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Do we have to take Pres. Trump seriously?

Do we have to take Pres. Trump seriously?

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The Mark

The Mark

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When President Trump makes a statement, wherever it may be, and in whatever format, how should it be be taken?

Do we have to take him seriously at all times?

Or are there some situations wherein a statement made by POTUS can be considered non-serious?
A follow up to that...if some statements can be considered non-serious, how do we determine which ones?
 
Personal opinion:

We have to take everything POTUS says seriously, because the other option requires at least partially guessing about which ones are non-serious, which in turn brings up all sorts of problems.
 
My opinion of trump's statements is that his seriousness is like the weather.

It is like the weather in that if one does not like it, wait 5 minutes and it will change.
 
We should be able to take what our President says seriously. However, with the Buffoon in the whitehouse today....with his silly tweets and name calling...its impossible to take anything he says seriously.
 
The job of being President includes the obligation to be very precise and measured in your speech and communication. Its his job to be serious because his audience takes him seriously.

Unfortunately, we have a guy that can not do the job. We need to have someone sent up from personnel to counsel him out.
 
This is like starting a poll: Do We Have to Eat our Vegetables?
 
The Mark said:
When President Trump makes a statement, wherever it may be, and in whatever format, how should it be be taken?

Do we have to take him seriously at all times?

Or are there some situations wherein a statement made by POTUS can be considered non-serious?
A follow up to that...if some statements can be considered non-serious, how do we determine which ones?
Click to expand...
What I don't get is why people don't realize that the pres speaks extemporaneously. It would be frustrating except I've come to accept that most Trump haters, especially if they're liberal, have no concept of how the real world works.

I invite anyone to try and speak about a topic they only have passing familiarity with for 10 minutes. I guarantee you most people would give a speech that eventually veers off-topic and full of factual errors.

I prefer Trump's speaking style over Hillary and even Obama any day of the week. The criticism he receives is ludicrous and most of it is an anthill magnified to a mountain if it's not outright lies to criticize him. Once a person realizes "what is the message" in general it's easy to know what he means. It's not hard at all, but again, most of Trump haters are not capable of empathy. That's why they loved Hillary: she was as un-empathetic as they were.
 
Unless it is an obvious joke, like his morning after response to the covfefe typo, I take him seriously. But taking him seriously doesn't mean I believe him.
 
Use the sense God gave you and make an informed decision about what he is saying. Remember to "never believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see."
 
reinoe said:
What I don't get is why people don't realize that the pres speaks extemporaneously. It would be frustrating except I've come to accept that most Trump haters, especially if they're liberal, have no concept of how the real world works.

I invite anyone to try and speak about a topic they only have passing familiarity with for 10 minutes. I guarantee you most people would give a speech that eventually veers off-topic and full of factual errors.

I prefer Trump's speaking style over Hillary and even Obama any day of the week. The criticism he receives is ludicrous and most of it is an anthill magnified to a mountain if it's not outright lies to criticize him. Once a person realizes "what is the message" in general it's easy to know what he means. It's not hard at all, but again, most of Trump haters are not capable of empathy. That's why they loved Hillary: she was as un-empathetic as they were.
Click to expand...
He does often speak off the cuff, even interjecting moments of that into what were obviously prepared speeches (the recent announcement about leaving the Paris Climate agreement comes to mind).

I'm fine with that.
I would suggest that he avoid speaking publicly on topics he has 'only passing familiarity with" if possible, but that's not a big issue either.

In the OP I'm not talking about his speaking style, I'm talking about the content of his speeches and statements (in all formats) - do we take everything he says seriously, or consider some portions non-serious?
 
The Mark said:
When President Trump makes a statement, wherever it may be, and in whatever format, how should it be be taken?

Do we have to take him seriously at all times?

Or are there some situations wherein a statement made by POTUS can be considered non-serious?
A follow up to that...if some statements can be considered non-serious, how do we determine which ones?
Click to expand...

Sorta like having a husband-in-law. You don't have to take him seriously, but common sense and survival is the order of the day.
/
 
reinoe said:
I've come to accept that most Trump haters, especially if they're liberal, have no concept of how the real world works.
Click to expand...

Finally we have a poster who knows how the real world works. Please enlighten us of your life experience with the "real world".
 
Skeptic Bob said:
Unless it is an obvious joke, like his morning after response to the covfefe typo, I take him seriously. But taking him seriously doesn't mean I believe him.
Click to expand...
An interesting point - obviously, sometimes he is clearly joking.

I was thinking of the less-clear examples, I should perhaps have been more clear in the OP.
 
Crosscheck said:
Finally we have a poster who knows how the real world works. Please enlighten us of your life experience with the "real world".
Click to expand...

I highlighted it in the quote you decided to chop up.
 
I've lived and worked in the "real world" for 62 years. During that time I have spoken on numerous subjects to small and large audiences. From training sessions to addressing the board of directors. One would be a fool to conduct even those without proper preparation, much less address the nation on camera. "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and prove it true" or something like that.
Every word, every tweet is being recorded for posterity as part of the presidential communication record, and it will be seen and judged as it is no matter how anyone wants to frame his "style".
 
The Mark said:
When President Trump makes a statement, wherever it may be, and in whatever format, how should it be be taken?
Click to expand...
As President, whatever Trump says or tweets is officially considered a presidential communication...

Sean Spicer: Donald Trump’s Tweets “Considered Official Statements By POTUS”

by Lisa de Moraes
June 6, 2017

President Donald Trump’s tweets “are considered official statements by the President of the United States,” because “the president is the President of the United States,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer explained patiently at Tuesday’s briefing. This after reporters asked him straight up if Trump’s tweets should be regarded as official White House statements.
Click to expand...

Trump can't claim that his tweets are simply social-media love-notes to his base. They are considered official White House statements.
 
Black Dog said:
Use the sense God gave you and make an informed decision about what he is saying. Remember to "never believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see."
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? Satan gave me these senses, for I was born in the flames of the Inferno. ;)
 
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