Has anyone seriously considered the untidy spectacle of Trump insisting on staying put? Of insisting that he remain president, no matter what? Coming at it from the other direction, has anyone seen even the slightest hint of evidence indicating Trump will be willing to leave the White House when the time comes?
And we’re not speaking here solely of exiting via impeachment, which—even in the unlikely event that the gutless Senate actually votes to remove this from office—he will simply brush off after labeling it “illegal” or a “lynching” or a “witch hunt.”
We’re speaking of him getting beaten in the 2020 presidential election, and simply refusing to acknowledge the outcome. Even if it’s a resounding landslide, he’ll refuse to budge. And God help us if it’s a close vote—if he loses by only a handful of electoral votes—because a narrow defeat will only serve to energize him further.
It will go down like this. Trump loses both the popular vote and the electoral college. When the final tally is in, we will be more relieved than jubilant. But as we settle in to the notion of finally being rid of this aberration, Trump will go on TV and solemnly announce that his intelligence sources have uncovered undeniable evidence of foreign manipulation and voter fraud.
Without going into the specifics, he will suggest that the mischief appears to be the work of a foreign power, an enemy of the United States, an enemy of Israel, assisted by the liberal media, and certain “high ranking members of Congress.”
He will mention Hillary Clinton as one of the culprits. He will announce wearily that, as much as he would like to leave office, as Commander in Chief, it is his sworn duty to safe-guard the rights guaranteed to us by the U.S. Constitution.
When intelligence people in his own Party vehemently deny everything he says, he will call them liars and traitors. To deflect attention away from himself, he will insist that dozens of people in the FBI, CIA and NSA be arrested and charged with treason. He will call it a national emergency. Department of Justice will have no choice but to take action.
To further deflect attention, he will launch a missile attack on Iran, and announce (falsely) that China, succumbing to U.S. pressure, has finally agreed to absorb all the tariffs, that North Korea has finally agreed to abandon its nuclear program, and that Mexico has finally agreed to pay for the Wall.
To further deflect attention, he will create a climate of fear and panic. Fear is a great motivator. He will cause the public to be afraid what appears to be a full-fledged attack on us. Requiring chaos to reign, he will have his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, assassinated, and blame it on the Iranians.
Granted, this nutty scenario sounds like something you’d only see in some thoroughly corrupt African country ruled by a warlord. But other than being acknowledge as having all the money and the military might, how has a Trump presidency differentiated itself morally from a Third World nation? See you at the polls.