Trump

[DeskJockey]

Sadly, you're not wrong.

What happened to critical thinking?

[Mito Man]

So looks like a cease fire deal between Israel and Palestine may happen on Sunday - day before the inauguration on threat of Trumps “all hell will break loose” statement.

Greenland now looking at ways to cooperate with America on resources and security with Denmark saying it’s up to the people of Greenland on what they want.

Seems like being a bit of an unpredictable nutter is the way to do business these days?

[Gavster]

Regarding the TikTok ban in the US, TikTok have played a blinder in terms of brinksmanship by announcing a total shut down on Sunday night. It's like the Universal Music/TikTok spat last year where TikTok simply silenced billions of videos as a bargaining leve to show Universal. America wants TikTok and TikTok probably wants the American market even more (170 million users), but TikTok will only do it on their terms and are happy to pull the plug on everyone to show that.

Biden is passing it over to Trump, who has invited Shou, the TikTok CEO to his inauguration without any $1m donations like Zuck did. Also the Supreme court is due to release an opinion at 10am (3pm UK) today, which should give me clarity.

[Beany]

Trump should be used to being owned by a tech billionaire by now, so for it to happen a second time won't be a shock.

[dinny_g]

How much influence does Trump have over content on Tik Tok and is it in his interest to have it reporting on his Inauguration or not being able to report on his Inauguration ?

I think that will drive the outcome.

[Gavster]

The ask is for Bytedance to be majority American owned, while the actual algorithm will always remain in full ownership of TikTok. So Trump has no control over the video recommendation algorithm on the platform. But I think he’s seen the value in it for campaigning, because he’s surprisingly popular with young people. Chatting to a 19 & 23 year old recently and they love Trump.

[dinny_g]

Despite his age, he’s seen as a rebel against Gen x convention so they love the rebel, shaking things up

[Swervin_Mervin]

Despite his age, he’s seen as a rebel against Gen x convention so they love the rebel, shaking things up

Also proving that young people are fucking idiots. As we all were once

[ZedLeg]

Not just young people tbf. Trump appeals to morons of all ages.

[Swervin_Mervin]

Not just young people tbf. Trump appeals to morons of all ages.

Oh totally - just referring back to what Gavster and Dinny were noting

[ZedLeg]

From what I've seen the young folk that voted for him are the same Hollister Hitler youth who make monkey noises at indigenous protestors and attack people protesting a genocide.

It's as silly to think all young folk are progressive as it is to think all old folk are conservative.

[Sundayjumper]

And now I’m seeing that he’s shopping around to buy himself a Nobel Peace Prize, for solving the Arab-Israeli issue and ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Neither of which he’s done or will ever do, but they’ll give it to him anyway won’t they.

[Sundayjumper]

And ! He wants TikTok to be 50% owned by the US Government. State owned media. Interesting. Has that been done anywhere else ? How did it pan out ?

[Mito Man]

I don’t think Trump can ever top Obama’s Nobel peace award and the shitshow that followed afterwards

[Beany]

And ! He wants TikTok to be 50% owned by the US Government. State owned media. Interesting. Has that been done anywhere else ? How did it pan out ?

Oh, no, he's just seen that he can grift rubes on it.

See also, the Trump memecoin.

Oh, also, MAGA faithful have spunked their savings on going to DC for the inauguration. Trump has decided he's having it indoor with the billionaires.

Watch it outside in snow and freezing cold on the jumbotrons, perhaps?

Rubes.jpg (28.17 KiB) Viewed 1545 times

Trump hates anyone who's not:
A: Supremely wealthy
B: Useful to him. And MAGAs credit in that respect has been spent now that he's been elected

[Sundayjumper]

Yes. In this case entirely literally leaving them out in the cold

[Sundayjumper]

And ! He wants TikTok to be 50% owned by the US Government. State owned media. Interesting. Has that been done anywhere else ? How did it pan out ?

Oh, no, he's just seen that he can grift rubes on it.

But also a large element of making sure nothing negative is ever published about him. He's got twitter & facebook owners onboard already with the tax cuts and whatever regulatory free passes he's promised but TikTik being completely foreign owned needed something different to hand him that power.

And you saw this I assume ? You just know he insisted on it. He's not the president.

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[Beany]

TikTok must have forgotten that time Trump called them a critical risk to national security and effectively kicked this whole thing off with executive orders.

Fucking cowards

[Sundayjumper]

Fucking cowards

That.

Imagine if twitter, facebook & tiktok all ganged up on him. His former supporters would Ceaușescu him in under a week. But they won’t. Lots and lots of lovely money makes sure of that.

[Beany]

The USA has turned into a full blown, mask off oligarchy. Which is hilarious because

the fucking MAGA morons who voted for trump don't like it,
the fuckwit libs who turned their nose up at Harris and didn't vote hate it,
and the regular Repub/Dem voters very obviously hate it because they weren't dropped on their heads repeatedly as kids unlike the earlier mentioned groups,
and the people who aren't engaged in politics hate it too - because all they see is Musk and Zuck and Bytedance running rings around Trump, who is an old, easily led-by-flattery near octogenarian, with a VP who has the IQ of a glass of warm milk for when he carks it from old age and poor health or is ventilated from afar.

The Smash Brothers cast might get a few outings in the near future. Can't imagine why they're having a non-public, inside, locked away inauguration, or why Musk keeps wearing his kid on his shoulders as ballistic skull protection when he's out in public, eh?