As insane as the political blogging business is, it does possess one sterling virtue. And that is that you learn something new each and every day. Did anybody here know that Trump’s 90,000 square feet monstrosity, his ballroom that eclipses the 45,000 square feet main White House structure, was bulletproof? I did not. I just now picked up that tidbit in an article on Gavin Newsom holding forth on his opinion of this joke of an edifice. And no, Melania has not spoken out about the ballroom yet, you’re welcome.
“While Donald Trump builds his knock-off Versailles on White House grounds, his government shutdown is depriving millions of Californians of federal food assistance,” the governor posted to X on Monday.
“Trump and his lapdog Congress just don’t care, period,” he added.
The Palace of Versailles, whose history stretches back to 1623, is the residence of French kings that came to symbolize royal excess before the revolution in 1789. It is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, with around 15 million visitors annually.
CostCo meets Versailles is what people used to call Trump Tower. Mar-a-Lago has been dubbed “Mar-a-Lardo” out of deference to the sitting president’s svelte 234 lb. frame on a 6’3″ body and yes, we are in the market for a bridge in Brooklyn, how did you know? So knock off Versailles is as good as anything that anybody’s likely to come up with — particularly since Trump has shown us his renderings and they appear to be part of the story board from Goldfinger.
And seriously, folks, will somebody check Ft. Knox? Because I put nothing past these clowns and I mean nothing.
The Department of Agriculture said on Monday that federal food aid will not go out on Nov. 1, as the “well has run dry” for SNAP.
Newsom called out the president for his trip to Malaysia during the shutdown, where he was seen showing off his robotic dance moves on Sunday morning.
“Donald Trump is literally dancing in Asia while 40 million people lose access to food,” Newsom wrote on X, describing it as “disgusting.”
During a CBS News interview on Sunday, Newsom called Trump an “invasive species, for the country, for the world.”
He also referenced his demolition of the East Wing to make way for his ballroom.
“He’s a wrecking ball, not just the symbolism and substance of the East Wing. He’s wrecking alliances, truth, trust, tradition, institutions,” Newsom said.
Newsom may well be the 2028 Democratic candidate. Will Trump be the GOP candidate, in some bizarre defiance of the 22nd Amendment? I want to share a portion of a good post on that topic. It opines that Trump has zero intention of running in 2028 but he talks about it because it beats being a lame duck president.
Trump doesn’t want to talk about any future that he’s not the centerpiece of. He knows full well that between his own constitution and the United States Constitution, that he’s not sticking around. Now this essay leads into the subject a bit oddly, so be forewarned.
In 1988, Democrats were worried that, if Michael Dukakis were doing well, Ronald Reagan would not leave the White House if Democrats won the presidency. In 2000, paranoid Republicans claimed that Bill Clinton was going to stay in the White House and not leave when his term ended in January 2001.
The same rumors resurfaced in 2008, and Democrats worried that George W. Bush would remain in office and not step down after Obama won. In 2016, Republicans were worried that Obama would stay in the White House forever.
The opposition party is always worried that even if they win the next presidential election, the current president won’t leave.
Really? In all honesty, I don’t remember anybody ever talking about whether a president would simply stay in power when his term was over but from here on out I think that this essay makes a great deal of sense.
In the case of Donald Trump, he did try to overturn the 2020 election that he lost, so when Trump starts talking about not leaving the White House after his term is up, his threats have more concern behind them than previous partisan rumors.
The reality is that Donald Trump is showing significant signs of decline and age. He will be lucky to still be upright and breathing when his current term ends, much less sticking around for an illegal third term.
It turns out that Trump is bringing up the talk of a third term for a reason, and it is not because he wants to stay in the White House.
Donald Trump has always been good at getting attention for himself. Trump also needs constant attention and can’t stand the idea of being irrelevant, but as a term limited president, he will be irrelevant as soon as next year.
After the midterm election, by early 2027, the next presidential campaign will kick off, and the nation’s attention will be riveted to the first presidential election without a Biden, Clinton, Bush, or Trump on a ticket in 52 years.
Donald Trump can’t handle the idea that he is not sucking up all of the political oxygen, so, according to CNN that is his motivation behind the third-term talk:
Some people close to the president say that inside the administration, a third term is not viewed as something he is seriously considering or planning to do.
…
The idea of running for a third term is “like catnip” for the media and Democrats, Trump’s allies argue, ginning up the type of attention the president enjoys, one source said.
…
The sources insisted Trump isn’t actually plotting a 2028 campaign. That is not only because it would take a Constitutional amendment to make it legal, but the president is also aware of his age and cares deeply about his legacy.
…
They also argued the president doesn’t like to point out that he only has three years left, trying to swat away any talk of him being a lame duck president.
When Trump starts talking about a third term, he is trolling for attention and trying to stay relevant. The president is showing signs of serious decline.
Unlike when he ran for president in 2020 and 2024, Trump has not filed any paperwork, formed any committee, held any rallies, or done any campaign fundraising.
Trump looks like a person who is not going to run for anything.
Those are the main signs you need to look for. That part I agree with. And if Trump would file to run in 2028 then that would trigger serious talk about the repeal of the 22nd Amendment. So until and unless that happens, see the crazy talk for what it is: a means of sucking all the political oxygen from the room.
Mar à Lardass
Your “… Trump doesn’t want to talk about … He knows full well that between his own constitution and the United States Constitution, that he’s not sticking around…” and possibly his current blun-derrr-construction room with a view of ‘me and my narcissism’ just might also not stick around, and end up under a healthy bed of roses.
It’s not just the demolition of the East Wing, it’s that the proposed replacement still doesn’t have a set of agreeing, cohesive drawings without stairs going nowhere and suggested areas not adding up.
Plus, of course, the whole thing looking like Qusay Hussein was told to design a Ramada Inn.
Couldn’t expect anything better to satisfy the many tasteless lusts attributed to that ageing, shrinking, impotent, beaver hound, could you.
One year about down, three to go. I doubt that Chump will make it for most of the next three years as he is looking pretty rough. And Vance is about as popular as a rash.
Keep fighting folks and we will prevail.
I’m going to go donate to a food bank right now.
Roll on!
Will the ballroom be as bullet proof as the Cyber truck? Maybe he borrowed some of Elon’s tech.
I’ve always referred to Donald’s decorating taste as “White trash Versailles”