# Post Presidential Trump: Will justice prevail or will we still have to deal with him? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 21, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542 "2020-10-21T22:50:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/41 "2020-10-22T17:11:28Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > What international law recognizes is a Right to Return _to your own country_ . You may not be made stateless and may not be left stranded Once again, taking away someone’s passport doesn’t infringe upon this right. An American doesn’t need a passport to enter the US; that just happens to be the easiest way of proving that you have the right to do so. An American who shows up at the border without a passport will not be denied entry; he or she will just be detained for as long as it’s necessary for the border officials to confirm their citizenship. Anyway, this is a moot point as it was proposed that a newly elected President Biden would immediately revoke Trump’s passport while he was still in the country. In that scenario there is no danger of him being illegally stranded abroad. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/42 "2020-10-22T17:32:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I’d go with this but Putin is not stupid. He’d likely direct Trump to collect some documentation and stick it in a briefcase before he leaves. When he delivers Putin gives him a nice dacha on the Black Sea with servants and women. Am I evil for wishing, in such a scenario, that Putin reneges and his nibs winds up in a gulag instead? After all Trump demands fealty but often fails to deliver his part of the bargain. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Colossus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.colossus/32/9423_2.png) [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/43 "2020-10-22T17:56:14Z")
Given Trump’s projecting (anything he accuses someone of doing is something he’s totally guilty of doing), and often outright revealing his intentions in the form of “just kidding around,” I strongly suspect he’s halfway serious about leaving the country if he loses. When I suggested he might try to anchor down in Russia, I was told that’s an absurd fantasy. Doesn’t seem too far-fetched to me… ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/44 "2020-10-22T18:20:36Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Am I evil for wishing, in such a scenario, that Putin reneges and his nibs winds up in a gulag instead? After all Trump demands fealty but often fails to deliver his part of the bargain. As tempted as Putin might be to do that, I think he would prefer to keep his end of such a bargain, if only to yank the chain of American liberals. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/45 "2020-10-22T20:45:37Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > As tempted as Putin might be to do that, I think he would prefer to keep his end of such a bargain, if only to yank the chain of American liberals. It’s also been suggested that Putin would treat Trump very well, just to show the world how compassionate and magnanimous he is, thereby scoring positive PR for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/46 "2020-10-22T21:02:20Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > What happens IF he leaves office – particularly IF he leaves the country (\>\> maybe TO a non-extradition nation) – and credible evidence surfaces that indicates that the MF actually looted the Treasury in one way or another ? Then we should expect the IRS will confiscate all his real properties and other reachable assets in the United States, and even his off-short assets too where possible. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/47 "2020-10-22T21:20:25Z")
> [@Dr.Colossus](#): > > People speculate he’ll keep holding rallies, keep campaigning for a potential 2024 run, but I don’t think he wants to be president. And having lost, if he does lose, he’ll have to figure out a way to say he chose to lose or whatever trumpian nonsense. I’m skeptical of a 2024 run. I’m skeptical the GOP would bank on a known loser. I’m one of the people who’s been saying Trump will launch a campaign for 2024 is he loses in November. Even if he has no desire to return to the Presidency (or if he’s realistic enough to realize it’s not going to happen) he will still go through the motions as long as people show at his rallies and yell out his name and keep sending him donations. As for rationalizing his defeat if it occurs, I think Trump will claim the election was stolen. He’ll insist he won so his supposed defeat doesn’t count. And he’ll blame Covid19 (which he will say was an uncontrollable natural disaster) for not doing all of the stuff he promised he’d do. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/48 "2020-10-23T00:09:48Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > But taking away your passport is not the same as taking away your right to emigrate. Hmm. Some have thought Donald might try using Air Force One to flee,. And I doubt they require the President to show a passport. But I’m sure the crew would be ordered to stand down by Air Force top brass, so that won’t work. DJT still seems to own a 757, but it doesn’t have the range to reach Russia or Dubai without first stopping in a less friendly venue where they probably would want to see a passport. So that leaves commercial. And the airlines all require you to show a passport for international check-in. I suppose Emirates would be instructed to make an exception in this case. But what about TSA? Don’t they require showing a passport for foreign flights? I believe they do. Also, it Biden issues lawless executive orders aimed at the Passport Office, why not TSA? So, yes, a Biden executive order to confiscate Donald Trump’s passport (or not issue one) would, without due process, take away a citizen’s right to emigrate to countries that would accept him. It’s something even the dictatorial Donald Trump never did to the [people he targeted for arrest](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-bill-barr-arrests-fox-news-clinton-obama-biden-obamagate-b885971.html). Targeting enemies with lawless executive orders is the sort of thing that could turn me back into a Republican. But I’m confident Joe and Kamala, are better than that. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/49 "2020-10-23T04:59:34Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > And the airlines all require you to show a passport for international check-in. That’s their policy, not something that’s imposed on them. As a matter of practicality, they always check for a valid travel document in advance, because legally they have to bear the cost of returning passengers who are denied entry to the destination country. If a passenger can convince an airline that he’s entitled to enter his destination country without a passport, then they will let him on the plane. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > But what about TSA? Don’t they require showing a passport for foreign flights? I believe they do. No they don’t. TSA’s dutiy is to check that the holder of a boarding pass corresponds to the person it was issued to. They do this by checking your ID, but that ID doesn’t need to be a passport. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > So, yes, a Biden executive order to confiscate Donald Trump’s passport (or not issue one) would, without due process, take away a citizen’s right to emigrate to countries that would accept him. You seem fixated on air travel. As I’ve argued, the loss of a passport isn’t an absolute bar to this; it just makes it inconvenient. That said, nothing is stopping him from walking across the border to Mexico, which doesn’t normally check passports at US pedestrian border crossings. He could also drive into Mexico or Canada if those countries had made prior arrangements to accept him without a passport. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/50 "2020-10-23T05:51:33Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > DJT still seems to own a 757, but it doesn’t have the range to reach Russia or Dubai without first stopping in a less friendly venue where they probably would want to see a passport. He could tank up on fuel in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, as long as he paid for it. He could get from there to Moscow, I’m sure. It’s not a long hop, given a Great Circle route. (Of course, Gander could decline his credit card.) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/51 "2020-10-23T05:52:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m one of the people who’s been saying Trump will launch a campaign for 2024 is he loses in November. He’ll do this even if he wins (or otherwise remains president). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/52 "2020-10-23T05:58:39Z")
I should add that if nobody gets off the plane, there is no need to go through Customs, in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/53 "2020-10-23T06:59:24Z")
Is everybody forgetting that right now, _no_ American can leave the country, because other countries aren’t taking us? Once Trump isn’t president, the same would apply to him. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/54 "2020-10-23T07:25:20Z")
If some country has agreed to let a prominent world leader live in exile, then I’m sure they will make an exception to the normal pandemic restrictions. That said, I don’t agree with the speculation that Russia will take him. Even supposing that Trump has been working with Putin, or even at his direction, having Trump in Russia would be a PR nightmare for Putin. The press there is still free enough that he’ll have no problem getting the media to widely publicize his rants both domestically and internationally, and he’s already demonstrated time and time again that he has no qualms about biting the hands that feed him. Even if you believe that Putin would then assassinate him to get him out of the way, I doubt he’d want to have to deal with the inevitable fallout. The best way of avoiding the bull-running-amok-in-the-china-shop scenario (or worse, the having-to-put-down-the-bull-running-amok-in-the-china-shop scenario) is for him to not invite the bull into the china shop to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/55 "2020-10-23T12:51:23Z")
He could try Northern Cyprus, by freight ship if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/56 "2020-10-23T13:37:50Z")
I predict that Trump will live out his days and run out the clock. He will never see the inside of a jail cell. He will not flee the country. Even as an ex-president, he will wield awesome power over a significant number of Americans and he will use that power to protect himself. He will suffer some financially, but will still live a more luxurious lifestyle than you or me. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/57 "2020-10-23T13:42:26Z")
If he loses to Biden, neither he nor any other Republican will be president, so there will be no presidential pardon of any kind to be had. Perhaps, if the Republicans get back into power and, if he is still in prison, he may get a pardon then. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/58 "2020-10-23T13:52:00Z")
Even if Trump loses on November 3rd, 2020, he will still be President until noon on January 20, 2021. He can still do a lot of bad things in the lame duck period. ---
**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:** [October 23, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/59 "2020-10-23T14:29:19Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Is everybody forgetting that right now, _no_ American can leave the country, because other countries aren’t taking us? Once Trump isn’t president, the same would apply to him. Americans are still allowed to enter Mexico but I think Trump’s burned his bridges there. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542/60 "2020-10-23T14:42:36Z")
I pity the people who will one day become employees at the Donald J Trump Presidential Library. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-presidential-trump-will-justice-prevail-or-will-we-still-have-to-deal-with-him/923542.md?page=4)