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Comment by general_ai | Hacker News Reader

Has there been any case in recent history (20 years) in which a president has changed anything of any consequence due to mass protest?

Musk is on the _advisory board_. It could be that this advisory board is a farce, or it could be that Trump would actually listen to a fellow "billionaire playboy philanthropist".

One thing is pretty clear to me: Trump is not going to give a shit about either the liberal press (or in fact press in general), or liberal intelligentsia protesting in the street, especially if both demonize and disparage him no matter what he does, and refuse dialogue.

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I agree with all you wrote. Hence the confusion. The only thing that might be a lever to control Trump is Musk global fame as an US visionary in Space and Cars, plus the Gigafactory (which is very much Trump-ish in gigantism) with its US jobs feel.

Other than that ..

Trump is 70 years old and he's currently the most powerful man in the world. He won't be "controlled" by anyone. But he likely will listen to the advice of people he respects.

Nah man I think he is not. He cannot flip the U.S into a farce like that. The amount of absurdly ridiculous news all over is devaluing the whole nation at light speed. I don't think he will last. I hope not.

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He just fired a justice head for disagreeing. Apparently his assistant is showing tweets at press conferences..

This is unreal, I have no words.

Not An American, but so far Trump is giving the image of someone who can get things done and tackle difficult problems with practical solutions. I don't really understand the hysteria.

I share this sentiment, partially, I said elsewhere that he might be a "coherent force" whether you agree with his decision, it can put some movement back into the system and make others move to.

That said, every morning I wake up reading the darndest thing about him and I forget my previous paragraph.

What's so "unreal" about firing an Obama appointee for blatant insubordination? Obama fired all of Dubya's people too, a Bush fired all of Clinton's people likewise. She was just keeping the chair warm for Sessions anyway.

This is what's baffling to me. _Everything_ Trump does is interpreted in the most bizarre and paranoid way possible.

I eagerly await the H1B order later this week. Once it is signed, HN will all of a sudden proclaim its unending love for H1B abuse in a paroxysm of cognitive dissonance.

She's a an ex head of Justice, you don't act like that with people who were in charge of your country's pillar. She is knowledgeable, and competent; even if it's 80% defiance, you know she's not the average rebel.

Trump just acts like a child removing everything that gets in its way just because he can.

I agree with you that he's seen through a biased lens, because he smells like tragedy. His past and now present actions and ideas are mostly void. Now people question the reason he didn't ban all muslim countries because he has business interests there (to be proven though).

He has no regards, no diplomacy, no sense of balance. Lots of people say he's a 5yo, I tend to agree.

Doesn't matter who she is. She's not a judge and DOJ is not a part of the judicial branch. Only a judge can stay or overrule an EO. She was way out of line, by a mile, and she got fired for it.

Funny as well that when Obama unceremoniously fired James Mattis without even bothering to communicate his decision why, no eyebrows were raised and he wasn't called a 5yo. Mattis's fault? He didn't want us to bomb Iran.

You're right, it's pretty similar, I didn't hear about it until now http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/01/18/the-obama-administration...

Obama's public persona makes the difference in my eyes, he was a more respectful person all along, making weird decisions less problematic in a way. You might say it's irrelevant though.

It's not just irrelevant, it's detrimental. The US should conduct itself from a position of power, not preemptively apologize for hurting other governments' feelings like Obama did. You do not bow to any king. You insist on exiting your plane to whatever exit you want, not through the fucking back door like Obama had to do in China. You demand respect. You demand red carpet and honor guard. You make sure to communicate unambiguously that you will not be manipulated by what's "politically correct", and you can only be swayed by the cold, hard facts of the situation, and your country's interest. You make others pay their fair share. You undo obviously bad trade deals. You negotiate good (or at least better) deals. Basically all of these things is what Obama failed to deliver.

_Everything_ Trump does is interpreted in the most bizarre and paranoid way possible.

Unfortunately that's how politics works in the US. It's not about arguing your position and attempting to convince people. It's about scoring "political points" which means casting your opponent in the worst possible light, even if that means twisting the trust or being hypocritical.

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