In Reply to: Incompetence vs. malevolence posted by CoastalBruin on April 30, 2025 at 09:16:02
thread of action taken by this government to determine the extent to which Trump is actively making decisions. The more erratic the decisions are and incompetent the execution is, the more we can infer that Trump is in the driver's seat.
Tariffs and the economy: absolute sh*tshow with no regard to reality on the ground: Trump is in charge.
Detentions, renditions, ICE raids, etc: Trump is riding shotgun and not making the call.
Pressure on law firms and universities: hard to say because law firms folded one bay one like cardboard castles, while Harvard managed a push back, at least for the moment. But if pressed, I'd go with efficiency and methodic execution as opposed to haphazard, thorwing "spaghetti at the wall" move that Trump perdfected.
Pentagon: well, maybe Hegseth is just as undisciplined and clueless as Trump because that mess is 100% Hegseth.
Healthcare related debacles: very cold, very methodical. It's being executed by someone who can make a plan and stick to it. All RFK Jr.
DOGE related: a unique combination of competent hacking to pull the numbers, effective bullying, that's marred by callousness that looks like incompetence. I don't think they've been incompetent. They just didn't care.
So, what I'm seeing is a mixed bag with different malevolence vs incompetence ratios in different areas.