[worry]

Dang, I'm torn between who not to root for more.

[Cause]

https://www.vanityfa...XGzFwMFksY5gSL4

Susie wiles, chief of staff to Donald Trump gave an interview to vanity fair. She trashes Trump (says he has an alcoholic personality), JD Vance (conspiracy theorist without principles), Elon Musk (drug anddict who makes irrational decisions) and admits that Trump is using the government to settle scores.

She is the chief of staff! What on earth is this interview? Is this someone screaming for the 25th amendment or did she just go crazy. How can she not be fired for this?


——————————-

Also I don’t think it’s the bbc lawsuit but a similar one seems to have resulted in Trumps medical records bending sought in the discovery phase: I imagine he will drop the suit rather than comply and it may mean all such suits will need to be dropped.

This post has been edited by Cause: 16 December 2025 - 09:40 PM

[Garak]

The Trump administration is such a bad joke. I still can hardly believe this is real.

[Maark Abbott]

I saw a tweet about blockading Venezuela and part of the justification is "oil they stole from us".

I think this is the first time I've seen the US be overt in why it's about to bomb another country. I'd say it's refreshing but no, it's just terrifying.

[Cause]

When Trump mediates a peace deal between Trump and Venezuela I just hope that FIFA can organize another peace prize quickly.

If he is hoping for a rally round the flag effect I think he will be disappointed. I don’t think any American feels threatened by Venezuela enough to think this war is importsnt enough to care about but I could be wrong.

[Abyss]

It's one part distraction from all the other crap they're up to, and one part making his corporate buddies/patrons happy by dangling oil or resource access. Venezuela seized a bunch of US corporate assets back in the 70s or so, it's a handy BS reason for whatever (see also Cuba).

[Cause]

 Cause, on 16 December 2025 - 09:39 PM, said:

https://www.vanityfa...XGzFwMFksY5gSL4

Susie wiles, chief of staff to Donald Trump gave an interview to vanity fair. She trashes Trump (says he has an alcoholic personality), JD Vance (conspiracy theorist without principles), Elon Musk (drug anddict who makes irrational decisions) and admits that Trump is using the government to settle scores.

She is the chief of staff! What on earth is this interview? Is this someone screaming for the 25th amendment or did she just go crazy. How can she not be fired for this

So her defense of accusing the president she serves of engaging in impeachable conduct is that she was taken out of context,

This is not normal. It’s crazy that we are so used to it that this willl lead to nothing,

Also unexpected from my end is that Trump is defending her. He normally doesn’t respond to disloyalty well. Maybe he thinks it will look better if he fires Noem, hegseth, Patel and Wiles all together rather than spacing it out. Maybe on Xmas eve.

[Tsundoku]

Cause, on 16 December 2025 - 09:39 PM, said:

https://www.vanityfa...XGzFwMFksY5gSL4

Susie wiles, chief of staff to Donald Trump gave an interview to vanity fair. She trashes Trump (says he has an alcoholic personality), JD Vance (conspiracy theorist without principles), Elon Musk (drug anddict who makes irrational decisions) and admits that Trump is using the government to settle scores.

She is the chief of staff! What on earth is this interview? Is this someone screaming for the 25th amendment or did she just go crazy. How can she not be fired for this?

Stupid paywall.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 17 December 2025 - 09:55 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

Try this one: https://web.archive....xclusive-part-1

[Tsundoku]

Tiste Simeon, on 17 December 2025 - 11:05 PM, said:

Try this one: https://web.archive....xclusive-part-1

Thanks for trying, but same result.

[Tiste Simeon]

Hmm I could read the whole thing on the Wayback Machine

[Tsundoku]

Yeah it's weird. It's like the whole article flashed up for a second, then settled back into the paywall format.

You get the rogue's gallery photo at the start though, and I still believe Steven Miller has cruelty-to-animals-and-lights-fires eyes. Brrrrrr!

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: Yesterday, 09:00 PM

[Tsundoku]

They're not even bothering to try to create the slimmest veneer of legitimacy anymore.

Washington D.C.’s famous Kennedy Centre decides to rename itself after Donald Trump
One of America’s most famous buildings will now bear Donald Trump’s name after his friends voted to give it a new one.

https://www.news.com...3932bfa37b47d00

Samuel Clench

The Kennedy Centre, a famous performing arts building in Washington D.C. named for the assassinated former US president, has decided to rename itself in honour of current President Donald Trump, in apparent defiance of American law.

The centre’s name is enshrined in statute. It can be renamed, through an act of Congress. But the Kennedy Centre’s board, handpicked by Mr Trump, today voted to rename it unilaterally.

“I have been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Centre, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Centre to the Trump-Kennedy Centre, because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced.

“Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation. Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump, and likewise, congratulations to President Kennedy, because this will be a truly great team long into the future!

“The building will no doubt attain new levels of success and grandeur.”

The board’s most prominent members include Mr Trump, who appointed himself as its chairman after taking office again, longtime Trump ally Rick Grenell (who served in various diplomatic roles during the President’s first term, and aided his effort to overturn the 2020 election result), and Sergio Gor, the current American ambassador to India, who previously worked for Mr Trump’s son Donald Jr.

Members of the wider board include Trump staffers Susie Wiles and Dan Scavino, Vice President J.D. Vance’s wife Usha, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s wife Allison, TV hosts Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo, and Attorney-General Pam Bondi.

Mr Trump reacted to the move while being questioned by journalists in the Oval Office today.

“Your press secretary posted that the board members of the Kennedy Centre voted unanimously to rename it to the Trump-Kennedy Centre,” one reporter put to him.

“Well I was honoured by it,” Mr Trump said.

“This board is a very distinguished board. Most distinguished people in the country. And I was surprised by it, and I was honoured by it.

“You know, we’re saving the building. We saved the building. It was in such bad shape, physically, financially, in every other way. And now it’s very solid, and very strong.”

The Kennedy Centre’s ticket sales have actually dropped sharply since Mr Trump’s takeover of the institution, if you care.

Not surprising, that. Washington D.C. is an overwhelmingly Democratic city; you would expect the centre’s usual patrons to find its new leadership distasteful.

Earlier this week, one of the musicians who routinely performs at the Kennedy Centre was quoted lamenting the experience of playing to empty seats.

“The Kennedy Centre is really back strongly. It was in very bad shape, very very bad shape, physically,” Mr Trump continued.

“And we saved the Kennedy Centre. This was brought up by one of the very distinguished board members, and they voted on it. A lot of board members. And they voted unanimously. I was very honoured. Thank you.”

The reaction to this news has been quite flat.

Joe Kennedy III, a grandson of President Kennedy’s brother Robert F. Kennedy, is a former member of Congress (he is, like his grandfather, a Democrat). He did not take kindly to the announcement.

“The Kennedy Centre is a living memorial to a fallen president, and named for President Kennedy by federal law. It can no sooner be renamed than can someone rename the Lincoln Memorial, no matter what anyone says,” Mr Kennedy posted on social media.

“Maybe don’t give him any more ideas,” the reporter Andrew Egger quipped in response.

Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter, also issued a statement.

“Trump and his administration have spent the past year repressing free expression, targeting artists, journalists, and comedians, and erasing the history of Americans whose contributions made our nation better and more just,” she said.

“President Kennedy proudly stood for justice, peace, equality, dignity, diversity and compassion for those who suffer. President Trump stands in opposition to these values, and his name should not be placed alongside President Kennedy’s.”

John F. Kennedy’s niece, Maria Shriver, said the news had left her “speechless”.

“Some things leave you speechless, and enraged, and in a state of disbelief,” she said.

“It is beyond comprehension that this sitting president has sought to rename this great memorial dedicated to President Kennedy. It is beyond wild that he would think adding his name in front of President Kennedy’s name is acceptable. It is not.

“Next thing, perhaps, he will want to rename JFK Airport, rename the Lincoln Memorial (to the) Trump Lincoln Memorial. The Trump Jefferson Memorial. The Trump Smithsonian.

“Can we not see what is happening here? Come on, my fellow Americans. This is not dignified. This is not funny. This is way beneath the stature of the job. It’s downright weird. It’s obsessive.”

The broader political commentariat has been, if anything, less diplomatic.

“There is something un-American about the cringing sycophancy of the Trump movement,” said the conservative, but anti-Trump, writer David Frum.

Reason writer Billy Binion expanded on that point.

“One of the most fascinating parts of the Trump presidency is his allies’ urge to worship him like a saviour. Idolising narcissists may feel good in the moment,” he said.

“It rarely ends well. The Kennedy Centre Board doesn’t even have the power to change the name. It’s a federal entity and the name is set in statute. But I guess they wanted to do this to show how much they love Dear Leader or something?

“The grovelling is very embarrassing. The Founders warned against worshipping presidents like kings, because idolising fallible individuals corrodes a society. They were right.”

British journalist and podcaster Lewis Goodall was more succinct, as the Brits tend to be.

“Tinpot stuff,” he said.

“The fact that these Trump appointees on the Board voted unanimously to rename it after Trump is a particularly fine Stalinist touch,” said another vehemently anti-Trump American conservative, Bill Kristol.

“This is so embarrassing,” said Jonah Goldberg, who falls into the same bucket.

“This is just so Third World African kleptocracy. Swap out Trump for Mugabe, and it is the same sort of thing,” said the more pro-Trump conservative broadcaster Erick Erickson.

And so forth.

The Kennedy Centre was, of course, the venue for FIFA’s World Cup draw earlier this month. The United States is co-hosting next year’s tournament with Canada and Mexico.

Mr Trump was in attendance, and popped up on stage as the football body’s president, Gianni Infantino, awarded him the newly created “FIFA Peace Prize”.

The prize was a quite transparent attempt, by FIFA, to ingratiate itself to Mr Trump, who is perpetually annoyed that he hasn’t received the Nobel Peace Prize.

“This is what we want from a leader. A leader that cares about the people,” Mr Infantino said at the time.

“This is your prize. This is your peace prize.”

The President also received a medal.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life,” he said.

Now we can add another to the list.