# A rational look at what Trump will/won't/can/can't do in his next term **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [November 7, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876 "2024-11-07T17:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Domestic\_Samurai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@Domestic\_Samurai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Domestic_Samurai)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/161 "2024-11-10T14:06:46Z")
I have a small curiosity around the actual pull Trump will continue to have over the Congresscritters. He may think himself all-powerful, but I have to believe that some of them who hope to have long careers ahead of them will resist any effort to overturn/reduce access to things that are popular with the majority of voters (SS, Medicare, affordable insurance etc.) Will they feel as much pressure to bend to his will now that his days in the political arena are numbered? Will the ones not on the crazy train feel more emboldened to fight him in order to stay elected themselves? JD Vance doesn’t seem to have the same pull on anyone as DJT. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/162 "2024-11-10T14:11:37Z")
> [@Domestic\_Samurai](#): > > He may think himself all-powerful, but I have to believe that some of them who hope to have long careers ahead of them will resist any effort to overturn/reduce access to things that are popular with the majority of voters (SS, Medicare, affordable insurance etc.) That rather depends on if they believe that voting will actually continue to matter. Under fascism you don’t try to win over voters, you shoot dissenters. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/163 "2024-11-10T17:54:22Z")
You have a way with words, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/164 "2024-11-11T01:01:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Meanwhile, in the real world, Mitch McConnell has effectively sabotaged Trump’s agenda by ensuring that one of his lieutenants will be the next Majority Leader, which means the filibuster isn’t going anywhere. Here’s an early test of whether the new Republican Majority Leader will be Trump’s lickspittle – he has [insisted that the new Republican leader allow him to make recess appointments to executive and judicial positions](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113460270802936865). Senator Rick Scott – who is widely viewed as Trump’s favorite for the position – immediately agreed. Since the W Administration and under both parties, the Senate has convened pro forma sessions during scheduled recesses to prevent the Administration from making recess appointments. Any individual so appointed would only be permitted to serve through the end of the coming sitting of Congress unless confirmed by the Senate. The Republican caucus will vote on their party leadership on Wednesday. Whomever receives a majority of the vote in the Republican caucus will become Majority Leader with no further vote taken in the Senate (in contrast to the House Speaker). ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/165 "2024-11-11T02:21:32Z")
On Wednesday, color me surprised if the caucus winner is not MTG or someone like that. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/166 "2024-11-11T02:27:56Z")
This is the Senate leadership election, so unless you know something we don’t, she’s not eligible. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/167 "2024-11-11T02:33:17Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > This is the Senate leadership election, so unless you know something we don’t, she’s not eligible Exactly: unlike the Speaker of the House, which could technically not be a House member at all (remember the rumors a while back that the GOP would name Trump the Speaker), the Senate majority leader must be a member of the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/168 "2024-11-11T02:52:55Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Cite for the existence of a “plan to deport all immigrants regardless of status”, keeping in mind that that’s about 50 million people and would comprise the single largest migration that has ever happened in human history? It won’t be all the immigrants. Just the immigrants from what Trump once described as “shithole countries”. Trump didn’t go into details about what his standard is telling the difference between a shithole country and a non-shithole country but he did give some examples; he said Haiti and countries in Africa are shithole countries and Norway is not a shithole country. So according to Trump, the United States should ban all immigrants from places like Haiti and Africa and encourage immigrants from places like Norway. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/169 "2024-11-11T03:00:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > what his standard is telling the difference between a shithole country and a non-shithole country [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SASUEbuCnzA/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLCbrbqCbzgQukjH5_FW843Tv1xBqg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SASUEbuCnzA/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLCbrbqCbzgQukjH5_FW843Tv1xBqg) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/170 "2024-11-11T18:25:28Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Here’s an early test of whether the new Republican Majority Leader will be Trump’s lickspittle – he has [insisted that the new Republican leader allow him to make recess appointments to executive and judicial positions](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113460270802936865). Senator Rick Scott – who is widely viewed as Trump’s favorite for the position – immediately agreed. I approve of this use the term “lickspittle” but I claim priority in identifying Elon Musk as [Trump’s Lickspittle in Chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/1626) even if he did dwaddle for a while in the kiddie pool of fascism with Ron DeSantis. Of course, with Trump, [lickspittles get lynchings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-be-the-republican-party-nominee-in-2024/996834/61), so Elon shouldn’t get too comfortable with his role in cleaning Trump’s loafers. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/171 "2024-11-11T18:29:45Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I approve of this use the term “lickspittle” but I claim priority in identifying Elon Musk as [Trump’s Lickspittle in Chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-elon-musk-has-bought-twitter-now-the-pit-edition-part-1/963442/1626) even if he did dwaddle for a while in the kiddie pool of fascism with Ron DeSantis. Of course, with Trump, [lickspittles get lynchings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-be-the-republican-party-nominee-in-2024/996834/61), so Elon shouldn’t get too comfortable with his role in cleaning Trump’s loafers. Both Trump and Musk are egomaniacs, who believe themselves to be the smartest person in any given room, possessing of the ability to be an instant master in any field of expertise, and generally incapable of any failure. I suspect that the two of them cannot coexist in the same space for long, before they have a spectacular, bloody falling out. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/172 "2024-11-11T18:35:20Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I suspect that the two of them cannot coexist in the same space for long, before they have a spectacular, bloody falling out. That’s kind of what I’m living for at this point. I’m hoping for a _sensational_ blowout, where Trump tries to revoke Elon’s US citizenship based on the fact that he overstayed his visa and worked illegally, and then nationalizes all of Musk’s companies, and Elon responds by getting his hordes of Muskovites to denounce Trump as a pedophile (quite possibly true this time) with angry rhetoric and repulsive memes that Elon will justify as “free speech”. Please, all gods and deities of pantheons around the globe, come together and make this happen! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876/173 "2024-11-11T19:54:03Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I suspect that the two of them cannot coexist in the same space for long, before they have a spectacular, bloody falling out. > **[Best Friends Each Secretly Think Of The Other As Sidekick](https://theonion.com/best-friends-each-secretly-think-of-the-other-as-sideki-1819566048/)** > > OXFORD, OH–Though neither has openly acknowledged it, Marc Morrell and Justin Rotham, longtime best friends and sophomores at Miami University of Ohio, each regard the other as a sidekick. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rational-look-at-what-trump-will-wont-can-cant-do-in-his-next-term/1009876.md?page=8)