• iiGxC@slrpnk.net
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    6 months ago

    Paying off porn stars by illegal methods in order to influence an election*

    • Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 months ago

      Such a waste of money. Remember, he has “the most loyal people. Did you ever see that? Where I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay? It’s like incredible!”

      He should have just let her talk. Such a sucker.

      • njm1314@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I think that’s probably the part that bugs him the most, well other than the idea that he’s accountable for his crimes and can be caught cuz I’m sure that bugs him more than anything else, but I mean the idea that he didn’t need to do any of this. That must eat him up inside. At the time this started he had no idea how much power he would have over his masses of morons. Now he knows that he could pay off 100 porn stars and and they wouldn’t bat an eye.

        • Supervivens@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I mean considering how close the 2016 election was, I could totally see this having affected his chances.

          • njm1314@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            I can’t, there’s not a single person that voted for him who wouldn’t have had that come out not one. The only wiggle room in that election would have been people who decided not to vote for Clinton out of outrage or protest to hold their nose and vote for her because of him. But those morons didn’t care enough about Roe versus wade, the grab them by the pussy comment, the creepy pedophile stuff, or any of the other dozen horrific things he said and did. So to think they would care enough about this? No chance.

            • aleph@lemm.ee
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              6 months ago

              I don’t think this analysis is correct. This unwavering support is true of Trump supporters today, but back in the run up to the 2016 there were definitely people who voted for Trump who would have changed their mind had the “grab them by the pussy” tape been immediately followed up by a media storm surrounding more awkward sexual allegations coming from from a porn star.

              The Trump team clearly thought so - presidential campaigns are nothing if not obsessive about how optics can affect their candidates in key states, and by how much. The fact that they went to such lengths to cover it up was indicative of how impactful they feared it would be among swing voters.

        • limelight79@lemm.ee
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          6 months ago

          It would eat him up inside if he were capable of admitting he did something wrong. Every action he takes is the best, the most perfect action, no one could have done a better action. Every action he didn’t take, but his definition, is clearly wrong.

      • niktemadur@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Vulgarity always goes hand-in-hand with irrational, self-defeating behavior. It’s knee-jerk reaction from one minute to the next, hollow, distracted and panicky.

    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      YESSSSSSSS!!!

      Everyone is making fun of the way this is phrased, with it’s history. “Oh, if I can be caught with a pornstar, and falsify business documents in an attempt to influence the election, so can ANYONE!”. That’s the way everybody is mocking this quote, with the mockery being how out of touch he is from the real world.

      But what’s somehow being lost, and is even more insane, is that what he’s actually saying is even worse.

      He’s saying “If I, donald trump, former (and in his mind future) president, and financially elite white male with power can be made held accountable for his crimes, than so can ANY OF YOU! If they can reach me, they can reach you with your crimes! Let’s change their ability to prosecute me, and put things back in order, so I can protect you when they come for you…unless you’re anything besides a rich white naturally born american citizen, in which case fuck you.”

      That’s the extended full paraphrasement of what he’s saying…and in my mind it’s even more batshit crazy than what everybody is actually mocking him for.

      The idea that basically he, and his kind are at the top of the ladder, and it’s a better ladder than anyone else. It’s supposed to be an untouchable ladder, but they touched the guy at the top of the rotting ladder. They touched him 34 times. So now they can touch anyone.

      That’s his logic and it’s insane to me.

        • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I politely disagree.

          That would imply that trump isn’t so much an evil person as he is an innocent bumbling idiot with good intentions (in his own mind). I would be empathetic, at least partially, to him if that were the case.

          I don’t believe trump is stupid. Well…I do but in a different way. I believe trump knows right from wrong, and since birth has been taught that wrong gives you better advancements in life.

          Where I think he’s an idiot is in his own self belief that he’s so high and mighty that the peasants couldn’t fathom his intellect. And every choice he makes to improve his own (and only his own) life is about the dumbest way possible.

          Essentially I view him in very similiar light as elon musk. Just lucky enough to be born into the right family, just smart enough to understand how to run the rackets and schemes, but just dumb enough to be perpetually on the cliff of a financial and career suicide if he takes even one false step. Then blames everyone else for him having walked to and/or off the cliff (if that happens).

          Same way I never believed bush was stupid either. I think bush is smarter and more evil that trump. But they’re on the same road. Bush just had more gas to drive farther down the road than trump did (and hopefully this is as far as he goes).

          • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            To take a side route and just say that I agree that Bush deserves the hatred for his actions and decisions but I think the evil moniker should be place on the chest of Cheney and Rumsfeld. Bush was just a weak President that allowed those two to call the shots.

        • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          He’s on the top of his ladder, but the ladder sinks into the ground the more weight you put it on it. And I know that soulds like a fat joke, but it’s not. I don’t fat shame.

          I’m just suggesting that everyone on that ladder has so much extra bullshit as baggage, that they’re starting to not be able to support itself anymore.

          Sometimes I wonder how Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Rosevelt would feel if they could see the republican party today. I assume Lincoln would say something like “I no longer wish to observe such buffoonary. Summon John Wilks Booth.”

    • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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      6 months ago

      Former President Donald Trump has a dire warning for any American citizen who paid off a porn star with whom he or she had an extramarital affair and paid off as part of an NDA to keep it out of the news and failed to legally account for it during a bid for President appropriately: if HE can be found guilty for that, so can you!

    • flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz
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      6 months ago

      Pornstars are legitimate entertainers that bring at least something positive to the society. Unlike Donald Trump.

  • InternetUser2012@midwest.social
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    6 months ago

    I’ll remember this if I ever find myself in the position to cheat on my pregnant wife with a pornstar and then run for president.

    • Jolteon@lemmy.zip
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      6 months ago

      No, I think he means that even if you don’t run for president, it might affect you if you’ve cheated on your pregnant wife with a pornstar.

      • Senshi@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        That alone sadly is not even the issue. Only when stealing from the government comes in, you can expect to actually get prosecuted.

        Trying to pawn off the expenses on your company balance and committing tax fraud, then paying off people to not tell about your tax fraud, that’s what gets you.

  • Hikermick@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    The irony in all of this is that if he had just paid her out of his own pocket it wouldn’t have been an issue. Like they say the cover up is worse than the crime or noncrime in this case. Also ironic is he didn’t have to cover it up as the evangelicals don’t seem to care he cheated on his wife with a porn star. A perfect example of why we don’t need morality police telling us how to live

    • pivot_root@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Reminds me of a certain Mr. “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” Nobody gave a fuck that he did it; they were upset he hid it.

      • seth@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        The evangelicals were outraged that Clinton did it, and equally outraged that he lied about it. They made a huge stink about how he had no decorum and was sullying the office. Of course, he was a Democrat who wanted to reduce the national deficit with the budget surplus, but they still hated him and wouldn’t vote for him. Consistent with the most cherished doctrine of evangelicalism - hypocrisy - they had and still have no problem with Trump’s inability to do anything honest, just like they had no problem with the other Republicans.

    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Ugh…I don’t. I tried to see if she made any videos I hadn’t seen before, found her twitter, and discovered she’s a huge racist and trump thumper.

      Now I feel icky knowing I jerked off to a woman who is so full of vile and hate.

      • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        At least you don’t have to feel icky that you’re not the type of person who likes that they jerked off to someone like that. Either because they support her or because they like dehumanizing/humiliating women aspect. That’s also icky. (Latter because it isn’t consensual and so less a kink & just bad)

        • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          …ok? Not entirely sure what you’re getting at, but I think the jist is that a lesser person would continue to masturbate, and somehow this humiliates a porn star that shot a porn years ago. And that would be bad…

          I’m just unclear why she would be humiliated if people jerked off to her on a computer screen as part of a job she was paid for and performed consentually for.

          Then again, I still say PeeWee Herman did nothing wrong in that theater. Once I was old enough to learn the real details, he’s still an adult with needs. He took care of those needs in a pre-internet world the best and most responsible and safe way he could.

          …I know it’s technically unrelated. It just seems very similar to that case, and 6 year old me still isn’t over it.

          • asteriskeverything@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            She wouldn’t actually be humiliated. But some get off on the idea that they are “dominating” a woman, putting them in her place, and it is especially rewarding if they ‘hate her guts and get off on her anyway’ and ‘totally use her’ for the object that they see her as. Even to the point where finding out after the fact may make them excited instead of turned off. Some men will be attracted to women because they hate them

            Basically my point originally was just a jokey comfort. But I’m a couple hours into enjoying my Friday now and am not sure if I explained myself so badly or you’re that good you don’t even know how … icky people can be and get off on it.

            Sorry if that was way too serious, too confusing, or if I totally missed your point or tone etc.

            • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              …what a terrible day to be literate. I’m not blaming you for explaining the concept, but also…maybe thats enough internet for today.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Really?

    Most Americans have access to campaign funds they can misuse?

    Damn tired of the press making this a porn star thing and not a campaign fund thing.

  • cosmicrookie@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Its more like if you pay a porn star and file it as company expenses at your work

    Yeah then anyone should be prosecuted

  • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    The headlines should not be hushmoney it should be financial fraud to influence the election.

    • kbin_space_program@kbin.run
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      6 months ago

      The rich absolutely want to codify that they have a set of rules “worthy of their position” and the corporate media is being forced to tow that line.

  • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    Shit… I need change my plans about using campaign donations to pay off that porn star I banged at the golf course I own.