[fuzzylightbulb]

This administration has zero ability to build or bring people together, able only to destroy what others have made. On the bright side, it isn't effective until December 31, 2026 so there is plenty of time to chicken out.

[throw0101b]

> This administration has zero ability to build or bring people together […]

Someone observed a lot of stuff that Trump is doing is through Executive Orders because he really can't do deals. Of course when (some of) his desires overlap with (some of) others', we get:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Big_Beautiful_Bill_Act

which is mostly about implementing:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025

> […] so there is plenty of time to chicken out.

TACO:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump_Always_Chickens_Out

* https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/06/02/dona...

(Being reliant on TACO may backfire at some point.)

[echelon]

> it isn't effective until December 31, 2026 so there is plenty of time to chicken out.

That's within the current administration. Unless a change in congress can prevent this, it's a done deal.

[AnimalMuppet]

Even if Congress changes hands in the 2026 election, they won't take office until early 2027.

[nozzlegear]

I think they were alluding to Trump's now notorious penchant to flip flop and waffle on every decision he makes. It's why the TACO Trump meme sprang up and continues to be used in reference to him – Trump Always Chickens Out.

[CGMthrowaway]

Some history is called for here. The UNESCO issue extends far beyond Trump.

Under the Obama administration, the US stopped financing UNESCO in 2011(!) after it voted to include Palestine as a member state that year.

The Trump administration decided to withdraw fully from the agency in 2017.

The Biden administration rejoined UNESCO in 2023 and agreed to pay it $600 million(!) in back dues.

Now, the Trump administration is quitting it again.

[ajross]

The 2011 thing keeps getting cited in this thread, but it's wrong. The funding was cut because of what amounts to a booby-trap condition in pre-existing legislation. And they tried to get it overturned by it was blocked in congress.

In fact this is an almost perfectly partisan issue, and the 2011 canard is giving cover to some horrifying both-sidesism.

[CGMthrowaway]

That pre-existing legislation (which banned US financing of any UN agency that grants membership to Palestine) was signed by George HW Bush in 1990 and expanded by Bill Clinton in 1994, in both cases passed by Democrat-controlled Houses and Senates. So it's still "both-sidesism," whatever that is.

And for what it's worth I never mentioned nor was thinking about "two sides," just multiple distinct administrations. Partisanship wearies me (and the parties have changed a lot over the last 20-30 years)

[BigJ1211]

Ironically the claim about corruption also applies to this admin. (See crypto scams for access to the president, and the Epstein files promises for well-known examples)

I do agree with them that there is a 'rot' in these institutes. Though I don't know anything specific about the UNESCO that would warrant the withdrawal.

For institutes like the UN and UNRWA it does ring true however. It is wild to see claims of genocide where there isn't one and zero claims or calls for arrest when clear unambiguous genocidal massacres start taking place. UNRWA funded and run schools having theater classes where the children role-play murdering Jews is absurd and shouldn't be happening. (To name an example from before the 7th)

The UN should be setting a singular standard and holding everyone to account roughly equally. Not this clear and open corruption of its proclaimed principles. Whether it's in the main body or it's subsidiaries.

The current media and political landscape is a joke, there don't seem to be any standards. Frankly the future looks rather bleak. I really hope we can find to way back to 'common sense'. Good journalism, holding politicians to account and treating everyone equally, holding them to the same standards.

[idontwantthis]

Evil cannot create it can only corrupt.