It took Putin more than two terms to become effective president for life. After his second term, he had to settle for premier. Trump is too old to follow the Putin timetable.
Erdoğan is an autocratic leader who has stifled Turkey’s press. But elections there, from what I hear, are still fairly run, explaining how his party just lost big in local elections. The courts still enforce the constitution, which was changed through the legitimate amendment process so he could stay in power.
If Trump is re-elected, there will be a lot of drama and uncertainty as to whether he can consolidate power. I would look for opportunities in my local community to help those who may be threatened by his cruelty (immigrants), rather than run away to another country or give up.
I don’t see it, Trump liked being president, but he disliked being chief executive (too much like work) and he really disliked being told ‘your fired.’ He may not crow about his victory and mash his enemies for the whole term, but it’ll be more than days
No, I agree with outliern. Trump is too lazy to focus on anything for four entire years. Sure, he’ll attack people at the beginning of his term and later when he remembers it. But there will be plenty of days when he just sits around all day watching TV and drinking diet Pepsis.
At what would his victory speech, he’ll say something like, “I just wanted to prove I could do it. Do you think I’d want to preside over a country that would elect an asshole like me?”, and he’ll turn his back, board his plane, and as punishment for our wickedness vanish from public sight. It will serve us right.
Absolutely no way would he hand Power over to someone else, who could then screw him over the way he wanted to screw over people, but the principled people in place wouldn’t let him. Look at what happened to King Lear.
I doubt if The Donald ever read King Lear, but he understands the pitfalls of power well enough.
And depending on someone else to pardon him? Absolutely no way’
I highly doubt he would make it through his first term, since his health and mental state are already so bad… So I think he would end up dying or resigning before the next election. But not on day two, no.
He might go into it with the intention of resigning at a specific point for health reasons, etc., but I’m sure he would plan to set up his new fascist regime solidly first.
There’s some truth to what you say - currently, he only wants the Presidency to bend the arc of justice safely away from him. However:
This would take more than a couple of days. Sure, he could get inaugurated, write himself pardons, then peace out. But he needs to persist through all the challengest, complications, etc.
Trump’s personality won’t let him give up power or attention. He held the job in 2016 in spite of not wanting it, and 2024 will go the same way.
There are many ways that Trump can (and must) use the powers of the Presidency to sustain his failing businesses and repay favors. His corrupt to-do list can’t possibly be achieved in 2 days.
The way Trump does his presidenting is not stressful. Four and five day weekends at Mar-a-lago every weekend, call e meeting every once in a while to have people kiss your ass, and just generally be perceived to be the most powerful person in the world. He loves that shit and can’t get enough of it.
Also, getting elected doesn’t make the cases in Georgia and New York go away, but being in office might put them on hold. He’s definitely not stepping down when that could mean stepping into a prison cell.
I largely agree. Remember all that “Executive time” reporters discovered on his daily schedule? Further investigation concluded this was Trump spending the better part of the day watching cable television and rage tweeting.
But I think the normal physical guardrails and unavoidable obligations of the presidency grated on him. Remember how he was quoted as saying the White House was a dump? He was bored to tears getting briefed on anything. Any meeting that wasn’t a Trump fan club session was a drag, and he couldn’t wait to get out of them. He prefers going where he wants, when he wants, doing what he wants, surrounded by gilded and gaudy fixtures.
He wants the power and adulation. The rest of the package? Not so much.
More importantly, there’s nothing in the Constitution that says he has to stay at the White House. If elected, I could easily see him choosing to do all of his business out of Florida, and the government can come to him. Which would tickle his fancy, especially if he charges all of his costs of operating out of his own “home” to the government.
Not to mention, ahead of time securing a ton of consideration from local businesses and DeSantis for bringing in a metric ton of government cash for people staying, eating, and visiting to lobby.
And three-fer, getting to not only crush DeSantis in the primary, but displace him as the most famous and influential person in Florida, the seat of his power.
I guess it’s possible he could get elected and live his life exactly as if he weren’t president, living where he wanted, spending his day only on non-president stuff. But I don’t think so, not completely.
Remember his indignant denial that he had ever called the White House a dump? Even he knows he has to put some bare minimum into pretending he’s the president, someone who reveres tradition and the Constitution. As long as he half-asses his duties, he’s free to hobnob with dictators, cozy up to neo-Nazis, and golf more than Rory McIlroy. But I think he does his bare minimum under protest.
This, exactly. He won’t resign on Day 2; he will have to stick around to fire all those Deep State operatives who head up or hold important positions in various federal agencies (FCC, CDC, FBI, etc.) and replace them with lackeys/yes-people/toadies. That’s going to take some time.
Plus, he will have to repair all the so-called “damage” that the Biden administration has done. He’ll reinstate his Muslim ban, reinstate tariffs on other countries’ goods (I’m sure that he still doesn’t know how those work) and resume work on his wall. Of course, he will be directing government funds into his hotels and golf courses for visiting diplomats and the Secret Service.
Between all that, and his executive time, and golfing every weekend, he’s going to be too busy to quit.
Like I said, I guess it’s possible. Is he going to blow off attending the G7 because he doesn’t feel like flying overseas to hang around with those stiffs? Maybe, but I don’t think so.
He doesn’t need to resign to get out of presidential responsibilities and keep all the perks. I think before he’d resign, the long suffering Melanie will be stricken with some nebulous illness. That keeps her from having to make appearances or actually do anything. He spends all his time at her side, at least in appearance! They can both do nothing, go on holiday and spin it as standing by a sick wife. His mates will play it up large and massively attack anyone trying to pursue him for any reason. It’s a perfect excuse to avoid the press, appearances or responsibilities.
They holiday, for M’s health, advice of a Dr etc, avoid appearances in court or anywhere else. While all republicans scream all over the press, about hounding a man with a sick wife. The vice P can handle the day to day while Donald calls the shots from Mar a Lago.
Wow. That’s perfect. But you forgot ‘Bully’ I don’t see him as a politician either. Or a business man. He’s a con man and a cheat and liar. That’s it. That’s his entire ‘business’ plan.
