# What did Trump and his followers think would have happened if the Jan. 6 coup attempt had succeeded? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 19, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027 "2022-01-19T01:46:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/41 "2022-01-20T01:02:41Z")
@ParallelLines: fair enough. Back to the OP: As far as what the rioters thought would happen, I imagine that they thought it would go down like an action movie. They would storm the Capitol, capture/kill all of the bad guys, find the evidence that they needed to prove that the Democrats stole the election and are evil blood drinking paedophiles, Stand in solemn watchfulness as the house of Representatives installed the rightful president while Fanfare for the common man played in he background and then as then marched out heroicly to cheers of a grateful public as the police rushed in to arrest the bad guys as the closing credits start to roll. ---
**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 20, 2022, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/42 "2022-01-20T01:23:55Z")
I think you just nailed it in terms of what was going through the tiny skulls of the insurrectionists at the Capitol that day. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/43 "2022-01-21T01:13:39Z")
I agree. The legal argument that Pence had the authority to unilaterally reject electoral votes was really really sketchy. Pence would’ve lost in the Supreme Court 7-2. Alito would vote to let Pence overthrow the election because he’s a partisan hack, and Thomas would vote with him because sleeping on the couch makes his back hurt\*. (I stole that joke from another thread) ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/44 "2022-01-21T01:30:09Z")
Why would he sleep on the couch? inquiring minds want to know ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/45 "2022-01-21T01:43:47Z")
Because, relative to his wife, he’s something of a bleeding heart liberal: > **[Ginni Thomas, Wife of Clarence, Cheered On the Rally That Turned Into the...](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/01/ginni-thomas-donald-trump-clarence-thomas-capitol-riot.html)** > > Days later, when her post attracted attention, Thomas noted she wrote it before the violence began. :shudder: ---
**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 21, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/46 "2022-01-21T02:11:06Z")
It’s interesting that the spouse of a Supreme Court justice is a traitorous piece of shit. I wonder which country is going to take over when the US goes completely down the shitter. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/47 "2022-01-21T16:31:54Z")
I think we have to distinguish between the craven trump supporters and the (largely ignorant) MAGAs. The former are the majority of republican politicians, the latter represent the broader support. Craven supporters would have argued thusly: “Democrats _always_ roll over. Look at the supreme court: we broke all the norms, contradicted our supposed principles, and got everything we wanted. Democrats meanwhile got to STFU. We just need to find _some_ evidence of _some_ impropriety _somewhere_, make a big deal about it, and it will be enough”. It was just a shame for them that they found fuck all to hang their hat on. The ignorant MAGAs OTOH, already believed there had been massive voter fraud, because tucker Carlson said so with his serious face. So they would have had no problem imagining a reality where trump is president and oh BTW we counted again and he won by a landslide. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/48 "2022-01-22T09:29:52Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought the US military worked for the government and would not intercede with any attempts to change the government. At least in theory, the military works for the constitution. Thankfully, it has never been tested what would happen if the Commander in Chief gave an unlawful order to ignore the results of a national election. I’m relieved we didn’t have to find out in 2021 and hope we don’t face that in 2024. I’m now leaning towards the instigators of Jan 6 were hoping that their rabble stayed outside and raised hell with counter-protesters. The thing is, a mob like that wants a target and when Antifa didn’t show up they focused on something else. Mobs aren’t really controllable. Although I also suspect there was a small sub-set that were planning to enter the Capitol regardless and either take some sort of hostage or conduct some version of citizen’s arrest on legislators unwilling to go along with the coup. Hence the piles of zip-ties some of them were carrying. I also think that gallows, however crude, might have seem some actual use under slightly different circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/49 "2022-01-22T09:37:25Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > It’s interesting that the spouse of a Supreme Court justice is a traitorous piece of shit. > > I wonder which country is going to take over when the US goes completely down the shitter. Not quite sure what you mean by “take over” but if the US, as you put it, goes down the shitter the first two things that happen is that China moves on Taiwan and Ukraine becomes part of Russia again. Then there will be a resource-rush on Africa, sort of Colonialism, the Sequel. I suspect many in the world are allies of the US not because they love America but because they see America as the least bad alternative. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/50 "2022-01-22T09:38:05Z")
Exactly. Maganut said that day they were “going to drag the traitors out.” ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/51 "2022-01-22T09:38:54Z")
And it would have ugly, graphic, and streamed live over the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/52 "2022-01-23T02:21:59Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I suspect that (leaving aside the extreme personal danger to those taken hostage) the outcome for the country overall might have been _better_ . Had those morons actually killed a member of Congress, the result would certainly not be the painstakingly slow investigation occurring now, nor would those morons be getting the sweetheart misdemeanor deals and light fines they’re getting now. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/53 "2022-01-27T00:13:53Z")
Here’s what would have happened. Disputed ballots are disallowed. Nobody gets a majority. Election thrown into the house where, let me guess, 28 delegations are Republican controlled and chooses Trump. More interesting is the election for VP. It goes to the senate that splits 50-50. Is Pence still the presiding officer? If this takes place before Jan. 20, I guess he still is and casts the deciding vote. If it happens after, there is no presiding officer and I have no idea what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/54 "2022-01-27T15:35:46Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Election thrown into the house where, let me guess, 28 delegations are Republican controlled and chooses Trump. The 117th Congress (convened 03 January 2021) [state delegations](https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2020:_Comparison_of_state_delegations_to_the_116th_and_117th_Congresses#Partisan_composition_of_116th_and_117th_Congresses_by_state_delegation) are 22D, 26R, and 2 ties (PA, GA). Note that one of the R states is Wyoming, whose delegation consists entirely of Liz Cheney, whose vote for Cheato in this scenario is, shall we say, not guaranteed. This creates a conundrum; the procedure for settling a Presidential election by vote of House delegations requires an absolute majority (i.e. 26, not 25, out of 50). ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/55 "2022-01-27T19:28:24Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > This creates a conundrum; the procedure for settling a Presidential election by vote of House delegations requires an absolute majority (i.e. 26, not 25, out of 50). In this case, the Vice President-elect would become the President on Inauguration Day. This was the plot of the final season of _Veep._ ---
**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:** [January 27, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/56 "2022-01-27T19:33:34Z")
But if there is no president elect, then there is no vice president elect either. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/57 "2022-01-27T19:35:31Z")
In a contingent election where there is no electoral college majority, the House elects the President and the Senate elects the Vice President. If both the House and Senate are unable to select a winner, then the sitting Speaker would become President on January 20. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/58 "2022-01-27T19:42:33Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > More interesting is the election for VP. It goes to the senate that splits 50-50. Is Pence still the presiding officer? If this takes place before Jan. 20, I guess he still is and casts the deciding vote. If it happens after, there is no presiding officer and I have no idea what happens. To address this point – the Constitution requires a majority of Senators (i.e. 51) to elect a VP. If it’s 50-50 then there is no majority and nobody’s elected VP. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2022, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/59 "2022-01-28T17:08:39Z")
So assuming Liz Cheney defected, there would be no president-elect and no vice-president-elect either. So come January 20, Trump and Pence are out and the new president would be: Nancy Pelosi, who would then have had to choose a veep. Lot’s of luck getting congress to agree to anyone she chose. I wonder who would have taken over as house speaker. Maybe they would have chosen Biden. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027/60 "2022-01-28T17:22:16Z")
OK, so choose Biden as speaker, then Pelosi resigns, and Biden is president again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-trump-and-his-followers-think-would-have-happened-if-the-jan-6-coup-attempt-had-succeeded/958027.md?page=4)