[mrjonathanr]

https://twitter.com/Daniel_Lewis3/status/1253482576699969537

Being an advisor to a powerful idiot who ignores all your advice must be a stressful job!

Maybe Simon MacDonald has a view on that..

[Oldmanmatt]

[Johnny Brown]

Enjoyed this:

https://twitter.com/sarahcpr/status/1253474772702429189

[Oldmanmatt]

https://newsthump.com/2020/04/24/domestos-launches-new-patriot-smoothie-for-trump-supporters//

[andy popp]

As an historical footnote, in the interwar period, Lysol Disinfectant was marketed throughout North America as a "feminine hygiene" product. Women were actually using it as vaginal douche for contraceptive purposes. Lysol knew full well that was what was happening but as contraception was illegal they had to use the euphemistic language about hygiene.

Mind you, I don't think this little nugget was on Trump's mind.

[mrjonathanr]

Using the word 'mind' advisedly there, I hope.

[andy popp]

Goes without saying ...

[TobyD]

It appears that what was on Trump's mind was merely that he was being lobbied by a shameless evangelical bigot looking to cash in on the US soaring death rate

Revealed: leader of group peddling bleach as coronavirus 'cure' wrote to Trump this week

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/revealed-leader-group-peddling-bleach-cure-lobbied-trump-coronavirus?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

[TobyD]

It's just occurred to me that the above description pretty much applies to Trump himself as well. 

[petejh]

I think he should just come clean on his motives.

[andy popp]

He's now claiming he was merely being sarcastic, in which case he needs to raise his game as it was about the lamest piece of sarcasm I've ever seen.

[Footwork]

Surprised he didn't try the whole sarcasm thing on previous misogynistic comments tbh.

[tc]

If I have to listen to that halfwit for much longer, drinking bleach will start to feel like an attractive option.

[Offwidth]

He's now claiming he was merely being sarcastic, in which case he needs to raise his game as it was about the lamest piece of sarcasm I've ever seen.

Lets hope the journalists take him up on that next then: Sarcasm in a President's public address during a pandemic in the context that he makes high claims about truth and fake news and where people have acted badly on his previous 'sarcasm ' (like encouraging protests in that address against lockdowns).

[tomtom]

Andy - anyone - do Trump ‘tolerating’ Americans who have voted for him (as opposed to supporters) realise what a total fucking knob head he appears to be to the rest of the world? (Sorry - couldn’t think of a better way of expressing that).

[andy popp]

Andy - anyone - do Trump ‘tolerating’ Americans who have voted for him (as opposed to supporters) realise what a total fucking knob head he appears to be to the rest of the world? (Sorry - couldn’t think of a better way of expressing that).

I honestly don't know Tom and I guess we won't know until November. The "base" are beyond hope. His 2016 victory was really built on an alliance of traditional and non-traditional Republican voters. Before the pandemic there were plenty of "mainstream" Republicans - I know some through friends and family - perfectly willing to tolerate almost anything he did if he continued to deliver tax cuts and a "strong" economy (strong for them anyway - one thing the pandemic has revealed is just fragile large parts of the US economy are for most Americans). I guess the real question is going to be able to shift the blame for the government's response and for crashing the economy?

[Offwidth]

...... and the scary demographic issues in that (that are unlike other popularist movement demographics like brexit). Most white, college-educated americans voted for Trump.

[AndyR]

Andy - anyone - do Trump ‘tolerating’ Americans who have voted for him (as opposed to supporters) realise what a total fucking knob head he appears to be to the rest of the world? (Sorry - couldn’t think of a better way of expressing that).

A different Andy than you expected here. I spend a lot of my time in the south of the US (AR, TX, LA), and I tend to find that outside of urban areas, on the whole ‘average’ Americans have little to no idea of what goes on outside their state, and often, their county. So no, for a reasonable portion of non-urban Americans, I don’t think they know, nor do they care.

[tomtom]

Thanks both Andy’s

[andy popp]

Yes, re: the specific question of whether Americans care about how Trump is viewed outside the US, most don't consider it and don't care.

[SA Chris]

He's now claiming he was merely being sarcastic, in which case he needs to raise his game as it was about the lamest piece of sarcasm I've ever seen.

Lets hope the journalists take him up on that next then: Sarcasm in a President's public address during a pandemic in the context that he makes high claims about truth and fake news and where people have acted badly on his previous 'sarcasm ' (like encouraging protests in that address against lockdowns).

I think it just highlights he doesn't know what sarcasm is, or how to use it.

[Offwidth]

No, shit.

As he now says he won't do any more daily briefings, as it's a waste of time because of the journalists, he certainly knows something else: how to sulk like a toddler. It's a shame as they will go down in history as some of the greatest moments in inadvertant political black comedy.

[SA Chris]

If only these journalists wouldn't spoil his junket by doing annoying things like wanting facts and the truth.

[Offwidth]

I thought it worth sharing this crossword clue from last Sunday's Observer Everyman:

Team Trump rent asunder, leading to explosion of rage (6,7)

Also this beauty to celebrate wisdom:

Lunatic overcome by boundless ocean, misrepresented? (6)

[TobyD]

It appears he's changed his mind about the briefings, a ego that massive couldn't turn down the opportunity of being on national television every day for more than a few hours. It appears also that most of the individual states have decided to largely ignore what Trump says and just do whatever they want anyway. 

I wonder what batshit crazy babble Trump will come up with this evening?