The Donald Trump Score Card

It's an event the Village People could have joined. It would have been a show of democracy and a response to Trump who loves their songs so much.

But they went with Trump instead.

 

Article from May 2016.

The national debt increased by about $8.5 trillion during Trump's first term.

He said he would erase the $22 trillion debt in eight years.

It's now at about $36 trillion.

He has another four years as president to try to reduce the debt, which gives him a total of eight that he said he would need to eliminate it.


A closer look at Donald Trump's comments about refinancing U.S. debt

excerpt:

Even if the government somehow managed to make the interest rates work in its favor, "it is difficult to see how it would be a big enough win to materially impact the U.S. burden of debt service," Mooney said. "While there might be room for some arbitrage that would be beneficial at the margin for the U.S., this would not have any major impact on the government’s costs of funding" a debt load in the trillions of dollars.

All in all, the strategy doesn’t make much sense, said John A. E. Pottow, a University of Michigan law professor.

"The question is how he thinks he would get a better deal -- maybe through outsmarting the market on its mistaken predictions on interest rates?" Pottow said. "That is not lying, just bravado or egomania."

And it’s not like no one has brainstormed these ideas before, Mooney said.

 

Trump's loose talk ramblings about how he thinks he can reduce the national debt.

Trump's talk became really loose in the 2024 campaign compared to 2016. It wins elections.


A closer look at Donald Trump's comments about refinancing U.S. debt

excerpt:

Charles W. Mooney Jr., a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said Trump "seems to confound concepts of ‘discount,’ ‘refinance,’ and ‘renegotiate’ just as he does with every other concept he has ever addressed."

And Brad W. Setser, a senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and the deputy assistant secretary for international economic analysis at the U.S. Treasury from 2011 to 2015, called Trump’s comments "lots of very loose talk on a subject where there shouldn't be loose talk."

 

A closer look at Donald Trump's comments about refinancing U.S. debt

excerpt:

"Selling bonds at par and then talking them down or taking actions that would reduce their value so you can buy them back at a discount isn't good for investor confidence," Setser said. "Bond investors buy treasuries because they retain their value in bad times, and because they usually can be sold for close to par in the market, because they are safe. Treasuries aren't distressed bonds of a casino."

 

Correct.

But that approach has been great for Trump who stiffed his lenders repeatedly and even sued them for a billion dollars, claiming they were unfair to him.

Trump even admitted during interviews that such a tactic worked for him.

That's his template for treating the general public who invested in government, including the ones at his rallies jumping up and down for him who don't realize he's taking advantage of them.

Even outside the issue of national debt and in just the context of banks that were stiffed by Trump, someone lost the money that Trump didn't pay back to the banks. That included some of the returns on investments that the general public didn't receive after loaning their banks to invest the money. They effectively had to pay it to Trump instead of receiving it for themselves.

 

The pragmatic consequences of Trump scaring people away.


https://www.npr.org/2025/01/17/g-s1...ump-mass-deportation-nebraska-economy-workers

excerpt:

"The billowing smoke towers from the massive plants are visible on the flat horizon. Some days, you can also smell it. This is where America's meat comes from. If you buy chicken at Costco or eat Spam, it was very likely processed here.

On a recent Friday evening, the streets and bars are covered in Christmas lights and are eerily empty.

Bertha Quintero, the owner of an empty restaurant downtown, leans up against the bar and sighs. "People are scared," she says. "Especially people with families. Business is bad because people don't leave home. They go from work to their houses."

The fear is not just out in the streets, it's in the plants, too."

 

The conflict between the emotional gratification of deporting immigrants and the pragmatic economic need for such immigrants.

If only they could be deported and, at the same time, still work for Trump's supporters who need them.

In an already labor-short industry, where Trump is going to find native citizens to fulfill all those job openings left vacant by immigrants who are deported or simply scared away is unknown. Unemployment is already a low 4%.


https://www.npr.org/2025/01/17/g-s1...ump-mass-deportation-nebraska-economy-workers

excerpt:

"Nebraska is one of the top meat producers in the U.S. It also has one of the worst labor shortages in the country. For every 100 jobs, there are only 39 workers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Last January, the state's economic chamber released a report saying Nebraska had no choice but to welcome immigrants to "address the workforce gap."

Nebraska might need immigrants, but it also voted overwhelmingly for President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to carry out mass deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally."

 

...while placing his hand over a Big Mac as he takes the oath.

 

Trump says he ordered the inauguration to be indoors because he's worried about the safety of his guests in cold weather.

He didn't show concern about the safety of his rioters, the Capitol police, Mike Pence, and members of Congress for hours during his riot.

 

Trump trolled for not being able to handle cold weather.


Trump Trolled Over ‘True’ Reason for Moving Inauguration Inside

excerpt:

Responding to Axelrod’s post, a commentator added: “For an administration (that) is all about the tough guy culture, they certainly don’t seem that tough. I’ve sat outside in colder temps for hours, but I’m dedicated. Guess he fears his cult followers won’t be that dedicated and that his hair will get messed up with a hat.”

 

Trump will be indoors in a comfortable setting and can pretend he's tough by singing 'Macho Man' with his musical guests the Village People.

 

clearing bandwith

 

Feds offered Jeffrey Epstein a deal for dirt on Trump: ex-cellmate


clearing bandwith

 

Hegseth backed by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy to lead the Pentagon under Trump

excerpt:

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said Hegseth passed his confirmation hearing with "flying colors."

"They tried to rattle him. They brought out all these anonymous allegations. He had an answer for every one of them," Tuberville said at the time.

 

This is the problem with becoming preoccupied with issues like Hegseth's alleged drinking problem. His supporters will say he's qualified for the job because he supposedly defended himself about his drinking problem while ignoring that he lacks experience and is unqualified to head the entire military.

 

Trump plans large immigration raid in Chicago on Tuesday – report

excerpt:

Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, told an event in Chicago that the administration was “going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois”, the Journal reported.

“And if the Chicago mayor doesn’t want to help, he can step aside. But if he impedes us, if he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien, I will prosecute him,” he was quoted as saying.

 

Trump’s Inauguration Will Feature These Billionaires: Musk, Zuckerberg And More

excerpt:

"More than $170 million. That’s how much Trump’s inaugural fund is believed to have raised, almost three times as much as the $62 million raised by President Joe Biden four years ago and well above the previous record of $107 million, set by Trump's 2016 inauguration. Donors who gave $1 million, or raised $2 million from others, were reportedly given six tickets to a series of events in the days leading up to the inauguration, including a “candlelight dinner” with Trump and Melania Trump and a black-tie ball."

 

Attendees at Trump's 2025 inauguration.

Information from Forbes.


Bezos (worth $235.3 billion according to Forbes’ estimates)
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg ($212.6 billion)
Elon Musk ($429.8 billion
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ($1.1 billion)
Miriam Adelson ($31.8 billion)
Tilman Fertitta ($10.2 billion)
Todd Ricketts (estimated $4 billion)
Trump ($6.8 billion)
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong ($11.9 billion)


Potential or expected attendees:

Stephen Feinberg ($5 billion)
Warren Stephens ($3.3 billion)
Jared Isaacman ($1.7 billion)
Howard Lutnick ($1.5 billion)
Vivek Ramaswamy ($1 billion)
Steve Witkoff ($1 billion)
Linda McMahon (husband
Vince McMahon is worth $3 billion)
Kelly Loeffler (husband Jeff Sprecher is worth $1 billion)


Other possible attendees:

Apple CEO Tim Cook ($2.3 billion)
Robert “Woody” Johnson ($3.3 billion)
Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein (each worth $5.9 billion)
Roger Penske ($6.4 billion)
Timothy Mellon (family was worth $14.1 billion)

 

Meanwhile, Trump and his supporters keep complaining about George Soros.

 

Worth of Trump's attendees at his inauguration.

Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Musk together are worth close to $900 billion.


Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and 8 other tycoons got $500 billion richer in 2024 — and are now worth more than $2 trillion
Theron Mohamed
January 2, 2025

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and 8 other tycoons got $500 billion richer in 2024 — and are now worth more than $2 trillion