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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   20743 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 20, 2025

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What is even supposed to be the upside of this idea for Trump himself?

Not getting thrown in jail for the numerous crimes you committed (either real ones, or the ones they will pin on you, like those sexual assault and felony fraud convictions)?

This was juat a way to prevent him from running. They won't do it if he doesn't run to start with.

JD Vance will not prosecute Trump.

Being President is more fun than being a very rich political has-been?

I'm not actually sure that's true. I mean the power, yes, but Trump had been able to execute significant amount of power even not being the President. And maybe having quarter of the power and zero responsibility would suit him fine too.

Maybe this is why he's the president, and I'm just a pleb, but surely, when you're pushing 80 and already have 2 terms behind you, you might want to just chill and hang out with the grandkids?

I 100% agree with you, that is what I would do

But the kind of person who has the conviction, determination and drive to become the president of the USA is also not the kind of person to kick up their feet and cruise control.

I constantly wonder why Elon Musk does anything he's been doing, he seems pretty unhappy and stressed out a lot? If I was worth 100s of billions I'd be living full time on a tropical paradise island that I built into some kind of funhouse compound and I'd have my friends and family rotate in and out to keep me company. Maybe spice it up by going on international trips every other month. I'd be SO MUCH happier than Elon if I had his money.

But Elon is Elon because of that drive. He wouldn't be worth 100s of billions if he didn't have it.

I see it with "retired" successful consultants who then just keep working semi-privately. Their millionaires, why are you still doing this shit? Because they have insane drive and the insane drive is also why they're millionaires. If they could fuck off and relax, they wouldn't have been the massively successful consultants they were/are.

He can chill with the grandkids while living in the White House, shutting down large parts of the country for "security" when he turns up to play golf, and hearing "Hail to the Chief" when he rocks up at a public event while Susie Wiles and Steven Miller run the country. Given who Trump is, I think he would find this more fun than chilling with the grandkids as a private citizen.

Some people say this has already happened.

Well, if you actually believe any of this, my offer to bet about him running for a third term is still open.

Presumably the same as whatever the upside was for him running for his 2nd term?

I think what he was getting from his second term was revenge / general "up your's" against the people who messed up his first term. Right now he is being treated as a more or less normal president, so I don't see a reason for him to double-down on spite. Maybe if he actually had a clear and specific vision for the future of the country, I could imagine him desperately clinging on to power to ensure it's correctly implemented. The problem is that:
a) He does not strike me as the kind of man who would have such a vision
b) Even if he was, the safest way to get this sort of thing done is to groom an heir to pass the torch to, and JD Vance is a pretty good candidate for that, and he has a whole bunch of kids and other relatives.
c) If for whatever reason there is no acceptable heir, the only way these sorts of gambits work out, is when you have popular support north of 80%, and I'm pretty sure he knows it.

The same reason Caesar crossed the Rubicon: Survival.

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