Donald Trump, US President #47, US President #45, convicted felon, twice impeached, four times indicted, liable of rape, convicted for financial fraud, guilty of hiding hush money payments to porn actress in attempt to influence 2016 elections

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Forums › Politics › Donald Trump, US President #47, US President #45, convicted felon, twice impeached, four times indicted, liable of rape, convicted for financial fraud, guilty of hiding hush money payments to porn actress in attempt to influence 2016 elections

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#3483499 23-Apr-2026 14:40

gzt: Multiple US media publish guidelines on how to exempt or avoid the draft:

https://www.foxla.com/news/us-military-draft-2026-disqualifications-list

https://www.aol.com/articles/requirements-conscientious-objectors-ww3-draft-100845036.html

For any American looking to get an exemption, Conscientious Objector (CO) status is historically the most claimed.

COs are not excused from service entirely. They are reassigned to noncombatant military roles, or civilian alternative service.

Hardship / dependency exemptions are among the most commonly granted exemptions.

Examples include sole providers for dependents, caregivers for disabled family members, and individuals whose induction would cause severe financial or caregiving hardship.

Medical and educational deferments were also extremely common.

Clergy exemption actually involves some ongoing weekly work. See court case Universal Life Church, Inc. v. United States (9th Cir. 1985)

Or you do what the allegedly rich do, and get a friendly podiatrist to give you a bone spur deferent.

If it's allegedly good enough for Trump, it's allegedly good enough for you.

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#3483626 24-Apr-2026 07:39

The Washington Post - Trump fought to keep the ballroom fundraising contract secret. Here’s what’s in it. (unlocked link)

21 April 2026

The Trump administration’s contract governing hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to build President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom shields donors’ identities, excludes the White House from conflict of interest protections and was disclosed only after a lawsuit and a judge’s order ...

The contract provisions, taken together, allow wealthy donors with business before the federal government to contribute anonymously to a sitting president’s pet project, while exempting the White House from key conflict of interest safeguards and limiting scrutiny by Congress and the public. ...

Dozens of the project’s known donors - which include Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Palantir and Google - collectively have billions of dollars in federal contracts before the administration. ...

(This article includes a full copy of the fundraising agreement.)

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#3483641 24-Apr-2026 08:56

The Washington Post - The 5-Minute Fix - Why Trump is firing so many people

today

In recent weeks, Trump has fired his attorney general, his homeland security secretary and, as of this week, the labor secretary and head of the Navy - amid a war with Iran very much taking place by sea.

That’s three Cabinet officials in two months, compared with two Cabinet officials leaving the entire first year of his first term.

Since March, at least five high-ranking officials have been forced out of their roles or resigned under pressure. ...

Their replacements aren’t expected to change much, analysts say, other than trying to be more politically savvy about pushing the president’s agenda, much of which is currently unpopular.

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#3483652 24-Apr-2026 09:29

Can anyone tell me where "Tell me what I want to hear" rather than "Tell me what I need to hear" has ever had a good ending?

Trump needs to take his thumbs off the Trump Truth Social keyboard for a few minutes and hit up Google. But he's too self centred and dumb to do that.

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kingdragonfly

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#3483667 24-Apr-2026 10:26

Like most, I don't want Trump to have a good ending.

In what is hopefully the last few days of his decrepit senile old angry man existence, when he passes naturally, I'd be thrilled if one day if he he realizes his actions caused consequences.

Just a brief "wow, I really f'd that up" for anything, no matter how trivial, before he shuffle off this mortal coil.

The only three good ending things to Trump presidency, that may partially offset the long-term damage he has done.

One, he encouraged nuts to step into the sunlight, who said the quiet part out loud outside the boardrooms, so there's no more plausible deniability.

Two, we know what corporations are the greediest, and the most corrupting.

Three perhaps the legislative branch will get the boot in the rear-end, and pass laws the US has long needed to become a functional peace loving democracy, that cares about its citizen health and wellbeing as its first priority.

In other words change its evil ways

Willie Bobo - Evil Ways

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#3483669 24-Apr-2026 10:42

kingdragonfly: One, he encouraged nuts to step into the sunlight, who said the quiet part out loud outside the boardrooms, so there's no more plausible deniability.

There's a subset like Marjorie Taylor-Green who now appear to have gone completely sane. Imo they have not changed. Just found a new way to make a buck now.

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#3483671 24-Apr-2026 10:45

kingdragonfly: Three perhaps the legislative branch will get the boot in the rear-end, and pass laws the US has long needed to become a functional peace loving democracy, that cares about its citizen health and wellbeing as its first priority.

It could happen but they'd have to largely select a bunch of new people for that to happen. The existing lot show barely any signs of it outside the usual party politics.

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#3483676 24-Apr-2026 10:54

gzt:
kingdragonfly: Three perhaps the legislative branch will get the boot in the rear-end, and pass laws the US has long needed to become a functional peace loving democracy, that cares about its citizen health and wellbeing as its first priority.

It could happen but they'd have to largely select a bunch of new people for that to happen. The existing lot show barely any signs of it outside the usual party politics.

Even their "left wing" politicians are barely left of our National Party liberals like Chris Bishop.

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#3483723 24-Apr-2026 13:48

Prediction‑market platforms often whitewash by using financial language: trade, market, shares, liquidity. It makes betting sound like legitimate financial speculation rather than gambling.

They rely on being regulated more like financial exchanges, less like casinos.

It avoids the stigma and legal baggage that comes with the word “bet.”

So instead of saying "wager" they strategically call it trades: a market transaction rather than a wager, even though it's a bet on an outcome.

So remember "arson" should be called provisionally non‑compliant demolition by an unscheduled combustion‑adjacent activity.

As usual, while the American are slow to react, NZ's DIA ruled platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi are illegal gambling services.

US special forces soldier arrested after allegedly winning $400,000 on Maduro raid: CNN

A US special forces soldier involved in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was arrested and charged for allegedly betting on that operation, netting him $400,000 in profits.

According to an indictment unsealed Thursday, Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke opened an account in late December on Polymarket, one of the best-known prediction markets. He wagered about $32,000 that Maduro would be “out” by January. The bet was a long-shot.
...
Lawmakers in Congress have introduced more than a dozen new bills this year to further regulate prediction markets. Some of the bills, which gained bipartisan support, would stiffen penalties against government officials who engage in insider trading.

Trump told reporters Thursday he is concerned about the growing trend of betting on geopolitical events. Asked about the charges against the US soldier, the president said he was not familiar with the specifics of the incident
...
“Well I think that the whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino,” Trump said, adding that such betting is happening “all over the world, and every place they’re doing these betting things.”

“Now, I think that I’m not happy with it,” he concluded.

The Trump administration approved Polymarket last year to start offering trades for American customers, but its US-facing site isn’t fully operational yet. The Maduro-related trades occurred on Polymarket’s highly popular international site.

That site operates out of the reach of US regulations – which is how it’s able to offer markets related to war, which is illegal under federal law.
...

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#3483728 24-Apr-2026 14:01

US soldier involved in Maduro raid charged over alleged bets on capture

Trump:

The whole world unfortunately has become somewhat of a casino.

Unfortunately we know what Trump does to casinos.

Trump recounts Tim Cook call to ‘kiss my ass,’ in stark look at White House dealmaking

Trump is running the US like a mobster with pay to play. Cook's contributions for both the inauguration and the ballroom should be seen for what they are, blatant bribes.

Trump says he regrets not cashing in more during his first term

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#3483797 24-Apr-2026 18:57

https://www.newsweek.com/fifth-of-trump-voters-say-they-regret-their-decision-11871322

20% is pretty bad - but all these people can hardly say they didn't exactly know what they were voting for, could they? 🤷‍♂️ It's not like Trump didn't tell them what he was going to do if he won again.

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#3483860 25-Apr-2026 08:52

🙄

kingdragonfly

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#3483921 25-Apr-2026 20:59

In the Oval Office, Trump was taking questions from reporters while meeting with Israeli and Lebanese leaders to discuss the ceasefire.

President Donald Trump remarked that “the world is a casino” in a glib reply.

kingdragonfly

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#3483926 25-Apr-2026 21:43

Next in "Oh that Trump!" sitcom, the main character shrugs and says his goofy catchphrase "That's the breaks! Now give me a sooooda!" while grinning mischievously, while canned laughter plays

The Check's In the Mail
Weird Al Yankovic

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#3483930 25-Apr-2026 22:23

The following is a "decline narrative" written in 2022 by The Institute of World Politics, IWP. This is not a research paper, just opinion.

Note that the IWP is traditionalist and conservative

In summary, this professor states the United States has been losing coherence and global influence for decades. As usual for conservatives, it blames cultural fragmentation, loss of unity, and domestic distraction

So agree to disagree.

It is not written as a personal critique of a single president. Specifically Biden is never mentioned.

Across the political spectrum, under Trump, decline‑themed framing has become popular. This includes conservative‑leaning outlets like Fox.

America Has No Clothes: The Institute of World Politics in Washington D.C

We are all familiar with the satirical idiom “The Emperor Has No Clothes,” applied to situations painfully clear to all yet unmentionable. Since Hans Christian Andersen wrote his fairy tale in 1837, the expression has been commonplace to expose the willful ignorance of a people unwilling or unable to acknowledge the obvious.

Andersen’s story shows the vanity of a fictitious Emperor who believes that his subjects accept anything he decrees, even to disbelieve what they can plainly see. But when his pretensions are punctured by a small child, laughter ensues, the Emperor is humiliated, and he leaves the story powerless.

For the Emperor, think the U.S. government; the missing clothes are any and all pretensions to global leadership since the end of the Cold War.
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