# \*Realistically\*, what are the worst possible outcomes of a Trump win in 2024? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 26, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643 "2024-01-26T01:17:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/121 "2024-01-29T20:29:03Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > they decided to tack harder to the right in 2016 and got rewarded with a win. And like many Democrats that don’t know why Hillary lost, many Republicans don’t know why he won. It was a complete aberration and Trump running against any other Dem that could run a semi-intelligent campaign for EVs would have stomped him while he ran just about as perfect of a campaign as possible. My proof is that Biden is an old white guy and his campaign was very ordinary and he managed to win with a 35 EV swing. THAT is what could have happened in 2016 TL;dr Blame Hillary 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/122 "2024-01-29T21:04:00Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > And like many Democrats that don’t know why Hillary lost, many Republicans don’t know why he won. It was a complete aberration and Trump running against any other Dem that could run a semi-intelligent campaign for EVs would have stomped him while he ran just about as perfect of a campaign as possible. My proof is that Biden is an old white guy and his campaign was very ordinary and he managed to win with a 35 EV swing. THAT is what could have happened in 2016 > > TL;dr Blame Hillary Hillary actually got about the same number of votes as Obama 2012. Trump added about 2 million from Romney. Romney added about 1 million from McCain whereas Obama lost 4 million from 2008. Going back a bit, HW lost about 8 million votes from Reagan 1984. But Reagan just had such a big lead. 2000 Gore added about 3 million votes. W did too, if you assume all Perot votes went to W. Then in 2004 Kerry added 9 million to Gore, but W added 12 million. So it was a combo of Hillary not having enough juice, some people liking Trump, and Obama’s lead not being all that big. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/123 "2024-01-29T21:58:26Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > To be clear, Trump caused that disease, and Trump will bury NATO’s corpse, but it’s Biden who is furiously hammering nails into the coffin by failing to support Ukraine and blaming it on Congress. What do you mean? Biden is trying very hard to support Ukraine, but he cant spend much $ without the support of congress. > [@Jay\_Z](#): > > So it was a combo of Hillary not having enough juice, some people liking Trump, and Obama’s lead not being all that big. 538 says it was three things- the Comey memo poor campaign strategy and the endless negative campaigning, even by members of her own party. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/124 "2024-01-30T02:56:13Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I doubt any of those three thought they were in charge of everything These guys literally believed that God had given them absolute power over their kingdoms. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/125 "2024-01-30T03:17:15Z")
Well, absolute authority maybe. I don’t think any of them tried the King Canute thing… ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/126 "2024-01-30T03:29:37Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > The President drives the bus. The Congress (the bus company) has no immediate control over him. Same goes for SCOTUS. Even his tiny hands on the wheel can do irreparable damage in 4 years of wild driving. Alternatively: > **[Oh, so that's the kind of sailor he is.](http://content.library.drake.edu/digital/collection/ddarling/id/5007/)** ---
**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:** [January 30, 2024, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/127 "2024-01-30T05:26:01Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > I don’t think any of them tried the King Canute thing… Probably not. But they did all assert the absolute authority to the point where their subjects rose up and killed them, so I think it’s fair to say they went too far. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/128 "2024-01-30T23:13:48Z")
I just want to retract this statement > [@puzzlegal](#): > > The ex wife who probably released one of his tax returns It was obviously speculation, but i thought, when the NYT claimed the person who gave them the return had legal access to it, they meant the legal right to give it away, not just access. And that pretty much meant Trump or the other person who filed the return. But it seems the return was illegally taken by an IRS contractor. Who, um, maybe had the legal right to view it as part of their work? Gift link > **[Former IRS contractor pleads guilty to leaking Trump’s tax returns](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/10/12/trump-tax-leak-guilty-plea/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzA2NTkwODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzA3OTczMTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDY1OTA4MDAsImp0aSI6Ijk3NjRiZjAwLTdiZDUtNDhkZi1iMjgyLWM0MDZhZTI2Zjg3ZCIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9kYy1tZC12YS8yMDIzLzEwLzEyL3RydW1wLXRheC1sZWFrLWd1aWx0eS1wbGVhLyJ9.PDBtfcmOrLQ8gbzZGnhafSFs8bGg1KRKTua-g32pOMA&itid=gfta)** > > U.S. authorities said Charles Edward Littlejohn leaked thousands of tax returns from wealthy people, leading to exposés in the New York Times and ProPublica. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/129 "2024-01-31T10:48:18Z")
He got 5 years for doing that. I probably mostly agree with the reasons he gave for doing it and I feel bad for him, but he knew this was a likely outcome. I say “probably mostly agree” only because I haven’t given the idea of privacy versus transparency with regards to tax returns enough thought to have a better informed opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/130 "2024-01-31T11:03:57Z")
What reasons did he give? I missed them if they were in the article. Civil disobedience for a virtuous cause, if that’s what this was, is a noble act. But as a motive it doesn’t give you a a pass on the consequences. That said, and depending up the act of civil disobedience, I’ll admit I could contribute to jury nullification and not feel bad at all about it. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/131 "2024-01-31T11:51:05Z")
I saw an article on NBC about it. Basically that he believed the American people deserved transparency, especially to show how little the rich pay in taxes. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/132 "2024-01-31T15:59:35Z")
Well then, I see why the punishment was so harsh. We can’t have the great unwashed masses knowing THAT. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/133 "2024-02-11T08:00:19Z")
I don’t know if any of this has been previously covered, but here are a few more examples: Trump already **[effectively declares the end of NATO](https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/politics/trump-russia-nato/index.html)** – Russia can do “whatever the hell they want” if NATO countries don’t pay enough. Trump’s Russia affiliation would not only spell the end of Ukraine, but the end of world order. His traitorous pal Fucker Carlson was recently granted an exclusive interview with Putin to the enthusiastic fanfare of Russian media, echoing his orange hero’s statement that **[no way would Putin have interfered in American elections](https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/16/politics/donald-trump-putin-helsinki-summit/index.html)** – a statement so bizarre and traitorous that Trump’s handlers made him walk it back the next day. As for domestic policy, I don’t even know where to begin. Trump killed about a million Americans last time, though possibly it was their own fault for not taking his advice to inject themselves with chlorine bleach. Pic from the interview where Carlson betrays his own country to promote himself for financial gain. I’m certain that Putin is remarking to himself how fortunate he is that America has such an abundance of useful idiots. [![](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7110127.1707500827!/fileImage/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/original_1180/russia-putin-carlson.JPG) ](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7110127.1707500827!/fileImage/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/original_1180/russia-putin-carlson.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/134 "2024-02-11T10:25:37Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Carlson betrays his own country Neh, he’s not betraying his country. Every journalist worth their salt would jump to interview Putin. He is betraying his profession in doing such a poor job as an interviewer. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/135 "2024-02-11T10:41:47Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > Neh, he’s not betraying his country. > > Every journalist worth their salt would jump to interview Putin. Sure they would. And why did Putin refuse to talk to them? Because western journalists won’t uncritically echo Putin’s propaganda. As Putin’s own mouthpiece Dmitri Peskov explicitly said, “there would be no point”. He granted the interview with Carlson because Carlson is a traitorous boot-licking Putin sycophant – just like Trump. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/136 "2024-02-11T11:10:57Z")
Potato, potato. I just wanted to stress that, on its own, interviewing Putin isn’t traitorous. Doing it this badly is. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/137 "2024-02-11T14:38:37Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > I just wanted to stress that, on its own, interviewing Putin isn’t traitorous. Yeah, i want to second this. Glad you made the point. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/138 "2024-02-11T14:56:07Z")
So, WW3 with the US on Russia’s side (again)? Yes, that would probably be the worst possible outcome. How this is not disqualifying is truly truly beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/139 "2024-02-11T15:04:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@The\_Librarian](#): > > > > I just wanted to stress that, on its own, interviewing Putin isn’t traitorous. > > Yeah, i want to second this. Glad you made the point. What? I already acknowledged exactly that point: > [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@The\_Librarian](#): > > > > Every journalist worth their salt would jump to interview Putin. > > Sure they would. And why did Putin refuse to talk to them? Because western journalists won’t uncritically echo Putin’s propaganda. The reason Tucker Carlson is traitorous is that he’s been pushing false Russian propaganda for years. So much so that even Fox News couldn’t take it any more. Carlson’s interview was in no way any kind of “journalism”. It was the exact opposite – blatant self-serving propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643/140 "2024-02-11T15:21:20Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Carlson’s interview was in no way any kind of “journalism”. It was the exact opposite – blatant self-serving propaganda. What I’m wondering is if Fucker Carlson will ever find a _personal_ line he won’t cross. Clearly, being a shill for Russia isn’t a problem, but there were several times in that “interview” when Putin made it clear he holds Fucker in _personal_ contempt. Putin overrode him several times, and insulted him several times. At what point does Fucker at least decide to stand up _for himself?_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/realistically-what-are-the-worst-possible-outcomes-of-a-trump-win-in-2024/996643.md?page=8)