I must be a moron...

[PCIntern]

Because…BECAUSE…. Many years ago I had a meeting in Seattle and in the cab from the airport to downtown I saw two 747’s wrapped in green something-or-other. When I got to the hotel I wound up talking to a guy whose brother was a Boeing employee who wasn’t working on the two presidential aircraft but he was saying that it was taking years and years to specially equip these planes with all kinds of technology and defenses and safety measures.

So of course, this guy in what’s left of the White House is flying the airborne equivalent of The Reflecting Pool and it is not up to snuff by definition. But that’s fine. Because that’s why. Because Trump.

If any Democratic President had accepted this plane as a “gift”, articles of impeachment would have been drawn up faster than you could say “Landing gear down”. If he had flown in this relatively unsafe plane, Fox News would have”Tan Suit” the issue, claiming that this threatens the very sanctity of the Nation, that this endangers the very office of the Presidency, once again implying that Democrats do not deserve to hold that, or any other, office.

So why am I a moron? I am constantly surprised how low this Presidency can go, while not comprehending fundamentally that there is no nadir. The depths are arguably infinite and we are accelerating during this plunge.

[biophile]

1. You aren't a moron

Or if you are, then we all are! Because we all continue to be shocked at the depravity on display.

[Ocelot II]

2. I don't know whether Trump really believes that "better, faster, cheaper" is possible,

but he acts like he does - or else he believes in promoting the illusion. Everything he does seems to be designed for maximum flash, put together in a hurry, and done with sloppy workmanship that allows him to grift way beyond the true cost of the project. He wanted Qatar Force One just because he could have it painted with the design he liked and all blinged up in the interior, and he could get it quickly. The fact that it wasn't safe didn't seem to bother him, odd considering that he has his panties in such a knot about his personal security that he demands a fortress ballroom, but either he doesn't believe the Secret Service or is willing to risk the possibility of security breaches or even the lack of anti-missile capabilities because he loves the look of the thing so much.

[wnylib]

6. I'm just annoyed that he was tipped off

about how unsafe it was.

If he wanted to fly off to Turkey in an unsafe plane just to show off his flashy grift gift to the leaders gathered there, it's his choice and his life. They could have just kept their concerns to themselves and let the chips (or plane) fall where they may.

[Ocelot II]

7. Unfortunately, doing that could have endangered everyone else on the airplane as well.

He might deserve the consequences but nobody else did.

[wnylib]

9. Point taken, with the qualifier that, for me, it depends on who is with him.

[Ocelot II]

11. Pilots, crew, reporters? People on the ground?

Plane crashes are always a bad idea, regardless of who's on board.

[wnylib]

14. True enough. He's killed enough people already.

[FHRRK1]

16. Think longer term - bigger picture

If it was or wasn’t Iran, they would have blamed Iran. Thus a war, thus loss of our service members and thousands of Iranians.

His ignorance could have resulted in hundreds of thousands of lost lives.

[canetoad]

3. I read or watched something

Just recently, describing how the REAL AF1 is planned and built from the ground up. This new plane is a recipe for disaster or celebration if that's what you prefer.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. You are not a moron, my dear PCIntern. If you are, then we all are.

We are shocked, astonished and surprised at what is happening.

But we have not given up.

And we won't.

[AllaN01Bear]

5. he demanded a plane from them and he got one . hem

u arnt.

[DFW]

13. I am only curious about one aspect of this plane

NOT whether or not any and all communications are forwarded on by secure transmission to those who built/financed it. I take that as a given.

No, my question is whether or not its navigation system is vulnerable to being overtaken from remote places not of our choosing. If Hegseth, Patel, or anyone at Trump’s NSA says, “absolutely not,” I will assume it is less complicated than logging in to eBay.

[FHRRK1]

17. You ever see an unfinished airplane?

Literally 150+ miles of cabling/wires in the walls and below floor. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of connectors.

The ignorance in taking the plane is astonishing.

[DFW]

19. I wonder just how much ignorance is really involved?

I know how much goes into the “guts” of a 747. But this is not exactly some closely guarded secret. It is pretty much public knowledge. Ergo, accepting, on behalf of a sitting president, a “complete and ready” plane whose innards were in the hands of a foreign power for months, let alone years, is not merely the height of folly, but rather a deliberate act of espionage. Tell me there is no way a foreign power would ever take advantage of us in that manner, and I’ll tell you the Tooth Fairy’s favorite color.

[ananda]

8. This is how Trump's narcissism works.

He can't let anything better or different from
him exist any more.

Even lowest of the low demolishes anything
better.

[orthoclad]

10. The abyss stares back...

[usonian]

12. He sure got your attention, didn't he? Away from ONE THING.One little word.

And it worked.

Next stunt, coming right up. Bomb Iran? Oh, he already did that.

In fact, every outrageous act since Jan 2025 has been to distract from Epstein and keep his criminal ass out of jail (or a good tar and feathering)

[aggiesal]

15. Not a moron. Maybe a moran, but definitely not a moron. n/t