# The social reaction to Trump winning reelection in 2020 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 5, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592 "2017-09-05T21:11:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/41 "2017-09-08T19:13:28Z")
> [@Mnemnosyne](#): > > Was John McCain viewed as an awful candidate? There was the Palin issue, but McCain himself, as far as I can recall, wasn’t viewed as a terrible candidate, although perhaps I’ve misremembered something. John McCain was the “My Turn” candidate that time as was Bob Dole before and frankly, as was Hillary. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/42 "2017-09-08T19:18:50Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > This is my view mostly, but if Trump gets reelected it won’t bother me as much as his first election. Trump winning the election was like finding out your father is a pedophile. Trump getting reelected is like finding out your father is an alcoholic pedophile. It still stings, but the damage is done from the first trauma. Trump winning in 2016 pretty much destroyed my faith in the American people, him winning isn’t going to really affect it much worse. Also I have no faith in another Obama in 2020 to make us feel good about ourselves, because Trump proved a lot of this country is dysfunctional. I never felt that way about any other election I’ve seen or participated in, but this one really damaged my faith in this country and how competent we are. Lots of people feel that way. > > But Trump has a lot of headwinds he didn’t have in 2016. In 2016 the democratic candidate was running for a 3rd term. Plus the dem candidate was unpopular with a lot of people. Plus there was a painful primary on the left and some liberals felt they’d rather stay home than not get all of what they wanted (less likely this time around). Plus a lot of dem voters probably stayed home because they felt hte election was preordained. Plus Trump could make empty promises and he had no record people could point to to evaluate if he could fulfill those promises. Plus while a lot of us who paid attention knew Trump was dangerously unstable before the election, a lot of low information voters didn’t and now the media reports on it so consistently that even they are noticing. > > So his chances of winning again are low, but I never felt he’d win in the first place. So what do I know. I think a lot will have to do with how the next dem candidate gets out there and campaigns. Obama worked his butt off and attended every county fair and fish fry to win in Iowa. He did the same throughout the campaign. Hillary on the other hand, they hardly saw her. Notice her “rallies” with celebrities like Beyoncé, were a joke. While those for Bernie Sanders and Trump had lines of people wanting to come and listen. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/43 "2017-09-08T19:20:25Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I think that for me at least, a Trump victory in 2020 will provoke in me a similar reaction to that of his original victory in 2016. Pre 2016 I figured that there is no way we could be stupid enough to elect Trump. His election eroded my belief in Democracy and the American people by 50%. But now I have accepted that we are capable of electing someone like Trump and this erosion is baked in. I now think there is no way we can be stupid enough to elect him a second time, and if he were to be reelected I would simply lose the other half of my respect for Democracy and the American people. > > All this is predicated on the assumption that the next three and a half years of Trump go pretty much the same as the first 6 months did. If for example Kelly reigns in the Whitehouse and Trump learns some humility and governing skills so as to become marginally competent (say GW Bush level) then it won’t affect me as much. > > In terms of his chances (again assuming no massive improvement in performance, and no Jim Crow level voter disenfranchisement/fraud) I think they are very low. In my opinion one of the main reasons he beat Clinton was that no one expected him to. So since a Clinton victory was in the bag people were safe to stay home or even cast a protest vote for Trump. The second time around I think liberals won’t be as complacent. Secondly, Trump’s whole campaign was/is based on promising that he is the best at everything and once he was elected he would single handedly solve all the countries problems. This could work if no one actually saw him in action, but after 4 years of non-miracle working its going to be hard for him to keep making these claims and have anyone but his most devoted fans believe him. So again, you don’t think Hillary’s loss had something to do with her being a poor candidate and running a bad campaign? ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/44 "2017-09-08T21:32:57Z")
I think it will boil down to who the Dems put up to run, if Trump goes for two. There will still be radio silence in this household about it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/45 "2017-09-08T21:44:25Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I think a lot will have to do with how the next dem candidate gets out there and campaigns. > > Obama worked his butt off and attended every county fair and fish fry to win in Iowa. He did the same throughout the campaign. > > Hillary on the other hand, they hardly saw her. Notice her “rallies” with celebrities like Beyoncé, were a joke. While those for Bernie Sanders and Trump had lines of people wanting to come and listen. Possibly, but Hillary still got 66 million votes, roughly the same number Obama got in 2012. And she beat Sanders in the primary 17 million to 13 million. So turnout wasn’t that much lower than was expected, it is just demographics. The white working class moved pretty far to the right, giving them an advantage in various midwestern and northeastern states. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/46 "2017-09-09T18:22:39Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > You know who else voted for the war ? If the answer you’re looking for is ‘Hillary’, I’m well aware of it since I’ve had arguments with people who claim her vote for the Iraq war doesn’t count as support for the Iraq war and that I’m awful for holding it against her or asserting that anyone could hold it against her and must have voted for Trump if I even dare to think that way. Iraq wasn’t really an issue in 2016 so I don’t think it specifically handicapped her the way it did Kerry vs Bush, but it definitely meant that if you want the US to try to avoid expensive, deadly wars she was not someone to put in charge of foreign policy. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/47 "2017-09-09T19:56:17Z")
> [@Mnemnosyne](#): > > Was John McCain viewed as an awful candidate? There was the Palin issue, but McCain himself, as far as I can recall, wasn’t viewed as a terrible candidate, although perhaps I’ve misremembered something. McCain wasn’t “awful,” but the formula/equation was never going to produce a McCain victory. McCain = old, white guy who represents the establishment and the GOP after 8 years of unpopular Bush Obama = new, fresh, agent of change, potentially first black (history-making) president There’s no way McCain wins with that equation. It’s remarkable, in fact, that he only lost by 7 percentage points. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/48 "2017-09-10T18:57:07Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > You know who else voted for the war ? The confused conclusion **Mr. Drake** wants to draw [has been rebutted before.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19517536&postcount=1) _ **It’s taking longer than we thought** _ indeed! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/49 "2017-09-11T13:00:36Z")
For those who can’t imagine Trump winning in 2020, I think you are blinded by current events. It doesn’t matter what Trump does, as long as the following remains true he will be a likely winner: ““Trump sees us,” his supporters would tell me, everywhere we stopped. “You don’t.”" By KATY TURSEPT. 9, 2017 Sunday review in the New York Times Ms Tursept says she was one of the first main-stream journalists to start covering Trump full-time during the campaign. She found that because his supporters believe in Trump, not Trump’s policies but Trump, what he does and what he says isn’t important. Another quote: "I once asked a man heading into a rally why he supported Donald Trump. “Because he is going to build a wall,” the man said. “What if he doesn’t?” I countered. “I trust his judgment,” the man said." Trump will be successful until the day after his supporters stop supporting him. I believe that will happen. When is completely up in the air. I hope it is before 2020, but no one knows. The Democrats, or the Republicans, could field a candidate who would wipe the floor with Trump and his supporters, but they have to come up with someone the a significant fraction (say equal to the 36% that trusts Trump) of the public trusts and likes. That is a very short list right now. And unfortunately the number of current politicians on that list is, within rounding error, zero. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/50 "2017-09-11T13:11:50Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > Trump will be successful until the day after his supporters stop supporting him. No argument . . . except to point out that this is a John Madden-esque truism. (“The only way this team is gonna win is by getting some points up on the board!”) ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/51 "2017-09-11T13:45:33Z")
The truly amusing thing about all the wishes that Trump supporters will ditch him when his promises don’t come to fruition is that whilst the speakers believe the supporters will come to their senses and select instead of Trump a Hillary, or whatever Democrat is shoved up, or a nice sensible normal GOP candidate like Cruz or Ryan… …actually they will go more intense and seek out someone more extreme, someone who _can_ achieve what they want. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/52 "2017-09-11T15:46:22Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > The truly amusing thing about all the wishes that Trump supporters will ditch him when his promises don’t come to fruition is that whilst the speakers believe the supporters will come to their senses and select instead of Trump a Hillary, or whatever Democrat is shoved up, or a nice sensible normal GOP candidate like Cruz or Ryan… > …actually they will go more intense and seek out someone more extreme, someone who _can_ achieve what they want. I believe this too - the next candidate to win them will have to be a “Trump lied to you; he said he’d do this or do that but didn’t - I, on the other hand, really WILL build the wall” candidate. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/53 "2017-09-11T17:18:26Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Right now, Trump’s chances of winning reelection in 2020 are probably an order of magnitude smaller than his odds were of winning election in the first place in 2016. (post shortened) I didn’t read the whole thread because, well, just because. SSDD. However, I’m surprised to learn that there are still people who underestimate Trump’s chances. According to the media outlets, the polls, the pundits, the internet intelligencia, Trump could not win in 2016. Trump had no chance what-so-ever to beat Hillary. Trump would never be POTUS. Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. And then Trump won. In spite of the odds. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/54 "2017-09-11T17:28:13Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > (post shortened) > > I didn’t read the whole thread because, well, just because. SSDD. However, I’m surprised to learn that there are still people who underestimate Trump’s chances. According to the media outlets, the polls, the pundits, the internet intelligencia, Trump could not win in 2016. Trump had no chance what-so-ever to beat Hillary. Trump would never be POTUS. Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. > > And then Trump won. In spite of the odds. We certainly were surprised that Trump won in 2016. No doubt about it. It remains a shockingly sad commentary on the state of the American electorate. I will no predict his chances in 2020 (and remain hopeful he’s gone before then). I just don’t understand people anymore. I admit it. It’s incomprehensible to me. If Trump is reelected, I’ll probably give up following politics forever. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592/55 "2017-09-12T01:39:41Z")
I think it will also depend upon the economy. If its doing well, he will get re-elected. Bonus points if he can deal with North Korea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-social-reaction-to-trump-winning-reelection-in-2020/795592.md?page=2)