#16 They don't celebrate Christmas, so it is okay then for an ostensible Christian nation to boom them on Christmas Day.

My, how situationally Christian of the Trump.

#40 ETTD

#13 You think that the Europe should be responsible for their defense, with the America only in a support role?

1. Just what is that "support" supposed to be? What does it look like?

Is America supposed to just abandon its European allies just because the Trump waves his magic penis wand and says so?

With no input from our European allies?

We should just tear up The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. Right, sentinel?

And just exactly happens when, after that, Putin, like Hitler before him, rolls his tanks west across all of western Europe?

We sit back and just watch from across the pond? That'll protect us, right?

Fill us with your brave and considered "thoughts" on this, sentinel.

Of course, we already know that you're a bit unhinged from reality, based on your posting history.

But give it a try.

Anyone else agree with sentinel on this?

Show us your love for Putin, Russia and the Soviet Union the Trump's magical penis wand and agree with sentinel.

#16 | #17 Thanks, Donnerboy!

snip ...

And that's not the only Kennedy Center-related news this week. Chuck Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player, has been hosting a Christmas Eve jazz program, called "Jazz Jams," at the Kennedy Center for the last 20 years. However, once Donald Trump's name was slapped on the building, Redd canceled the show. "When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert," he explained to The Associated Press.

Trump acolyte Richard Grenell, who is now the president of the Kennedy Center, quickly fired off a nasty letter to Redd. It offers a master class in MAGA rhetoric. For example, from the opening portion of the missive:

Your decision to withdraw at the last moment"explicitly in response to the Center's recent renaming, which honors President Trump's extraordinary efforts to save this national treasure"is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution.

Regrettably, your action surrenders to the sad bullying tactics employed by certain elements on the left, who have sought to intimidate artists into boycotting performances at our national cultural center.

"Disagreement" and "intolerance" are not synonyms, nor are "boycotts"/"pushing for boycotts" and "bullying."

The letter also has this:

Your dismal ticket sales and lack of donor support, combined with your last-minute cancellation has cost us considerably. This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.

So, Redd's concert was selling no tickets and attracting no financial support. And yet, by canceling it, he's cost the institution $1 million - far above the take for even a very successful performance. You can't have it both ways... unless you are utilizing MAGA logic.

Things are certainly going to get worse at the Kennedy Center before they get better. There are already plenty of acts who don't want to have any association with a particularly unpopular administration, and a particularly unpopular maneuver by that administration. Now that threats of lawsuits are flying? Better to just leave the Kennedy Center off the itinerary completely. There are certainly artists and traveling shows who will be more than happy to make an appearance, but we doubt there are enough of them for 365 days of programming. Further, we're not sure that, say, Lee Greenwood or Larry the Cable Guy are a great match for the demographics of D.C. (Z)

snip ...

For all of these reasons, the ratings were, predictably, very poor. It attracted just 2.65 million viewers, which is the smallest total in the history of the program. It is considerably fewer than last year (4.1 million), and is well down from the show's peak of 5.6 million viewers in 2019, when the show Sesame Street was honored. This year's Kennedy Center broadcast trailed a re-broadcast of Frosty the Snowman, a re-broadcast of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America, The CBS Evening News, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and about 40 others. It was, of course, completely outclassed by the #1 program of the week, which was The NFL on CBS, with about 25 million viewers.

To add insult to injury, CBS edited Trump's 12-minute opening monologue down to just 2 minutes for broadcast. It's not clear if Trump knows that or not, but he probably does. Maybe it helps explain the tweets (see above). We wonder if he will insist on hosting again next year, or if he'll learn his lesson, and hand hosting duties over to someone else. Maybe Donald Trump Jr. can take over; apropos for a winter program, he'd undoubtedly bring his own snow.

snip ...

Donald Trump is, of course, obsessed with numbers - IQ, newspaper subscribers (see above) and, in particular, TV ratings. His obsession with numbers is surely due to his being a "money" guy who has been keeping score his whole life. It probably also has to do with his cognition; he "gets" numbers, and likely struggles with things that are a little more abstract. Meanwhile, his particular interest in TV ratings undoubtedly dates back to his days as a reality TV star.

We cannot imagine how Trump and/or the people around him managed to put the idea in his head that, as soon as he imposed himself on the Kennedy Center, and he appointed himself host of the Kennedy Center Honors, ratings would be through the roof. That obviously wasn't going to happen. Beyond the fact that many viewers actively boycotted, the fact is that the show was broadcast at a time when people are occupied by holiday-related events. It also does not help that pretty much all the honorees - George Strait, rock band KISS, stage/screen star Michael Crawford, disco pioneer Gloria Gaynor, and actor Sylvester Stallone - had their heydays in the 1970s, or maybe 1980s, and so are well outside the cultural frame-of-reference for many viewers (say, any viewers under the age of 40).

#17 I suspect that the Trump's entire team did not have to limit themselves to just 2 dolls for their daughters, and 2 pencils for their sons.

Nope.

I suspect that the Trump's team enjoyed unlimited gifts for their children.

Let the poor and suckers eat cake.*

* Well, they can have the crumbs from the wealthy's cakes.

Trickle down, don't cha know?

#21 Newsworthy and a spot-on observation.

Thank you, Dibblda.

#17 Party of the rich ...

Donald Trump's second cabinet is historically wealthy, with estimates placing the combined net worth of his appointees in the hundreds of billions of dollars, largely due to figures like Elon Musk (if counted as a top appointee) and numerous other billionaires like Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick, significantly surpassing previous administrations, including his own first cabinet and Joe Biden's. Reports from late 2024 and 2025 cite figures ranging from over $13 billion (excluding Musk) to over $313 billion (including top appointees) or even around $390 billion for the entire White House team, making it the richest ever.

#17 Political cannibalism:

• Trump vs. Anti-Trump Factions: Deep divisions persist between supporters of Donald Trump and those who are critical of him, with some long-time Republicans facing consequences for their opposition.


• House Leadership Struggles: The party has experienced significant internal battles and disunity over electing a House Speaker and passing legislation, leading to government shutdown threats and a "chaos caucus".


• Ideological Divides: Tensions exist between different ideological wings (e.g., MAGA supporters vs. more traditional conservatives) which often manifest as personal "troll wars" and public feuds among high-profile figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson.


• State-Level Disputes: Internal conflicts and infighting also occur at the state level, impacting local political dynamics and legislative priorities.

#13 sentinel, we already know that you're a bit unhinged from reality, based on your posting history.

You're the one supporting the Trump's magic penis wand dispensing with this as if it were just like the now-worthless stock in the many Trump casinos:

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances comprises four substantially identical political agreements signed at the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) in Budapest, Hungary, on 5 December 1994, to provide security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The four memoranda were originally signed by four nuclear powers: Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.[1] France and China gave individual assurances in separate documents.[2]

International diplomacy is recognized by the above.

You want the Trump's magic penis wand to run the world.

Yep. You're a bit unhinged from reality, based on your posting history.

#13 I think we have international obligations and treaties that were entered into by the USA and countries around the world.

You want the EU to lead their own defenses, with support from the US???

• Applause. Noble. Bravo. A worthwhile goal.

But do so with the tools which brought the current European security agreement(s) into existence in the first place.

Present your ideas, hammer them out with all the parties, reach an agreement, then submit it for approval by the US Senate (in the case of new security treaties vis-a-vis European Security).

Sorry, but your fantasy of the wave of the Trump's magic penis wand doesn't count.

Can you not face that reality, sentinel?

Or is magical thinking and "tough love" your only answer?

#10 Me.

I disagree ... vehemently.

We have international obligations and treaties that were entered into by the USA and countries around the world.

Want to change them?

Do so with the tools which brought them into existence in the first place.

The wave of the Trump's magic penis wand doesn't count.

#18 I am sorry that I have just one Newsworthy flag for this post.

#6 WTF do you call this ("...his actions have helped the EU realize they need to step up..." ...

... if it is not a perverted form of tough love?

#6 Oh, yes you can.

You cannot name a single thing the Trump has done that has bettered this country. Zero.

And, even if you could, it would be an unintended consequence of some self-serving move on the part of Trump.

Especially when it comes to the Trump.

So spare me the homilies about not hating.

This isn't a disagreement over marginal tax rates or highway funding.

This is a government of evil men, one that chose corruption over transparency, cruelty over law, oppression over freedom, tariffs over prosperity, propaganda over truth, vandalism over stewardship.

Hatred, properly directed, is a recognition of moral reality. It is an insistence that some things are unforgivable while they are being done.

They want us numb, exhausted, and above all, polite. Polite people don't stop ICE from becoming a secret police. Polite people don't call a tariff disaster what it is. Polite people look away while kids go hungry.

We don't have to be polite.

As citizens, even of this failing Republic, we are obliged to be honest.

And the honest thing to say, in this gray November of America's diminished decade, is that they have earned our hate.

This is completely believable:

You would have to guess that Christmas is actually a pretty lonely time for Donald Trump. On an abstract level, it's a holiday based on ideas (e.g., giving) that he doesn't place much value on. On a practical level, he's in what appears to be a marriage of convenience, his kids have families of their own, and his staff also has families of their own. We would not be at all surprised to learn that, despite being the President of the United States, he spent significant portions of the day alone.

#4 International diplomacy and international agreements should not be subject to "tough love."

Only a complete -------, or someone without a sensible world view, would suggest same

#12 Left Hind Turds says "Everyone who took all the free money from COVID handouts are part of the problem."

Indeed.

Payments to Ineligible Recipients: Billions were sent to individuals with suspicious emails, federal prisoners, people in multiple states, and more than $139 million to deceased individuals.

Celebrity and Wealthy Business Loans: Millions in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other relief funds went to celebrities and large, thriving companies, including those owned by members of Congress. Examples include:

Lil Wayne and Chris Brown's companies, which allegedly spent relief funds on private jets, luxury clothing, and parties.

Companies linked to Tom Brady and Khloe Kardashian.

Wineries invested in by Rep. Devin Nunes, and dealerships owned by Rep. Roger Williams and Rep. Mike Kelly.

Misuse of Funds: Funds were used for extravagant personal purchases, such as a Ferrari, luxury hotel stays, and millions for general operating expenses without rehiring laid-off workers, as originally intended.

Foreign Recipients: Over $6.4 billion in U.S. pandemic funding was awarded to recipients in 177 foreign countries, with a significant portion going to large international institutions.

#14 So much for The Buck Stops Here, right, Left Hind Turd?

#12 If it is such a failure, Left Hind Turd, why is all of Washington (sans the Trump) trying to save it?