squistion

Lets start with his 2025 statements about Canada, fact checked by Daniel Dale of CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/politics/fact-check-trump-canada-claims/index.html Fact check: Nine Trump false claims about Canada WashingtonCNN — President Donald Trump keeps saying he wants Canada to become the 51st US state. To support his pitch, he keeps making false claims about Canada. In 2025 alone, Trump has: Falsely said the Canadian public likes the idea of becoming the 51st state, which the Canadian public overwhelmingly opposes Falsely said the US trade deficit with Canada is “$200 billion,” though it is nowhere close Falsely said Canada is one of the world’s highest-tariff countries, though it is actually low in global rankings Falsely said Canada hiked its dairy tariffs during the Biden administration, though they haven’t changed since Trump’s first presidency Falsely said Canada generally doesn’t “take” US agricultural exports, though Canada is the world’s second-biggest buyer of those exports Falsely said Canada prohibits US banks, though more than a dozen US banks are operating in Canada today Falsely said Canada is “constantly surrounded” by Chinese and Russian ships, though this is fiction Falsely said outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was using the ongoing tariff battle to run again for prime minister, though Trudeau clearly wasn’t running Falsely said Canada spends less than 1% of gross domestic product on defense, though NATO figures showed it was an estimated 1.37% last year Here is a fact check of these false statements. Canadians’ views on becoming the 51st state: Trump falsely claimed to reporters in January that “the people of Canada like” his idea of Canada joining the US. In fact, poll after poll has shown the idea is massively unpopular with the people of Canada – one recent poll had 85% opposed, 9% in favor – and it has been vehemently rejected by Canadian political leaders from left to right. The US trade deficit with Canada: Trump has repeatedly said the US has a “$200 billion” trade deficit with Canada. That’s not even close to true. Official US statistics show the 2024 deficit with Canada in goods and services trade was $35.7 billion. Even if you only count trade in goods and ignore the services trade at which the US excels, the deficit was $70.6 billion. Canada’s tariffs: Trump falsely claimed in a social media post Tuesday that Canada is “ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.” In fact, Canada has long had relatively low tariffs, though it has this month announced a series of new retaliatory tariffs on the US in direct response to Trump’s own new tariffs on Canada. Canada was just 102nd-highest on a World Bank list of 137 countries’ trade-weighted average tariff rates in 2022 – and had a lower average (1.37%) than the United States (1.49%) that year, the most recent for which the data is available. Canada’s dairy tariffs: Trump falsely claimed to reporters Friday that he had Canada’s dairy-tariff situation “well taken care of” at the time he left office the first time, “but under Biden, they just kept raising it.” In fact, Canada did not raise its dairy tariffs during the Biden administration. The tariffs Trump is denouncing were left in place by the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement he signed in 2018, though that agreement did secure greater US access to the Canadian dairy market. Trump has also persistently failed to mention that Canada’s high dairy tariffs only kick in after the US has hit a certain Trump-negotiated quantity of tariff-free dairy sales to Canada each year – and as the US dairy industry acknowledges, the US is not hitting its zero-tariff maximum in any category of dairy product, so the tariffs aren’t being applied. Canada’s imports of US agricultural products: Trump, speaking of Canada, claimed to reporters in February that “they don’t take our agricultural product for the most part”; he mentioned dairy, then said, “A little bit they do, but not much.” This is false even with Trump’s qualifiers. Canada was the world’s second-largest buyer of US agricultural exports in 2024, according to the US Department of Agriculture, purchasing about $28.4 billion worth. While Canada does limit foreign access to its dairy, egg and poultry markets in particular, these are exceptions rather than the rule. The US Department of Agriculture notes on its website that “almost all” US agricultural exports to Canada face zero tariffs or quotas, and that “Canada consistently ranks among our top markets for agricultural product exports, representing one of our most significant and reliable trading partners.” Canada and US banks: Trump falsely claimed in both February and March that Canada prohibits US banks. While Canada’s tight regulations have discouraged many foreign banks from opening retail branches there, Canada does not forbid these banks; in fact, US banks have been operating in Canada for well over a century. The Canadian Bankers Association industry group said in a February statement that “there are 16 U.S.-based bank subsidiaries and branches with around C$113 billion in assets currently operating in Canada” and that “U.S. banks now make up approximately half of all foreign bank assets in Canada.” Canada, Russia and China: Trump falsely claimed in a January social media post that Canada joining the US would secure Canada “from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them.” Canada has never been surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships, let alone been “constantly” surrounded. In fact, a smattering of Russian and Chinese military ships and jets, as well as Chinese research vessels viewed with suspicion by Canada and the US, have been occasionally spotted in recent years in the vicinity of the US state of Alaska – and have been monitored or intercepted by the Canadian and US militaries. The Canadian government did warn in December that among the “potential threats” in its Arctic region were “increased Russian activity in Canadian air approaches” and “China’s regular deployment of dual-use – having both research and military application – research vessels and surveillance platforms to collect data.” But that’s not the same as being “surrounded.” Trudeau and the trade war: Trump said in a social media post Thursday: “I think that Justin Trudeau is using the Tariff problem, which he has largely caused, in order to run again for Prime Minister.” Trump framed this as his own thought, but it was clearly false nonetheless. Trudeau’s successor as Liberal Party leader and prime minister was set to be chosen in a party vote three days following this Trump post; Trudeau did not compete in the leadership race after announcing in January that he would step down after the new leader was chosen. Canada’s defense spending: Trump falsely claimed in January that Canada spends “less than 1%” of GDP on defense. Official NATO figures show Canada spent an estimated 1.37% of GDP on defense in 2024, up from an estimated 1.31% in 2023 and from 1.2% in 2022. That’s all short of NATO’s 2% target, which incoming prime minister Mark Carney has vowed to meet by 2030, but not as low as Trump claimed.

The MAGA crowd are cheering Trump directing the military to blow up a tiny Venezuelan boat that barely had enough cocaine for a bachelor party (if it had drugs at all) without any proof of guilt or a trial. So, civilians from other countries allegedly brining drugs to the US in international waters now merits the death penalty? https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-military-kills-11-people-strike-alleged-drug-boat-venezuela-trump-says-2025-09-03/ US military kills 11 people in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela, Trump says WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. military killed 11 people on Tuesday in a strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, President Donald Trump said, in the first known operation since his administration's recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean. "We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat," Trump told reporters at the White House. "And there's more where that came from. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time ... These came out of Venezuela." He later shared a video on his Truth Social platform that appeared to show footage from overhead drones of a speedboat at sea exploding and then on fire. "The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike," Trump said. He added that the U.S. military had identified the crew as members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. designated a terrorist group in February. He repeated allegations that Tren de Aragua is being controlled by Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, accusations that Caracas denies.

Jake Tapper was not lying, what he said was based on false information that he was given at the time.

In related news:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-20-trillion-new-us-investments-numbers-dont-add-up/ Trump touts over $20 trillion in new U.S. investments, but the numbers don't add up President Trump has made increasingly sweeping claims about new investments flowing into the United States, citing figures as high as $21 trillion since taking office. "Twenty-one trillion dollars will be the amount invested in the United States — or committed to invest — in one year," the president said in a November meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In an Oval Office event this Wednesday, President Trump said, "In 10 months, we have $18 trillion being invested." But a CBS News review found no evidence that total commitments or new investments approach the scale the president has cited. While companies and foreign governments have announced large-scale projects since Mr. Trump's inauguration, the White House has not provided documentation showing total investments approaching $21 trillion — an amount roughly two-thirds of the annual GDP. The administration's own list of major investments "made possible by President Trump's leadership" totaled $9.6 trillion as of the latest update in November, but even that figure is exaggerated. It includes some investments announced under President Biden and trade goals that the U.S. is also partially responsible for. The White House did not directly respond to CBS News' questions about these inclusions or the discrepancies between the administration's total and the much higher figures the president has claimed in his remarks. "President Trump's dealmaking has secured trillions in investments to make and hire in America, trillions in commercial opportunities for American companies, and trillions in new export opportunities," White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. Federal data shows corporate investment levels are roughly in line with last year, with companies on track to invest over $5 trillion in 2025. The $20 trillion surge Mr. Trump has claimed does not appear in the available data.

Trump's World is trending on Twitter and I thought it be nice to have a Trump general discussion thread that doesn't call him "Father" Here's the hastag: https://x.com/search?q="TRUMP'S WORLD"&src=trend_click&vertical=trends And I'll do the first post:

You have to ask? AI Overview According to a wide consensus of legal experts, the second U.S. strike on the survivors of an alleged drug boat in September 2025 was illegal under both international and U.S. domestic law. Such an act is considered an extrajudicial killing or murder, and if an armed conflict were applicable, it would be a war crime. Legality Analysis International Law and Laws of War: The laws of war (or International Humanitarian Law) explicitly prohibit attacking individuals who are "hors de combat" (out of the fight), which includes shipwrecked or incapacitated survivors. The U.S. Department of Defense's own Law of War Manual uses the example of firing upon shipwreck survivors as a "clearly illegal" order that service members have a duty to disobey. The rule of "no quarter"—declaring that no survivors will be taken—has been forbidden for over a century. Peacetime Law: Many legal experts argue that the U.S. is not in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere, which means the laws of war may not even apply. In this context, international human rights law applies, which only permits lethal force in cases of an imminent threat to life or serious injury. Since the survivors clinging to wreckage posed no such threat, the attack is considered an arbitrary deprivation of life, or murder under U.S. federal law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Official Position: The Trump administration confirmed a second strike occurred and insisted it was lawful under the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict. However, legal experts across the political spectrum widely reject this rationale, stating that targeting defenseless individuals is prohibited in any scenario. In sum, the second strike on the survivors is broadly considered a fundamental violation of legal principles that protect those who are no longer a threat, regardless of whether the situation is classified as law enforcement or armed conflict. The incident has prompted bipartisan calls for congressional reviews and investigations into the legal basis for the entire anti-drug campaign.

Okie Dokie Pokie. What does he think we should call it instead?

Fun Fact: The District of Columbia is not a state. And those figures are not from the most recent past year they are from 2021 and 2022: AI Overview The states with the highest share of people (aged 18 and older) who had used cocaine in the past year were Colorado, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, according to combined data from the 2021 and 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Whoever said it made an idiotic observation.

So he had them killed because if they lived they "hypothetically" would be trafficking drugs again. Yeah, I agree that rationale is “f**king insane.”

How can you tell?

He was? Got a link for that? All I got from Google was this: There is no information in the search results linking a "Brian Cole" to membership in the "Blacks for Trump" group.

No, unproven internet claim at this time. @grok 50m Based on available reports, Brian Cole Jr.'s political affiliations remain unconfirmed by officials. Some sources claim he supported Trump, while social media alleges ties to left-leaning groups, but authorities exclude links to Antifa or BLM. More details may emerge.

https://x.com/kylegriffin1/status/1996969076833275926 BREAKING on MS NOW: Brian Cole Jr., the suspect accused of being the Jan. 6 pipe bomber, confessed to agents that he planted the bombs and has indicated he supported President Trump, according to two people familiar with his interview. MORE: NBC News reports that pipe bomb suspect told FBI he believed 2020 election conspiracy theories https://tinyurl.com/ycydttna

Mistakes of fact often happen in reporting things of this nature, it is unfortunate but goes with the territory. This is embarrassing for Tapper and CNN for than anything else.

Tapper must have been given false information before he went on the air. Journalists like Tapper generally don't just make a guess of the ethnicity of a suspect of a crime of this nature.

He obviously hadn't seen the photo before he made that statement.

The mugshot would so suggest.