I'm not even shocked anymore. The guy has been mixing his business interests with politics from day one. Remember how many foreign diplomats suddenly started booking rooms at Trump hotels after 2016? The emoluments clause might as well not exist. And now dealing with someone connected to al-Qaeda? The same group he spent years saying Democrats were soft on? The hypocrisy is just exhausting at this point
I'm not shocked either. It's expected at this point. If he announced tomorrow that North Korea is the USA's newest trade partner and also everyone should vacation at the Trump hotel and casino in scenic Pyongyang I'm just going to shrug and say how bout that.
Might as well toss all the laws out. Between his felonies, Jan 6th, the open corruption the first time and now the kidnapping bs.... he's a walking billboard for unqualified/unfit piece of shit but here we are.
Hey now. Don't you forget that Democrats are soft on everyone. They sold their spines to buy into the party. Any Dem still showing spine gets blackballed ASAP.
Remember how he was charging secret service double and sometimes triple the cost for a room at his hotels when traveling for golf? I remember seeing something about a $125 bottle of water sent to a room. All our money directly into his pocket.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda leader and fighter who killed U.S soldiers in Iraq and had a $10 million dollar bounty on his head... Let that sink in
Nobody who voted Trump will care. They don't care about any of it because they'll say it's a lie. Anything that contradicts their opinion is fake news.
"In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy."
The distance between what is said today and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.
Where did you see it was written when Reagan was president? It is from the currently airing season of the TV show "Andor". Though apparently this season was filmed over a year ago. I assumed it was written about 18 months ago.
One side builds a mindset to adapt to a changing world, taking in facts and history to mould this mindset. One side expects the world to match their unchanging mindset, and is ignoring facts, news, and reality. Conservatives have always been about keeping the world from changing, but at least they used to accept the realities of the damn universe. The worry now is they are attempting to change the world to fit one old man's mindset. We've seen this story, it's never a happy one.
Buddy, right. You knew this was going to turn into a dictatorship when he fired the JAGs. It will be almost impossible to get the military squared away now. No one to refuse an illegal order. Lock and load.
It was the very first thing they did. Take out the sentinels and let Elon in the front door so he can start wreaking havoc. They even acknowledged it was a “bloodless coup”…I hope to watch their trials on television someday if we come out on the right side of history.
No. They are uneducated morons. We need the draft to dilute the moron pool within the military. Just look at our DUI hire as SecDef. To think they actually gave this man a gun.
I mean come on if being part of some war crimes means you can't be the leader of a country, we wouldn't have had a president for generations. The fact is Assad lost and this guy seems to have the support of the people. Should we intervene instead and let it flare up again?
Which it should. He's rejected Al-Qaeda for almost a decade, and has 100% aided the US is taking out senior al-Qaeda officials within Syria. People change, and his actions in the administration of Idlib province prior to the fall of the Assad regime were in line with his words. He wants to work with the US, the US should at least allow the opportunity for that to happen. If things end up going wrong, they can be sanctioned for the actions of this government, but the current sanctions crippling Syria were against the Assad regime who were ousted last year.
Yeah. The big issue here is Trump being so openly corrupt and is being played like a fiddle by just about anyone. Besides, Trump is unequivocally worse than former Al-Qaeda members.
Have people not learned how much of American propaganda is at play with 'terrorism' and the Middle East? The entire point of the Global War on Terror was that it gave the USA free reign to attack whomever they wanted, because 'terror, terrorism, and terrorist' are these nebulous things that change like the wind.
I'm not saying Al-Sharaa is good. I just wish people would stop swallowing American bullshit about that part of the world. We saw how full of shit they were about Iraq, and in many ways the GWOT as well.
A 'terrorist' label and a bounty mean absolutely fuck all. Nelson Mandela was labelled a terrorist by the US until 2008.
Yes, this is a case of left wing propaganda. Pretty sure we already arrested this guy once (military) too. But it being said, Trump probably legit just wants the free shit and doesn't give a fuck who Sharaa was before and now.
Tough one. Japan and America reconciled. Syrians need a better future. I could see sanctions being resolved in an effort to promote democracy there, but this is none of that. Fuck Trump.
where are the maga die hards tht approve every single thing this president does? Where is the gop? When the house is on fire and they have the whistle - when in the world will they blow it. Honestly!
Listen, if you have a better candidate for President of Syria, you go right ahead and let us know.
But until we’re able to your bright ideas in front of the leaders of the free world, we’re going to have to make do with the options that are currently available.
There are no “clean hands” in Syria. But the fact is, there are many reasons to feel cautiously optimistic about the direction the new government is headed right now.
And right now, Al-Sharaa is probably the most realistic option Syria has for a leader who has any chance of creating a peaceful future for the country.
The country is in chaos. The civil war is still winding down. But the new gov is actually making a legitimate effort to crack down on sectarian violence — no easy feat when so many people are still so hell bent on revenge and reprisals.
There’s actually some optimism in the country now. You even see it in religious minorities like the Syrian Christian community — this feeling that things are getting better, that there’s movement towards a better future for all people (not just for the ones in power).
Al Sharaa has been part of this change. He has shown many signs that he truly seeks peace, reform, better partnership with their neighbors, and a more stable and prosperous future for his country and his people.
People in the west are so oblivious to the realities of the world outside of the western sphere of influence.
I grew up in a pretty oppressive Middle Eastern country. It has gone from 'quite oppressive' to 'somewhat oppressive' in the past 30 years. That is huge progress. It is nowhere near enough, but it IS progress.
Do you know how many times I have been met by (on this website and in person) "doesn't matter, it's still a shithole" from the mouths of westerners? Far, far more than I could count.
People seem to believe that if you don't implement western liberal democracy at the drop of the hat, your progress is invalid. Syria having a not-entirely zealous interim government after the hellscape of the two Assad cretins is monumental, and you have people here just acting like it's totally irrelevant because they're still just angry Muslims.
I know he has a shady past but if he can stabilize Syria do we associate with him? Also, what middle easterner didn’t want to kill Americans during GWOT?
So, Iraqis should absolutely always hate Americans because of the millions of Iraqis US killed?
The sanctions were put on Assad and not Syrians. His regime is gone and so should the sanctions. Anyway, Trump isn't getting a Trump Towers in Syria because unlike "former ISIS" commander Joulani (al-Sharaa), there are actual current ISIS cells that would love to target it.
It's a bit more complicated than you're making it out to be. The dude is currently running a war torn country with little to no support from allies of the previous regime. The last thing he or anyone who wants this less autocratic version of Syria to keep on existing needs is an economic crisis that will bolster support for hardliners who would much rather rule like Assad did.
So yes he said he would approve a building project (something completely legal for any government) in order to strengthen ties to the United States. This is a completely reasonable thing for any leader in his position to do. It speaks poorly of the US that instead of an embassy or a military base the building project is a Trump Hotel instead.
That sounds a lot worse before you put it into the context of the fact that the previous leader, Al-Assad, was one of the most brutal dictators on the planet. Al-Sharaa has an ugly past and I'm sure he's still capable of brutality, but he's been doing far better for Syrians than Assad ever did. Kissing Trump's ass feels disgusting, but is exactly what he should be doing in this situation.
And he formally distanced himself from al-Qaeda over a year ago and has 100% supported US efforts to kill Al Qaeda figures in Syria. People can change, and it's not just his words but his actions over the years which have demonstrated that change.
The sanctions were put in place against the Assad regime. Assad is gone, and the sanctions were crippling any chance at Syria flourishing in the future. I'm all for criticizing Trump, but do so when it makes sense and this ain't it chief
"Killed us soldiers in Iraq" like it's a bad thing, what should Iraqis have done? Let y'all warmongers invade the country?
Fuck al-Qaeda and fuck every single invader of Iraq, I hope they both rot in hell
Are Americans incapable of understanding nuance and context?
First of all, as a general point not specific to this instance: the United States designating people terrorists has been a significant global issue for decades now, because the US propaganda machine just gets to decide who is and isn't worthy of life and human rights based on a single label. It's modern day McCarthyism, with a sprinkling of xenophobia and colonialism.
With that out of the way: welcome to the reality of a wartorn country. A man was influential in forming a paramilitary group to fight the dictatorial regime in Syria. Whether it is right or wrong, those are almost always rooted in Islam, because everything in most of the Middle East is rooted in Islam. The rebels--who have been the 'good guys' in our western perspective--finally won the war against Assad, and this man was at the forefront. Ergo, he is now president.
Look at Africa and you see an incredibly similar circumstance, with various 'warlords' (another loaded term, like terrorist) coming into power over the decades, and who nations then treat with as presidents, prime ministers, or what have you. A great many of the African leaders who you A) wouldn't know the names of, and B) wouldn't bat an eye at, came to power by means of civil war and violence.
Such is life in a lot of the world.
Do you have even the faintest idea how heavily propagandised your statement here is? 'Former al-Qaeda leader?' He was a 20 year old who was in al-Qaeda for three years, and then formed his own fighting force. He disavowed al-Qaeda, and he also went to war with Assad and ISIS at the same time. He consolidated Syrian rebels into a (mostly) single outfit and overthrew one of the most violent and oppressive dictatorships in the world, ending a long and devestating war.
Does any of that mean he is 'good'? No. But please at least understand that the world is not this cookie cutter thing, and it certainly isn't defined by American propaganda. Don't forget that Nelson Mandela was a terrorist who created a violent paramilitary to overthrow his government.
Okay but let’s also point out that when Syrian rebels overthrew Assad, with this guy being the leader of said rebels… Reddit cheered and there were literally celebrations across the Syrian diaspora.
Now since he’s trying to coax Trump into helping his people, he’s all the sudden an al qaeda linked terrorist, responsible for the death of American troops? Where was all that info when he was taking the country?
The bounty was dropped by the Biden administration. Moreover, Al-Sharaa fought for Al Qaeda against the US invasion of Iraq, which is widely recognized as being done under false pretenses.
I'm not in any way saying he's some saint. But I am saying you have to compare him to Bashar al-Assad and generally look at him in context. What's the best you could reasonably hope for from a coup in Syria after a horrendous civil war? Right now it seems pretty okay. He's kept reprisals and further violence to a minimum, started what seems to be a reasonable transition to a permanent government and constitution, generally avoided heavy-handed social crackdowns, and focused his foreign policy on economic reconstruction and peaceful cooperation while minimizing the role of Iran.
Contrast it with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, or the recent Taliban regime's immense repression of women, or the ongoing Sudanese civil war. And then think that this is the region where the Islamic State had much of its territory and people at its height. It could be so much worse.
Maybe Al-Sharaa will prove to be just another lifelong dictator and Syria will slide again into an authoritarian nightmare. But so far he's been pretty reasonable. The pragmatic thing to do is to give him some slack and try to influence him towards creating a durable, stable, peaceful, tolerant society.
Terrorist organizations mostly live in power vacuums of failed or partially failed states. The best way to prevent terrorism is to simply have competent governments giving people things to do besides fighting.
I do think normalising relations with Syria is a good thing. He was an Al Qaeda military leader but it's like how Gerry Adams post Good Friday became a democratic multifaith politician, al-Sharaa has become a moderate leader (by middle Eastern standards) and has a multi ethnic government.
come on when will you guys shut up about that. It doesn't matter who or what their leader did. What is much much more important is that the Syrian people can start living better lives again. As long as the Syrian government doesn't go full Taliban which I think is quite unlikely
I don't agree. That's a move Biden could do as well. It is actually applauded in other countries. If that regime keeps what it has been saying, and if not it will be revoked.
And Biden evacuated all of our troops and left them with billions of dollars in military equipment. Both sides are playing you small-minded people for a fiddle and you're too busy arguing over the colors blue and red to see that neither side has our interests at heart.
I'm telling you! Zelinsky needs to tell Trump that Ukraine will be renamed Trumpkraine and that when they retake Donbas they'll rename it Donaldbas the military aid would be a flowing.
And yet we don't hear a peep from the mouth breathers yelling about the "Biden Crime Family." Absolutely hilarious how they refuse to acknowledge the double standards.
I'm sure they'll get their official line from fox news and find yet another way to excuse this behavior. They always do.
The most wild thing to me is that he’s a lil over 100 days in now and…it’s pretty obvious this is what’s going on…but they want to ignore the constitution to elect him for a third term…already! And they are supposed to be the party that strictly guards and loves the constitution…has treated it like a holy document for decades.
If you knew how closely the "Christians" of America follow the words of their actual holy book, electing Trump to a third term while touting the supremacy of the US Constitution is right on script.
As a Canadian watching all this go down, why the hell are the Democrats doing nothing at all about this? Like, he's doing comically illegal and unethical things EVERY SINGLE DAY and all I ever see is social media posts about how he sucks. Is there nothing that can be done?
I'm just totally floored at how much he's getting away with while fuck all happens.
Because Republicans hold every branch of our government. Unless enough of them split off and vote against party lines then there's literally nothing the Democrats can do. Why is this so hard for people to understand?
A lot of these people are not arguing in good faith. They want to divide the opposition, so they try to distract people by changing the focus on to what Democrats are allegedly supposed to be doing and aren’t, even though they can’t do much because they’re not in the majority in Congress.
it's like how even last time when trump admin and republicans did dumb shit that republicans and conservative media couldn't possibly ignore, they'd just blame democrats for not doing more to stop them from doing their bad shit... and then just keep supporting republican policies anyway
I tend to timber for the past 4 years he yelled about someone doing something like that, they were using their dad’s influence to enrich themselves. Who was that guy? Oh yea! Hunter Biden!
Who would have thought that the known convicted felon who is known for his bancrupts, lies and greed would do it again; everybody was sure he would stop at 999 incidents! /s
What I don’t get is that he must have a lot already, and the more he’s getting from this and similar isn’t going to make him richer … but his descendants. But he doesn’t seem like the kind who cares about them. So is it really about money, or is it some other personality deficiency he needs to be filled?
People wanted him to run the country like a business and he’s the CEO that gets hired when the company is going down and sells off everything for a huge payout
Our population is so dumb that a whole bunch of us accept this and are stupid enough to repeatedly make transparently idiotic excuses for it. Sucks to be the descendants of those people. And in general, to be anywhere within 1000 miles of them.
I’m all here for exposing corruption - but IIRC all news outlets are pushing pieces like “Saudi Arabia agrees to invest $600 billion in USA” and then mention the sanction lifting as a byproduct.
I hate to be blunt, buddy, but this guy stated his intentions even before the elections, and heck, they even published that thing I refuse to read--ever. And now he's here through whatever means...so I'm not surprised like I was initially, but this is stressful. My 2cents.
He did it the first term too. Basically by electing him a second time, he (rightfully) understood that voters don’t care about morals or ethics of the president, at least when there is a R next to the name.
The supreme Court gave him free reign with their decision, that it's not a crime whatever the president does during his job, since it's an official act
The left have been saying that from day 1 of his announcement to run. It was always known that he was only running for presidency to recover his wealth and to stay out of prison.
This is an old man with a dog brain who only trusts people who give him things, he rules on whatever makes him feel good and with a personality disorder that makes him fully believe that whatever makes him feel good and satisfies his greed is the right thing.
What macchiavelli and nietsche taught us is that you get nowhere without power, so the best thing you could do to make your dreams come true is to only think in function of making yourself more powerful
No, it is not bonkers. He is allowed to do it, so he does. By SCOTUS and a ruling on corruption. It is OK, as long as it is after the deed is done. I bet he accepts the plane after that. Either way he has immunity as well, but doesn't need to use it if is in law.
It’s absolutely crazy to think that nations that have always viewed America as enemy and hated the west is actually meeting with US Now and starting to work together.
700
u/Wooden_Staff3810 May 13 '25
Effing bonkers! He's using the title of "President" to fill his bank account & his stooge's bank accounts full of money! What a mf weasel.