8 ms·

"they are probably weighing the possibility that he never leaves office" I think you are very far from reality

BubRoss 6y ago
When Trump leaves office he will be open to an enormous amount of investigation, litigation and prosecution. I don't know how probable it is that he tries to stay in office, but I don't think it is zero. Twitter planning around that possibility seems be less likely.
javagram 6y ago
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/trump-jokes-rigged-elections-chaos.html https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/trump-jokes-rigg... > Since assuming office in January 2017, Trump has made at least 27 references to staying in office beyond the constitutional limit of two terms. He often follows up with a remark indicating he is “joking,” “kidding,” or saying it to drive the “fake” news media “crazy.” Even if Trump thinks that he’s only “joking,” the comments fit a broader pattern that raises the prospect that Trump may not leave office quietly in the event he’s on the losing end of a very close election.
- karatestomp 6y ago
  OTOH people who hated Bush Jr. thought there was a good chance, and some evidence, that he'd find a way to stay in office past his term. Same with Obama.
- 0_gravitas 6y ago
  "What if I...didn't leave office, as a joke...aha ha, just kidding... unless?"
- throwawaylalala 6y ago
  This is how he uses the Overton window to change the conversation. He's very good at this sort of thing.
zorpner 6y ago
How far do you think he would go in order to try?
- Uhhrrr 6y ago
  My personal estimate is zero. He can't really cash in until he leaves office.
  - zapita 6y ago
    What makes you think that? What do you think "cashing in" entails, and what do you think prevents the Trump family from doing it now? Also, how would he and his family stay out of jail if they can no longer control the judiciary and FBI?
    - Uhhrrr 6y ago
      Cashing in entails: -Large book deal, with title "Winning: How I Made America Great Again Despite All The Dummy Losers In Washington" -Some sort of talk show or network -But mostly, going back to licensing the use of his name all over the place As for staying out of jail, he might not, but I suspect a combination of fuzzily enforced regulations and big money lawyers will keep him out.
      - zapita 6y ago
        I don't think you appreciate the magnitude of what is happening in the US at the moment. The federal government is being stripped for parts, as we speak. Entire agencies have been gutted. Industrial conglomerates can literally regulate their own industries - for a price. Foreign leaders can influence foreign policy - for a price. Federally endicted criminals can get out of jail as if nothing had happened - for a price. The level of grift and corruption is unlike anything the US has ever known. If Trump remains in power - which he is absolutely planning to do at all cost - it will only get worse. The end game for him is to create a new dynasty of oligarchs - at the same level of the Saudi royal family or Putin. Compared to that, the book deals and talk shows are nothing - crumbs. He wants to join the club. And that requires staying in power so that he can 1) continue stealing billions from the US public, and 2) continue corrupting the federal government to stay out of jail.
chasd00 6y ago
very very far from reality. i heard the same thing from liberal friends about GWB and i heard the same thing from conservative friends about Obama.
- magna7 6y ago
  Comparing GWB to Trump is a bit disingenuous, don't you think? Trump is an actual wannabe autocrat, as opposed to GWB and Obama.
  - wernercd 6y ago
    And yet Obama jailed journalists and worked towards instituting Socialist ideas - which include a ruling class. Meanwhile, Trumps only "autocrat" proof is words? He talks snit... What has he done to become a King? Nothing he's done so far isn't powers used by previous Presidents - including Obama. What actual has Trump taken to expand Presidential powers? And what steps has Trump taken to become a King? Because until actual actions are taken... words are just Trump talking shit. Which he's allowed to do...
    - ForHackernews 6y ago
      He's neutered the justice department[0] and he's packing the federal judiciary with ideologues to the exclusion of sober-minded jurists. He's firing inspectors general tasked with oversight of the executive.[1] [0] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/attack-fundamental-principle-justice/611395/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/attack-fun... [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/politics/trump-state-dept-inspector-general.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/politics/trump-state-d...
    - JoeJonathan 6y ago
      Obama jailed a journalist? Who? What do you mean by socialism? What socialist ideas did Obama institute? What is the "ruling class" within socialism? Regarding Trump: what do you make of him removing the inspector general who had opened an investigation against Pompeo? What do you make of him pushing out Jeff Sessions because Sessions recused himself from the Muller investigation? Put another way: what would count as stepping toward autocracy, other than an explicit suspension of Congress or the like? Barring outright coups, these things happen incrementally. See Hungary, Brazil, etc.
goatherders 6y ago
I dont.
montagg 6y ago
I'd love to live in this world, but it is not one I think anyone can afford to live in. This man is a true narcissist who has very little respect for the office, the institutions he's responsible for, or more than half the country. All sorts of things that were very far from reality are no longer. But I would love to be able to agree with you. That would be a better world. But the world we live in is where the President says "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," a racist dog whistle to the 1960s, who "jokes" about staying past any term limits, where enablers in Congress and in the media allow him to toe the line of criminal behavior with no accountability as long as it benefits them. That's reality. I wish it were different, but I cannot take your position and reconcile it with what's in front of us today.
- dahdum 6y ago
  Trump barely has support now, nothing close to the widespread popularity he’d need to refuse to leave office. There’s about a 0% chance the Supreme Court goes along with it, and without an election the Presidency automatically transfers. He’d also have to be astoundingly popular among the Secret Service for them to betray their oaths. His military support would tank, and him, his family, and administration would be in constant fear for their lives. IMO, he’s just not that insane, stupid, or popular enough to even try.
  - lazide 6y ago
    Not going to weigh in more generally - but he seems to be doing pretty fine according to recent polls https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/ https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/
    - dahdum 6y ago
      Well enough to pass some policy, but not enough to seize power through popularity. He’d undoubtedly lose significant (I’d wager most) Republican voters, and all semblance of a mandate. The idea drives a lot of clicks and ad views though, so I’m sure we’ll see many more speculative articles before the election.

When Trump leaves office he will be open to an enormous amount of investigation, litigation and prosecution. I don't know how probable it is that he tries to stay in office, but I don't think it is zero. Twitter planning around that possibility seems be less likely.

javagram 6y ago

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/trump-jokes-rigged-elections-chaos.html https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/trump-jokes-rigg... > Since assuming office in January 2017, Trump has made at least 27 references to staying in office beyond the constitutional limit of two terms. He often follows up with a remark indicating he is “joking,” “kidding,” or saying it to drive the “fake” news media “crazy.” Even if Trump thinks that he’s only “joking,” the comments fit a broader pattern that raises the prospect that Trump may not leave office quietly in the event he’s on the losing end of a very close election.

karatestomp 6y ago
OTOH people who hated Bush Jr. thought there was a good chance, and some evidence, that he'd find a way to stay in office past his term. Same with Obama.
0_gravitas 6y ago
"What if I...didn't leave office, as a joke...aha ha, just kidding... unless?"
throwawaylalala 6y ago
This is how he uses the Overton window to change the conversation. He's very good at this sort of thing.

zorpner 6y ago

How far do you think he would go in order to try?

Uhhrrr 6y ago
My personal estimate is zero. He can't really cash in until he leaves office.
- zapita 6y ago
  What makes you think that? What do you think "cashing in" entails, and what do you think prevents the Trump family from doing it now? Also, how would he and his family stay out of jail if they can no longer control the judiciary and FBI?
  - Uhhrrr 6y ago
    Cashing in entails: -Large book deal, with title "Winning: How I Made America Great Again Despite All The Dummy Losers In Washington" -Some sort of talk show or network -But mostly, going back to licensing the use of his name all over the place As for staying out of jail, he might not, but I suspect a combination of fuzzily enforced regulations and big money lawyers will keep him out.
    - zapita 6y ago
      I don't think you appreciate the magnitude of what is happening in the US at the moment. The federal government is being stripped for parts, as we speak. Entire agencies have been gutted. Industrial conglomerates can literally regulate their own industries - for a price. Foreign leaders can influence foreign policy - for a price. Federally endicted criminals can get out of jail as if nothing had happened - for a price. The level of grift and corruption is unlike anything the US has ever known. If Trump remains in power - which he is absolutely planning to do at all cost - it will only get worse. The end game for him is to create a new dynasty of oligarchs - at the same level of the Saudi royal family or Putin. Compared to that, the book deals and talk shows are nothing - crumbs. He wants to join the club. And that requires staying in power so that he can 1) continue stealing billions from the US public, and 2) continue corrupting the federal government to stay out of jail.

chasd00 6y ago

very very far from reality. i heard the same thing from liberal friends about GWB and i heard the same thing from conservative friends about Obama.

magna7 6y ago
Comparing GWB to Trump is a bit disingenuous, don't you think? Trump is an actual wannabe autocrat, as opposed to GWB and Obama.
- wernercd 6y ago
  And yet Obama jailed journalists and worked towards instituting Socialist ideas - which include a ruling class. Meanwhile, Trumps only "autocrat" proof is words? He talks snit... What has he done to become a King? Nothing he's done so far isn't powers used by previous Presidents - including Obama. What actual has Trump taken to expand Presidential powers? And what steps has Trump taken to become a King? Because until actual actions are taken... words are just Trump talking shit. Which he's allowed to do...
  - ForHackernews 6y ago
    He's neutered the justice department[0] and he's packing the federal judiciary with ideologues to the exclusion of sober-minded jurists. He's firing inspectors general tasked with oversight of the executive.[1] [0] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/attack-fundamental-principle-justice/611395/ https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/attack-fun... [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/politics/trump-state-dept-inspector-general.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/16/us/politics/trump-state-d...
  - JoeJonathan 6y ago
    Obama jailed a journalist? Who? What do you mean by socialism? What socialist ideas did Obama institute? What is the "ruling class" within socialism? Regarding Trump: what do you make of him removing the inspector general who had opened an investigation against Pompeo? What do you make of him pushing out Jeff Sessions because Sessions recused himself from the Muller investigation? Put another way: what would count as stepping toward autocracy, other than an explicit suspension of Congress or the like? Barring outright coups, these things happen incrementally. See Hungary, Brazil, etc.

goatherders 6y ago

I dont.

montagg 6y ago

I'd love to live in this world, but it is not one I think anyone can afford to live in. This man is a true narcissist who has very little respect for the office, the institutions he's responsible for, or more than half the country. All sorts of things that were very far from reality are no longer. But I would love to be able to agree with you. That would be a better world. But the world we live in is where the President says "when the looting starts, the shooting starts," a racist dog whistle to the 1960s, who "jokes" about staying past any term limits, where enablers in Congress and in the media allow him to toe the line of criminal behavior with no accountability as long as it benefits them. That's reality. I wish it were different, but I cannot take your position and reconcile it with what's in front of us today.

dahdum 6y ago
Trump barely has support now, nothing close to the widespread popularity he’d need to refuse to leave office. There’s about a 0% chance the Supreme Court goes along with it, and without an election the Presidency automatically transfers. He’d also have to be astoundingly popular among the Secret Service for them to betray their oaths. His military support would tank, and him, his family, and administration would be in constant fear for their lives. IMO, he’s just not that insane, stupid, or popular enough to even try.
- lazide 6y ago
  Not going to weigh in more generally - but he seems to be doing pretty fine according to recent polls https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/ https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/trump-approval-ratings/
  - dahdum 6y ago
    Well enough to pass some policy, but not enough to seize power through popularity. He’d undoubtedly lose significant (I’d wager most) Republican voters, and all semblance of a mandate. The idea drives a lot of clicks and ad views though, so I’m sure we’ll see many more speculative articles before the election.