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By Robert A. Vella

Shortly after Donald Trump took office in January 2017, evidence of corruption erupted into political scandals and constitutional crises which have only grown worse over time.  In May of that year, after National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned (in February) and FBI Director James Comey was fired just a week before Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel to lead the Department of Justice investigation into the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia during the 2016 election, I speculated on this blog that Trump wouldn’t finish his first term as president and would probably resign beforehand (see:  Trump’s megalomania is running amok, and it will eventually destroy him).  Obviously, that speculation was wrong and it is why I am typically averse to guessing about future events which are never certain to occur.

Today, after a staggering level of political corruption and calamities wreaked upon this nation, Trump still sits in the Oval Office barely more than four months before the 2020 election.  If he hasn’t resigned yet, why would he resign now?  It’s probably a safe bet to assume that he won’t, and that he’ll fight to the bitter end to stay in the White House.  An honorable president would willingly resign under the current circumstances for the good of the country;  but, we all know Trump is not honorable.  If there is any chance at all of him resigning or perhaps not running for reelection, I think it could happen only one way.

First, support for Trump and Republican congressional candidates would need to fall further in public opinion polls by about five more percentage points to approximately 35%.  That would increase the anxiety within the GOP leadership to a point of panic.  Consequently, they might consider making a deal with Trump to replace him as the party’s presidential nominee.

Second, for Trump to even consider such a deal, he would demand a lot in return.  At the top of his list would surely be a guarantee of immunity from criminal prosecution and civil litigation against him, his family, and his close associates.  Republicans in Congress would likely agree to such terms, but they would need consent from Democrats who would make their own demands.  For Dems, who are holding all the cards right now, running against a highly unpopular president and party is a dream come true.  They wouldn’t give up that advantage without getting something very valuable in return;  and, that means we’re probably stuck with Trump until January 2021.

Here’s the news:

From:  US tops 2.5 million confirmed cases

A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 494,000 people worldwide.

Over 9.8 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.

The United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 2.5 million diagnosed cases and at least 125,039 deaths.

See also:

Global coronavirus cases exceed 10 million

China puts half a million people in lockdown as Beijing fights new cluster

Southern [U.S.] states report record coronavirus surges

US coronavirus: Only two states are reporting a decline in new cases

From:  Lincoln Project hits Trump over reported bounties on US troops: ‘Silent, weak, controlled’

Republican super-PAC The Lincoln Project blasted President Trump in a new ad over a report that Russian military operatives offered bounties to Afghan militants to kill coalition forces, including U.S. troops.

“This heinous failure by the commander-in-chief to protect American soldiers in the field is unthinkable,” Reed Galen, co-founder of the anti-Trump group, said in a statement. “There aren’t words to describe Donald Trump’s dereliction of duty as Commander in Chief.”

“Congress should charge him for this crime,” co-founder Mike Madrid added. “Unfortunately, his enablers in the U.S. Senate, starting with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will shrug off this war crime like he has everything else.”

In the minute-long spot, titled “Bounty,” a narrator says over footage of flag-draped caskets: “Now we know Vladimir Putin pays a bounty for the murder of American soldiers. Donald Trump knows too, and does nothing.”

“Putin pays the Taliban cash to slaughter our men and women in uniform, and Trump is silent, weak, controlled,” the narrator continues over footage of Trump and the Russian leader shaking hands. “Instead of condemnation, he insists Russia be treated as our equal. Instead of retaliation, he invites Putin to America.”

“When Trump tells you he stands by the troops, he’s right. Just not our troops,” the spot concludes.

From:  Former national security officials are questioning the White House’s claim Trump never knew about a Russian bounty on US troops

Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, said that even if the denial were true, and the intelligence never made its way to the president, it would signal the incompetence of the Trump administration.

“I don’t believe this for a minute, but if it were true, it means that Trump is not even pretending to serve as commander in chief. And no one around him has the guts to ask him to. More evidence of their deadly incompetence,” she wrote, following the White House denial.

Her deputy at the time, Ben Rhodes, wrote: “In addition to being almost certainly a lie, the idea that Trump wouldn’t be briefed on Russia putting a bounty on US troops is even crazier than him being briefed and doing nothing.”

Asha Rangappa, a former CIA agent who works as an analyst for CNN, questioned why John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence, had not been fired if it was accurate that the president had not been apprised about the threat to the lives of US forces from an international adversary.

[…]

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on criticism of its statement Saturday.

From:  In ‘God, guns and Trump’ country, simmering doubts about the president

“He’s an embarrassment,” said Ron Kennedy, 72. “And I voted for him.”

A veteran of the Air Force, Kennedy said he had grown wary of the president’s blunt style over the last few years. But the turning point for him came this month when protesters outside the White House were pushed back by authorities so Trump could walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church to be photographed by news crews.

“It turned me off,” Kennedy said. “Breaking up a peaceful protest just for a photo op.”

[…]

Four years ago, 57-year-old Keith Eaton viewed Trump as a refreshing change — an outsider who didn’t speak like a politician and appeared to act based on his gut.

“I just wanted to see what would happen,” said Eaton, who told himself: “At the very least it’s gonna be a circus we can watch.”

But Trump’s novelty has worn off, he said.

“The lack of leadership with this whole COVID thing, the lack of respect for the professionals that do this stuff … the last four months have turned me way, way more against him,” said Eaton, a firefighter. “There’s no way I would vote for him at this point. And a lot of guys I know feel the same.”

From:  Trump admits it: He’s losing

Donald Trump knows he’s losing.

The president has privately come to that grim realization in recent days, multiple people close to him told POLITICO, amid a mountain of bad polling and warnings from some of his staunchest allies that he’s on course to be a one-term president.

Trump has endured what aides describe as the worst stretch of his presidency, marred by widespread criticism over his response to the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide racial unrest. His rally in Oklahoma last weekend, his first since March, turned out to be an embarrassment when he failed to fill the arena.

What should have been an easy interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday horrified advisers when Trump offered a rambling, non-responsive answer to a simple question about his goals for a second term. In the same appearance, the normally self-assured president offered a tacit acknowledgment that he might lose when he said that Joe Biden is “gonna be your president because some people don’t love me, maybe.”

In the hours after the interview aired, questions swirled within his inner circle about whether his heart was truly in it when it comes to seeking reelection.

See also:

Trump’s in danger of losing some of his most faithful voters

Pence cancels campaign events in Florida and Arizona as coronavirus cases spike

Trump fires official who informed Congress about whistleblower complaint – President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, who informed Congress about the initial whistleblower information about the Ukraine phone call that led to his impeachment.

20 thoughts on “Why Trump won’t resign”

  1. “In the hours after the interview aired, questions swirled within his inner circle about whether his heart was truly in it when it comes to seeking reelection.” I’m starting to get the sense Trump may very well be aware he will lose and is being to wreak as much havoc as he can on his way out. Hence the filing with the Supreme Court in the middle of the night to overturn the ACA. Might as well just ruin all he can if he’s going to go out. I truly am impressed, too, with the Lincoln Project’s ads. Nice job. We need more like them and to be running all the time.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. I agree with your prognosis that he won’t resign. And, being the master in the art of the deal, he won’t go quietly into the night without ensuring his self-survival and that of his family’s business empire.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. Robert, we really appreciate you for putting all this together. With so many crazies in so many areas, almost anything can happen. The GOP can see the writing on the wall, but are they wise enough to block the bigot? Is there a Republican alternate to a Trump run? GROG

    Liked by 3 people

  4. Perhaps in addition to all your excellent assessments as to why tRumpfy will never officially/legally resign, I also feel he cares WAY TOO MUCH about his public image in the eyes of his colleagues, business partners, paternal family(?) and ancestors, any Mob-style colleagues, and his hardline supporters is because he would look identical to Richard M. Nixon… most likely much worse.

    Therefore, he might even go down to his own death just to avoid all the widespread shaming he has caused—but never accept any of it for himself and his immature behavior. Yes? 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    • That’s a very real possibility, Professor. I suspect, however, that Trump is too much of a coward to risk his own life just to defend his image. Such bravery is not typical of narcissistic personality disorders (a.k.a. megalomania).

      Liked by 2 people

      • True.

        However, if he has all those psychological dysfunctions and lifetime habits of corruption/power—taught to him by his father & grandfather—and they are or become acute enough, because they cannot control themselves then I think tRumpfy is capable of digging his own grave then like a moron fall into it dead… just like Hitler, Goebbels, Alan García Pérez, Emperorer Chongzhen Ming Dynasty, Alan García Pérez, or very similar too: Jeffrey Epstein.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Yes, megalomaniacs tend to endanger themselves because they cannot control their tyrannical impulses. If the backlash against them turns violent, then their lives are at risk. Hitler’s bunker retreat and suicide are a perfect example. Trump’s recent bunker retreat and wall-building around the White House reflect that same psychology; but, his life is currently not in danger. His administration is not now directly threatened by violent overthrow from inside or outside the U.S.

          I’m not sure about the other historical figures you cited.

          From my perspective, the megalomaniacal pursuit of power is not indicative of courage and strength. It is the opposite. Such individuals are motivated to tyranny by intense feelings of inferiority and insecurity. They must control everything around them to feel safe and worthy. Above all, they need adulation and devotion to feed their fragile egos. Hitler’s life was filled with failure, and so was Trump’s. That one came from poverty and the other from wealth is immaterial to this psychology.

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  5. tRump in his utter madness believes he can outsmart anyone and lie his way out of anything. He hasn’t really got passed any of his crap, just covered it up with more of the same. What happens next? The mind is a mess, so many things to consider… Maybe his health, physical, mental or both will give out? It will be interesting to see what happens next and the election outcome! GROG

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Unless Trump loses the election in a landslide, he’ll claim voter fraud, outside interference (how ironic would that be?), or ANYTHING remotely imaginable in order to stay in power. A cornered megalomaniac could be even more determined and dangerous than an unbounded one.

    One thing is certain — it’s not going to be pretty.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Makes sense, but I still think if SCOTUS rules against him on his taxes he might well step down in return for them never being revealed. Whatever it is, he’s utterly terrified of those docs being made public.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Reblogged this on Rcooley123's Blog and commented:
    Another excellent effort by Robert A. Vella. Since I doubt Trump would voluntarily leave office if defeated in November, it seems obvious that Trump would never abandon his post before such a defeat could take place. He has only been emboldened by the fake impeachment trial in the Senate which refused to even question witnesses let alone convict and remove him from office.

    President Trump’s consistent authoritarian streak needs to be reigned in and confront in order to defeat him in November and mitigate the damage he is able to wreak between now and the end of his term. Expecting him to change his words and deeds at this late date is a waste of time and effort better spent ensuring his electoral defeat and planning policies to undo the damage he has already caused due to his economic, health care, immigration and Covid-19 mismanagement. He’s not the only one who needs to go. His Congressional enablers and most of his cabinet and other appointees will rightfully join him in leaving government “service” if you can call what they have been doing serving the public. Strengthening democracy in this country demands it. – rjc

    Liked by 1 person

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