Trump's Hostage Video: What do you think about this?

Yesterday my husband and I spent the afternoon visiting friends in their backyard while our dogs had a play date. It was sunny and nice to be outside. We are so lucky here to have that.

During our visit there was a brief conversation that is still on my mind tonight, so I wanted to see if anyone here has any thoughts on this topic. I'll give a very brief summary of the key points of the conversation:

Friend DF: "I'm just worried that he isn't going to voluntarily leave the white house. I'm reading about how his fanatics are planning another hostile takeover on or before January 20."

Friend LT: "I think he will leave and stand down. I saw his video where he condemns the rioters and says he won't be the next president."

Friend BT: "Are you kidding? That was a hostage video! He didn't mean a word of it! He's already said he regrets it, according to what I read this morning."

Friend JS: "Yes, true. But that means someone has him hostage."

All of us: ......

Here is the video, in case you didn't see it.

[video:https://youtu.be/ENlL-Uru-cM]

So C99ers, what do you think? I have to agree this looks like a hostage video, clearly he is not saying what he normally would say but what someone told him to say. Who was that? Are they still in control? This has really been bothering me.

Thanks for your ideas, any you may care to share that is.

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CS in AZ's picture

It also feels strange that no one is really talking about this in the media or online shows and writers. I wonder why it's just kind of being ignored. There is no way Trump decided to do this video. So who did?

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thanatokephaloides's picture

@CS in AZ

There is no way Trump decided to do this video. So who did?

I snuff a strong scent of Kopmala Harris......

Bad

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

snoopydawg's picture

@CS in AZ

Trump’s attorney told him that if he didn’t admit that Biden won then he could be charged for what happened at the capital. This is why he gave that speech. But if he could be charged, but won’t be is not fair to some of the people who were at the capital, but didn’t take part in the violence, but will be charged. I think some of them really just thought that they were legally protesting their government.

But if Trump is not in charge then who is making the decision to go to war with Iran? And put more sanctions on Yemen? Did we have a coup or was Trump actually ever in charge? He sure went golfing every weekend it seemed. Trouble doesn’t take weekends off.

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12 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg How about the idea that Trump was never in charge of his administration? He was allowed to tweet to his hearts content basking in his supposed power while the likes of Pompeo, Mnuchin, Ross and others were calling the shots. As long as his pockets were also being lined he could care less what was actually happening.

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RantingRooster's picture

@CS in AZ but if anyone made him make this video, I would wager it was the top brass in the military.

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C99, my refuge from an insane world. #ForceTheVote

Bollox Ref's picture

when it was released. At the time we thought that he'd been told to make a statement, or 'it's the 25th Amendment for you pal'.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

CS in AZ's picture

@Bollox Ref

that is the question on my mind.

My husband says it has to be Mike Pence who is holding the leash and installed a shock collar, just in case. Pence is evidently super pissed off and also apparently has a sense of duty to ensure a peaceful transition of power. He says he's attending the inauguration. He's been specifically not ruling out the 25th amendment, while claiming to be 'reluctant' so it sure seems like he's been a key player in keeping trump under control these past few day, mostly from behind the scenes.

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Bollox Ref's picture

@CS in AZ

and WH lawyers. Along with the Republican minority leader in the House, who apparently was shouting down the phone to Trump as the thing played out.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

joe shikspack's picture

from this sort of curious article at reuters:

Fact check: Donald Trump concession video not a ‘confirmed deepfake’

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that National security adviser Robert O’Brien, senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, along with speechwriter Stephen Miller, counsel Pat Cipollone, chief of staff Mark Meadows and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had all pressed Trump to clearly state that he did not support the violence (here).

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CS in AZ's picture

@joe shikspack

But I still kind of feel like those people worked to convince him because they were being told this better happen, or else. The pressure brought to bear to make him say these things had to be huge.

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joe shikspack's picture

@CS in AZ

but, trump is a bully and generally bullies are quite sensitive to the limits of their power and afraid of getting whacked by something bigger than themselves.

my guess is that he was convinced by the quite reasonable threat that he would be impeached and convicted by the senate and not be able to hold office ever again.

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CS in AZ's picture

@joe shikspack

over Watergate. It’s this or worse, you choose.

But with trump they don’t go that far. Just make him play nice for a little while and it’s all good I guess. What’s a little insurrection at the capitol? It’s not like he had people break into a hotel to steal some information after all.

Sorry that went a little bit wide... I’m just thinking about how everyone tiptoes around trump and he gets away with going so much farther than many of us thought possible.

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Shahryar's picture

I don't think it's anything more than a decision that he thought would call off the heat. He got talked into it more than ordered to do it.

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TheOtherMaven's picture

@Shahryar

I think you're probably right. It's all part and parcel of his loose-cannon-ness. (Looks like this time the loose cannon rolled right over his own foot.)

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

CS in AZ's picture

@TheOtherMaven

I really don't see Trump deciding to this voluntarily. He is notoriously unable to admit defeat or having been even slightly wrong about anything, in any way, ever. His demeanor in this video has the feel of someone who is truly being forced to spit out these words, against every fiber of his being.

But maybe I am imaging things, this is possible. I appreciate your points of view!

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Shahryar's picture

@CS in AZ

It's suggested that he was told it would limit his legal liability in case he gets charged with inciting a riot.

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4 users have voted.

I agree with others here. I think he was put under tremendous pressure to do this from those around him, but he is not acting like a hostage.

His tone of voice is not stressed. He still has a "swagger" in his speech, with that stupid curled lip. There's really nothing appearing abnormal about him. If there was someone off-camera with a gun pointed at a person, that always induces some sort of stress. Really, Trump looks like he doesn't have a care in the world here. (At least to me.)

Those above are correct. He was presented with forceful evidence that if he incites more violence, he might end up in prison, and he was convinced of that. But, being in charge (in his mind), by making this speech, he is still in charge and has averted bad outcomes.

Edit to add: I don't believe you made me watch a Trump speech!

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CB's picture

The Trumpster is not suicidal. He knows when the table is stacked against him and it is time to lay down the cards. Give it a few months and The Donald will again be hobnobbing with the rich and famous.

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8 users have voted.

@CB I have my doubts that the rich and famous will have much to do with Trump as he no longer has any power to get anything done. They will be hobnobbing with creepy Joe.

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CB's picture

@humphrey
- if the Trumpster manages to regain his former wealth. Big money carries with it the magical property of redemption.

A lot of people are underestimating the strength and size of Trump support on the coasts as well as in flyover country. When the Dems fail to deliver, despite having full control of the legislative and executive branches of government(lack of which was their goto excuse for non-performance), the proverbial shit is going to hit the fan.

The country is now completely bi-bifurcated, even more so than during the Vietnam years. With covid running rampant and the economy in shambles, it is sitting on a powder keg and the fuse is lit. The Empire is now neck deep in doo-doo of it's own making.

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mimi's picture

why a bully turns around and doesn't want to fight anymore? May be a bull can be afraid too? May be he thinks of his children? May be he loves his wife? May be they didn't like what he said and made him 'mellow down'?

I hope this act of the play 'Bullies United' comes to an end soon.

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SnappleBC's picture

I think that for once, Trump actually SERIOUSLY interfered in the business of empire and someone called him up and told him that if he didn't change his tune he'd be financially ruined and/or assassinated.

The American voters MUST, above all else, continue to believe that their votes matter and that the electoral system is mostly sound. Trump imperiled that and I believe he was told to cut it out... firmly.

Yes, he will step down or he will be dealt with.

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10 users have voted.

A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

@SnappleBC .

Some of it plausible, most of it navel gazing -- all of it assuming that the picture of Trump that has been in the Public Eye for the last eight years since he first starting mucking up the GOP on behalf of Newt Gingrich is a valid representation of the man's inner life and thereby shows his psychiatric maladies.

Maybe.

Or maybe it is all a show to distract people from what you correctly identify as "the business of empire."

To think that a multi-trillion dollar war machine would tolerate a jackass like Trump is wishful thinking at best. I do not even take it as given that Trump had to be told anything at all -- the "insurrection" or "coup" is the best thing that could happen for the war machine and its next team of "Leaders of The Free World."

Five years ago, as the 2016 primaries were getting into full swing, the rank and file membership of both parties were swinging toward Trump and Sanders. Polling showed that a large slice of people rated them one and two. If they were ever to unite, the War Machine would be done. But Russiagate, joke impeachment, joke primaries and four years of Trump making an ass out of himself have all worked perfectly to turn those rank and file voters against each other for a long, long time.

All just the machinations of an insane Donald Trump, right?

Lurking out of my own frustration at watching civilization dissolve before my eyes.

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I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

snoopydawg's picture

@SnappleBC

Trump actually SERIOUSLY interfered in the business of empire and someone called him up and told him that if he didn't change his tune he'd be financially ruined and/or assassinated.

Deustche bank (sp) has dropped him as has the oldest bank that has done business with his family for decades. The PGA dropping his golf club from the tourney and other things that hit his finances. He is being erased. Watch Saagar and Krystal discussing it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0xe8ftl6qg&list=PLLri3HDD8DQuKljIeaxt22...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm93ofjjFwk&list=TLPQMTIwMTIwMjEm37oSmpc...

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7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

CB's picture

@snoopydawg
to do business with Trump... just as Trump is on the way OUT the WH door.

From the FIRST page of a Google search on the bank:

Deutsche Bank agrees to pay $100M in penalties in bribery scandal
Deutsche Bank agrees to pay over $130 million to resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank Named in Money Laundering
Deutsche Bank faces action over $20bn Russian money
The fall of Deutsche Bank: Lies, greed, money laundering
Deutsche Bank THE Mortgages and the Great American Laundry
Deutsche Bank Fined EUR15M for Money-Laundering Scandal
Jeffrey Epstein: Deutsche Bank fined for oversight failures
Why Did Deutsche Bank Keep Lending to Donald Trump
Does Money Laundering Pay at Deutsche Bank?

Don't you think all these corporations are only dumping Trump like a used condom because they now have new clientele to service? This goes on with every election - just not as public. They must be getting an extra tip.

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earthling1's picture

It's time to turn the tables. Here is an opportunity to weaponize Trump's ability to run again in 2024. He alluded to that in his last sentence.
" this is not the end, but the beginning".
Remember that he had 75 million votes in 2020. Many of those voters will still be here in four years.
Those of us on the true left can use his rebound ability to hold the DNC cabal's feet to the fire. Give us more than crumbs or face a turnover in the White House in 2024.
And absolutly yes, we should threaten to vote for Trump.
It would scare the hell out of the DNC dinos and the Republican establishment. It's time to 'effing play hardball.
IMHO, the Trump supporters along with the disgruntled Sanders supporters would be enough of a voting bloc to be a major concern.
Maybe we can use this cudgel hanging over the Dem establishments heads to force MFA, an end to endless war, reeling in the MIC, and using the Pentagon budget to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, putting Americans back to work, and even joining with the BRI project with a South America-North America "Silk Road".
What is ironic is that Trump's followers want and need these same policies.
It's time to heal this false divide.

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9 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Pluto's Republic's picture

Trump executed every single option he had. There's nothing left.

Trump is stepping down from his challenge and laying down his preferred narrative about what has taken place in order to tweak his legacy. He is not legally liable for anything that has taken place. Even the DNC knows this. If the DNC stages a revenge impeachment, it won't be about the current outrage and the braying of "patriots."

We see politicians covering their asses every day in DC. — setting the record straight. They do this at all times of day or night, standing in front of the lone operator of a C-SPAN camera, which is set up in some empty chamber.

There is a coup taking place at this very moment. People are not seeing it because they are looking in the wrong direction. It is the nation's legislators in the House and Senate who are being terrorized by the nation's capitalist overlords. Members of the elected government are now on notice. They have received the loud message that if they collude with their local constituents to mount a populist movement, or if they promote Leftist policies that threaten the long-standing economic status quo in the country — their re-election campaign will be de-funded, and their web presence will be de-platformed by the social media Giants. Their connections with the thousands who follow them will be permanently severed. They are all suddenly singing a different tune, I notice.

Meanwhile, Our Capitalist Overlords insist that employers have the divine right to provide employee health insurance; and the major corporations are eager to fund political parties and election campaigns in support of our precious democracy. These financial dependencies affords them direct influence over people's employment patterns, and they provides an open channel of influence over the political agenda in Congress. Our Overlords have always profited significantly from military power and endless foreign wars. There's a reason why this nation has been at war during 93 percent of its existence — 222 of its 239 years. There has never seen a period of peace lasting longer than a year or two. Any politician who tries to get in the way this system is going to suffer.

As usual, Trump is a distraction and an obsession. Don't keep falling for it, please. The political voice of the Left [the Peoples' voice] and the natural social values that spring from the Left have been suppressed and rejected by both parties of the governing Duopoly. When sociopolitical populist movements, inspired by Leftist Enlightenment, rise up outside the permitted political system in the US, and they threaten exploitive authority and profiteering of the industrial cartel — as was the case with union organizing and movements for labor laws — the Left was again swiftly crushed and many activist leaders were killed or imprisoned.

So, Medicare-4-All? On what planet do you suppose.

You can't fix it from the inside. It cannot be reformed. The Constitution is entrenched and can no longer be amended. Just observe it. See yourself in the system. Don't fall for the distraction. Don't get bamboozled. Accept the reality. That's the only way you'll see outside the box.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

Bernie 2020

Trump 2020

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snoopydawg's picture

@Linda Wood

So very true.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

It could have been worse. Someone could have kneeled on his neck till he died or burst into his White House bedroom and gunned him down in his sleep. They could have blasted off an arm with a power hose as he tried to give a speech or shot out an eye with rubber bullets as he addressed Congress.
He held America hostage. Him and his racist friends.
Fuck him.

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