Well, no. Not really a joke, but a prayer many may well be praying even now:
May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. (New International Version)
It qualifies as a joke, because it's got the set-up, where you trick the reader into expecting a positive thing(a prayer for Donald Trump's well-being), and then switch it to something negative(a prayer for Trump's demise) for the punch-line.
A similarly structured style of joke I've seen...
Did you know that Ted Kennedy fought for infrastructure legislation preserving America's bridges? Google "Ted Kennedy bridge".
Well, no. Not really a joke, but a prayer many may well be praying even now:
May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. (New International Version)
It qualifies as a joke, because it's got the set-up, where you trick the reader into expecting a positive thing(a prayer for Donald Trump's well-being), and then switch it to something negative(a prayer for Trump's demise) for the punch-line.
A similarly structured style of joke I've seen...
Did you know that Ted Kennedy fought for infrastructure legislation preserving America's bridges? Google "Ted Kennedy bridge".
Results/Reviews of the Trump military parade vs the No Kings Protests are slowly coming in. First of all, it appears the expected crowd at the military parade was much less than what was expected. The official expectation was there would be around 200,000 at the parade. From the shots of the parade I saw it certainly did not look like 200,000, a mere fraction of that. Then the marching was atrocious the rank and file were not properly aligned and the spacing seemed in correct. I did not see one formation that was in step either. It just looked like the soldiers did not want to be there.
Contrast that to the No Kings protest. Total attendance exceeded eight million people. There was no report of violence at the protests and very little counter protest.
In other news, it appears Trump is backing off from the forced detainment of migrant farm workers and motel attendants. Reality is beginning to set in, it appears.
Results/Reviews of the Trump military parade vs the No Kings Protests are slowly coming in. First of all, it appears the expected crowd at the military parade was much less than what was expected. The official expectation was there would be around 200,000 at the parade. From the shots of the parade I saw it certainly did not look like 200,000, a mere fraction of that. Then the marching was atrocious the rank and file were not properly aligned and the spacing seemed in correct. I did not see one formation that was in step either. It just looked like the soldiers did not want to be there.
Contrast that to the No Kings protest. Total attendance exceeded eight million people. There was no report of violence at the protests and very little counter protest.
In other news, it appears Trump is backing off from the forced detainment of migrant farm workers and motel attendants. Reality is beginning to set in, it appears.
Some acerbic commentary in the comments of the official YouTube page for Fortunate Son.
Results/Reviews of the Trump military parade vs the No Kings Protests are slowly coming in. First of all, it appears the expected crowd at the military parade was much less than what was expected. The official expectation was there would be around 200,000 at the parade. From the shots of the parade I saw it certainly did not look like 200,000, a mere fraction of that. Then the marching was atrocious the rank and file were not properly aligned and the spacing seemed in correct. I did not see one formation that was in step either. It just looked like the soldiers did not want to be there.
Contrast that to the No Kings protest. Total attendance exceeded eight million people. There was no report of violence at the protests and very little counter protest.
Some acerbic commentary in the comments of the official YouTube page for Fortunate Son.
I saw that clip and my reaction was pretty much exactly the same as this guy on Bluesky.
no… no, they can’t possibly be… oh my god, they wouldn’t… they can’t be… YES, THEY ARE PLAYING FORTUNATE SON
Lyrics here, for those who are unfamiliar. Video at the previous link for those who want to see for themselves. It doesn't take a lot for somewhat disgruntled troops to sabotage a parade. Sometimes a snarky playlist and some out-of-step marching is all it takes.
In other news, it appears Trump is backing off from the forced detainment of migrant farm workers and motel attendants. Reality is beginning to set in, it appears.
Trump made one comment on his bespoke social media platform. It has not been followed with any noticeable change in actions, so saying that "Trump is backing off" assumes facts not yet in evidence. This may come as something of a surprise, but Donald Trump is not always scrupulously honest.
Did Toddler Trumpkin (the BIGLIEST Man-Baby of them all) actually notice that his Triumphal Parade (presumably with the BIGLIEST crowds EVER) had been subtly sabotaged?
Lyrics here, for those who are unfamiliar. Video at the previous link for those who want to see for themselves. It doesn't take a lot for somewhat disgruntled troops to sabotage a parade. Sometimes a snarky playlist and some out-of-step marching is all it takes.
Fortunate Son has been played at Trump rallies in the past, with no lethal mockery ensuing. But this might be a little different, since a lot more people are paying attention to this rally than to an average campaign stop.
Not that I think the playing of one inappropriate song will neccessarily be a Dukakis-in-the-tank moment for Trump, though these things are hard to quantify.
Did Toddler Trumpkin (the BIGLIEST Man-Baby of them all) actually notice that his Triumphal Parade (presumably with the BIGLIEST crowds EVER) had been subtly sabotaged?
My guess is he doesn't really have a clear idea of what a proper military parade is supposed to look like, and probably just gets his rocks off thinking about all these soldiers parading down the street in his honour.
I'm also somewhat skeptical that ANYONE along the chain of command would deliberately sabotage a parade ordered by the POTUS. I could entertain the idea that their heart just phoning it in because they weren't overly excited about the assignment.
He could have saved a lot of money and had far more exposure just by taking part in World Naked Bike Ride Day: https://festivalstoronto.com/events/world-naked-bike-ride/. Those good people cheered up the anti-trump "No Tyrants" demonstration considerably in Toronto yesterday.
Trump got the idea of a big military parade from the French. We roll tanks down the Champs Elysees every year on Bastille day. Macron invited him once and he was totally jealous.
Trump got the idea of a big military parade from the French. We roll tanks down the Champs Elysees every year on Bastille day. Macron invited him once and he was totally jealous.
Is the annual Bastille Day parade generally popular in France?
I suppose the difference here is that it commemorates an important historical event, whereas the God-Emperor just wanted to look like a God-Emperor who is a Great Leader, and to show off on His Birthday.
Trump got the idea of a big military parade from the French. We roll tanks down the Champs Elysees every year on Bastille day. Macron invited him once and he was totally jealous.
Is the annual Bastille Day parade generally popular in France?
I suppose the difference here is that it commemorates an important historical event, whereas the God-Emperor just wanted to look like a God-Emperor who is a Great Leader, and to show off on His Birthday.
Well, aside from being Trump’s birthday, yesterday was also the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Continental Army, the forerunner of the United States Army. The U.S. Army generally considers June 14 its “birthday.” The Army’s 250th anniversary was the ostensible primary reason for yesterday’s military parade.
Well, aside from being Trump’s birthday, yesterday was also the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the Continental Army, the forerunner of the United States Army. The U.S. Army generally considers June 14 its “birthday.” The Army’s 250th anniversary was the ostensible primary reason for yesterday’s military parade.
The original plan was to have various Army displays and presentations on the National Mall. The parade was thrown together at Trump's direction with about two months to plan it out. The half-assery that is the hallmark of all Trump projects was pretty clearly on display.
Thank you to Ruth for the book recommendation of Illiberal America by Steven Hahn. I was going to post that on the tangent thread about popular academic books but I can't find it so hope you don't mind it here.
I'm also somewhat skeptical that ANYONE along the chain of command would deliberately sabotage a parade ordered by the POTUS. I could entertain the idea that their heart just phoning it in because they weren't overly excited about the assignment.
I don't know about that. Malicious compliance has a long and storied history in most militaries. After all, any sufficiently advanced malicious compliance is indistinguishable from loyal incompetence.
An interesting thought @Crœsos. I'm inclined to give the military the benefit of the doubt here, but what do I know?
I'm only a bemused Brit, looking on from the other side of the Pond, but the idea of disgruntled people indulging in passive-aggressive behaviour against the God-Emperor is not unappealing.
I don't know about that. Malicious compliance has a long and storied history in most militaries. After all, any sufficiently advanced malicious compliance is indistinguishable from loyal incompetence.
Yeah, I've been hearing the troops' presentation described as malicious compliance, but I'm not sure it really fits the definition. As per the article...
...the behaviour of strictly following the orders of a superior despite knowing that compliance with the orders will have a negative or unintended result.
So, unless Trump ordered the soldiers to march out-of-lockstep, that was something they added to the performance themselves.
Bringing up malicious compliance tells me this is a good time to reread The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek. A few Švejks in the US army would do it no end of good and drive trump mad.
I was kind of bemused by the military parade. It looked like a casual amble along the street in everyday fatigues, rather than a celebratory spectacle to celebrate 250 years of the US military contribution to the life of the nation. One MAGA response said that when your army is powerful enough to 'stomp' all over any other nation, no-one has to dress up like nutcrackers and do choreographed routines; which I presumed was a reference to the marching band stuff you see at football games, where everything is fabulously tight, well-drilled, colourful etc. I had assumed that instructions from the Oval Office would have made it plain that all the stops had to be pulled out on such an important occasion.
I was kind of bemused by the military parade. It looked like a casual amble along the street in everyday fatigues, rather than a celebratory spectacle to celebrate 250 years of the US military contribution to the life of the nation. One MAGA response said that when your army is powerful enough to 'stomp' all over any other nation, no-one has to dress up like nutcrackers and do choreographed routines; which I presumed was a reference to the marching band stuff you see at football games, where everything is fabulously tight, well-drilled, colourful etc.
I'm pretty sure that MAGA apologia was concocted after the fact in response to all the mockery, because taken to its logical conclusion, there shoulda been no reason to hold the parade in the first place.
That said, I have thought that a lot of the faux-militarism that imbues MAGA seems like the metropolitan of a civilian-run naval power desperately trying to make itself look Prussian, based on a pop-culture derived idea of what the military is like.
I see Trump and Rubio left the G7 early, ostensibly to deal with the Iranian Israeli crisis. But could there be more? Like T was not getting his way at the conference.
Trump got the idea of a big military parade from the French. We roll tanks down the Champs Elysees every year on Bastille day. Macron invited him once and he was totally jealous.
My French history is a bit rusty, but didn't the storming of the Bastille succeed because the soldiers refused to fire on civilians, and instead shot their commanders? Not exactly malicious compliance, but certainly a precedent of some sort.
I see Trump and Rubio left the G7 early, ostensibly to deal with the Iranian Israeli crisis. But could there be more? Like T was not getting his way at the conference.
I just think he is uncomfortable in discussions with intelligent people where ranting is off limits.
The impression I get from news articles over here in the UK is that Trump is totally out of his depth, as regards diplomacy and the Israel-Iran war, and (as @Alan29 suggests) can't interact very well with intelligent people.
I see Trump and Rubio left the G7 early, ostensibly to deal with the Iranian Israeli crisis. But could there be more? Like T was not getting his way at the conference.
Vance's brain is at least functional, however repugnant his politics may be. He can engage in debate, whereas arguing with trump is like wrestling with a jellyfish.
What a total waste of energy, time, and oxygen the Orange God-Emperor is. Whatever we may think of the politics of other Western leaders, spare some pity for them when they have to deal with the idiot.
I saw a photo on the BBC website of him leaving the G7. He didn't look well at all. To our prayers ....
Be careful what you wish for. Pence is just as bad, if not worse.
You mean Vance?
Yes, I did. My bad. It's becoming increasingly difficult (from this side of the Atlantic) to tell Trump's lackeys apart, but I think in this case my brain just went into a time warp.
I saw a photo on the BBC website of him leaving the G7. He didn't look well at all. To our prayers ....
Be careful what you wish for. Pence is just as bad, if not worse.
You mean Vance?
Yes, I did. My bad. It's becoming increasingly difficult (from this side of the Atlantic) to tell Trump's lackeys apart, but I think in this case my brain just went into a time warp.
Pence is the one with minor vestiges of respect for the rule of law.
The one thing going for Vance is that there isn't an ice cube in hell's chance he can hold onto all of Trump's support or gain anyone Trump already has. MAGA won't survive Trump.
Comments
May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. (New International Version)
It qualifies as a joke, because it's got the set-up, where you trick the reader into expecting a positive thing(a prayer for Donald Trump's well-being), and then switch it to something negative(a prayer for Trump's demise) for the punch-line.
A similarly structured style of joke I've seen...
Did you know that Ted Kennedy fought for infrastructure legislation preserving America's bridges? Google "Ted Kennedy bridge".
And of course the fun that was had when Donald Trump was convicted of exactly 34 felonies.
Contrast that to the No Kings protest. Total attendance exceeded eight million people. There was no report of violence at the protests and very little counter protest.
In other news, it appears Trump is backing off from the forced detainment of migrant farm workers and motel attendants. Reality is beginning to set in, it appears.
Some acerbic commentary in the comments of the official YouTube page for Fortunate Son.
I saw that clip and my reaction was pretty much exactly the same as this guy on Bluesky.
Lyrics here, for those who are unfamiliar. Video at the previous link for those who want to see for themselves. It doesn't take a lot for somewhat disgruntled troops to sabotage a parade. Sometimes a snarky playlist and some out-of-step marching is all it takes.
Trump made one comment on his bespoke social media platform. It has not been followed with any noticeable change in actions, so saying that "Trump is backing off" assumes facts not yet in evidence. This may come as something of a surprise, but Donald Trump is not always scrupulously honest.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/politics/trump-ice-raids-farms-hotels.html
But people were still being rounded up at farms in Ventura County, California on Friday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/us/politics/trump-immigration-raids-workers.html
Go ahead, fuck with agriculture - it's just our food supply. No big deal.
Fortunate Son has been played at Trump rallies in the past, with no lethal mockery ensuing. But this might be a little different, since a lot more people are paying attention to this rally than to an average campaign stop.
Not that I think the playing of one inappropriate song will neccessarily be a Dukakis-in-the-tank moment for Trump, though these things are hard to quantify.
My guess is he doesn't really have a clear idea of what a proper military parade is supposed to look like, and probably just gets his rocks off thinking about all these soldiers parading down the street in his honour.
I'm also somewhat skeptical that ANYONE along the chain of command would deliberately sabotage a parade ordered by the POTUS. I could entertain the idea that their heart just phoning it in because they weren't overly excited about the assignment.
Is the annual Bastille Day parade generally popular in France?
I suppose the difference here is that it commemorates an important historical event, whereas the God-Emperor just wanted to look like a God-Emperor who is a Great Leader, and to show off on His Birthday.
Well, quite. That was my point, although as usual I didn't express it very clearly.
The original plan was to have various Army displays and presentations on the National Mall. The parade was thrown together at Trump's direction with about two months to plan it out. The half-assery that is the hallmark of all Trump projects was pretty clearly on display.
I don't know about that. Malicious compliance has a long and storied history in most militaries. After all, any sufficiently advanced malicious compliance is indistinguishable from loyal incompetence.
I'm only a bemused Brit, looking on from the other side of the Pond, but the idea of disgruntled people indulging in passive-aggressive behaviour against the God-Emperor is not unappealing.
Yeah, I've been hearing the troops' presentation described as malicious compliance, but I'm not sure it really fits the definition. As per the article...
So, unless Trump ordered the soldiers to march out-of-lockstep, that was something they added to the performance themselves.
I'm pretty sure that MAGA apologia was concocted after the fact in response to all the mockery, because taken to its logical conclusion, there shoulda been no reason to hold the parade in the first place.
That said, I have thought that a lot of the faux-militarism that imbues MAGA seems like the metropolitan of a civilian-run naval power desperately trying to make itself look Prussian, based on a pop-culture derived idea of what the military is like.
My French history is a bit rusty, but didn't the storming of the Bastille succeed because the soldiers refused to fire on civilians, and instead shot their commanders? Not exactly malicious compliance, but certainly a precedent of some sort.
I just think he is uncomfortable in discussions with intelligent people where ranting is off limits.
As if AF1 isn't a complete command center?
Be careful what you wish for. Pence is just as bad, if not worse.
As I said, to our prayers!
Blessings!
You mean Vance?
Yes, I did. My bad. It's becoming increasingly difficult (from this side of the Atlantic) to tell Trump's lackeys apart, but I think in this case my brain just went into a time warp.
Pence is the one with minor vestiges of respect for the rule of law.
The one thing going for Vance is that there isn't an ice cube in hell's chance he can hold onto all of Trump's support or gain anyone Trump already has. MAGA won't survive Trump.
I've made a number of predictions about That Person based on common sense and seen them all go up in flames. I'm afraid to predict anymore.
And, have you noticed how Trump is now claiming "We have control of the skies over Tehran?"