# Would you rather have Trump for one term or Pence for two? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 4, 2017, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470 "2017-09-04T12:22:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/21 "2017-09-04T19:02:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Actually, on thinking about this more… How do we get into a situation where Pence serves out the remainder of Trump’s term, and then also gets re-elected? The only way Trump can get impeached and kicked out is if a significant number of Republicans go against him, and a Republican party that fractured can’t possibly get their president re-elected. Likewise, if he’s ousted by his cabinet. And the only way he’d resign would be if there were immediate threat of impeachment or being found incompetent, which means we still have the fractured party. I think we’re not supposed to fight the hypothetical. Even the OP acknowledged it had problems. > [@Clothahump](#): > > I’d rather see Trump finish two terms in office, then have Pence for two terms. That wasn’t one of the choices. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/22 "2017-09-04T19:07:17Z")
Surprised to see “Trump until 2020” is currently winning. Pence is a politician. Though I disagree with him on just about everything, and think his view of the world is laughably wrong, he understands enough to not willfully foment civil unrest within the US, or piss off enemies (and allies) abroad for no reason. I don’t think he’d start a nuclear war just because other countries are laughing at us, or because some CT website says China caused Harvey in order to shut down our oil industry. I can’t say such sentences about Trump. He needs to be out ASAP. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/23 "2017-09-04T19:10:09Z")
Pence for 2 terms is what I would definitely personally prefer to see, yes. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/24 "2017-09-04T20:28:36Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I’m rooting for Trump to do enough harm that America will wake up and say “Never again!” Isn’t that what many Democrats said about George W. Bush’s presidency in 2008, that his presidency would prevent a Republican from getting elected again for a long, long time? ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/25 "2017-09-04T22:00:23Z")
I believe both men will harm the country. But I believe Trump will do more harm in three years than Pence would do in seven. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/26 "2017-09-04T22:11:11Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Pence is a politician. > Though I disagree with him on just about everything, and think his view of the world is laughably wrong, he understands enough to not willfully foment civil unrest within the US, or piss off enemies (and allies) abroad for no reason. > I don’t think he’d start a nuclear war just because other countries are laughing at us, or because some CT website says China caused Harvey in order to shut down our oil industry. I can’t say such sentences about Trump. He needs to be out ASAP. Pretty much this. I think seven years of Pence is a more likely to do rather more “damage” overall( as I measure things ), a la **John Mace** ’s warnings about a much more conservative Supreme Court. In the next three years Trump _is more likely than not_ to not accomplish much of substance, between his own incompetence and an increasingly less pliant congress. However I view Trump as a far greater existential threat. His potential for triggering a truly humongous catastrophe is much, much higher than with Pence. He has already considerably worsened internal tensions in this country by his ham-handed buffoonery. On an international stage he is a laughing-stock, only all the laughter is of the distinctly nervous, edging-warily-away-from-the-crazy sort. God help me, he has even triggered my usually invisible and barely breathing sense of patriotism - IMHO he’s a national _embarrassment_ as a president. He needs to go, but sadly probably won’t. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/27 "2017-09-04T22:22:17Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > However I view Trump as a far greater existential threat. His potential for triggering a truly humongous catastrophe is much, much higher than with Pence. He has already considerably worsened internal tensions in this country by his ham-handed buffoonery. On an international stage he is a laughing-stock, only all the laughter is of the distinctly nervous, edging-warily-away-from-the-crazy sort. God help me, he has even triggered my usually invisible and barely breathing sense of patriotism - IMHO he’s a national _embarrassment_ as a president. He needs to go, but sadly probably won’t. Yeah, I don’t sit up at night worrying about WWIII or anything, but even just a small increase in the probability of “something really bad happening” is not worth the risk. Trump is intensely reactive, and some foreign leader who really wants to goad him could put us all in danger. The man has simply got to go. As one former president might put it: To keep him in the Oval Office _wouldn’t be prudent._ ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/28 "2017-09-04T22:22:38Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I believe both men will harm the country. But I believe Trump will do more harm in three years than Pence would do in seven. Trump is so unstable he could do more damage in three weeks than Mike Pence could do in 7 years. Every day he is president is another opportunity to wake up and do something catastrophic. ---
**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:** [September 4, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/29 "2017-09-04T22:32:21Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yeah, I don’t sit up at night worrying about WWIII or anything, but even just a small increase in the probability of “something really bad happening” is not worth the risk. Trump is intensely reactive, and some foreign leader who really wants to goad him could put us all in danger. The man has simply got to go. As one former president might put it: To keep him in the Oval Office _wouldn’t be prudent._ Cue the current crisis in North Korea. I’ll apologize in advance for repeating what I said in another thread but while I’ve worried about Trump misreading and miscalculating Kim Jung Un, I’m just as worried that KJU is miscalculating Trump. Kim Jung Un is doing what the Kims always do, which is playing its own version of David versus Goliath, but more importantly, there’s a purpose in mind, an end game. They want to ensure the survival of their regime. In Kim’s mind, he’s ‘winning’ - the danger is that he might be ‘winning’ in Donald Trump’s mind, too. And that is where the danger lurks. Every day that Kim Jung Un ignores and laughs at Trump’s threats, every ‘game’ that Kim wins probably enrages Trump. The humiliation of Trump on the world stage is dangerous. All this bullshit about Trump being a deal maker is now getting exposed for what it is. He can stiff his contractors and leave his creditors holding the bag, but he’s out of his element when it comes to politics and he’s being worked over pretty good on a regular basis. And this will only continue to happen with more frequency, and the stakes will only get higher from here on out. And if anyone here is thinking that the adults will protect us, I am not so sure of that. Remember: he knows more than the generals, folks, believe me! ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/30 "2017-09-04T22:41:48Z")
From the outside, Pence. It does not bother me a rational conservative American government but with Trump, a man of the demonstated hot-head and poor judgement and lack of udnerstanding and the North Koriea crisis situation the potential for the world damaging actions seem higher and higher. As Asaha says - the humiliations of Trump will become more apparent to himself and he clearly does not react to this well. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/31 "2017-09-05T12:39:21Z")
I can’t stomach two terms of Pence. Two words: Supreme Court. Bye bye Roe v Wade. Bye bye democracy. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/32 "2017-09-05T13:22:52Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I can’t stomach two terms of Pence. Two words: Supreme Court. Bye bye Roe v Wade. Bye bye democracy. America survived almost 200 years without Roe v. Wade. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/33 "2017-09-05T13:28:52Z")
But a Supreme Court determined to ensure that the wealthy can buy elections and that politicians get to choose their voters rather than the other way around, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/34 "2017-09-05T16:15:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I can’t stomach two terms of Pence. Two words: Supreme Court. Bye bye Roe v Wade. But – under Trump – that could happen next year, right? Or the year after that, or the year after that? I mean, yes, granted, eight years with Pence is of course longer than four years with Trump; but for all I know, every Supreme Court vacancy that gets filled during this term _and the next_ is going to get filled during this term _period_. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/35 "2017-09-05T16:20:07Z")
But I’d rather get sanity back in the White House in 2021 rather than 2025. If we have 8 unbroken Republican years, you know Roe goes down. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/36 "2017-09-05T16:44:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > America survived almost 200 years without Roe v. Wade. So let’s race backward, not a problem, huh? Maybe they’ll stop letting me vote. (Well, then this mess won’t be my fault, huh?) ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/37 "2017-09-05T16:57:31Z")
I find the discussion about keeping Trump as the known quantity, and comments about his inability to get things done similar to how I felt about Trump v. Clinton. For those that couldn’t fathom why a person would support Trump, maybe this provides some perspective for those that would rather have Trump than Pence. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/38 "2017-09-05T17:21:52Z")
Turd in the hand, basically? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/39 "2017-09-05T18:25:01Z")
Props to the OP for offering up a fascinating question. BTW, I voted for President Pence. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470/40 "2017-09-05T18:27:47Z")
Trump really is that bad. Trump has empowered white supremacists (something entirely predictable based on his history and rhetoric), a group that’s done, by far, the most damage to America and Americans, in our history. Trump is far more likely to start a catastrophic war than Pence. I had to think about it for a minute, but it quickly became clear that Trump really is much, much worse (or would have the potential to be so much worse) than Pence would be, even for an extra term. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-trump-for-one-term-or-pence-for-two/795470.md?page=3)