# Is there anything that could entice Trump to step down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 18, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426 "2016-03-18T18:34:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/21 "2016-03-19T03:50:29Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > How did Berlusconi handle it? He’s a close comparison isn’t he? Rich businessman with lots of businesses elected as the leader of a country. He continued being the owner and involved in his media empire, and actively used it to help his party in Italian politics. It was generally thought of as problematic and possibly even antithetical to certain concepts about what a democracy should look like, but enough voters were okay with it that he held power for quite some time. Fortunately Trump’s business empire is really just a lot of very high value real estate, that he’s already started giving his daughter more day-to-day control over. So he couldn’t leverage it the same way that Berlusconi leveraged his ownership of media outlets. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/22 "2016-03-19T13:45:44Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > Unfortunately I don’t see it. He’s an egomaniacal narcissistic. He wants power, prestige, and influence. The US presidency is the most powerful political office pretty much in the entire world. What else would he want that’s more powerful? Maybe if the Pope offered the job to him? Trump thinks the pope works for him. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/23 "2016-03-19T14:12:35Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The old _‘find him in bed with a dead girl or a live boy’_ is probably about it. I seriously doubt this would make much difference. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/24 "2016-03-19T14:14:11Z")
How about fresh-baked cookies? What kind does he like? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/25 "2016-03-19T17:07:49Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > I think if there were something that disconnected him from his business empire (can a sitting President have a business empire?) . hmmm–that makes for a good fantasy: Suppose congress passes a law today saying that, effective today, any new president must relinquish _all_ his business interests, and remove his name from all public buildings. (The reason would be to avoid conflict of interest (Sort of like how a judge must recuse himself if he has a case involving a company in which he owns stock.) Trump would probably quit the race immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/26 "2016-03-19T22:56:10Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > Unfortunately I don’t see it. He’s an egomaniacal narcissistic. He wants power, prestige, and influence. The US presidency is the most powerful political office pretty much in the entire world. What else would he want that’s more powerful? > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Maybe we could amend the Constitution and create a monarchy. Trump would be king. He’d be happy because it’s a lifetime position with constant attention being given to him. And the rest of us can breathe easier knowing he only has ceremonial power. Sounds like a joke. But as success has piled on top of success, Trump has (quite possibly) gone from running in order to make himself more famous and thereby enhance his brand, to having genuine _Putin Wishes and Prez-for-Life Dreams_\*. Yes, I think he believes he will become President. And yes, I think he envisions being able to convince enough Americans that the “Organized, Militant Left”\*\* is so great a danger that we must grant him emergency powers that will keep him in power during his lifetime, with his children inheriting. Again–sounds like a joke. But I think he believes it will happen. > [@Esox\_Lucius](#): > > Trump’s wealth is what gives him his power and self-worth, so take away all his money and holdings (if only). As an added bonus, his followers would see him curl up in the fetal position and cry like a baby. If it were to be revealed that Trump is actually worth much, much less than he has claimed, many of his followers _would_ be disillusioned in a way that nothing else could accomplish. Even that woman who said that the only way Trump could lose her vote is if he were to shoot her daughter in the street, would probably lose faith in him if he were proven to be a mere millionaire. - Apologies to Robin Leach. \*\* Who knew that we’d been under siege, apparently, by American Leftists? Yet according to Trump, it’s so. They are organized and they are militant! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426/27 "2016-03-19T23:56:47Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I don’t think I’m alone in thinking, back before the primaries/caucuses even started, that Trump didn’t have a real chance at winning the nomination. I thought he didn’t _really_ want to be POTUS and was running for publicity purposes. > > So now he has a real shot at it, and it seems he’s thrilled with the idea of being the Top Dog of the Free World. > > So is there anything the GOP bigwigs could offer him (or threaten him with) that would make him decide to withdraw from the race? I assume that no matter what the real reason for his withdrawal would be there would easily be a plausible reason that would placate his followers – health issues (either his own or a family member’s) is what immediately comes to mind. I was one of the few people that thought Trump had a chance of getting the nomination and people told me not to worry ! Sadly people didn’t take Trump seriously and now we could have an egomaniac in the White House ! I personally don’t think there is any to get him to step , he doesn’t need anything he can buy us all out . If there was so way to kill his over inflated ego that might help ! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-that-could-entice-trump-to-step-down/749426.md?page=1)