The Offical Trump Flip Flop Thread
- Thread starter thoughtone
- Start date
Indeed.
This is a classic example of REPUBLICAN CORRUPTION. Brace yourselves if you are a senior or have senior parents. People that make over $250,000 get a huge tax break and everyone else is totally screwed. Paul Ryan called his program an ACT OF MERCY...Nancy Pelosi called the whole program An ACT OF CRUELTY. The biggest beneficiaries are insurance companies because they will generate several billion in profit and the Republican Party because they will get lots of kickbacks under the table. Now you know that their loyalty is not with voters -- but with insurance companies.
Thanks to Point Counter Point.
Thanks to Point Counter Point.
This dude can do No wrong to his supporters..
source: CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-nato-secretary-general-meet-hold-news-conference-live-updates/
NATO is "no longer obsolete," President Trump declares
Last Updated Apr 12, 2017 9:40 PM EDT
```
President Donald Trump said NATO is “no longer obsolete,” in a joint news conference Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.
“I said it was obsolete,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s no longer obsolete.”
Mr. Trump, who consistently criticized NATO during his presidential campaign, on Wednesday said the “great alliance” of the U.S. and NATO will work with a “common devotion to human dignity and freedom” to defeat the world’s challenges, “of which there will be many.” The two in private were expected to discuss Russia and Syria, along with Ukraine, and the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
At this point, the greatest question facing NATO is what to do with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, believed to be responsible for a deadly chemical attack on Syria last week, and Russia, which has resisted any international intervention in Syria. Mr. Trump’s appearance with Stoltenberg came soon after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a press conference with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, in which the two disagreed on virtually everything. Moments before the Trump-Stoltenberg news conference, a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an investigation into the Syria chemical attack failed -- killed by a Russian veto.
“We may be at an all-time low in terms of our relationship with Russia,” said Mr. Trump, who has been careful not to criticize the Kremlin.
The president said it would be “fantastic” to get along with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, but he isn’t sure if that’s possible. Stoltenberg, meanwhile, emphasized that a strong NATO and a strong Russia can exist simultaneously.
“We don’t want a new Cold War,” Stoltenburg said. “We don’t want a new arms race.”
Mr. Trump also stood behind the missile strike he ordered on a Syrian airbase last week, calling Assad a “butcher,” and saying striking back was the right thing to do.
Stoltenberg avoided criticizing or praising the U.S. air strike, saying the action was met with a “lot of understanding” at the U.N.
“Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and cannot go unanswered, so those responsible must be held accountable,” Stoltenberg said. The NATO secretary general did praise Mr. Trump for his push to have other nations move towards a 2 percent GDP defense spending goal.
“We are all seeing the effects of your strong focus on burden sharing in the alliance,” Stoltenberg told Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump said the “nasty” world will look different by the time his presidency comes to an end.
“By the time I’m finished, it’s going to be a lot better place to live in,” Mr. Trump said. “Because right now, it’s nasty.”
Below is a live blog of the press conference from earlier.
4:34 p.m.The press conference has ended.
4:28 p.m.Stoltenburg said he wants to find a “pragmatic working relationship” with Russia, and that a strong Russia and a strong NATO do not have to be at odds.
“We have to try to find ways to live with them, to avoid a new cold war and arms race.”
4:15 p.m.Mr. Trump said, we “may be at an all-time low in terms of relationship with Russia,” indicating that as strong as Russia may be with Vladimir Putin in charge, the U.S. is stronger.
“Russia is a strong country,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re a very, very strong country.”
4:09 p.m. Stoltenberg called his meeting with Mr. Trump “excellent” and very “productive.”
4:07 p.m.Mr. Trump, reading from his prepared remarks, says he will work “closely” with NATO allies to adapt to the challenges of the future, “of which there will be many.”
Mr. Trump welcomed Montenegro as the 29th NATO member.
4:03 p.m.The press conference has begun.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-nato-secretary-general-meet-hold-news-conference-live-updates/
NATO is "no longer obsolete," President Trump declares
Last Updated Apr 12, 2017 9:40 PM EDT
```
President Donald Trump said NATO is “no longer obsolete,” in a joint news conference Wednesday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after their first face-to-face meeting at the White House.
“I said it was obsolete,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s no longer obsolete.”
Mr. Trump, who consistently criticized NATO during his presidential campaign, on Wednesday said the “great alliance” of the U.S. and NATO will work with a “common devotion to human dignity and freedom” to defeat the world’s challenges, “of which there will be many.” The two in private were expected to discuss Russia and Syria, along with Ukraine, and the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
At this point, the greatest question facing NATO is what to do with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, believed to be responsible for a deadly chemical attack on Syria last week, and Russia, which has resisted any international intervention in Syria. Mr. Trump’s appearance with Stoltenberg came soon after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a press conference with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, in which the two disagreed on virtually everything. Moments before the Trump-Stoltenberg news conference, a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an investigation into the Syria chemical attack failed -- killed by a Russian veto.
“We may be at an all-time low in terms of our relationship with Russia,” said Mr. Trump, who has been careful not to criticize the Kremlin.
The president said it would be “fantastic” to get along with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, but he isn’t sure if that’s possible. Stoltenberg, meanwhile, emphasized that a strong NATO and a strong Russia can exist simultaneously.
“We don’t want a new Cold War,” Stoltenburg said. “We don’t want a new arms race.”
Mr. Trump also stood behind the missile strike he ordered on a Syrian airbase last week, calling Assad a “butcher,” and saying striking back was the right thing to do.
Stoltenberg avoided criticizing or praising the U.S. air strike, saying the action was met with a “lot of understanding” at the U.N.
“Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and cannot go unanswered, so those responsible must be held accountable,” Stoltenberg said. The NATO secretary general did praise Mr. Trump for his push to have other nations move towards a 2 percent GDP defense spending goal.
“We are all seeing the effects of your strong focus on burden sharing in the alliance,” Stoltenberg told Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump said the “nasty” world will look different by the time his presidency comes to an end.
“By the time I’m finished, it’s going to be a lot better place to live in,” Mr. Trump said. “Because right now, it’s nasty.”
Below is a live blog of the press conference from earlier.
4:34 p.m.The press conference has ended.
4:28 p.m.Stoltenburg said he wants to find a “pragmatic working relationship” with Russia, and that a strong Russia and a strong NATO do not have to be at odds.
“We have to try to find ways to live with them, to avoid a new cold war and arms race.”
4:15 p.m.Mr. Trump said, we “may be at an all-time low in terms of relationship with Russia,” indicating that as strong as Russia may be with Vladimir Putin in charge, the U.S. is stronger.
“Russia is a strong country,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re a very, very strong country.”
4:09 p.m. Stoltenberg called his meeting with Mr. Trump “excellent” and very “productive.”
4:07 p.m.Mr. Trump, reading from his prepared remarks, says he will work “closely” with NATO allies to adapt to the challenges of the future, “of which there will be many.”
Mr. Trump welcomed Montenegro as the 29th NATO member.
4:03 p.m.The press conference has begun.
The unemployment rate
March 12, 2016
"The numbers are phony. These are all phony numbers. Numbers given to politicians to look good. These are phony numbers."
March 10, 2017
White House press secretary Sean Spicer: "I talked to the President prior to this and he said to quote him very clearly: 'They may have been phony in the past, but it's very real now.' "
"The numbers are phony. These are all phony numbers. Numbers given to politicians to look good. These are phony numbers."
March 10, 2017
White House press secretary Sean Spicer: "I talked to the President prior to this and he said to quote him very clearly: 'They may have been phony in the past, but it's very real now.' "
Presidential golf
October 13, 2014
Tweet: "Can you believe that, with all of the problems and difficulties facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf. Worse than Carter"
February 11, 2017
Trump has visited his golf courses 16 times since taking office. In early February he tweeted: "Played golf today with Prime Minister Abe of Japan and @TheBig_Easy, Ernie Els, and had a great time. Japan is very well represented!"
The Export-Import Bank
August 4, 2015
"I don't like it because I don't think it's necessary … It's sort of a featherbedding for politicians and others, and a few companies. And these are companies that can do very well without it. So I don't like it. I think it's a lot of excess baggage. I think it's unnecessary. And when you think about free enterprise it's really not free enterprise. I'd be against it."
April 12, 2017
"It turns out that, first of all, lots of small companies are really helped, the vendor companies. But also, maybe more important, other countries give [assistance]. When other countries give it we lose a tremendous amount of business."
"I don't like it because I don't think it's necessary … It's sort of a featherbedding for politicians and others, and a few companies. And these are companies that can do very well without it. So I don't like it. I think it's a lot of excess baggage. I think it's unnecessary. And when you think about free enterprise it's really not free enterprise. I'd be against it."
April 12, 2017
"It turns out that, first of all, lots of small companies are really helped, the vendor companies. But also, maybe more important, other countries give [assistance]. When other countries give it we lose a tremendous amount of business."
Federal hiring freeze
October 23, 2016
"On the first day of my term of office, my administration will immediately pursue … a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce the federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health)."
April 12, 2017
Trump signed a presidential memorandum freezing federal hiring days after taking office. Then, on his 82nd day in office, budget director Mick Mulvaney announced this: "What we are doing tomorrow is replacing the across-the-board hiring freeze that we put into place on day one in office and replacing it with a smarter plan, a more strategic plan, a more surgical plan."
"On the first day of my term of office, my administration will immediately pursue … a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce the federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health)."
April 12, 2017
Trump signed a presidential memorandum freezing federal hiring days after taking office. Then, on his 82nd day in office, budget director Mick Mulvaney announced this: "What we are doing tomorrow is replacing the across-the-board hiring freeze that we put into place on day one in office and replacing it with a smarter plan, a more strategic plan, a more surgical plan."
source: CNN
Trump defends about-face on labeling China a currency manipulator
West Palm Beach, Florida (CNN)President Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his about-face on labeling China a currency manipulator was a strategic move meant to entice the country's cooperation on North Korea.
Trump, who is spending the Easter weekend at his Florida estate, wrote on Twitter, "Why would I call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem?"
"We will see what happens!" Trump wrote, raising the possibility his decision could be reversed.
His message came hours after a North Korean ballistic missile test failed. The US and its Asian allies had been on heightened alert for provocative moves from the rogue state during an important holiday on Saturday.
The declaration also came days after Trump -- in a turnabout from his campaign stance -- declared in an interview that his administration would not label China a currency manipulator, which could have triggered investigations.
"They're not currency manipulators," Trump told The Wall Street Journal, explaining Beijing had not manipulated the yuan for months.
Asked during a news conference Wednesday whether he thought he could negotiate a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping over his nation's currency practices, Trump said, "We're going to see, we're going to see about that."
Later in the week, the US Treasury Department did not label China a currency manipulator in its semi-annual report on global currency practices.
Trump has projected a transactional attitude toward China, saying in interviews and remarks that he planned to use trade as a negotiating tool for Xi's cooperation on North Korea.
The US hopes China -- North Korea's largest trading partner -- can apply pressure to Pyongyang to curtail its nuclear ambitions.
The Trump administration has touted some successes on that front in the past week, including the suspension of coal shipments from North Korea to China. Overall imports from North Korea to China, however, have increased.
source: Chicago Tribune
Trump administration says Iran complying with nuclear deal
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivers a speech in Tehran on April 14, 2017. (Atta Kenare / Getty-AFP)
The Trump administration has notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and says the U.S. has extended the sanctions relief given to the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on its atomic program.
However, in a letter sent late Tuesday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration has undertaken a full review of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
"Iran remains a leading state sponsor of terror, through many platforms and methods," Tillerson wrote. He said the National Security Council-led interagency review of the agreement will evaluate whether it "is vital to the national security interests of the United States."
The certification of Iran's compliance, which must be sent to Congress every 90 days, is the first issued by the Trump administration. The deadline for this certification was midnight.
As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump was an outspoken critic of the deal but had offered conflicting opinions on whether he would try to scrap it, modify it or keep it in place with more strenuous enforcement. Tuesday's determination suggested that while Trump agreed with findings by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Iran is keeping to its end of the bargain, he is looking for another way to ratchet up pressure on Tehran.
Despite the sanctions relief, Iran remains on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism for its support of anti-Israel groups and is still subject to non-nuclear sanctions, including for human rights abuses and for its backing of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.
The nuclear deal was sealed in Vienna in July 2015 after 18 months of negotiations led by former Secretary of State John Kerry and diplomats from the other four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France and Russia — and Germany. Under its terms, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program, long suspected of being aimed at developing atomic weapons, in return for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
Opponents of the deal, including Israel, objected, saying it only delayed Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons and did not allow for the kind of inspections of its atomic sites that would guarantee it was not cheating. Obama, Kerry and others who negotiated the deal strenuously defended its terms and said the agreement made Israel, the Middle East and the world a safer place.
source: USA Today
Trump backtracks: U.S. will not withdraw from NAFTA
President Trump reversed course late Wednesday and said he had agreed to renegotiate rather than withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, a surprise announcement that came just hours after reports said he was considering an executive order to pull out of the trade pact and as his administration faces questions about what he has achieved in hisfirst 100 days in office.
“It is my privilege to bring NAFTA up to date through renegotiation. It is an honor to deal with both President Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Trudeau, and I believe that the end result will make all three countries stronger and better," Trump said in a statement about his calls with the Mexican and Canadian leaders.
Early Thursday Trump added to that by appearing to claim the diplomatic upper-hand. In a tweet, the president said he "received calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA rather than terminate. I agreed ... subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good — deal very possible!"
Renegotiating or withdrawing from NAFTA, a decades-old trade deal that Trump has described as a "disaster" and says hurts U.S. workers, was one of the president's campaign pledges. Trump has already abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal brokered by President Obama.
Mexico and Canada are the U.S.'s two largest export markets. NAFTA was established in 1994 to remove taxes on goods traded between the three countries. Pulling out of the pact would send the strongest signal yet from Trump that he intends to follow through on his vow to recast years of American economic policy.
The about-face followed a Politico report that said senior White House aides were drafting an executive order to withdraw from the pact, a move that drew immediate objections from some in Congress, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
“Withdrawing from #NAFTA would be a disaster for #Arizona jobs & economy,” he tweeted. “@POTUS shouldn’t abandon this vital trade agreement.”
“Scrapping Nafta would be a disastrously bad idea,” Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said in astatement. “Yes, there are places where our agreements could be modernized, but here’s the bottom line: Trade lowers prices for American consumers, and it expands markets for American goods. Risking trade wars is reckless."
Since taking office Trump has repeatedly indicated he planned to either renegotiate or terminate NAFTA, which he and other critics blame for wiping out U.S. manufacturing jobs because it allowed companies to move factories to Mexico to take advantage of low-wage labor.
“I am very upset with NAFTA. I think NAFTA has been a catastrophic trade deal for the United States, trading agreement for the United States. It hurts us with Canada, and it hurts us with Mexico,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press last week.
The decision comes just days after the White House announced hefty new tariffs on softwood lumber from Canada and as Trump has labeled changes to Canadian milk product pricing that he says are hurting the American dairy industry a "disgrace."
The climbdown sent the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar higher against the U.S. dollar on Thursday.
In the event that Trump changes his mind, he could withdraw from NAFTA but he would have to give six months’ notice. It is unclear what would happen next.
Lawyers at international legal firmWhite & Casesay the president's constitutional authority would likely permit him to withdraw from a U.S. trade agreement without seeking approval from Congress. However, he may still be forced to wrangle with lawmakers over putting tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports.
It is also not clear what changes Trump will be seeking in the renegotiation.
In an eight-page draft letter to Congress seen by the AP, acting U.S. Trade Representative Stephen Vaughn wrote that the administration intended to start talking with Mexico and Canada about making changes to the pact, but the letter spelled out few details and stuck with broad principles.
Much of the existing agreement would remain in place, the letter showed, including private tribunals that allow companies to challenge national laws on the grounds that they inhibit trade. Critics say such provisions allows companies to get around environmental and labor laws.
During the campaign, Trump made 28 promises that he said would be achieved within his first 100 days in office, which he marks Saturday. The pledges were broad and covered constitutional amendments, regulations, trade, tax reform, health care and the military. AUSA TODAY analysisfound so far he has not achieved his goal.
Trump backtracks: U.S. will not withdraw from NAFTA
President Trump reversed course late Wednesday and said he had agreed to renegotiate rather than withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, a surprise announcement that came just hours after reports said he was considering an executive order to pull out of the trade pact and as his administration faces questions about what he has achieved in hisfirst 100 days in office.
“It is my privilege to bring NAFTA up to date through renegotiation. It is an honor to deal with both President Peña Nieto and Prime Minister Trudeau, and I believe that the end result will make all three countries stronger and better," Trump said in a statement about his calls with the Mexican and Canadian leaders.
Early Thursday Trump added to that by appearing to claim the diplomatic upper-hand. In a tweet, the president said he "received calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA rather than terminate. I agreed ... subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good — deal very possible!"
Renegotiating or withdrawing from NAFTA, a decades-old trade deal that Trump has described as a "disaster" and says hurts U.S. workers, was one of the president's campaign pledges. Trump has already abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade deal brokered by President Obama.
Mexico and Canada are the U.S.'s two largest export markets. NAFTA was established in 1994 to remove taxes on goods traded between the three countries. Pulling out of the pact would send the strongest signal yet from Trump that he intends to follow through on his vow to recast years of American economic policy.
The about-face followed a Politico report that said senior White House aides were drafting an executive order to withdraw from the pact, a move that drew immediate objections from some in Congress, including Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
“Withdrawing from #NAFTA would be a disaster for #Arizona jobs & economy,” he tweeted. “@POTUS shouldn’t abandon this vital trade agreement.”
“Scrapping Nafta would be a disastrously bad idea,” Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said in astatement. “Yes, there are places where our agreements could be modernized, but here’s the bottom line: Trade lowers prices for American consumers, and it expands markets for American goods. Risking trade wars is reckless."
Since taking office Trump has repeatedly indicated he planned to either renegotiate or terminate NAFTA, which he and other critics blame for wiping out U.S. manufacturing jobs because it allowed companies to move factories to Mexico to take advantage of low-wage labor.
“I am very upset with NAFTA. I think NAFTA has been a catastrophic trade deal for the United States, trading agreement for the United States. It hurts us with Canada, and it hurts us with Mexico,” he said in an interview with the Associated Press last week.
The decision comes just days after the White House announced hefty new tariffs on softwood lumber from Canada and as Trump has labeled changes to Canadian milk product pricing that he says are hurting the American dairy industry a "disgrace."
The climbdown sent the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar higher against the U.S. dollar on Thursday.
In the event that Trump changes his mind, he could withdraw from NAFTA but he would have to give six months’ notice. It is unclear what would happen next.
Lawyers at international legal firmWhite & Casesay the president's constitutional authority would likely permit him to withdraw from a U.S. trade agreement without seeking approval from Congress. However, he may still be forced to wrangle with lawmakers over putting tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports.
It is also not clear what changes Trump will be seeking in the renegotiation.
In an eight-page draft letter to Congress seen by the AP, acting U.S. Trade Representative Stephen Vaughn wrote that the administration intended to start talking with Mexico and Canada about making changes to the pact, but the letter spelled out few details and stuck with broad principles.
Much of the existing agreement would remain in place, the letter showed, including private tribunals that allow companies to challenge national laws on the grounds that they inhibit trade. Critics say such provisions allows companies to get around environmental and labor laws.
During the campaign, Trump made 28 promises that he said would be achieved within his first 100 days in office, which he marks Saturday. The pledges were broad and covered constitutional amendments, regulations, trade, tax reform, health care and the military. AUSA TODAY analysisfound so far he has not achieved his goal.
April 28, 2017
April 30, 2017
McMaster says US will pay for THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea - National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster said Sunday that the U.S. will indeed pay for the roughly $1 billion THAAD missile defense system in South Korean, amind neighboring North Korea's repeated ballistic test launches.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/south-korea-should-pay-1b-thaad-trump
.
Trump: South Korea should pay $1b for THAAD -- US President Donald Trump on Friday called for South Korea to pay US$1 billion for a missile shield's deployment here, and vowed to renegotiate a bilateral free trade pact, stirring heated reactions in South Korea. -
See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/south-korea-should-pay-1b-thaad-trump#sthash.I5ijMJv0.dpuf
See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/south-korea-should-pay-1b-thaad-trump#sthash.I5ijMJv0.dpuf
McMaster says US will pay for THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea - National Security Adviser Gen. H.R. McMaster said Sunday that the U.S. will indeed pay for the roughly $1 billion THAAD missile defense system in South Korean, amind neighboring North Korea's repeated ballistic test launches.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/south-korea-should-pay-1b-thaad-trump
.