This is one of those rare opportunities in politics to make predictions about something that actually might have an answer. There’s at least a decent chance that Trump loses the election. So, let’s imagine a scenario where it’s the day after election day. Biden has won handily with a solid popular vote as well as electoral victory. There is no serious reason to contest anything. There are no legitimate irregularities.
Does Trump do what normal presidents have done and, you know, leave office and hand everything over?
I just see nothing in his personality, or comments, that lead me to believe that there would be a peaceful transition. What do you think he will do? What would the GOP do if Trump refused to transition power? What would happen if he did refuse?
He will have to be carried out, kicking, screaming and grabbing onto the hand rails, like a whiny little bitch. Then, won’t shut up about it for the rest of his worthless life. Which, I hope, will be spent in courts fighting a litany of charges of corruption and other malfeasance.
I have heard this allegation made during the reelection campaigns of Clinton, Bush, and Obama. It’s frankly ridiculous.
A president who is not reelected does not have the choice to refuse to leave office. He just becomes a trespasser in the White House. His orders to anyone would be ignored as if I gave orders to government officials. If he orders the Army to attack Canada, that order is as meaningless as if I gave it.
And as any other trespasser, he would be given the opportunity to walk off of the premises either voluntarily or in handcuffs. As a former president, he would be given more of an opportunity for the former before the latter was used. But he is leaving one way or the other.
The thing is, it’s Trump himself floating the idea of overstaying his welcome. He’s done so more than once. He also thinks himself a king in all but name and tried to buy Greenland.
Having said that, I don’t see how Trump’s threats can be anything but hollow. He can hide under the Resolute desk if he wants to, but the real president can have him removed bodily with no trouble.
I wouldn’t be concerned with his staying after his term end, but his blustering on about doing so should make one wonder about how he views his office and his job, and what other dumb awful things he’ll do.
Of course he’s physically leaving - there’s no doubt about that.
The question is more - how much / little of a handover is he going to do? What sort of files are going to be ready? How much can he fuck with the incoming president with a bit of sabotage?
In my worklife I’ve seen any number of people that are new to a position that have had good and bad handovers. I’ve seen people that have done things like delete all relevant files, deliberately sabotage deals etc etc - how much of this can Trump do?
Election calendar:
[ul]
[li] Fall 2018 to Spring 2019 – Candidates announce their intentions to run, and (if necessary) file their Statement of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission[/li][li] June 2019 to April 2020 – Primary and caucus debates[/li][li] February 3 to June 16, 2020 – Primaries and caucuses[/li][li] Late May to August 2020 – Nominating conventions (including those of the minor third parties)[/li][li] September and October 2020 – Presidential election debates[/li][li] Tuesday November 3, 2020 – Election Day[/li][li] Monday December 14, 2020 – Electors cast their electoral votes[/li][li] Wednesday January 6, 2021 – Congress counts and certifies the electoral votes[/li][li] Wednesday January 20, 2021 – Inauguration Day[/li][/ul]
Eleven weeks between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Over two and a half months delay. What can a sitting lame-duck luzer POTUS do in that time? What disasters could befall the nation, requiring declarations of emergency and martial law?
I agree that Trump will have no legal ground to stay. But I think that unlike past Presidents, Trump will refuse to accept the fact and will make the attempt to stay.
So he’ll leave office because he’ll have no choice. But it won’t be peacefully or normally.
My specific prediction is that he’ll fall back on old habits. He’ll lie and claim there was voting fraud without any evidence to back it up. And then he’ll file lawsuits to try to have the election results overturned.
If Trump loses I fully expect him to claim massive voter fraud and call the election illegitimate. This will continue in one form or another until Inauguration Day. I wouldn’t be surprised for him to order Barr or Senate Republicans to launch an investigation. Breibart, Alex Jones, Hannity and Limbaugh will blame a “Deep State” conspiracy.
In the end he will either leave the WH on his own or be escorted out by US Marshall’s or the Secret Service. Whoever the Dem winner ends up being will be sworn in and occupy the WH. Republicans, encouraged by Trump, will immediately begin calling for impeachment investigations into the new President but will most likely not have the power to get anything started.
I find it unlikely he will attend the inauguration of his successor.
Trump is NOTHING like Clinton, Bush, or Obama or any other former president of modern times. I observe from your other posts that you’re one of those people who sees the reality you want to see instead of the one that is. Hope that works out for ya. (It won’t.)
This is exactly what keeps me awake at night. He’ll leave, or be made to leave. But we’ve already seen how much damage he can do in a short amount of time and he doesn’t give a shit about the disastrous mess he leaves in his wake. With his cohorts in the Senate, they can do A. Lot. Of. Damage.
Launch a little nuke at North Korea?
Invade Iran?
Release all our most sensitive intelligence to buddy Vlad? Or MBS?
Pot meet kettle. You have absolutely no evidence Trump will do this.
I also heard about how Clinton was different than all former presidents, then Bush was, then Obama was, now Trump definitely is…until he’s not and the next one is the true anti-Christ.
To others: Trump will claim the election was illegitimate? You mean like Gore? Like Kerry?
Plus, didn’t we hear in the lead up to the last election how Trump would refuse to accept these results, only when he won, it was Hillary and posters here refusing to accept the results? The big bad electoral college and mean old James Comey and the misogynistic country?
I guess I was trying to answer a question and did not realize that this was the 5000th how evil Trump is thread. Please continue. I look forward to the next installment of “What if Trump tortures dogs on the White House lawn, can anything be done about it?!?!?” thread.
I agree with most of this, except I’d change “. . .until Inauguration Day.” to “. . .until he’s fucking dead.” He’ll be a regular on Fox until even they can’t stand him any longer (a la Palin), and then they’ll cut the whiny bitch loose.
Trump did, after all, claim the 2016 election was illegitimate. And he won that election.
He then went on to claim that the count at his inauguration was illegitimate.
Trump has spent his whole life claiming that he won when he lost. And when he wins, he claims he won by more than he actually did.
Do you really think he’ll accept the results of an election is he loses? That a man who refuses to admit he lost a round of golf will admit he lost a presidential election?
Will Trump leave office peacefully and normally if he loses the election?
Yes. If he refuses, he will be escorted out. As fucked as Trump has made the standards and protocols in this country, I refuse to accept that we’re actually in danger of a so-called president that can succeed in refusing to leave. If dragging by the whatever-that-is-on-the-top-of-his-head is required for some reason, let me know, I’ll make time.
