Why Trump Might Quit - POLITICO
For Trump quitting now might be his best option...
Why Trump Might Quit
There is logic behind saying to hell with reelection.
President Donald Trump | Montinique Monroe/Getty Images
Altitude is a column by POLITICO founding editor John Harris, offering weekly perspective on politics in a moment of radical disruption.
The purpose of the nationally televised Oval Office address was to announce new peace initiatives in Vietnam, but Lyndon B. Johnson saved the most startling news until the end of his speech on March 31, 1968. With his country badly divided over a grinding war, he didn't believe as president he "should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes." He was dropping out of the presidential campaign.
Now there was a president who knew how to shake up the plot.
Among Donald Trump's problems in his long, hot and mostly housebound summer is that he has lost his once unparalleled gift for changing the story. He still can stir outrage, but even among his supporters he no longer has much capacity to surprise. "Every hero," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson a century before the president was born, "becomes a bore at last."
But here is a way Trump could demonstrate that an old master still knows how to tear up the script and leave the audience gasping. It is late but not too late to pull an LBJ.
As it happens, the Trump Drops Out scenario is one I have trafficked to colleagues and sources for a couple years now, usually to dismissive grunts or quizzical stares. It is true that there is scant time left for the scenario to come to pass. It's true also that, if I were a reliable predictor of Trump's political fortunes, Hillary Clinton would now be running for reelection.
But even if one doesn't really think Trump will drop out of the race—as a proselytizer of the theory I acknowledge it is a stretch—it is worth examining the reasons he just might, as a way of illuminating the bleakness of his situation with just over three months to go before the general election.
POLITICO
Quitting now means Trump avoids the LOSER label!
Not really. He has been a loser for years.
More wishing thinking on the part of the Trump detractors. They are very slow learners, and they seem to have lost the ability to read the mood of the vast majority of American citizens who stay silent during the current ongoing challenges and conflicts in society, especially the rioting and law breaking, which the Democrats seem to wholeheartedly support...from Pelosi on down to the lowliest democrat city council member.
With a strong and inspiring moderate or conservative young leader with an all inclusive vision for the future, the Dems might have a chance of winning. Instead, they decided to sacrifice a doddering and bumbling old fool who represents the worst of their past. And the American people would never accept the most likely VP choice Kamala Harris to be one heart beat away from the presidency.
Not without a good excuse (such as illness). If he quits now before the voting is complete he will be both a loser and a wimp. The time for him to quit was before he announced his run for reelection. I do not see Trump quitting sans an incredibly good excuse — his ego would simply not allow it.
Bone Spur excuse worked for Vietnam...
Just like asthma that allows you to play football (he lied about playing in college, but not high school) and be a lifeguard.
amazing how that works. Fans of “5 deferment joe” probably need a new line of attack.
And don't forget, that asthma didn't prevent Hidin' Biden from facing down that notorious gangsta Corn Pop!
Butt, Joe is not looking for an excuse to quit...
He was a true hero. Cornpop didn’t know what trouble was before he met asthma joe.
Get Back to us when any Trump is a war hero!
hmmmmmmmm
I'll put Trump's military record right up against Hidin' Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Obama's records..
Butt, Joe is not looking for an excuse to quit...
That makes no sense. Democrats have been attacking Trump for this since before he was President. And "quitting" is not the same as never joining, which is what Democrats think Trump is going to do.
So idf Democrats are so upset about deferments, why hasn't why hasn’t senator Tammy duckworth called asthma Joe a coward?
Deferments only make republicans cowards?
Because it's boring and they'd rather watch Real Housewives or The Bachelor.
Yes, Joe is a butt!
I wonder what effect it could have on the Senate and House candidate elections. Anyway, it's not likely he's going to quit since he faces so many court challenges when he does - he's bound to want to delay those as long as possible.
Why would he follow the Dems failure they lost in 68?
When Trump wins reelection, the planned and organized demonstrations and riots will start within a few hours in most large cities. The pallets of bricks are being collected, the fireworks and materials for Molotov cocktails being purchased, baseball bats, sticks, and probably guns are being prepared for shipment even as we speak.
The riots of 68 will be a picnic compared to what's coming. Trump might have to declare martial law before the night is over.
Then we must make sure Trump does not win!
Everybody lost in 1968 and 1972. America Lost...
I never really thought he would but it is beginning to sink in that after pulling out of advertising in Michigan that the dominoes are falling.
His family should really step in to honestly tell him it's over and they need to look to their own future. I know Trump cares nothing for his family but he would be better served in spending time on his own legal defense over financial issues and so should his family.
Wasting time trying to pull a win out of a catastrophic loss at this point with the number of Americans dead, the economy in the tank, and no end in sight, is stubborn foolishness.
They could have used his health as an excuse and that might even have run out the clock on their financial issues, but since Trump did his infamous "Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV" they have no easy out. He claims he is mentally fit, he will not release the results of his physical or reveal his emergency run to Walter Reed, so he may have some other excuse in mind to avoid facing debates and an electoral loss.
I didn't know that he pulled advertising from MI. That state went strongly for him in 2016. A lot of NT conservatives are from MI
I think you will learn that Trump is not a quitter. Most rational American citizens don't blame him for the pandemic and the resulting meltdown of the economy...largely the result of the restrictions and shutdowns at the hands of Democrat mayors and governors, They also aren't happy about the Dems apparent support of and the lack of action being taken against unpeaceful rioters in many Democrat stronghold cities
Americans blame Trump for bad leadership!
Yeah...they do. He didn't handle it properly from the beginning and led us into the abyss.
And he is a quitter. Who bankrupts casinos? That's quitting
So what should have he done differently?
Done a full embargo on all goods and people going to and from China? He tried a partial travel ban and the left and media screamed racist! Imagine what anything more would earn him! Crippling the economy because we don't build shit here anymore; and full blown racist.
Go full dictator and force all states, cities, and local governments to abide by one set of rules under a crippling shutdown that would have needed US troops to enforce? Try the hell again- look at what deploying federal marshals to Portland earned him. US troops on the streets would have garnered much worse from both sides.
The left is great with complaining; but offers no damn solutions. Obama left the stockpiles barren; and gets zero blame. The states were left to make their own rules; and those with the highest death rates are all Democrat run- yet those governors and mayors get a full pass and are heroes. Guess Cuomo was right to kill off the most susceptible early by placing those with covid 19 in retirement and nursing homes that couldn't handle them. Kill off the virus by killing off the most vulnerable.
Trump quits and Biden wins easily- Biden and the left will still blame everything on him for the next four years- just like Obama and the left did with Bush.
I guess fairy tales do exist- like all of the Brown Shirt "protesters" being completely immune from the virus; and are unable to catch it or pass it- while completely ignoring social distancing rules.
Of course if he resigned, and Pence pardoned him of all possible Federal Crimes, he could always run again.
There is nothing to stop him from resigning today and still run for President in the 2020 election. I don't see any advantage but he could do it.
Heck - he could even run for President from prison. It's been done.
Ya'll have some far-out fantasy scenarios going there!
What - the running for President from prison?
I'm sure you would still vote for him.
I see no far out fantasy there.
Would they have to build him an oval cell if he won?
you crazy!!
He wouldn't quit, he wants another term desperately in order to still be president when the statute of limitations passes for his myriad crimes. Unless he were certain that he could give himself a full pardon, he won't quit.
That brings up an interesting thought. Why not get bi-partisan agreement to promise Trump a full pardon for Trump and his kids for any crimes committed in the past 10 years.
His part of the deal? He resigns tomorrow.
I think it would be worth it to get rid of him.
I'm all for it.
and who exactly could promise AND deliver on a pardon?
President Pelosi. Pence has to go too, his head is already so far up Trump's arse they are practically the same person now.
Well, Pelosi isn't the President, and if I were Trump, I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw a 747.
Sounds like nothing more than a liberal wetdream anyways.
Sealed Indictments await Trump. He knows it.
proof?
Funny how the same people promising that were certain mueller possessed all this secret information that trump colluded with Russia, the dossier was verified...
oh and we can't forget Helsinki, either
lol