# If Trump wins, should there be a quick trigger on impeachment? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2016, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318 "2016-10-22T06:57:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/21 "2016-10-22T14:57:55Z")
No, because Pence. Trump is unpredictably evil, and if you go back a few years, he was a downright saneish liberal Democrat, so I have some (withering) hope that he may become that again once he’s actually in the White House. Pence is predictably, steadfastly, and deplorably evil. Between the two, I’d rather have the orange toddler in the position, making ridiculous moves that can easily be undone by the Supreme Court, rather than Pence, who would be much more effective at entrenching his evil in ways that will be hard to reverse. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/22 "2016-10-22T15:14:55Z")
After the VP debates there was a CT that the GOP would find an excuse to impeach Trump ASAP so they get their man Pence in the driver’s seat. > [@coremelt](#): > > Anyway it’s moot because Trump is going to lose and lose big time. Bigly. ---
**Author:** ![ThisIsTheEnd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisistheend/32/4713_2.png) [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/23 "2016-10-22T15:33:58Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Heh. > > First, Nixon was not impeached. Things were headed that way, but the vote had not yet occurred when he resigned. Second, had he been removed it would not have been due to “unpopular, costly military action,” or because “the country was headed in the wrong direction.” Third, his offenses were overlooked by his supporters, for as long as they could maintain it. The release of the tape in which Nixon approved plans to block the investigation was the last straw, following which his support collapsed. He would have been impeached and convicted for his crimes, and for no other reason. > > Really, you shouldn’t need me to tell you this. It’s all history. Gotta go with Frank on this one. Watergate was quicksand. Nixon was a dark, dark guy, which meant he got no sympathy from moderates. Of course, things were less partisan then too. But Watergate was its own little hurricane on its own little planet. It had everything to do with Nixon’s actions all the way through, and nothing to do with the economy, Vietnam or anything else. And to answer the OP, no, not in the sense of having a more senstitive trigger finger. Although I think maybe Trump would be quicker than others to commit something egregious. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/24 "2016-10-22T15:37:01Z")
And the weird thing is he was almost assured of re-election. This was paranoia, in a country’s leader, of scary proportions. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/25 "2016-10-22T16:04:25Z")
[continuing Nixon hijack] > [@John\_Mace](#): > > And the weird thing is he was almost assured of re-election. This was paranoia, in a country’s leader, of scary proportions. Right. Everyone might in fact have been out to get him, but they _would not have beat him_ except that he himself gave them the means. He could have coasted to a perfectly normal second term had he merely let the anger and scorn of the elites, the press, the left, slide off his back and not been so hung up on making sure he beat them. But he could not and that’s a weakness in a leader of a Great Power. You go after real threats, not after mere annoyances. [/continuing Nixon hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/26 "2016-10-22T16:08:05Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And the weird thing is he was almost assured of re-election. This was paranoia, in a country’s leader, of scary proportions. The guy was like Dick Dastardly, stopping to set traps for the other Wacky Racers when he was way out in the lead (as evidenced by the fact that he had time to set the traps). ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/27 "2016-10-22T16:27:16Z")
[More Nixon hijack] > [@JRDelirious](#): > > [continuing Nixon hijack] > > Right. Everyone might in fact have been out to get him, but they _would not have beat him_ except that he himself gave them the means. He could have coasted to a perfectly normal second term had he merely let the anger and scorn of the elites, the press, the left, slide off his back and not been so hung up on making sure he beat them. But he could not and that’s a weakness in a leader of a Great Power. You go after real threats, not after mere annoyances. > > [/continuing Nixon hijack] That’s why I’ve referred to Trump as Stupid Nixon in the past: He’s his own worst enemy. He destroys his own successes, and he makes his defeats even worse. Of course, with Nixon, it was a Greek Tragedy playing out, with a brilliant but flawed protagonist ultimately being destroyed by that most Greek of sins, hubris. With Trump, it’s more like watching Curly repeatedly whack himself on the head, get angry, and run headlong into another rake, over and over again. As per Marx, history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as The Three Stooges. [/More Nixon hijack] ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/28 "2016-10-22T17:45:59Z")
If we are going to have a unicorn roundup, how big do we make the corral? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/29 "2016-10-22T17:51:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If we are going to have a unicorn roundup, how big do we make the corral? I’ll ask all the angels dancing on the head of this pin… ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/30 "2016-10-22T17:53:14Z")
Why wouldn’t a Republican Congress be quick to impeach Trump? It means President Pence, and they’d far prefer Pence over Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/31 "2016-10-22T20:45:45Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Why wouldn’t a Republican Congress be quick to impeach Trump? Because they don’t want to get primaried. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/32 "2016-10-22T21:34:55Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Because they don’t want to get primaried. Yeah, if you thought the Tea Party decimated the ranks of moderate Republicans in the Congress and Statehouses in 2010/12/14, imagine Trumpetista candidates showing up for the 2018 midterm cycle with their Man crying for his betrayal to be avenged. Heck he has \*already \*begun prepping the soil for that anyway. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/33 "2016-10-23T12:55:34Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > As noted, he wasn’t removed from office-- he resigned. He was involved in a crime, and there is no evidence that would have been overlooked. Also, we were out of Vietnam (1973) by the time this all played out (1974). He almost certainly would have been impeached, but he resigned before that happened. Say what you will about Nixon, but he did get us out of Vietnam. > > If you have evidence to the contrary, please present it. It’s understood that he resigned, but that wasn’t really his “choice.” And no, he did not get us out of Vietnam – Saigon fell after he left office in 1975. The economy was also pretty bad as well. No president faces the threat of removal from office if America’s feeling good about itself. That was the point and I’m 100 percent right about it and not interested in discussing it further. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/34 "2016-10-23T13:02:30Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Why wouldn’t a Republican Congress be quick to impeach Trump? It means President Pence, and they’d far prefer Pence over Trump. It could lead to a civil war within the party. However, let’s say that the economy collapses and people attribute our economic decline to Trump – well then yes, people would support impeachment. They’re not going to impeach Trump unless it’s politically feasible to do it. Right wing voters don’t give a fuck about Trump’s or Republican’s disregard for the Constitution or democracy generally – it’s dangerously naive to assume that they do. They would bitterly oppose any attempt to remove Trump for merely abusing executive privilege. He would have to be viewed as a weak, incompetent, ineffectual leader who is ruining their bank accounts and endangering their security for him to face the threat of impeachment. But again, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/35 "2016-10-23T14:15:30Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > … I’m 100 percent right about it and not interested in discussing it further. It’s always nice when posters of punditry make it clear just how much knowledge they actually have, and how much they wish to resist new knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/36 "2016-10-23T14:22:02Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s understood that he resigned, but that wasn’t really his “choice.” And no, he did not get us out of Vietnam – Saigon fell after he left office in 1975. The economy was also pretty bad as well. No president faces the threat of removal from office if America’s feeling good about itself. That was the point and I’m 100 percent right about it and not interested in discussing it further. Emphasis added. That’s good, since our posts here are supposed to be aimed at fighting ignorance, not spreading it! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/37 "2016-10-23T15:26:30Z")
I took that last bit as puckish humor, a parody of a mindset not shared. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/38 "2016-10-23T17:29:24Z")
Getting back to the OP… I see no reason to treat a president Trump differently from any other president. If he was elected, it would be the will of the American people just like it will be if Hillary wins. The last thing we need is the precedent set that impeachment starts on inauguration day. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/39 "2016-10-23T19:09:29Z")
Strategically, no. An impeachment over his first offense would be too likely to result in an acquittal. Wait until he’s committed four or five serious offenses, in order to guarantee a conviction. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318/40 "2016-10-23T23:15:58Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Strategically, no. An impeachment over his first offense would be too likely to result in an acquittal. Wait until he’s committed four or five serious offenses, in order to guarantee a conviction. Better yet, wait until he’s so far down in the polls that people demand his impeachment. The impeachment process is a **political** one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-should-there-be-a-quick-trigger-on-impeachment/769318.md?page=1)