Senator demands answers after Trump accepted Rolex and gold bar before slashing tariffs on Switzerland
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-rolex-swiss-tariffs-ron-wyden-b2910260.html
797 points · 87 comments · view on lemmy.world
87 Comments
kersploosh@sh.itjust.works · 256 pts · 189d
US Constitution Article 1 Section 9 Clause 8, "Titles of Nobility and Foreign Emoluments":
It's literally unconstitutional. In the past, foreign gifts to presidents were typically turned over to the National Archives to avoid breaking the law. If Congress was a functional governing body they would rake him over the coals for this, among the hundred other laws Trump has casually flaunted.
ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml · 130 pts · 189d
Yeah emoluments clause went out the window in trumps first term. Like week one, probably.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 26 pts · 189d
The Quid Pro Quo Potus
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 189d
The fig leaf was that his family were running the business side, not him.
Keeping a watch and gold bar has no fig leaf.
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 188d
The supreme Court did rush to make sure that anything he did while in office no matter how questionable was okay.
comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 48 pts · 189d
Congress and functioning while the republicans have the majority is an oxymoron.
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.world · 21 pts · 189d
At least we have SCOTUS as a check on his powers!
comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 18 pts · 189d
Yup, they’re working on a blank check…
SinningStromgald@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 189d
That is after they figure out how to make CA's new maps illegal after saying TX's maps were just fine.
molestme247@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 189d
Yeah right? Should be reason enough to burn this place down
GuyFawkesV@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 189d
They already signed that one.
whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 188d
The US senate has been severely broken since at least 1972/75 when filibuster reforms allow senators to block legislation with no debate and no physical filibuster requirement because other business can continue instead of blocking all floor activity. If I'm getting kickbacks from a developer or foreign country to prevent protection of say a natural springs & wildlife area in South Dakota I can block the debate and vote unless 2/3 (60 senators) can overrule me and I don't have to say one word to justify my position. Neither party will fix this because aside from insider trading it's how so many become millionaires from legal bribes via PACs and billionaire funded lobbyists.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 24 pts · 189d
Clearly, it doesn't mean things like airplanes, watches, and gold bars. It's written right there, anybody can see it, it's just that Libz can't read because of their public school education. They don't even make emoluments any more, that was an olden days thing, like Laudanum.
hector@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 188d
FishFace@piefed.social · 10 pts · 189d
"he didn't accept it for himself, it's for the presidential library"
Hahaha gotteem
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 4 pts · 189d
"It's a PERFECT deal."
monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 189d
Yeah, well, it doesn’t say anything about bribes, so checkmate, librul!
akilou@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 189d
We need a brand new congress. End literally every one if their terms and vote in new people.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 7 pts · 189d
There's a handful I'd keep, and a handful I'd execute. The rest can go, from both sides.
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 189d
FuckEject, marry, killEject all but a handful or two of the Democrats, marry Bernie, kill the fascists.
stylusmobilus@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 189d
tHiS shOULd FiNish HiM tHIs TiMe
h3 bRUcK t3h L0R3
unphazed@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 188d
They've proven the Constitution is just toilet paper to them. He's a felon who will never see prison. That act alone stripped him from any future accountability. He's untouchable, and he knows it.
hansolo@lemmy.today · 94 pts · 189d
A gold bar? A fuckin' gold bar?
Didn't he whine about Bob Menendez doing literally this not long ago?
kylie_kraft@lemmy.world · 62 pts · 189d
"rules for thee and not for me" could be the regime's most consistent mantra
cygnus@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 189d
Wilhoit keeps winning.
takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 189d
That should be illegal for everyone.
Also any Democrat that is involved in corruption shouldn't be trusted to work for the people. If someone is corrupted it is easy to buy them.
valek879@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 189d
It's not illegal for everyone because not everyone holds a public office... It is however already completely illegal for anyone holding a government job.
takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 189d
Well trump is and Memendez was working for the government.
By "everyone" I of course meant people working for the government.
MBech@feddit.dk · 2 pts · 189d
Only if they don't have the consent of congress. Congress however consents to whatever the fuck Trump tells them to.
AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@sh.itjust.works · 80 pts · 189d
Look, you don't need to demand answers to the turd:
It's a bribe. That's it. Your prez took a bribe to cut tariffs to a country.
UnspecificGravity@piefed.social · 23 pts · 189d
Good think our system actually predicted this and its illegal even if it WEREN'T a bribe:
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
Supervisor194@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 189d
I mean, he's a sack of shit for certain, but Congress has the power to stop this and will not, so it is implicit consent.
NewSocialWhoDis@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 189d
First, I agree with you. But, even if Congress opposes him accepting it, they can't enforce it. Pretty sure Congress wrote into law that we were supposed to have the Epstein files a month ago.
Supervisor194@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 188d
Congress can impeach and convict for any offense at all, which would remove him from the presidency. Short of that, a president may do as he pleases, because the courts have no similar analog. Sad to say it, but it's true.
FauxLiving@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 188d
That is not what consent is
SoupBrick@pawb.social · 57 pts · 189d
The answer is because nobody is going to stop him.
Crazyslinkz@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 189d
Ding ding ding! Tell em what he's won, bob!
metallic_substance@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 189d
He's won an all expenses paid trip to Alligator Alcatraz! (cue jazzy fanfare music as the camera pans over the Everglades)
regedit@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 188d
Yes, you'll be wining and dining in their overcrowded and cramped mess hall, complete with all the amenities like metal benches and concrete flooring. Your exposed skin will literally 'sizzle' against the metal bars of your 'all expenses paid' vacation to the sweltering humidity of Americas dong.
And you'll be getting there in your BRAND. NEW. PRISON BUS, care of tax payer funding, an over-burdened police state, and CEFCU (for some reason)!
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 44 pts · 188d
Didn't ask about the 400M jet from Qatar, so what's the deal now? Theatrics, knowing full well youre getting nowhere but wasting time from the real issues like EPSTEIN
Blackmist@feddit.uk · 15 pts · 188d
Bet they're kicking themselves now. They gave him a fucking plane, and all Switzerland needed to do was give him a watch and a gold bar.
Probably didn't even need to do that. Suck up to the guy for 10 minutes and tell him how great he is, and he'll agree to anything.
PapaStevesy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 188d
He'll even offer you a blowie if you're manly enough.
Blackmist@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 188d
Anything for Big Beautiful Bill.
Tilgare@lemmy.world · 42 pts · 189d
None of us could afford to, but DAMN is it cheap to buy Diaper Don (relatively speaking). The tariff revenue that Americans would generate on Swiss imports FAR exceeds the value of a watch and a bar of gold.
Einskjaldi@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 189d
Bribing politicians is cheap, it's generally millions for billions and more like 100k to billion for small politicians.
echodot@feddit.uk · 16 pts · 188d
Because he doesn't give a flying hoot about the American people. Or to be honest really his party. This is all just a grift for him.
Europe strategy seems to be more to just threaten him, it's unclear with what but he seems to have backed off tariffs in the EU, but I guess Switzerland felt that they needed to go the bride route. I don't know why because I guarantee Trump thinks Switzerland is in the EU
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 40 pts · 189d
"C'mon, let's cut the crap, here's a big hunk of gold. Deal?"
"Deal!"
MAGA Diplomacy
tempest@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 188d
I mean Washington has been like that for a while but usually "campaign donations"
Most of Trump's bullshit is just saying the quiet part out loud. He is especially brazen about it and it doesn't make suck less.
alpha1beta@piefed.social · 33 pts · 188d
It's about time Congress woke the fuck up. The only option here is to impeach - this is textbook corruption that would make Senator Menendez blush.
BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 188d
You think they're not? Every member of the house of representatives, and every senator, knows what's going on. It's not that they're asleep, it's that they don't care enough to endanger their own cozy money machine.
alpha1beta@piefed.social · 1 pts · 187d
When it comes to things like this, all Republicans are asleep at the wheel of with their head placed firmly up their ass. Almost all the time when they're asked about something he did or says, their answer is "I don't know, I didn't see/hear it"
So maybe not physically asleep - but certainly asleep at the wheel.
FatVegan@leminal.space · 1 pts · 188d
Oh i'm sure this time they are gonna SLAM him.
TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 188d
mcv@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 188d
But it looks expensive and has a reputation for being expensive. That's what matters to him. Do you think he can handle actual money?
RedAggroBest@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 188d
The conspiracy brain tells me some swiss diplomat pulled these from Trump's own safety deposit box as a "we have the skeletons from your closet"-statement and handed them to him as a "diplomatic gift" when it actually was just a threat that he caved to.
TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 188d
dvlsg@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 188d
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 188d
There are many sizes of gold bar though. A 12.4 kg bar is fairly pricey.
TheSeveralJourneysOfReemus@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 188d
AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 188d
That's roughly the price of a 1 kg bar.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today · 3 pts · 187d
he likes anything that is gold, hes pretty shallow.
Binturong@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 188d
Global extortion racket goes brrrrrr. There will be no recovery until his and his regime are removed from power and jailed, he will not leave by any other process aside from just dying, and even then I wouldn't put it past the administration to use his image and AI to continue their assault on America.
phoenixz@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 188d
NOW they want answers? Quatar gave him a 400 million dollar airplane (surely bugged) but you're drawing the line at a 20K Rolex with a gold bar?
Those Quataris really will be face palming now, seeing they could have bribed him so so much cheaper. They gave the ficker and airplane and he still fucked them over anyways
So just to help those corrupt fraudsters a little bit: BRIBING TRUMP DOESNT WORK
He will turn around tomorrow and fuck the Swiss right in the ass again anyway because of course he will, it's trump, he will have forgotten all about his Rolex by tomorrow and wonder why he's being so nice with the Swiss
cmoney@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 189d
Supreme Court has ruled that you have to explicitly shout "THIS IS A BRIBE" then wink one eye while shooting finger guns and making that clicking sound with your tongue when exchanging gifts or money to be considered a bribe.
adespoton@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 189d
The Supreme Court has ruled that this particular POTUS can do nothing illegal while performing an act of state. Since he accepted this bribe specifically as an act of state, it’s a legal bribe by their reasoning.
slothrop@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 189d
Unless you're a Dem, then it's a bribe if someone says , "Hello" to you.
zikzak025@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 189d
Yes sir, I have it on good faith that this democratic senator received a bribe of emotional gratification when the Canadian delegate wished her a nice day, to which she replied "You too", which is clearly indicative of some sort of illegal quid pro quo relationship.
notannpc@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 189d
Hi Senator,
It was a bribe. Hope that answers your questions.
Sincerely, Everyone with a functioning brain.
thoralf@discuss.tchncs.de · 11 pts · 189d
What aber does he expect. Trump is as corrupt as it gets. Isn’t that obvious?
regedit@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 188d
To anyone smarter than a lemming (the animal, not you fuckers), it was since before that dreadful escalator trip to hell in 2015.
tehn00bi@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 189d
100k investment 1000000k payout.
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 188d
They play him like a fiddle.
DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmynsfw.com · 1 pts · 188d
fixed that for you
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 187d
Don't know where that is from but its not a new saying.
Mantzy81@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 189d
Trump being corrupt is just another day in the Orange Republic
Strider@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 187d
Some people are reeeally slow in catching on....
ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 188d
Is it so hard to call out blatant corruption in front of your face?
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 188d
In old country, is called 'bribe'.
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 188d
I think the world is starting to find out that co-operation is the preferred way forward for the earthly citizens, rather than the current destructive dying beast that is capitalism.
gaymer@aussie.zone · 4 pts · 188d
hector@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 188d
It is corruption. We had capitalism without it.
shane@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 188d
Did we? When was that?
hector@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 188d
This open corruption is new. From the post war years to the 70s were the golden years, not perfect, slow regression since then with sudden drop offs, like citizens united, scotus allowing corruption unless absolutely explicit, then electing the gangster king here.
shane@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 188d
I mean, you know the US actively helped to overthrow democratically elected governments to aid US businesses already back then, right?
hector@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 188d
Yeah but this kind of corruption was unheard of. Even in the post Civil War era that was super corrupt they wouldn't take open bribes from foreign leaders like this certainly not before the Civil War either. Obviously from the Spanish-American war on we have had the Empire thing going as Mark Twain predicted all this shit would happen.
SinningStromgald@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 189d
Its fine. I'm sure, just like the jet, they will be "donated" to his presidental library but for security, of course, he will need to take them with him everywhere at all times.
kmartburrito@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 189d
Trump - "Don't care, got money."
Rules for thee, but not for me
jpreston2005@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 188d
Hey look more naked corruption
BranBucket@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 188d
Trump likes bribes. There's your answer.
Greyghoster@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 189d
The man is a convicted felon FFS.
molestme247@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 189d
It's ok it's only a bribe, and the orange shitbag pedophile is king of bribes and those paying it are the stupidest fucks yet
leadore@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 188d
Wyden "wants answers"? Here's your answer: Are you still sailing down De river Nial? Look into the Don's pig-like eyes. He is the captain now, in control of the government and supported by the majority political party, his own private army, and the corrupt SCOTUS majority he set up in his first term.
Haven't you noticed, Wyden? Anyone who ever opposed him, ever made fun of him, or isn't going along with him is either being "investigated" or arrested and charged with made up crimes (if a lib) or ousted from their positions of power and threatened with worse (if a repub), not to mention getting mentioned in mean tweets that mobilize his minions to go after them. It's Pay to Play now (in gold is always a nice touch).
The last shreds of the Constitution were thrown out on January 20th, 2025. There are no rules, laws are decreed by the Boss, subject to change at a whim, and only the rest of us are required to follow them.
Choose your Side. Whining is not a strategy. If that's all you can do, get out and make room for someone with a spine.
ghost@literature.cafe · 1 pts · 188d
SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 188d
Forget it, Jake. It's Fascist America.