# Trump will resign **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 18, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922 "2017-05-18T14:38:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/81 "2017-05-20T00:00:41Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > So, if it gets that far, won’t President Pence/Ryan/Hatch/Tillerson/whoever follows Tillerson just pardon Trump, if he doesn’t try to pardon himself first? Do we have odds on any of that? Just because Ford did it, I don’t think it follows that anyone else will for Trump. Some offenses are so toxic that you just can’t chance it. Treason comes to mind. Ford’s reasoning was that it was best for the country to simply move on from the embarrassment of Nixon and get back to some semblance of normalcy. Some say he was right, but many did not. It cost Ford the election to Carter. This will be in the mind of whomever replaces Trump if Trump’s removal/resignation indeed comes to pass. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/82 "2017-05-20T04:10:22Z")
Threaten his money. Show him the papers, “Sign the papers and we won’t keep you in court until we get every last dime”. He’s never been anything but rich, show him a hell he can barely imagine. Jail cell? Nah, a studio apartment he can’t afford will do nicely. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/83 "2017-05-20T04:44:42Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I don’t see Trump resigning either. Resigning = quitting, which in Trump’s mind is the worst possible weakness he could show. He thinks quitting _is seen as_ the worst possible thing, because he knows he’s a phony. _What he sees_ as the worst possible thing is being exposed for what he really is. Which is a fraud, a coward and a simpleton. > [@asahi](#): > > No, I get what you’re saying and I agree: if the people close to Trump encircle him, then he’ll probably have no choice but to resign. But what I’m saying is, don’t expect that to happen now or even in the immediate future. This guy became president with a bitterly divided plurality and while he might be losing some support among the few moderates or independents, his core base (who will have a lot to say about the mid-term elections) eat up the “we’re being treated unfairly” Trumpaganda. > > I agree that Trump hates losing, but Trump also loves to fight and his campaign is tied to extremist constituencies that have invested a lot in him. The fact that he’s leaning toward Joe Lieberman as FBI director says it all: he’s (likely) picking the guy who has been a thorn in the side of democrats since 2003 (and oh yeah Lieberman’s law firm represents Trump). And again, the more the ante is raised, the more determined Trump (and his inner circle) will be to attack his enemies. The counter attack won’t be just one-liners in the media. What Trump and his allies will attempt is nothing short of upending the Constitution and the rule of law. I suspect that we’re heading toward the nation’s most serious crisis since the Civil War. Good god. The sky is not falling man. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2017, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/84 "2017-05-20T04:59:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I wasn’t aware the Republicans were that upset with Trump. > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > There are quite a few stories about increasing numbers of them thinking they’d all be better off with Pence not having to deal with Trump’s tantrums while he’s trying to run things for him. So yes, they are. That’s a whoosh. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/85 "2017-05-20T10:52:03Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > There will be jaw-droppingly narcissistic bitching during the upcoming international trip, so just hold on. Now I’m kinda bummed that he won’t give a speech at Masada, because he would have surely complained that he’s suffering more than the Jews did at Masada. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/86 "2017-05-20T10:56:05Z")
Hey, maybe I like rebels who _don’t_ kill themselves! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/87 "2017-05-20T11:57:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Now I’m kinda bummed that he won’t give a speech at Masada, because he would have surely complained that he’s suffering more than the Jews did at Masada. He’s saving his coup de gras for his visit to Poland. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/88 "2017-05-20T12:02:17Z")
Coup de grace. “Coup de gras” means “blow of fat”. Although “coup de gras” isn’t a bad way of describing the Trump administration in general. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/89 "2017-05-20T12:12:35Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Good god. The sky is not falling man. It is. We are much closer to a political crisis than people realize. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/90 "2017-05-20T13:05:29Z")
Since this seems to have turned into a thread on how the Trumperdämmerung will play out, here are a few of my random thoughts about this: First, I don’t think Trump will resign except in the face of even greater humiliation. Which means near-certain impeachment and removal, or removal by 25th Amendment. So all a Trump resignation is likely to do is hasten the end when the end is already upon him. Second, nearly all of the Congressional Republicans will stick together on Trump’s removal. The moment that there will be just enough Republicans to join with Dems to impeach Trump in the House will be blindingly brief. It will be more like a phase change: one moment, there will be a single-digit number of House Republicans favoring impeachment (or 25th Amendment removal), and the next, there will be \>218 favoring it. Basically, the Freedom Caucus will decide when it’s safe for the rest of the party to support giving Trump the heave-ho. No telling how long it will take for them to get to that point (my money’s on later rather than sooner), or what it’ll take to make it happen, but when it happens, it’ll happen overnight. 1. In terms of its effect on the 2018 midterms, sooner is better than later. If this drags on into next year, Dem control of the House in 2019 will pretty much be a lock, and they really might have a crack at the Senate. But if the GOP ditches Trump this summer, they’ve got plenty of time to put this all behind them: they hold the Senate easily, and might well hold the House as well. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/91 "2017-05-20T13:52:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That’s a whoosh. Reality is so wacky that it’s hard to tell anymore. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/92 "2017-05-20T14:01:30Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Coup de grace. “Coup de gras” means “blow of fat”. Although “coup de gras” isn’t a bad way of describing the Trump administration in general. Sidejack: I’ve always been kind of baffled by how pervasive the “coup de gras” malapropism is. I remember a college radio show from way back that was called that; I think it was spelled “Coup de Grâce,” but the student host/DJ pronounced it “coo day grah” and even ran promos where he mocked people who said it wrong (while doing so himself, years before Gaudere’s Law was adopted). I’m sure it comes from the incorrect assumption that final consonants in French are not pronounced, but as with “vichysoisse,” I almost never hear an English speaker pronounce it correctly. Anyway, yeah, Trump’s definitely gonna resign, or maybe definitely not. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/93 "2017-05-20T14:09:49Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Coup de grace. “Coup de gras” means “blow of fat”. Although “coup de gras” isn’t a bad way of describing the Trump administration in general. You’re thinking of Mardi Grace. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/94 "2017-05-20T14:16:22Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > …Good god. The sky is not falling man. I could ask you for a cite, but there are already so many to the contrary. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > …Basically, the Freedom Caucus will decide when it’s safe for the rest of the party to support giving Trump the heave-ho. No telling how long it will take for them to get to that point (my money’s on later rather than sooner), or what it’ll take to make it happen, but when it happens, it’ll happen overnight. You mean “the Freedom Caucus **hive mind** ”? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/95 "2017-05-20T14:17:05Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Sidejack: I’ve always been kind of baffled by how pervasive the “coup de gras” malapropism is. I’m a D&D nerd, and “coup de grace” is a common term in the game, and most players leave off the final /s/ sound, in a hypercorrection. I may be a D&D nerd, but I’m not a pronunciation asshole, so I just wince inside and let the game continue. Most I’ll do is passive-aggressively pronounce the term correctly, hoping someone notices and double-checks their own pronunciation. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/96 "2017-05-20T14:54:54Z")
He’ll never resign. Impeachment never gets off the ground in the House unless he gets indicted, and probably not even then. But every little incremental thing that gets worse for him, the more dangerous he’s gonna get. He and his lackeys came in thinking from the strongman point of view - they would just do whatever they wanted and see what happened, and it partially worked because the House rolled over and showed its belly. He’s playing that classically now - 1. Everything they’re saying about me is false, 2. How dare they question me, even if I did do it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/97 "2017-05-20T15:16:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > You mean “the Freedom Caucus **hive mind** ”? Pretty much, yeah. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/98 "2017-05-20T15:20:32Z")
> [@ThisIsTheEnd](#): > > He’ll never resign. Impeachment never gets off the ground in the House unless he gets indicted, and probably not even then. A sitting president can’t be indicted. At least not for a federal crime. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/99 "2017-05-20T15:26:05Z")
You know what I’d really like to see? And I think it’s quite possible. For enough of this to stick to Pence - who has been part of Trump’s inner circle since the election, and was in charge of the transition - so that Pence has to resign too when Trump goes. Then Paul Ryan becomes President, and it turns out he’s horrible too, trying to take health care away from tens of millions of Americans, giving big tax cuts to the wealthy, not being anything like the serious budget wonk the media portrayed him as, but rather being completely unmasked as the zombie-eyed granny starver (aka ZEGS) that those of us on the left already know he is. The result being that how horrible the GOP is becomes totally unavoidable, and not something that they can pretend was just about Trump. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922/100 "2017-05-20T15:34:14Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > A sitting president can’t be indicted. At least not for a federal crime. It’s not absolutely certain that he can’t be, though I agree it’s unlikely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-will-resign/786922.md?page=6)