Trump 2.0 official thread

[coolgod]

This is a great analysis. It really shows the key to this break down in relations is not just differing interests, which are obviously important, but also the personalities of the leaders involved.

Ultimately diplomacy and politics is conducted by humans and humans have needs, wants, and urges. Trump is a public man with a giant ego, and as a public man with a giant ego, he cannot tolerate being contradicted or talked down to in front of the world.

But even beyond that, Trump is not a fan of the "liberal international order." In many respects, he hates liberals; and in any case he's never once coached his rhetoric or his politics in liberalism. Ideologically, he's closer to Putin than he is to Biden, or Zelensky for that matter. He doesn't respond to appeals to "shared democratic values" or "human rights."

Yet this is exactly what Zelensky tried to pull in front of Trump. Zelensky is still acting like he's in Biden's house and that he's going to get a standing ovation for standing up to Putin and his "monstrous tyranny." He kept trying to do his "freedom and liberty" and "no compromise" act in front of Trump as though Trump gives a ****. Fact is, Trump doesn't - he likes Putin, and he respects Putin's style of leadership.

Zelensky's biggest failing as a leader is his inability to detect when the wind's changed, and to adapt accordingly. Weeks before the war, he was still of the mind that Putin was all bluff, and that he was going to get away with EU / NATO membership. We saw this same character flaw here. Even with every indication that Trump is not Biden, and that Trump's America is not Biden's America, he still came in thinking he'd play the same song and dance.

He was wrong. A smarter politician would've realized who Trump was and what Trump wanted, and knew that the odds were against him since Trump was incentivized to make a deal with Putin so that he can turn his attention on China, and adjusted accordingly. Instead, Zelensky stuck to his line about not compromising with Putin, and paid for it.

It's not just Zelensky that is wrong, Ukrainian politicans were also wrong. They passed a bill to allow Zelensky to delay election until after ceasefire is reached. The smart move is to obviously hold an election and pick a candidate that Trump likes.

 

[iewgnem]

This actually made my bullshit detector go off. Trump's outrage yesterday was probably an attempt to distract from a market crash and a bad economic indicator. Just one month into his administration he messed up. Maybe yesterday was an attempt to move the conversation to something else. Maybe distract everyone from DOGE's illegal activities.

I think you can analyze what world model they used to arrive at what they're doing, but you can't use your own world model to analyze what they're doing.

Trump already explicitly stated his world model: America is the most important, everyone needs America and everyone wants to be with America.
- This lead to belief he can generate trillions in income from selling "Gold Cards"
- He loves tariff because if everyone want to feed America above all else, then everyone must lower prices to compete for the privilege of feeding America, tariff will then be paid by the seller, as he always claims, and the tariff income will generate trillions in revenue.
- He thinks he can get away with trillions in tax cuts because he believe he can generate trillions in income from the above, all based on the axioms making up his world view.
- Geopolitically his world model also explains his Russia strategy: Russia like everyone else desires America above all else, therefore if he simply give them the chance, they will abandon China for the previlege of joining America.

Obviously his world view is wrong, so to everyone with better understanding of America's place what Trump is doing is inexplictable and crazy, but if you apply his world view, it makes perfect sense.

 

[Hyper]

I think you can analyze what world model they used to arrive at what they're doing, but you can't use your own world model to analyze what they're doing.

Trump already explicitly stated his world model: America is the most important, everyone needs America and everyone wants to be with America.
- This lead to belief he can generate trillions in income from selling "Gold Cards"
- He loves tariff because if everyone want to feed America above all else, then everyone must lower prices to compete for the privilege of feeding America, tariff will then be paid by the seller, as he always claims, and the tariff income will generate trillions in revenue.
- He thinks he can get away with trillions in tax cuts because he believe he can generate trillions in income from the above, all based on the axioms making up his world view.
- Geopolitically his world model also explains his Russia strategy: Russia like everyone else desires America above all else, therefore if he simply give them the chance, they will abandon China for the previlege of joining America.

Obviously his world view is wrong, so to everyone with better understanding of America's place what Trump is doing is inexplictable and crazy, but if you apply his world view, it makes perfect sense.

I would say you are wrong on tariffs. See a few Trump interviews from 1980s. Dude has only one form opinion and that is tariffs.
I also think his only view is the one formed by his last conversation with an individual. He is very malleable. In front of the press it was Vance who instigated the argument, not Trump not Zelensky.

 

[Africablack]

It's not just Zelensky that is wrong, Ukrainian politicans were also wrong. They passed a bill to allow Zelensky to delay election until after ceasefire is reached. The smart move is to obviously hold an election and pick a candidate that Trump likes.

That's not the smart move. I don't know what with all these weird takes lately.

 

[Equation]

Trump is a fool if he thinks he can deflect criticism now. He blamed a plane crash on Obama. Musk was in his office drawing all the attention. If he thinks he can tell the people to not take attention at his chaos, he is a fool.

No worries Trump got Fox News and MAGA media to protect him.

 

[jiajia99]

I think you can analyze what world model they used to arrive at what they're doing, but you can't use your own world model to analyze what they're doing.

Trump already explicitly stated his world model: America is the most important, everyone needs America and everyone wants to be with America.
- This lead to belief he can generate trillions in income from selling "Gold Cards"
- He loves tariff because if everyone want to feed America above all else, then everyone must lower prices to compete for the privilege of feeding America, tariff will then be paid by the seller, as he always claims, and the tariff income will generate trillions in revenue.
- He thinks he can get away with trillions in tax cuts because he believe he can generate trillions in income from the above, all based on the axioms making up his world view.
- Geopolitically his world model also explains his Russia strategy: Russia like everyone else desires America above all else, therefore if he simply give them the chance, they will abandon China for the previlege of joining America.

Obviously his world view is wrong, so to everyone with better understanding of America's place what Trump is doing is inexplictable and crazy, but if you apply his world view, it makes perfect sense.

Both Trump and Zelensky are delusional thinking the world revolves around them with zero compromise. Sooner or later, both will eventually pay the price, just one will pay it sooner for thinking that all that coke is going to save him from a break down, although the other one who thinks doing lopsided deal as though the other side is obligated to is also not long for the world either. I predict more and more screw ups in the coming days

 

[ZeEa5KPul]

I have to give The Donald credit, he was absolutely right. I am tired of winning. Donald, please, it's too much winning! I can't take any more winning!

But then I remember what he said after that: "More! We have to win more!"

 

[siegecrossbow]

I have to give The Donald credit, he was absolutely right. I am tired of winning. Donald, please, it's too much winning! I can't take any more winning!

But then I remember what he said after that: "More! We have to win more!"

I’d kill to be a fly on the wall in Zhongnanhai just to see what their reaction is.

 

[Bellum_Romanum]

To all who PROUDLY CHEER FOR UKRAINE, its media-darling leader Zelensky, and the fantasy of “pre-2014 borders” from the cozy safety of English-speaking North America and Europe: Put your bodies where your hashtags are. Enlist. Volunteer. Storm the frontlines yourselves instead of demanding others die for your delusional demands.

But no—we both know the truth. These armchair warriors are all bluster, hypocrisy, and moral preening. They’ll virtue-signal until their keyboards break, yet recoil at the REALITY of a Ukrainian frontline being pummeled into oblivion by Russian forces.

And let’s not forget the galaxy-brain activists brave enough to screech about TRUMP’S AMERICA FIRST POLICY while dodging the actual work of fighting for the causes they so loudly outsource to others. Case in point: [this parade of performative outrage](https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/s/IORUJCDezr).

Spare us the moral grandstanding. Either pick up a rifle or pick up a clue.

 

[FairAndUnbiased]

To all who PROUDLY CHEER FOR UKRAINE, its media-darling leader Zelensky, and the fantasy of “pre-2014 borders” from the cozy safety of English-speaking North America and Europe: Put your bodies where your hashtags are. Enlist. Volunteer. Storm the frontlines yourselves instead of demanding others die for your delusional demands.

But no—we both know the truth. These armchair warriors are all bluster, hypocrisy, and moral preening. They’ll virtue-signal until their keyboards break, yet recoil at the REALITY of a Ukrainian frontline being pummeled into oblivion by Russian forces.

And let’s not forget the galaxy-brain activists brave enough to screech about TRUMP’S AMERICA FIRST POLICY while dodging the actual work of fighting for the causes they so loudly outsource to others. Case in point: [this parade of performative outrage](https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/s/IORUJCDezr).

Spare us the moral grandstanding. Either pick up a rifle or pick up a clue.

but you misunderstand. they are merely following the best allocation of labor.

they fight on the most dangerous front of all.