Why didn't they act against woke generals and beards in the military much earlier

[BeBMan]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/30/pete-hegseth-speech-takeaways

“No more beards, long hair, superficial individual expression,” the clean-shaven war secretary declared. “We’re going to cut our hair, shave our beards and adhere to standards.”

[Lorizael]

There is no war secretary.

[Lorizael]

No, he didn't. Trump cannot change the name of a department. The executive order he issued said people in the Department of Defense should use the terms "Department of War" and "Secretary of War" from now on, but that executive order carries essentially no legal weight. No one else is required to refer to the department and secretary as such, and only Congress has the power to make/remake/unmake departments.

[Uncle Sparky]

tRump can do whatever he wants. SCOTUS said.

[Lorizael]

Yeah, and they can both **** right off into their fascist fantasy land. I'm going to continue living in the United States of America under the actual Constitution of the United States.

[Ming]

And he complained about all the fat generals and soldiers saying they weren't in shape.
I guess that doesn't apply to the Commander and Chief

[SlowwHand]

Commander in Chief, career civy.

[-Jrabbit]

Everything this week - spending millions to gather US global field commanders, announcing 100 troops to Chicago, announcing troops to Portland OR, shutting down the entire govt and blaming the Dems...even going to the Ryder Cup - is all about distraction. Mostly from the facts of Trump's involvement with Epstein. Keeping Epstein's finances, travel logs, and client lists - not to mention the many videos - out of the media is Job 1.

[The Mad Monk]

Commander in Chief, career civy.

[Elok]

Everything this week - spending millions to gather US global field commanders, announcing 100 troops to Chicago, announcing troops to Portland OR, shutting down the entire govt and blaming the Dems...even going to the Ryder Cup - is all about distraction. Mostly from the facts of Trump's involvement with Epstein. Keeping Epstein's finances, travel logs, and client lists - not to mention the many videos - out of the media is Job 1.

It's doubtful whether the Feds have anything on him dire enough to really matter--and it would have to be seriously dire. To believe they do, you have to believe the Biden administration had serious dirt on him for several years and refrained from leaking a bit of it. Why would they do that?

Also, we caught him on hot mic declaring his sincere enthusiasm for sexual assault back in 2016, and it didn't stick. If there's an actual tape of him fondling a strung-out teenager, maaaaaaaybe, but his supporters would call it obviously faked, his detractors would hate him about as much as they already do and the people in the middle would continue to vote based on how well the economy is doing and stuff like that. Anyway the dude can't get elected a third time (without a much bigger and very different fight), so this is mostly about retaining enough support to not be impeached a third time and possibly convicted. He'll still be able to threaten Rs with a primary if they don't conform, provided he retains his cult, which he almost certainly will because FAKE FAKES. So D will still need basically a majority in both houses, and if they have that they don't need the stupid Epstein stuff. There's just no angle I can see where the files matter, if there's even anything damning enough that it will work when leaked in isolation (which it would have to be because I assume the full files contain prodigious collateral-damage dirt).

He still won't want it leaked, but mostly because he gets pilloried enough for the other stuff and as you may have noticed he does have a bit of an ego.

[Elok]

This is getting rather long for a comment thread, but ... wut? I didn't say it isn't important at all, I'm just saying that Trump doesn't have to view it as some kind of existential threat. From his (persistently amoral) perspective, this is just one more pile of dirty laundry, and the fact that it's the dirtiest yet doesn't really give him added reason to care, as a tactical matter.

[Aeson]

1. He wouldn't survive if there's strong evidence that he raped teen girls.

2. Even if he survived it (lack of evidence, or he's not involved) he's likely to lose some of his support. No congressperson implicated would survive.

3. Even if he's not implicated and gets a net positive (more Ds taken out than Rs), he loses leverage over those who are implicated. It would be a loss of control.

4. If a bunch of high ranking Ds and Rs are implicated, it might break the whole two party system.

You're acting like Trump could release them and it wouldn't hurt him. But clearly Trump doesn't think so.

[Geronimo]

I don't doubt Trump is capable of almost anything but it's also possible he's reluctant to leak materials because he agreed not to in order to blackmail his "friends" and enemies and anyone else he could find good leverage against in the trove of dirt he's withholding. It is frustrating that we don't know. It's also frustrating that someone so obviously capable of anything is now our president.Joy.

[The Mad Monk]

Generals gathered in their masses

Just to listen to dumbasses

[BeBMan]

I liked the part where Donnie told that he's never walked into a room so silent

[Uncle Sparky]

Sloww - what is the code for 'exterminate president'? Does it change with each leader? ('remove bone spurs?) Our PM is meeting with tRump next week, and he should know what to listen for.

[giblets]

There is no war secretary.

Dude, did you just deadname the Secretary of War?

[SlowwHand]

Sloww - what is the code for 'exterminate president'? Does it change with each leader? ('remove bone spurs?) Our PM is meeting with tRump next week, and he should know what to listen for.

Governor Peg Leg is unique code name.