I don’t know enough about how much ICE was active before Trump, but I saw a report the other day that ice spending has risen rapidly to over a billion dollars and they are recruiting by offering a $50,000 up front incentive for new recruits.

It's a lot more that $1Billion. ICE was allocated $74.85Billion for 4 years; Border Security was allocated $64.73 Billion ($46.55 billion for the border wall; $18billion for additional staffing and surveillance technology). A billion was added to the Defense Dept's budget for help with border operations.

The number of deportations was above average in 2025 (at around 600K), unless you count the number of self-deportations - which was a whopping 1.6million (see this). These are cases where immigrants accepted a cash incentive to voluntarily leave.

Thanks for the clarification, I couldn’t remember the figures, but knew it was a lot.

So the Orange Emperor is gifted a Nobel Peace Prize medal by Maria Corina Machado, leader of the Venezuelan opposition, which had been awarded to her. Never mind that the Committee says that in no way such honours can be transferred! The Emperor will grasp the opportunity. Even though he’s basically disenfranchised Machado after snatching Maduro, declaring that she ‘lacks popular support’. (Oh well, I guess he’s saved the Venezuelans the trouble of having an election as he obviously knows ‘the will of the people’ better than they themselves.)

But what an unbelievably gauche and classless gesture, accepting someone else’s Nobel. With Trump, there’s never any bottom.

I also got surprised when I watched it on the news. There are no limitations for Trump when we talk about classless gestures, indeed.

However, I understand the movement of Machado – she tried to "woo" him with the aim of finding a way to be recognised as the legitimate candidate for the Venezuelan government. This says a lot about her. She is ready to drop off many of her things just to finally start addressing and solving the big social issues of Venezuela. The problem is she (and her nation) depends on one of the biggest twats that the Americans have ever voted for.

She is ready to drop off many of her things just to finally start addressing and solving the big social issues of Venezuela. — javi2541997

True. No slight on her. But then Trump is like ‘thanks lady, now go away.’ I bet the Nobel Committee is less than impressed.

I agree.

He truly believes that everything can be obtained by the "art of the deal," as he would say, even when some things are valueless. It is frustrating that the near future of a country depends on this kind of traffic.

, , yes, Maria Corina Machado is playing trump almost as well as does Putin.

But what's so galling is the casual way Trump has brushed off any legitimacy of her claim to be the rightful president of Venezeula, 'because the people don't like her.' When it is common knowledge that Maduro lost and stole the last election. But then, losing and then stealing an election is all part of the Trump playbook, right? Probably it means the current regime is more tractable to bribery and coercion, which is why Trump wants to keep them. The whole thing is a disgusting cesspit of robber-baron colonialism.

The whole thing is a disgusting cesspit of robber-baron colonialism. — Wayfarer

That an enthusiastic Trump just bloated out. Just like he has now said that he isn't so keen to have the midterms anymore.

It's going to be interesting to see just when Americans have been humiliated enough by Trump.

Is it when he cancels the midterms? When he grabs even more power?

Btw, has anybody noticed how Greg Bovino looks like Colonel Lockjaw from the "One Battle after Another", the role acted by Sean Penn? Bovino is so close to the film's fictional character. Named just as an "Commander-at-Large" by Kristi Noem and operating outside the command structure of the Border Patrol and reporting directly to the secretary of Homeland Defense, it is a bit similar to the movie.

The movie was made in 2024 and the story is from a 1990's book, so Bovino inspired the movie. Perhaps it has been the other way?

Looks like Trump has a Nobel Prize, and the Euro and Aussie pols do not. What have they been doing with their time in office, I wonder? Probably making it difficult to speak and think with their ever-encroaching legislation.

He won’t be eligible for the next one now.

The sour grapes who live over there wouldn’t give it to him if he stopped world war 3, but they would give it to Obama for actually nothing. That’s how meaningful that prize really is. In my opinion, it’s time to come up with a new one, one that isn’t tied to the elite sensibilities of a class who has led the world down the path of ruin. No one cares what they think anymore.

Trump seems to care. Aha, I know he could do a deal, I won’t annex Greenland if you give me a Nobel Prize.

I bet Trump thinks that possessing the medal is the same as being awarded the prize. It's like buying a trophy off eBay.

When are the US media going to start talking about a ‘rogue President’? Because that’s what they have. This latest social media barrage - announcing huge public policy changes through his own social media platform for heaven’s sake - about putting punitive tariffs on Europe to force their hand on Greenland. It’s a total outrage. Again, where is Congress? Trump is plainly a narcissistic megalomaniac who has no sense of convention, propriety, or ethics, beyond his own massive ego. It’s often been said that he’s put a ‘wrecking ball’ through all kinds of things - higher education, public science, American diplomacy, responsible economics. You wonder what will be left if the demolition crew is ever stopped.

Although it should be noted at least some Republicans in Congress are speaking out against this lunatic scheme.

Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, said in a social media post that the move was “foolish policy” and he likened it to something President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia would do. He added in an interview with CNN, “I feel like it’s incumbent on folks like me to speak up and say these threats and bullying of an ally are wrong.”

He also predicted that if Mr. Trump used military force to seize Greenland, the president would lose significant support from his own base. “Just on the weird chance that he’s serious about invading Greenland, I want to let him know it’ll probably be the end of his presidency,” he said. “Most Republicans know this is immoral and wrong and we’re going to stand up against it.”

….Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, wrote on social media on Saturday that the new tariffs were “bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies. It’s great for Putin, Xi and other adversaries who want to see NATO divided.”

He added that the continued coercion “to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid” and that it “hurts the legacy of President Trump and undercuts all the work he has done to strengthen the NATO alliance over the years.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, called the new tariffs in a social media post “unnecessary, punitive, and a profound mistake” that would only “push our core European allies further away while doing nothing to advance U.S. national security.” — NY Times

Perhaps next time he’s impeached, Republicans will actually finish the process.

I’ve been impressed by how diligently, relentlessly, and enthusiastically Trump has tried to murder millions of people and destroy the prospects of a decent human existence through his environmental policies (i.e., climate denial).

It’s incredible that the only time these people fall in line, get serious, get organized, and pay attention, is when they’re sending everyone over the cliff. It’s really something. When it comes to healthcare, social services, or really anything that makes life better for the 80%, they have no ideas and no follow through.

The Republican Party are a officially a death cult.

It’s amazing that we’re giving everything away to China. Especially when solar cells and wind turbines were invented in the United States. Guess Trump really loves China after all.

What's happening in the States, and Trump's approach to foreign policy, are weighing heavy on my mind. Below is copied a post he made today. He writes - "World Peace is at stake!"

This twisted person is a grave danger and threat to world peace.

We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration. Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it. They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently. Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that! Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake. On top of everything else, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown. This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet. These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable. Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question. Starting on February 1st, 2026, all of the above mentioned Countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland), will be charged a 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America. On June 1st, 2026, the Tariff will be increased to 25%. This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland. The United States has been trying to do this transaction for over 150 years. Many Presidents have tried, and for good reason, but Denmark has always refused. Now, because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive, the need to ACQUIRE is especially important. Hundreds of Billions of Dollars are currently being spent on Security Programs having to do with “The Dome,” including for the possible protection of Canada, and this very brilliant, but highly complex system can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency, because of angles, metes, and bounds, if this Land is included in it. The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Starting on February 1st, 2026, all of the above mentioned Countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland), will be charged a 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America. On June 1st, 2026, the Tariff will be increased to 25%. This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.

As I stated a few days ago regarding Machado's medal gift, he truly believes the world is a Monopoly game, and the conflicts can only be approached with deals or trading instead of diplomacy. He reminds me of an Ottoman emperor who demands that his vassal states pay tariffs to avoid being crushed by his strength.

It comes across to me as a child realising that he is not going to get what he want’s, that saying pretty please isn’t going to work this time and is pleading why he needs to have it.
I get a feeling that he is really becoming an embarrassment now and responsible Americans will not let him do it.

Trump is merely a vessel through which the US is able to enact what it deems necessary but controversial policies while maintaining a semblance of plausible deniability.

The whole point is to get you into an emotional, reactive mindstate (which 95% of this forum seems to be in) where you've convinced yourselves that Trump is crazy and the source of all ill in the world, when all he's doing is putting up a display to cover for Washington, which was planning to carry out these policies anyway.

A nice example of this reactivity is Europe: Trump will get Europe to the point where they'll demand a departure of the United States, a direction which the US is planning to go anyway because it seeks to create distance between itself and Europe so it can credibly stay out of a war between Europe and Russia which it is actively seeking to establish.

Washington, via Trump, is playing you and other parts of the world like a fiddle.

Washington is a circus, and the president, the uniparty and the senate are its clowns, and ya'll are making yourselves inadvertently a part of it.

I don’t disagree with your take on the deep state within the US, but I read this as a deviation from that. It’s certainly a deviation when it comes to the political strife within the US. Also, the deep state thing is more of a drift than people actively planning anything. In which case Trump’s actions will rock the boat, because there is an unpredictability thrown into the mix, along with events being shaped or not by the people, to a degree.

Unpredictability can be a great boon in geopolitics. There was a brief period during which I thought Trump might go against the establishment, but almost from the start of his second term it has been continuity of agenda with zero deviation. The only remarkable thing is his particular brand of domestic kool-aid is more polarizing than anything we've seen in a while.

all he's doing is putting up a display to cover for Washington, which was planning to carry out these policies anyway. — Tzeentch

No they weren’t. False equivalence, as usual.

What policies? In some cases, that’s true— and true of both parties. In others, it’s true about the Republican Party; they’re glad to have Trump as a lightning rod. But in many cases, including the one I mentioned above, it’s very different, and right in your face: one is using the entire force of government to shut down offshore wind, for example, including projects that are 80 or 90% completed— the other passed legislation that was putting billions into that industry. That’s not the same thing— not even close.

There are a lot of policies like that. And it matters. So why keep sticking to this over-general nonsense? Even if you don’t mean it completely, it still gives the sense of the argument from the 90s: “both parties are just as bad.” Maybe that was true at some point, and is still partially true, but it’s lazy.

US domestic policy is the kool-aid I was referring to. It's pure comedy. I don't take that shit seriously.

The US is ran by a uniparty in all ways that matter.