# Will Trump self destruct before November, 2020? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 13, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889 "2020-02-13T18:43:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/81 "2020-02-18T06:07:04Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > My theory is that since every policy decision Trump makes is a knee jerk reaction at the moment he has not suffered the stress and anxiety that every other president has. Every other president has probably worried about every decision they made. Trump is sure he’s always right and never mulls anything. If nothing else it’s probably healthier for him. I’m not a shrink, but from my experience, this extreme self-confidence manifests itself in all wildly successful people. They make a decision, things get better for them, thus proving that their decision-making is solid. Rinse and repeat. Note that the converse is not true. Not all extremely self-confident people are successful. Many of those people crash and burn and lose their house in an unsuccessful business venture. However, I think that without extreme self-confidence, there can be no wild success. People who lack it are generally satisfied making $85k/yr at their job, coming home, eating dinner, having three beers and going to bed. They don’t want to upset the comfort of having security. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/82 "2020-02-18T07:15:24Z")
> [@Gullibility\_is\_Underated](#): > > I would hazard a guess and say this kind of attitude is likely to result in a Trump victory My attitude is irrelevant, I am not entitled to vote in US elections. But I feel entitled to be as obnoxious as he is. If this attitude results in anything, it will be a travel ban into the USA (I’m fine with that) and a trade war with Germany or Europe in general. Or the whole world, let’s get things done properly! And, who knows, perhaps he does not win after all. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2020, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/83 "2020-02-18T09:52:20Z")
The thing is, if evidence came out that Trump had slept with Ivanka, I don’t think it would lose his base at this point. Some would handwave it (what about Obama’s dad cheating on his mother!?), others would dispute the evidence no matter how clear it was. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/84 "2020-02-18T12:28:43Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Something I’ve noticed is that anytime Trump begins to ride high in the polls, he gets confident and starts unraveling. This week was his post-acquittal unraveling, and I think the two immediate consequences are that Barr dropped the case against McCabe and Trump apparently won’t investigate Vindman, either. > > Particularly in the case of Vindman, it was the smart move to let him go quietly into the night. Whereas McCabe has come out in public and sought attention, thereby making himself less of a victim in the eyes of Trump’s supporters, Vindman really comes across as a nerdy wonk who just wants to do his job and doesn’t seem like he’s comfortable in any kind of spotlight. He’s not your usual “attack the deep state” fodder. > > Trump and Barr will probably turn down the volume for a while, but I suspect that they’ll go after their enemies in the future. And they absolutely will if he gets re-elected. If Trump wins this year, he will be able to remake the government in his image. If Trump self-destructs, it will be because he’s gone too far in undermining Barr because he can’t stop tweeting and gloating. Trump may not have a breaking point but Barr likely does, and Trump openly providing evidence of Barr’s corruption does not help. And if Barr goes, Trump will lose a key protector. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Thinking the same thing. His heart could explode in a grand collision of the KFC and the Big Macs. Perhaps we should offer him a wafer-thin mint? > [@UltraVires](#): > > I’m not a shrink, but from my experience, this extreme self-confidence manifests itself in all wildly successful people. They make a decision, things get better for them, thus proving that their decision-making is solid. Rinse and repeat. > > Note that the converse is not true. Not all extremely self-confident people are successful. Many of those people crash and burn and lose their house in an unsuccessful business venture. The slopes of Mount Everest are littered with the corpses of highly motivated and self-confident people. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/85 "2020-02-18T13:22:38Z")
Also, Trump is not wildly successful, he just thinks he is. You know, “Born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.” ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/86 "2020-02-18T15:16:14Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > The thing is, if evidence came out that Trump had slept with Ivanka, I don’t think it would lose his base at this point. > Some would handwave it (what about Obama’s dad cheating on his mother!?), others would dispute the evidence no matter how clear it was. Nobody’s going to handwave a guy fucking his own daughter. But yes, they WILL dispute the evidence and claim it’s a hoax. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/87 "2020-02-18T17:42:10Z")
> [@Gullibility\_is\_Underated](#): > > I would hazard a guess and say this kind of attitude is likely to result in a Trump victory Yes it is dangerous to have unapproved and unscripted thoughts. Each one we have brings us closer to our destiny, which is terrifying. Ho hum. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/88 "2020-02-18T21:57:56Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Nobody’s going to handwave a guy fucking his own daughter. But yes, they WILL dispute the evidence and claim it’s a hoax. And I disagree. There are already countless sentences beginning “Nobody’s going to handwave…” about things that Trump’s done, and yet here we are, with approval figures that have barely budged ever. IMO they would both dispute it (regardless of how incontrovertible the evidence is), and/or handwave / deflect from it. Of course we’ll never know for sure. Probably. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/89 "2020-02-19T17:04:15Z")
> [@MulderMuffin](#): > > Hanging in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum is a list of the 14 warning signs of fascism. I think Trump’s ticked every one. > > Powerful and continuing nationalism > Disdain for human rights > Identification of enemies as a unifying cause > Supremacy of the military > Rampant sexism > Controlled mass media > Obsession with national security > Religion and government intertwined > Corporate power protected > Labor power suppressed > Disdain for intellectuals & the arts > Obsession with crime & punishment > Rampant cronyism & corruption > Fraudulent elections > Almost no one in power on the right has complained about any of these actions They’ve cheered many of them. I don’t see much that Trump could do to implode, or turn his base against him in any meaningful way. If anything begins to, he’ll just call it fake news and they’ll nod sagely, of course it is. Dear Leader would never do such a thing, obviously a fake hoax witchhunt. I think the list means more that they accomplish all those things, not merely attempt them or idealize them. Trump hasn’t actually accomplished all those things, especially not in a nationwide sense. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/90 "2020-02-19T17:55:48Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think the list means more that they accomplish all those things, not merely attempt them or idealize them. Trump hasn’t actually accomplished all those things, especially not in a nationwide sense. Not yet. But he’s working on it. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/91 "2020-02-21T17:49:46Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > :rolleyes: > > Let us know when you find your perfect. Enjoy your march to the salt mines. Should we just blindly support actions by Democrats, or should we support actions that will get Trump out of office? That jury foreman did nothing to advance the cause but did quite a bit to set it back. She’s not going to change the outcome, but she’s given the right a talking point to question the validity of the verdict. Progressives are sometimes too concerned about having their voices heard, when staying silent would further progress towards the goals their shouting about. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2020, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/92 "2020-02-22T03:43:23Z")
If Trump had sex with the dead body of Charles Manson he might lose a few votes. No more than 20 . ---
**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:** [February 22, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/93 "2020-02-22T16:57:57Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > If Trump had sex with the dead body of Charles Manson he might lose a few votes. No more than 20 . Or award himself the Medal of Freedom. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/94 "2020-02-23T02:10:52Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > It’s clear he uses each little corrupt “win” as courage for further abuses. He couldn’t control himself after these events. He doesn’t seem to have a notion of how it might be seen in US history. His effort to suppress John Bolton’s book suggests to me he does have such a notion of how he might be seen. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/95 "2020-02-23T02:26:48Z")
> [@MulderMuffin](#): > > Hanging in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum is a list of the 14 warning signs of fascism. I think Trump’s ticked every one. > > Powerful and continuing nationalism > Disdain for human rights > Identification of enemies as a unifying cause > Supremacy of the military > Rampant sexism > Controlled mass media > Obsession with national security > Religion and government intertwined > Corporate power protected > Labor power suppressed > Disdain for intellectuals & the arts > Obsession with crime & punishment > Rampant cronyism & corruption > Fraudulent elections > Almost no one in power on the right has complained about any of these actions They’ve cheered many of them. I don’t see much that Trump could do to implode, or turn his base against him in any meaningful way. If anything begins to, he’ll just call it fake news and they’ll nod sagely, of course it is. Dear Leader would never do such a thing, obviously a fake hoax witchhunt. And so … I assume you’re arranging safe passage to another country? Are you applying for asylum in any other countries? I’d recommend Mexico, honestly, since it’s full of beautiful places where you could live like a king on the American dollar, but if the English language is a priority for you, Canada, the United Kingdom, or even Jamaica or Bermuda could be good places to emigrate. Of course, if you’re dead set on staying in America to fight this imminent fascist regime, that’s definitely honorable. Just start stocking up on weapons now. I mean, 14 warning signs, posted in the Holocaust Museum, no less, which are all displayed by Trump - you know what the only good kind of Nazi is, right? Don’t we all? God knows there’s NO shortage of armament purveyors in this country, so by all means, start building up the arsenal that you and your like minded compatriots will use to fight back. Also, get lots of first aid supplies; armored vests; emergency rations; do you think if the various partisan groups who fought the Nazis in Europe had the internet, they WOULDN’T have been spending every penny on that stuff if they somehow had foreknowledge of the upcoming conflict? Get to work! Oh, you’re NOT going to do either of those two things? So you’re saying that you’re going to stay for the fascism, AND you’re not going to try to fight the fascism. I think there’s a word for someone living in that situation, but it escapes me. Or, you know, you and all the people saying this stuff could get a little bit of perspective, a little sense of proportion… is it so much to ask? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/96 "2020-02-23T02:33:59Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > His effort to suppress John Bolton’s book suggests to me he does have such a notion of how he might be seen. I would never say that he lacks a consciousness of guilt which pushes him, as well as a wish to stay out of jail. But he is a victim of his irrational enthusiasms when he gets good narcissistic supply. It’s going to be a trail leading to him. I would take all of his actions as a whole to judge this. He has an alternate view of how the world works in the first place, and the implication is there that his thought processes about what “history” looks like might be very divergent. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/97 "2020-02-23T15:10:53Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > And so … I assume you’re arranging safe passage to another country? Are you applying for asylum in any other countries? I’d recommend Mexico, honestly, since it’s full of beautiful places where you could live like a king on the American dollar, but if the English language is a priority for you, Canada, the United Kingdom, or even Jamaica or Bermuda could be good places to emigrate. > > Of course, if you’re dead set on staying in America to fight this imminent fascist regime, that’s definitely honorable. Just start stocking up on weapons now. I mean, 14 warning signs, posted in the Holocaust Museum, no less, which are all displayed by Trump - you know what the only good kind of Nazi is, right? Don’t we all? God knows there’s NO shortage of armament purveyors in this country, so by all means, start building up the arsenal that you and your like minded compatriots will use to fight back. Also, get lots of first aid supplies; armored vests; emergency rations; do you think if the various partisan groups who fought the Nazis in Europe had the internet, they WOULDN’T have been spending every penny on that stuff if they somehow had foreknowledge of the upcoming conflict? Get to work! > > Oh, you’re NOT going to do either of those two things? So you’re saying that you’re going to stay for the fascism, AND you’re not going to try to fight the fascism. I think there’s a word for someone living in that situation, but it escapes me. > > Or, you know, you and all the people saying this stuff could get a little bit of perspective, a little sense of proportion… is it so much to ask? As a great man once said, there are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty. The soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the ammo box. Use them in that order. Today I’m standing on my soap box. In November I’ll use the ballot box. The jury box awaits as soon as Trump’s “get out of jail free” Presidential immunity is removed. As for the ammo box, we’re not there yet. If we were, I’d have zero problem using that box, as well, if a times comes when liberty must be preserved by force of arms. To suggest that an American leave the country if unhappy with the status quo is ludicrous and insulting. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2020, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889/98 "2020-02-24T11:15:02Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > So you’re saying that you’re going to stay for the fascism America: Come For The Burgers, Stay For The Fascism. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-self-destruct-before-november-2020/847889.md?page=4)