# What will happen if Trump somehow remains president? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 12, 2020, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451 "2020-11-12T19:19:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/121 "2020-11-14T21:28:55Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > My bottom line: IMO … The fact Pence has not resigned yet is _proof_ he does not yet believe that Trump’s ploy is doomed to fail. Pence _still_ thinks it has some material chance of succeeding. For you and me in the cheap seats, that’s a tell worth paying attention to. I don’t see why Pence has any reason to resign, though. He’ll be out of office in two months anyway. His best play right now is to stay out of the spotlight, and when Trump goes down in flames he can plausibly claim he wasn’t part of the coup attempt. I have no idea what his political future might look like, but I’m thinking “guy who resigned the Vice Presidency as a lame duck” won’t prove to be a position of power. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/122 "2020-11-15T00:17:14Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > The swearing in doesn’t even have to be done by a justice of the supreme court. In the past, it’s been done by state court ju IIRC, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/123 "2020-11-15T01:37:56Z")
If only someone could bring Trump completely down by hacking into a supercomputer. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/czO7foL520k/maxresdefault.jpg "WATCH DOGS 2 Ending & Final Mission (Watch Dogs 2 Ending)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czO7foL520k) ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/124 "2020-11-15T02:41:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The presence of the Vice President isn’t a legal necessity. If he’s not there, the President pro tempore of the Senate will preside over the event. This happened in 1969 when Hubert Humphrey decided he didn’t want to preside over the reading of the votes that were going to officially declare he had lost the election to Richard Nixon. Humphrey was, AFAIK, at the end of his career and so didn’t have to worry about the optics. If I can go to the paranoid side for a second, it would be convenient for Pence if he was too ill on January 6 to come up to Capitol Hill. Maybe he’ll catch COVID at a New Year’s party. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/125 "2020-11-15T02:48:51Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > IIRC, Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace. Yes, anyone will do. Barron could do it. The nightmare situation would be where Thomas swears in Donald as Sotomayor swears in Joe, with Roberts refusing to take sides. But looks like a low risk, ---
**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:** [November 15, 2020, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/126 "2020-11-15T03:10:09Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Overall I’ve been impressed by your wisdom on this whole election from months ago. Thanks but I don’t feel this is true. I feel I was very wrong in my predictions. I originally predicted that Biden would have a decisive and clear victory. Then, when that didn’t happen, I predicted Trump’s unexpected surge in the vote counts meant the Republicans had decided to rig the election and the result would be a Trump stolen victory. So I managed to pick Biden and Trump and get it wrong both times. This is coming off my 2016 prediction that Clinton would win because obviously nobody was actually going to vote for Donald Trump. I’m surprised Nate Silver hasn’t contacted me so he can post the opposite of my predictions on his website. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/127 "2020-11-15T03:36:27Z")
With 306 votes in the EC and a 5 million vote margin in the popular vote, you really think Biden didn’t get a decisive and clear victory? Yeah, I know, it was very close in places we hoped would be won by a larger margin but Biden won PA, MI and WI by larger margins than DJT did in 2016 AND added two states (AZ & GA) to his win that Democrats haven’t won in decades. I know NC was a disappointment but it is trending toward the Democrats. And the signs FL is a goner for the Dems have been there to see for a while. ---
**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:** [November 15, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/128 "2020-11-15T03:58:42Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > With 306 votes in the EC and a 5 million vote margin in the popular vote, you really think Biden didn’t get a decisive and clear victory? We’re eleven days after the election now. So the situation has cleared up (and there’s been enough time for my Election Day prediction to be proven wrong). But on Election Day itself, I think Biden had 210 Electoral votes. I had been predicting he’d get around 330. I based my predictions on polls conducted the day before the election. Which is why I find the vote counts suspicious. ---
**Author:** ![contradancer2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5a626/32.png) [@contradancer2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/contradancer2)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/129 "2020-11-15T06:49:27Z")
I’m A female, almost 80. So the civil war doesn’t seem like ancient history to me. It could come to that and the trumpeter would lose of course after many families were killed and the economy destroyed. At least it would remove the ignorant and low IQ with the beer guts and red hats. By then the virus will have killed off the people who don’t believe in disease like 150 years ago. I won’t be here but it has been a crushing disappointment to realize the kind of people Americans are in truth. Is it our educational system? Too many illegal immigrants who don’t even speak our language? Sickos like trump and his family? ---
**Author:** ![Newtosite](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/newtosite/32/8623_2.png) [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/130 "2020-11-16T01:05:20Z")
Has anyone seen this? > **[Attorney Powell on election legal challenges that remain active in several...](https://video.foxnews.com/v/video-embed.html?video_id=6209930642001&ref=twitter.com&fbclid=IwAR3NAvjrM52i7LQlh6fZzlKmwFkyX__ZiuUWClHAhsOq3-OQ1grbi4n03KI)** > > Sidney Powell, of President Trump's legal team, tells 'Sunday Morning Futures' that 'the evidence is coming in so fast' she 'can't even process it all.' From Foxnews, the attorney for Michael Flynn says she’s “fixing to overturn the results of the election in multiple states.” She attributes the fraud to the voting machine software. (I’m not believing this at all). ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/131 "2020-11-16T04:09:06Z")
I did see this and asked myself where the fuck he finds these people. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/132 "2020-11-16T04:11:00Z")
> [@sweepkick](#): > > I did see this and asked myself where the fuck he finds these people. - Kick a few rocks. That’s where they hang out. ---
**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:** [November 16, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/133 "2020-11-16T04:18:40Z")
> [@sweepkick](#): > > I did see this and asked myself where the fuck he finds these people. Trump presumably found Powell while watching TV. Powell makes a lot of appearances on Fox and other conservative media outlets as a legal expert. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/134 "2020-11-17T00:59:08Z")
I’ve been lurking in this thread for a while, because the scenarios range from ‘bad’ to ‘terrifying beyond the capacity to endure’. However, one thing that hasn’t been mentioned, so I’m bringing it up, and because I’m actually afraid it is _likely_ to happen in the event of Biden’s assuming the Presidency while Trump continues to make his claims. Assassination. I suspect others have considered it, but felt it was too horrible to bring forth, but I think it a strong possibility per the OP’s scenario. And sadly, 50% of the population will consider it a plausible response regardless of who ends up in office in January. If we go with the OP, the Trump remains President on the flimsiest of pretexts. While the Secret Service is VERY heavily weeded of Kingmakers, they are going to have seen the cheat go on, with Trump likely bragging in private about how the Republican’s bought 60 faithless electors for a few hundred million. Alternately, there are going to be private citizens who are just as afraid of the next 4 years with Trump in charge that they will consider what would have been unthinkable. Again I bring this up today, because it is a concern of mine that Biden is at risk. Not likely from the SS, but I’m personally amazed we haven’t had Trump musing ‘why won’t someone rid me of this troublesome (priest) former VP…’ And even if he doesn’t ever say it out loud, or twitter it, well… > **[Largest right-wing militia group in US will refuse to recognise Biden as...](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/oath-keepers-militia-donald-trump-joe-biden-2020-election-b1723323.html)** > > ‘Anything he signs into law we won’t recognise as legitimate,’ Oath Keepers founder says And while they aren’t calling for explicit violence, we have ample Qanon groups that apparently literally believe Democrats are lizard people or pedos. They will see absolutely nothing wrong with using violence. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/136 "2020-11-18T07:41:23Z")
> [@Disco Bot](#): > > This is the first time deek9091 has posted — let’s welcome them to our community! Let’s not. Reported. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/137 "2020-11-18T13:02:57Z")
And vaporized. Good work there @Senegoid & whichever Mod did the needful. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/138 "2020-11-18T15:22:16Z")
What good would that do for the GOP? If Biden is out, then that just makes Kamala president (or president-elect). If Kamala is out, then Pelosi is president. Under no circumstances does this course of action benefit the Republicans. It’s not like it will lead to a Republican becoming president. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/139 "2020-11-18T15:44:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Under no circumstances does this course of action benefit the Republicans. It’s not like it will lead to a Republican becoming president. As awful as many of them are, I can’t imagine any actual Republican elected officials getting involved in an assassination plot. But I can definitely imagine some members of the Trumpy-worshipping fringe groups like Proud Boys or QAnon, or even just a lone moron with an assault rifle, wanting to take matters into their own hands and be the “hero” that took out the guy who stole the election from our Chosen One. These are not people who are known for thinking things all the way through. Sadly, I won’t be terribly surprised if somebody does try it. Let’s hope Secret Service is on their toes. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/140 "2020-11-18T15:59:26Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > What good would that do for the GOP? If Biden is out, then that just makes Kamala president (or president-elect). What good would that do the GOP? Well, it depends, but we’re not talking about the GOP, we’re talking about Trump. Trump doesn’t lose, ever, in Trumps world. And while they wouldn’t condone such an action, I am _positive_ if such a thing happened, that the GOP would immediately state that with such a ‘close’ election, it would be ‘wrong’ to put Kamala in office. After all, Trump’s term isn’t up, and even if Biden had a mandate, Kamala doesn’t. Since we have all this time (and of course disputes about the validity of the election anyway) why don’t we have a second election, or let the state legislatures decide. Sure it’s illegal and immoral, but the GOP has already bent over backward to protect their interests, this wouldn’t be that large a step. For that matter, it would qualify for the scenario that the OP suggested, where Trump remains president through thread-bare legal shennanigans. And since it would be one of Trump’s fringe followers doing it, they’d say ‘shame, shouldn’t have happened, but this is what happens when you go against the people’s will’. And Trump would say (of course) that ‘he never intended’ for someone to do that. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451/141 "2020-11-18T16:20:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > And vaporized. Good work there @Senegoid & whichever Mod did the needful. Call it morbid curiosity but what was the post about? Broad strokes will do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-happen-if-trump-somehow-remains-president/925451.md?page=8)