# States secede, Trump lets them go **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 20, 2020, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831 "2020-07-20T13:14:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 20, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/21 "2020-07-20T22:24:53Z")
A smart guy would let them secede and then invade them and annex them as territories with no representation. I always hoped that would happen when Obama was president. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/22 "2020-07-20T22:25:02Z")
Maybe someone else has the energy to do the math, but would removing all of the congresspersons from those states give the GOP a majority in the House of Representatives? I believe Congress is granted the power to resolve electoral disputes - which Trump will have plenty of if he loses. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/23 "2020-07-20T22:29:03Z")
Even the morons in the GOP must realize that the shipping ports and military bases on the west coast cannot be lost from the rest of the USA. Loss of CA agriculture alone would be huge. Better start opening up the border to Mexico Donald, we are gonna be importing a lot more food. People think a bit of shortage of TP was bad? Wait until it costs $10 a roll. But, then, these idiots are supporting Trump…so… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/24 "2020-07-20T22:30:22Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Maybe someone else has the energy to do the math, but would removing all of the congresspersons from those states give the GOP a majority in the House of Representatives Yeah, there is that. Trump would have control of two branches of government(three, if you count what would happen if Supreme Court Justices are kicked out for being foreigners, then replaced). ---
**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:** [July 20, 2020, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/25 "2020-07-20T22:30:34Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Maybe someone else has the energy to do the math, but would removing all of the congresspersons from those states give the GOP a majority in the House of Representatives? Even merely dumping California alone would do the trick. It would subtract 45 Democrats and 7 Republicans from the House of Representatives.’ The subsequent balance in the new House would be: 190 Republicans and 187 Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/26 "2020-07-20T23:30:59Z")
The resulting economic devastation from losing the entirety of the west coast and all that comes with it would ensure that the incumbent party had no chance in a free and fair election. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/27 "2020-07-20T23:45:59Z")
I have absolutely zero doubt that Trump would start a Civil WarII if he thought it would increase his chances of reelection. He’s already downplaying the pandemic and refusing CDC to get data to fix it. 'cause the pandemic that he has done nothing about is making the poor little baby look bad. Now, who are the adults in the room that… oh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/28 "2020-07-21T04:24:00Z")
The hypothetical is worth fighting here. Short of amending the Constitution, no state has the lawful authority to secede, and no president has the authority to “let them”. The question can’t be meaningfully discussed if we have no idea what “secession” would realistically look like. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2020, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/29 "2020-07-21T04:47:04Z")
What is this “Constitution” of which many of the above posters speak? Hasn’t Trump made clear that he considers that document null and void? We turn now to the practical problems: With all those states leaving, creating lots of new miles of border, that’s an awful lot of Wall he’s going to need to build. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/30 "2020-07-21T11:31:27Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Loss of CA agriculture alone would be huge. Better start opening up the border to Mexico Donald, we are gonna be importing a lot more food. Except that this new nation would have the same problem that Canada does - even if you’re pissed off at the US, who else are you going to trade with? Existing trade would get more complicated, but you don’t just cut it all off overnight. There’s no way Canada and Mexico are suddenly going to be start consuming enough extra stuff to make up for the loss of the rest of the US as customers. It would take years, maybe decades to open new markets for all that trade. Now, when the **tax money** stops coming in, you’ll see some fireworks. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/31 "2020-07-21T12:51:27Z")
I was curious if those three states have any nukes. And though the only cite i saw was 35 years old…even if CAL lost every plane, bomber, sub and ship based there…they’d still have a shitton of nukes stored there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/32 "2020-07-21T15:00:33Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Existing trade would get more complicated, but you don’t just cut it all off overnight. You do when you are that much in a position of strength. That would be a perfect time to renegotiate contracts. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/33 "2020-07-21T15:08:59Z")
Secession scenarios that are more reasonable? I’m interested to read them if anyone wants to make some. And of course there can be varying degrees of such or doing it in all but name. OR we can move the timescale back some…say today is 2018 so the impending election doesn’t get in the way. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831/34 "2020-07-21T19:32:23Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Just pointing out that you’re going to need a passport to visit Disneyland is enough to cost Trump the election. Nah, most of the country (including nearly everyone living east of the [continental divide](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Divide_of_the_Americas)) goes to Walt Disney World instead. My family are all Disney nuts…we’ve gone to WDW over a dozen times, gone on nearly as many Disney cruises, and are Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owners, yet I haven’t been to Disneyland since the ‘80s. My son has never been there. > [@Velocity](#): > > That’s what Disney World is for, to offer us an alternative. Exactly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/states-secede-trump-lets-them-go/915831.md?page=1)