or all three? All this winning....
2
Trump's show business success was based on playing a tough-minded and decisive TV character and it's clear by now that he didn't get enough acting credit. That's not him. His murky understanding of how stuff works is at the bottom of this latest snafu. He grasps parliamentary procedure the way a penguin grasps traffic signals, and consequently often gets himself in trouble for reasons he doesn't really understand. He can actually be misunderstood as dim-witted simply because true empathy is so absent from his constitution.
19
We have a president who knows little of the world, politics, the economy, or justice. All this president knows for certain is what will increase his wealth, and that which will not. His only surety is that he wants more. Whoever else is hurt does not matter to Mr. Trump. As long as he gains more money in any transaction he considers himself a "winner". All of the rest of us are the losers. All of us.
22
Trump’s not sure of what he wants because he’s a television actor who is ill prepared and grossly unqualified for the office of the presidency. It’s like asking Marcus Welby MD to treat a traumatic brain injury.
51
At least Marcus Welby could read...
1
Great deal makers know what they want.
"The president was either unwilling or unable to articulate the immigration policy he wanted, much less understand the nuances of what it would involve."
Great leaders tell their staff to make it happen
"Each time Mr. Trump has edged toward compromise with Democrats, he has appeared to be reined in by his own staff"
Who is running this country?
34
Trump "stands" for whatever the last person to speak to him said. Apparently Mr Miller has been in his company a lot recently. Maybe Mr Kelly could finally do something useful to the nation and stop this?
Doesn't look like anyone is. You know how people say that it doesn't really matter who is in the White House? That the government runs itself? Well, here's proof that that they are wrong. Given an opening, incompetence will quickly rise to the surface.
3
The House and the Senate should reach a bipartisan agreement and send a bill to the President. If he doesn't sign it; so be it. Override his veto and move on. Time for the Congress to remember that they work for the American people, not Donald Trump.
37
Just wait until he blunders into default. It'll make this look like good government.
7
Trump finds safety in sitting on the fence. In his mind,
If something goes wrong, it's not his fault.
It's in the hands of Congress.
He has nothing to do with it.
If something fabulous happens, it's because HE knew all along that HIS people in Congress would make it happen.
It had everything to do with him.
Yeah right.
12
It is incredible that an acerbic former Senate/House staffer could wiggle his way to the heart of a government shutdown. He's worked for Session, Bachmann, Shadagg and now Trump. Bomb throwing is what he does best - Kelly needs to show him the door.
24
A year into the Trump presidency, a 32 year old former Congressional aide and the presidents Chief of Staff are running the show. They are the de facto presidents.
Miller has displayed his arrogance and mean-spiritedness on many occasions.
Hopefully, he will soon be a bad memory. Nobody elected him!
John Kelley, I thought, was a man of experience and principle. He’s now an enabler!
So, a Chief of Staff and a small-minded Congressional aide are creating policy?
Will this really go on for another three years?
72
It's not that he's unsure of what he wants, he doesn't care about any of this. The fomenting of chaos here is deliberate, like everything else he does, as it keeps both congressional supporters and especially detractors off-balance. Making it seem like he is reasonable when he meets with opposition leader Schumer and purportedly coming close to a deal - come on, stop falling for it! This has happened several times before. How many more times before people start to catch on? All the tyrants use this strategy - months of vitriol and bellicosity followed by an occasional moment of seeming reasonableness. Look at Erdogan, Jong Un, Putin - they all apparently use the same PR firm.
17
What he wants, is what the American people representing the Republic voted for, overwhelmingly. Less the Progressive enclaves of NY & CA, that do not know how to pay for what they might want tomorrow, and cannot pay their bills for they wanted yesterday. One of their few remaining shining moments might lie (pun) in a climate scam. Wherein, even doubting establishment-Republicans, have figured out how to make a bundle on the fleece. Which still requires printed money to pay for. Though does leave vital fossil resources in the ground for future use; and develops alternatives to finite sources. Which is possibly how the doubters are at peace with their conscience -- less the printed money; but if the trillions $ lie continues, they have nudged their way to the fleecing-trough.
Well, I guess y'all down in those red states should refuse any government funding, all of it. The citizens of California are sick of sending you whiners our tax revenues. Both CA and NY get back far less than they send to the feds.
6
John Harper,
You play into the lies by allowing yourself to be drawn into this false conception of what our system is and does. We are one nation and until the GOP managed this last tax package the system was in essence fair aside from all the write offs and breaks given to Corps and the wealthy.
"We are all in this together."
If every State got back more than they sent, the Federal Government would be bankrupted -- with huge debt and deficits. So much for Progressive thought.
Why are Sen. Graham and Sen Flake and the more logical folks in the Republican party trying to negotiate with the White House at this stage - Have they not learned their lesson. Just do the right thing and ask Mr. Trump to sign. If he doesn't like it, he can veto it.
18
Most people are calling this the Trump Shutdown, but in all fairness, it should be called the Miller-Trump Shutdown.
11
Can't we just forget the president and do what is right? DACA and Chip involve children. Surely we have enough money to help them. The president will sign anything. Do it before the military control us and our three branches of government are just shadow governments. This is becoming frightening.
8
This is what happens when you negotiate with a leader that is equal parts uninformed, deceptive, and changeable. An impossible task.
9
This isn't really that complex. It is beyond clear that Trump hates non-white immigrants and is willing to use them in pawns of whatever political game he thinks he is playing. In addition, he needs to be the center of attention, a goal that is best achieved by sowing chaos, like blowing up a deal he just said he would sign. He also appears to be uniquely subject to the pandering of those around him, allowing them to disrupt whatever deal he might otherwise agree to. Put those three things together and you have a situation in which the power of true leadership is utterly absent, and the power to disrupt the lives of ordinary people is the dominating force in government.
10
The reason President Trump doesn't know what he wants in regards to DACA is because the underlying issue is about compassion and decency, not money, and this is beyond his comprehension.
Trump has shown again and again that he has no grasp of the issues.
He also has shown that no clue as to how to negotiate and make a deal, except to bulldoze over the opposition and demand that the Senate change it's rules so he, like a child, can get what he wants.
What an incompetent fool.
55
Go figure. Trump almost never knows what he wants, so please don't expect any kind of help to come from the White House.
11
Definitely time for the boys in clean white coats and a giant butterfly net to come for Trump. America can't continue to be run by someone who flips on every issue like a batch of pancakes.
6
More evidence of this presidents' ineptitude.
33
Why does Miller still have a job? Because Trump, in real life, can't bring himself to say "You're fired," and Kelly, in real life, won't fire Miller because he is just as racist as Miller.
Meanwhile. Trump just looks weaker and weaker. He seems absolutely incapable of actually making a deal and sticking to it.
216
It's hard to tell which is worse: Trump making decisions on how to run the government, or knowing that he's incapable of fathoming the nuances of negotiating and handing off the job to the neophyte, Goebbels-like Stephen Miller. EIther way, it's agonizing to comprehend, and to acknowledge.
75
I don't see why this is so complicated. Stop immigration. Cut taxes. Clean air and water. Build tanks. Sign a piece of paper. Eat a cheeseburger.
6
Isn't it bad journalism to assume he doesn't know what he wants?
He might know exactly what he wants, this is just their way of negotiating, or way of generating chaos.
You can't really conclude the inner thoughts of a president unless you're deep in the White House.
Media on both aisles is more and more yellow journalism these days sadly
1
It is worse, he knows exactly the elements that he demands, we heard them in the open meeting. Most of the details are also known or could be estimated. Eliminate the lotto totally, restrict the chain to only spouses and children (there might be some room for additional people), increase border security including money and commitment to build a "barrier" (called by the president a "wall"), allow "dreamers" to get a green card and stay in the us (who the "dreamers" are to be determined). If I understand this anybody could if they wanted to. Now those in the room are to get the compromise, nobody else. I don't think Shumer was there. If you want it badly vote on the house bill, it could be modified and sent back, that is regular order to me.
1
And you think that reporters never communicate with those "deep in the White House"?
5
It's a headline. The article uses words like "appeared." But those don't fit in a FoxNews chryron. Sadly.
6
Trump is just a con man with zero convictions.
Not yet, anyhow.
Keep following the money, Mr Mueller!
106
MAGA! Which stands for Mueller Ain't Going Away!
1
Trump the racist, advised by xenophobes and backed by lying Senators Perdue and Cotton - the only ones that seem to be consistent are the xenophobic advisors that no one elected. Makes me long for the days of Nixon and Bebe Rebozo. Rebozo only cared about money after all.
15
Yeah, I'll bet you had no problem with the whole destructive time we spent with the Obama plan. Strangle the private sector with regulation upon regulation and wonder why we limped along at such a tepid pace. Times they are a changing and when the time comes, no matter what the Tatter'er in Charge tweets about, the money in the electorates pockets will insure another 4 years of prosperity.
Let the Europeans pay their fare share in NATO and let's slow the wave of people heading into our lands to insure that we are continuing to expand on the principals that made this country the best in the world.
Straight Shooter - Which regulations do you want to do away with first, the ones that protect your food and medication or perhaps the regulations that keep your air and water clean?
Maybe the NYT could write an editorial explaining the many benefits to the country of the immigration lottery coupled with chain migration and how it leads to doctors and lawyers and computer programmers and electricians and other skilled immigrants.
23
It's just a crutch phrase. One day, after a long trip, he'll start babbling about "chain collusion" and "no migration," and then we'll know what we only now suspect.
3
A reality show star and con man who doesn't know how the intricacies of government works. Who would've thunk it?
37
Trump is not sure of anything, let alone a valid political position. "Peace-making", resolution and consistency are not in his very limited vocabulary. He probably could not put on his pants without help. Those that he has appointed as "advisors" are jokes. We originally had some level of confidence in Kelly, but that has disappeared with his having "rolled over" in submission to the Dotard-in-Chief. Bannon, the Mooch, Miller, Conway and the rest of the dysfunctional sycophants are making an already-addled mind incoherent.
In the best of all possible worlds, Trump could not run anything competently. Those surrounding him, those that WE pay for, do his country no service, and Trump must be held accountable for this (and the shut down).
22
Trump wants whatever Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Xi Jinping, King Salman, John Kelly, Stephen Miller, Sarah Sanders and Kellyanne Conway tell him he wants and when they want, where and why they want it from him. Trump wants to profit from his temporary occupation of the Oval Office of the White House by tweeting and watching Fox News while spending a third of his time on vacation at his hotels, resorts and golf courses. The barbarian organized crime family House of Trump pillaging and plundering never shuts down.
42
Brilliant analysis. I'm sharing this.
3
The primary problem here is the Republican Party. The secondary problem is Mr. Trump.
25
The real problem is people like you and Shumer.
What happened to Trump's "I'll take the heat." I guess that was only when the cameras were rolling. Good line but useless.
15
He negotiated a billion dollar tax cut for his family, he negotiated the use of the Trump name and logo in China, he apparently has negotiated the price of membership up at his clubs and the $150,000 the Secret Service has spent on golf cart rentals. He has negotiated everything for himself, extended weekly golf vacations on the taxpayers dime, meals at his own hotel. He does not give two hoots about anyone who has to actually work for a wage. He even violates the Hatch Act by being photographed wearing his campaign hat in the oval office, pretending to work.
53
Is there any doubt that the people running the Executive Branch (John Kelly, Steven Miller and Kristjen Neilson) want to deport the 600,000 plus Americans who came as children with their parents back to Mexico or other countries of origin. If the sight and injustice of that is too extreme even for the sleepy American public, they will settle for upending immigration policy from long held norms while deporting 39 year fathers who have been in the country for 30 years and ripping families apart. Striving, hard working immigrants created this county, the Italians, the Irish, Jewish people fleeing programs, Haitians, Africans and their labor powers the engine of our economy. iCE raids 7-11 stores, swarms immigrant neighborhoods terrorizing. During the Obama Administraion, the Senate passed comprehensive immigration legislation, it was no cakewalk for those who wish to become citizens. It languished and died to be replaced now with terror, and racism only a willfully blind person cannot recognize. White people from Russia, Ireland, etc. overstay their visas with impunity blending into the majority, it is only the brown and black who are consistently demonized and harassed by Homeland Security. Ms. Nielsen, who rolls her eyes at Sen. Corey Booker's grilling, says she has never met a dreamer so insulated in the elite bubble where she and John Kelly call the shots for an unfit, celebrity president. The Trump Administration is a coup, not a democratic institution.
25
John Kelly was recommended as chief of staff by Senator Cotton well known nativist determined to curtail immigration to the US. Cotton was a protege of Kelly and the two share the anti-immigration philosophy. Those pretending that Kelly was the adult to bring order to the chaos of the White House, ignored the fervor with which he espoused Trump's anti immigrant rhetoric when running DHS.
Stephen Miller, a protege of Sessions and Bannon, known for his own nativist views from even before he entered the White House, derailed the EU/US agreement on immigration in Taormina, Italy during Trump's first visit to Europe. While in the White House, Miller was canning enough to ingratiate himself with Kushner & co, seeing the struggle between the Kushner-Bannon factions and is still there, bad-mouthing Bannon without any sense of decency.
Enter John Kelly as chief of staff and Kelly and Miller become allies determined to stop any and all compromise, leading to the collapse of negotiations and government shutdown. It was the two of them that brought Cotton, Purdue and other immigration hardliners to sabotage whatever Durbin and Graham has agreed to.
Kelly managed to annoy Trump with his loose talk about "uninformed" promises and positions. Will the commentary about Miller "leading Trump by the nose" have the same effect on Trump to put Miller in his place and listen to sensible people who would be willing to advise him if Trump shakes those two off? Doubtful but one can hope.
11
Wow. That is actually a nice précis of the facts relevant to immigration and the people driving the issue. I've read bits and pieces of the same information from various sources but never saw them strung together, coherently, in the same place.
Thank you. But now we have the Democrats agreeing on a vote to stop the government shut down that Collins and Manchin, among other "moderates" negotiated, based on the promise that McConnell will allow a vote on DACA or "illegal immigrants" as he prefers to call them. Seriously?
The reason he is hesitant is he is still trying to figure out what will benefit him most. What is in it for him. Please this man is not a complicated person. From day one we knew he was and still is an unethical businessman who works both sides for his gain and promises things one second then turns the next and rescinds them. Taxes got passed. Ask any economist how he, his family and buddies benefit. And pleeeaaassse- do not repeat trickle down hypocrisy. So don't tax your brain, don't lay awake at night pondering. He is who he has always been. Shame! What a sad leader.
19
Trump's Anti-Immigrant coalition controls the Republican Party. Naturally he isn't going to offend it by giving in on border security while getting squishy about Dreamers.
McConnell's and Ryan's Anti-Government coalition controls the congressional GOP. Naturally they aren't going to risk offending Trump's Anti-Immigrants just when their members are in peak danger of primary challenges, and they're in no hurry to offend Anti-Governmentalists by caving in the face of a very satisfying shut-down.
Gaston, meet Alphonse.
The Democrats' analysis that Trump's cowardice is at the root of the government shutdown suggests that Democrats have some communication problems of their own.
2
The Times should look into Steven Millers school yard history to try and understand his venomous hostility towards immigrants and minorities. Did a immigrant steal his lunch money one day at SamO high? Was a amorous rejection from a minority team mate in jr. high the birth of his hostility? You should ask his school mates about what really drives his fury and rage. Only
then can we understand what drives this scrouge that has Trumps ear.
49
Stephen Miller is an elitist xenophobic creep, who reminds me of Gollum manipulating Donald Trump's simple mind and views at the detriment of the country.
9
Insofar as Miller, the schoolyard is not history. He operates on that level -- as if he is still there -- the stupid and arrogant bully shoving and pushing his way among his elementary-school peers.
8
I like that "scrouge." A combination of Scrooge and scourge? Brilliant!
3
The White House reminds me of the Firesign Theater's "I think we're all bozos on this bus." Trouble is, the bus is heading over a cliff with a clown at the wheel.
9
A bipartisan funding compromise was presented to the President.
The President rejected the compromise.
America now awaits the President’s alternative proposal.
It’s as simple as that.
9
It is even simpler, those in the room must make the deal, not those who came with a deal. The president should not have even met with them, saying the group from the meeting was the only way forward.
The Apprentice is the human equivalent of a Yo-Yo. He certainly is not running the Country, his Staff calls the shots and they are as indecisive as he is.
8
Vacillation, indecision and equivocation are not leadership qualities. I'm impressed by the blustery tough talk from Republicans who, in reality, are cowardly, incurious, narrow-minded and mostly under educated. Little Stevie Miller needs a split lip.
10
“A shutdown falls on the President’s lack of leadership. He can’t even control his party and get people together in a room. A shutdown means the President is weak”
- citizen Donald Trump criticizing Obama during previous shutdowns.
67
See Shumers comments on shutting the government. And yes he finally understands that controlling a party is not really possible for Republicans.
As a Canadian looking in from outside - it looks like a dysfunctional family. Some want to compromise and get a deal. Some are adamant that they want what they want and will not change their minds even though there are directly contradictory stances. And it looks like there are no parents in the room. You have my sympathies. I just wish this wasn't for real and that there weren't nuclear bombs in the room.
14
He'll know what he wants when it makes him look good.
3
In all his years in New York, Mr. Trump was nothing more than a bully. He pressured people into accepting less than originally agreed or he sued or fired them. That is his "Art of the Deal." He can't get away with that on a national or global level. He can't sue congress. He can't fire China. He can't make Mexico pay for his wall. And he certainly can't bully Russia. How about all those trade deals he was going to renegotiate? He's totally out of his element as none of his "deal making" skills work when the playing field is level.
47
This is Trump's first real crisis and he shown himself to be a weakling. Trump is ignorant about all issues and has no curiosity to learn. So he is depending upon a retired general and thirty-two year old kid, both with racist and white supremacist leanings, to define his immigration policy. Neither one with any real experience in politics or negotiations. And we have foreign leaders watching this and seeing how easy Trump is to roll. This is not a man who knows how to make a deal. This is in truth criminal incompetence coming out of the White House.
26
As Harry Truman said, and practiced, "The Buck Stops Here". I doubt if Trump even understands what that statement means. He has always bullied and threated to have his way. Failure to him is to be avoided at all costs. He has never been held to the consequences of his actions. When he has a bad business deal, he declares bankruptcy. Now in the Oval Office, he defers to those around him. He is not a leader, but a follower.
I regret to say that it is too late for DJT to change his ways. He has failed to lead this country forward and Make America Great Again. He doesn’t have to. America was Great before he became president and will be Greater after he leaves office.
350
trump will never change. He is too set in his way and his distasteful ways of dealing with people and situations are his first and second natures.
3
Why should he quit a winning game? Bankruptcies and lies have always served his interests, so now political name-calling and ignorance will do the same. His 36% will always find him the right man for the job. The true-believers will never waiver from their beliefs, and they'll continue on much as religious zealots do. As long as he has their acclimation, he'll accede to their cheers.
1
The Con Don knows what he wants. Disruption. Chaos. Must keep the attention on himself.
Sorry, Donny, MILLIONS of Women had their minds on taking you and your Robber Baron/Radical religion brethren down.
Local media did a decent job of covering The Women's March and Global Women's Marches last weekend - January 20 and 21 but BIG media like the NYT, Reuters, Associated Press and television networks tried to ignore it.
They cannot ignore over one-half the population of the world - Women. Women will not be silenced or benched again. They will step up and take one-half the power in the world to bring it back to balance.
The Wikipedia link below shows all the locations across America and around the world where Women marched for social/economic justice for all. Seattle had at least 100,000 marchers and, despite the wet/cold conditions many people lined the streets in agreement. Our group had nine people who did not march last year and they are the 35-50 group that will sustain this movement.
Good Job, Socially Conscious Women, men and children who are standing up for Woman Power! WE THE PEOPLE are joining forces to change the world to a more peaceful, equitable place. Good Job!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2018_Women%27s_March_locationshttp...
17
It's this latest snafu on immigration that explains why this president can't get anything done. Stephen Miller and John Kelly seem to be running the country and are usurping the president's authority and power. This is the classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
15
This is exactly why we need a ‘stress test’ for Presidential candidates or something of the like. We actually DO need people with a political background, or at least someone with the temperament, humility and desire to learn about governing rules. We got none of that with this president. Quite the opposite. A Presidential candidate should be able to pass the US Citizen’s exam, have a fundamental understanding of the Cabinets and their purposes/impact on the citizenry, know the 3 balanced legs of government and what each contributes to the system and how the courts influence life in our country. It is not too much to ask. WE The People deserve it.
10
The "great negotiator" cannot decide upon what he wants and when he seemingly does decide, he changes his mind. We've got a president who is really not committed to anything other than himself. It seems that who ever has Trump's ear last is the person who is really deciding what Trump 'wants'.
"W" was, with all his great faults, The Decider.
9
Trump has been "sure" since day one. Hurt as many as possible, save the 1%.
When hasn't he delivered on this?
8
All one needs to do is watch re-runs of Celebrity Apprentice to know how he's going to work for the rest of his days. Curry favor with anyone deemed marginally important, agree with everyone and add a worthless caveat to each comment, push the decision off onto your kids or junior execs, and call it a day. What is offered as strength is actually a front, with very little expertise or resolve to back it up.
13
There is no way I could use "expertise" and "Trump" (or by implication mean him) in the same sentence.
4
I have said long ago that Donald J. Trump will give a whole new meaning to the term "Potemkin Village."
2
Where is this great, strong, decisive leader?
More to the point, what does it say when two or three people can step in and confuse him to the extent of paralysis?
Who’s really in charge?
125
trump is following one of his two governing principles: 1) do things that will make him money! 2) keep the news about him.
18
It is very clear that Trump supporters continue to approve of him because they still perceive him as "anti-establishment", they actually relish in the continual chaos he creates and he is using the same tactics he laid out in "Art of the Deal". What they don't perceive is these tactics do not work when running a government, chaos is chaos and for the first time ever. a government has shut down in which one party is in control of all three executive branches of government.
While he bemoans democrats for denying the Troops "their due", the Pentagon is constantly complaining that they cannot run their operation when funding is only happening on a week to week or month to month basis. Trump has also installed individuals whose sole purpose is to gut the important governmental bureaus of their employees, hence, all of this is putting the United States at risk, including security.
If Americans citizens like chaos, it is very clear this is what you are going to continually get for the duration. Trump likes it because he doesn't know how to do it any other way, hence, he is incapable of providing any real leadership.
18
People need to be reminded that, despite all the coverage all the media gives them, "the base" is a significant minority of Americans (one that appears to be shrinking with each day. )
3
Trump has been a disaster on everything he has done this first year of his presidency. The only bright spot is the economy which is continuation of 8 yrs. Of Obama's policies. Once that stops working and it will, we see the end of his presidency and embrace of Mueller's by all sides to get rid of him.
12
There is no doubt in the majority of citizens polled that this president is not really doing his job to the satisfaction of the citizenry. The tragedy here is that, after watching the parade of Republicans on the Sunday talk shows blame this all on the Democrats, he has poisoned the party into following its' worst instincts. When you have Paul Ryan just come out and bluntly state that there will be no negotiations until the CR is passed, you see the "Civil War" being re-enacted 2018 style. Oh, I forgot, both our know nothing president and his less than impressive Chief of Staff (who must have missed classes at West Point on the roots of the Civil War) think a civil war can be negotiated, refuse to negotiate. sounds like "the South has risen again"! I predict this shutdown will end with no resolution, especially from the "House of Unrepresentatives", as to the immigration issue. When you have Steven King and Tom Cotton getting together to protect us from the "rapists and drug dealers" that build, then clean our houses, care for our children, and support our government by paying taxes, we need to prepare for a long and drawn out fight over this. Hopefully, we will do what is right and just and not follow these xenophobic actors down the road of ignorance.
11
As a Republican I lament the extent to which President Trump tolerates manipulation and insubordination from Stephen Miller and John Kelly. If as a chief executive I invited individuals to discuss an important policy matter only to find subordinates had invited others to the discussion without clearing the matter with me they would be gone by the end of the day. President Trump appears indecisive precisely because he is so ill-served by such people. They have their own agendas and own loyalties, serving neither the country nor our president. As taxpayers have probably invested $80-100 billion in educating those covered by DACA deporting them at this time is an enormous waste of taxpayer money. They have reached productive years when we can benefit from their contributions to the economy and we kick them out? Typical idiot thinking. Meanwhile others talk about merit-based immigration and the need for better screening. So we have among us young people who have grown up with our values and perspectives and prepare to throw that experience and education away while importing others at great expense? it is no wonder the American people question the president's capacity for clear thought but we should be asking why President Trump permits Kelly and Miller to jerk him around. Kelly's job is to keep the staff functioning, not to make policy. Miller is simply an operator acting on behalf of some obscure interests, not those of the American people or President Trump. They should go.
655
Maybe, just maybe, if Trump found the energy to actually bone up on policy and understand it, he might be able to reach a rational decision. That, at the moment, seems to be beyond the grasp of a president whose first option is mind-numbing intellectual laziness.
13
The problem is, making policy involves actually researching an issue and making an educated decision. Trump honestly does not believe this is his responsibility. He thinks showing up to cheering crowds and signing the occasional piece of paper IS the job of being president.
11
He permits them to "jerk him around" because he's incapable of independent thought/critical thinking. Trump is the empty suit par excellence: there's no there, there. These are desperate times for this nation. Miller and Kelly are terrifying individuals and they're the ones running the country.
9
I wish not be facetious, but Trump wouldn't mind bankrupt America and then do a deal with Putin for one that better suits him and Putin of course...!
14
To quote a line from protagonist Tracy Lord in "The Philadelphia Story," Trump's family motto should be, "Oh goody! It's all about me, isn't it?"
In terms of ill fame, it really is all about Trump, with the GOP close behind.
11
The headline for this story is belied by the seventh and eighth paragraphs, IMO. The headline says the president is unsure of what he wants; the story says he's unsure of whether the ultra-right wing will permit him to accept what he seems eager to agree to. That's a big difference.
6
The president is either "unwilling or unable" to articulate his immigration policy, Ms. Davis and Ms. Haberman? I love a choice. I'll go with "unable." I'll go farther. I'll go with unable to articulate, period.
Eighty percent polled favor both CHIP and DACA. Please expound on exactly why the Republic Party will not authorize either one. What can you call the likes of Miller, Kelley, Cotton and Meadows? They are the tail end of Lee Atwater's "Southern Strategy," which has indeed served the tools of oligarchy well for hlaf a century.
What we have here is the end of Atwater's two-headed demon spawn of an insight.
We're seeing the end of the Southern Strategy, and the rise of the Age of the Golden West.
Can't arrive soon enough.
36
I am sure what Trump wants. It is adulation.
Adulation without doing the difficult work that brings admiration. Trump wants adulation.
Why is it so hard for people to understand Trump knows nothing but what he hears from his phone calls to cronies and from what he sees on TV?
Kelly and Miller are both heartless xenophobes who have a worse influence on Trump than Bannon did.
Even if the Sentate agrees on extending the Dreamer Act its fate in the House without Trump's open backing and Ryan doing the right thing is certain rejection.
Does anyone want to wager on the chance that either of those two things will happen?
35
Trump. Not sure what he wants with respect to "Dreamers."
Now that is leadership. That I can tell you. Sad.
26
It is pretty simple.
Clean DACA bill.
Clean CHIP bill.
Budget bill.
Show Stephen Miller the door.
449
I'm pretty sure the White House chief of staff laid out exactly what the President wants in the deal.......this isn't really going to muddy the water when it comes to which senators vote to fund the government and which senators vote to not fund the government. The rest is spin & semantics, the "vote list" will tell the story.
3
I am absolutely, positively, certain of what I want. And the first step is in November. I'm counting down the days. Please join me and start working.
351
Yes everyone, please vote the dems out of office. Thank you Phyliss for your support.
Phyliss:
I agree 100%.
I am not worried how DEEP BLUE Massachusetts will vote. We do not have a single Republi-CANT in our delegation. I do npt think that will change.
My question is how I can help people in other states to get more Democrats elected.
Donations help.
Voter registration is very important.
Getting the vote out is vital.
Speaking to people who might be persuaded to vote for a Democrat rather than a Republi-CANT certainly can help.
7
When George W was up for re-election one of the key issues was that the President never seemed to waiver - he stuck to his guns (right or wrong). This fact was seen as a positive by the public. When Obama was running for office the first time, one of the key negatives, as portrayed by the opposition, was his changing view on the military action in Afghanistan. In the past it seems that the President’s opinion on anything should never be allowed to evolve as change reflected weakness.
Along comes Trump and apparently the public, or at least those on the right, seem to have evolved - it is now okay for the President to change his/her mind... to evolve as this ability reflects strength. How modern of us as a country to acknowledge that a change in opinion may be a good thing! However with Trump the pendulum has swung to the furthest opposite end of the spectrum as he seems to change his mind daily, maybe even hourly (assuming he even has an opinion).
Either Trump is the shrewdest negotiator as he constantly bob’s and weaves to avoid the opposition punches - he’s the Ali of politics, or his simplistic approach to the Art of the Deal is just to get agreement on something (anything) and claim victory. The latter of these two seems most consistent with his consistent need for reinforcement.
Oh how we have evolved as a country... never thought I would look back so roundly to the days of W’s presidency.
12
"A President Not Sure of What He Wants Complicates the Shutdown Impasse"
Translation:
"Not sure which way will make him richer..."
102
Then why did he go on a work vacation to Davos? Shouldn't he be at his desk running the country?
5
Trump and the Republicans are untrustworthy partners in making a deal. Why? They seem to change their end points as soon as you get close to agreement and sometimes they simply welsh on longstanding procedure on the basis of a made up “new rule,” as they did with naming a new SCOTUS Justice under Obama. As the article points out, DT agreed on a bipartisan DACA agreement from Schumer and Graham (on TV yet!) and then blew it off using Kelly. What a loser Trump is and what a loser nation we are becoming as a consequence. Losing is what happens when you can’t find a direction to practical wholeness.
42
Any good politicians listen to their advisors, but come a time when a decision has to be taken. And sometimes the politicians has to read the riot law to his advisers and tell them that he disagrees with most of them and they will have to apply his decision or leave. And there is plenty of exemples when a President overrules his staff and the staffers have to follow the order of the President. And those goes also for the Secretaries and the Vice President which also advise the President. In the 1970's when Pierre Elliot Trudeau was Prime Minister of Canada, they were a discussion in the Cabinet. A vote was taken. Trudeau voted with the minority. Then he said that because he voted with the minority, the majority was defeated and therefore they would apply his policy. President Trump has to stop being a weathercock and be a leader.
1
The scare/clueless orange man has no clue of what he wants and I hold the GOP who enables him accountable in the upcoming elections.
14
"A President Not Sure of What He Wants Complicates the Shutdown Impasse"
This is wrong. Trump wants:
1. Money.
2. To be a Supreme Ruler.
3. To be loved by all.
4. To have as much cheap sex as possible.
His problems is he doesn't know how to get it in this situation.
183
are you sure you have his priorities in the right order?
Perhaps the key question for this presidency is : What did the president want and when did he want it?
SAD
8
Trump is not interested because there is no $$$$ upside for his family business in this problem. The tax cut he could get behind because he received a $100+ million benefit from the reduction on pass-through corporations (he owns 500 of them).
101
The basic skills of a fast-food restaurant manager would enhance Trump's leadership ability.
163
What does Trump want? He wants two cheeseburgers with fries, chocolate cake, and ice cream -- that's what he wants. The shutdown is a blaring example of his incapacity. Hyenas like Miller leap on and exploit this lumbering old goat - I wouldn't be surprised if they come up with some way to invoke martial law, extending indefinitely.
164
He also made it clear during his campaign that he wants Ivanka.
3
When you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there.
99
Let's stop being polite about this. Trump isn't sure of what he wants because he can't be bothered to learn enough about immigration or any other national issue to form an actual policy.
604
That the attention span of what, 2 minutes? He can't even walk into a room and remember why he's there! (Referring to the non-signing of an executive order. Google it if you haven't seen. A circus!)
4
I don't think Trump can be any clearer about what he wants. He didn't call the countries with black people "shitholes" by accident. He didn't call Mexicans rapists by accident. He didn't pack the room with white supremacist when they sandbagged Graham and Durbinby accident.
3
Trump is so easily managed by his handlers that he has no opinion or policy of his own. He is for something until one of his advisers tells him to change his mind. We don't have a President, we have a kindergartner in the White House.
1
trump is not sure of what he wants the way a small child finds himself inside a technical library and isn't sure what he wants.
5
Whatever will make him feel potent, right now, is what he wants.
If Sen. McConnell is unsure of that, then he's the one who needs the MoCA.
4
This movie is really not going to end well for Mr. Miller. By the time the credits roll, his career will find itself as invisible as some extra brought in to play the role of a baddie posturing behind the lead villain. Miller's glee in this bit role is funny but his theatrics are getting tiresome.
19
And he will have a really hard time finding a job (look at Big Bad Bannon and Spicy) after head babysitter Kelly tells Baby Don to can him.
1
Communication is the key to all successful enterprises. Without it everyone involved stumbles in the darkness. The problem lies with Trump and his inexperience. His advisers don’t have a clue what they’re doing. Chaos ensues and everyone plays the blame game.
9
Is Trump a leader or just a tool of the Republican Party's hard right conservative faction? If he were a leader he would lead, decide what he thinks is correct and then twist arms, negotiate the deal, and see that his plan is carried out. From what we have seen over the past two weeks Trump takes his marching orders from "aides" and and has no overall plan or strategy of his own. Is Trump just a puppet of the Republican right? This is how it appears. Just another brainless puppet.
13
First Putin's puppet, now Miller/Kelly puppet. We know one thing for sure...there are strings attached to this tyrant wannabe. Oh, and another thing we know, we're winning so much we don't need the gov't.
Well, at least we know where the president stands. I think it is fair to say that at any given moment, he stands firmly for something. A moment later, he still stands firmly for something. And, a moment later he is firmly behind something else. What more could you want?
8
Trump is incapable of making any deals. Any deals he made in his business career he reneged on. He is incompetent. And then he listens to his sycophants like Stephen Miller which makes the situation worse.
101
I hate and loathe Mr Trump, BUT he is a skilled negotiator and really does know how to do deals - that's how he got himself elected. And that is what his base want: deals to be done.
Unfortunately the unelected Kelly and unelected Miller are both hardline ideologues AND clueless about politics. If Trump brokered a deal on the Dreamers and CHIP then he would have massive leverage over the Democrats in the run up to the Mid-terms.
Thankfully Kelly, Miller and Mitch 'Mole-man' McConnell look set to keep shooting holes in their own boat. They seem most adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
3
"Skilled negotiator?" A skilled negotiator knows when to sit at the table with no one else around and say "This is what I can accept and if I give you something in return, do we have a deal?"
This deal-maker is a fake (the biggest fake news story of the decade) who's conned his way through the real-estate world by using bully tactics, lawyer threats and bankruptcy multiple times to blow himself up into something bigger than he is in reality. Let's see the tax returns and shady Russian connections before we call DJT a "skilled negotiator."
6
This is satire, right? A skilled negotiater knows what he wants, what his bottom line is and what to compromise with. A man who listens to the last person he talked to or to what he heard on Fox and Friends this morning is not even a negotiater; he's a large object in the way.
7
It's adorable you think Trump is a skilled negotiator. He basically caused a shut down and failed to help pass a budget. This was a done deal and all the "skilled negotiator" had to do was sign off WHICH HE SAID HE WOULD DO. Then he talked to his resident racist Miller just two hours before signing and he tanked the deal causing a needless shutdown.
The trouble with Trump is that having no convictions of his own he accepts those of the last people he talked to. The two closest to him are Gen. Kelly and Steven Miller, both anti-immigration racists. If the House and Senate really want a DACA deal, they're going to have to work around them.
23
Stephen Miller needs to go. He is an extremist in every sense of the word. Since the president does not have a mind to make up, he will continue to be dictated to by the last person in the room, Mr Miller.
25
Demonstrating yet again why the Presidency is not an entry-level political position.
241
Any man or woman fulfilling the duties of the POTUS is "entry-level" in that it is the only job in the world of its kind.
The frustrating thing is we knew from the get-go that this particular candidate/president-elect was UNQUALIFIED and UNFIT from the moment he announced his racist agenda to this very minute in history. And now we are paying the price.
2
The deal maker can’t make a deal. Seems that Kelly and Miller are running the WH these days. Trump has no clear vision and ‘his heart being in the right place’ means nothing. All he is is bluster. His tweets are rants and nothing more.
McConnell is right not to go to the ‘nuclear option’ because when the Dems win the Congress back (2018), it will be there for them to use. Plus, let’s keep some of the fundamentals the Founding Fathers thought were important.
Back to trump, he is an empty shell (no news there) who has no idea how to sit in the Oval Office. I fear we will have more stand offs like this for the next 3 years.
13
He just wants to be liked and to "win". There is no other governing philosophy. And he truly does not care about anyone else but himself.
Its not that complicated.
70
Mr. Trump should just claim bankruptcy and walk away...isn't this the way he handled most of his problems in the private sector.
54
What do you call a leader who believes one thing, but allows his minions to dictate the opposite because he's afraid he might lose popularity among the minority who support him? Weak. Donald is WEAK. And it's time we told him.
17
What does he really want? What ever will get him the most publicity.
11
You can't deal with a president who has the mentality and attention span of a five-year-old child. Morally, intellectually, and psychologically he's unfit to govern in any sense of the word.
31
Donald trump made the career suing and blaming others for his failure. Now the lives of federal workers and other dependences are at the stake waiting for his decision, but only thing Trump cares about is his appearance. The national parks past two days were like Donald Trump. Physically present but no service whatsoever.
14
Trump knows exactly what Putin wants. And that's what he's delivering: Total chaos, division, hatred and governmental paralysis. The Kremlin has effectively neutralized this country as a factor in world affairs and economics. Our government, the one that Republicans wanted to "drown in a bathtub," is shut down.
14
McConnell doesn't know what Trump wants. Schumer says its like negotiating with jello. Neither side can trust him.
Its Lucy and Charlie Brown. She persuades him that she won't remove the football so he can kick it, pulls it back every time, and he falls flat on his back. Trump makes promises and then moves the goalpost.
Is it any wonder this where we at at now?
9
Is there anyone who’s still questioning Trump’s grasp of the issues and his leadership?
As they say in court: Asked and answered.
21
Trump wants to look like a winner in lieu of actually finding consensus. He wants to be in absolute control of whatever he heard last and despite the judicial and legislative processes that work in tandem with executive power. He wants the free press to not do critical analysis of what is actually occurring because it takes away from what he actually does, which is to fire people and put on a show.
Trump in charge is an exercise in watching democracy turn into fascism.
425
The reason for Trump's capriciousness is that he has never in his life made any decisions of this gravity, where the lives of tens of thousands of people literally depend on it. All Trump has ever done is con a lot people, go bankrupt, and hide all his dirty dealings, most likely money laundering and tax evasion for starters.
He can't take "the heat" from a few people without changing his position. He never takes a solid position because of his intense fear of failure and being perceived as a "loser". He is unfit to be president.
579
Stephen Miller is the most bizarre component of the Trump equation. He is among the least respected person in DC. His appearances on TV have all been disturbing displays of the absence of social norms and ignorance of the fundamentals of our Bill of Rights. Trump is the paragon of the unprepared privileged. Now we are alerted to his genuine incapacity and Miller and recently identified racist Kelly influence over Trump.
This is the real story and these reporters are clearly able to maintain clarity when so many others have bought the Miller trope: Democrats hate American soldiers and love illegal aliens who kill Americans. Trump’s commercial confirms our worst fears: he is a racist terrorist who survives by provoking mob behavior.
25
Trump's business is analogous to Madoff's. When the market crashed in 2008 Warren Buffet was quoted as saying "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked." And so with Trump's business and family, they will not survive Mueller's scrutiny.
6
Millions of people rely on the judgement of a man who has no judgement. The world relies on him. He can destroy nations either with economic weapons or nuclear ones.
A man without a clue is at the helm and there are always rocks ahead.
The elected representatives somehow think this is some great reality show with liars and showmen parading around. Elected by we the people but serving others.
1
A country not sure of what it wants elects a President not sure about almost everything. Government protections are removed. Negotiation is next to impossible. Government shuts down. People protest. Government reopens. The can is kicked. Billions of dollars are wasted. Fingers are pointed. Cycle restarts. See definition for “insanity”.
629
Let's be clear, this is not "Let's Make A Deal" or any sort of reality television production. Perhaps, Trump really never expected his election to succeed, Putin never let him know the odds.
2
You are leaving out of the picture the constant increase of capital accumulation at the top. For those benefited by the cycle, it is not a vicious cycle.
2
You mean: (insanity) doing the same thing repeatedly, and expecting a different outcome?
1