It’s perfectly obvious that Donald Trump should immediately resign as president. His insensitivity towards the issues contributing to the Charlottesville riot was the last straw for many people who were still hopeful that the president could recover. The nation and the world have turned against our leader, and it will be impossible for him to implement any of the significant initiatives he promised during the presidential campaign. But how will this all come down?
An increasing number believe Trump will surrender his office before the 2020 Election. If the president’s opposition (which already includes most of the press, every Democrat in the country, an increasing number of Republicans and a large swath of the business community) expands any further, the Trump administration will be unable to govern. This will no doubt frustrate the president to no end and further antagonize the dwindling number of supporters he continues to placate.
It’s conceivable that the president will resign in haste and say, “There are so many losers in Congress. Because they are still drinking swamp water, they are unable to serve the American people or me. I will no longer work with these incompetent political hacks. I quit.”
Or it’s possible Trump will deliver an extended speech on national TV and mention the names of politicians and others that he thinks unduly and unfairly caused his presidency to flop. The list would include first and foremost all the Republican traitors who did not support his campaign initiatives that enabled them to be so successful in 2016. On the top of the list you will find Mitch McConnell, the Majority Leader, who has been unable to manage his caucus and shepherd any legislation through the Senate. As an aside, it’s stunning that the Leader was unable to turn 2 or 3 senators in his own party to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Other critics and foils of Trump such as Paul Ryan and John McCain, in particular, will certainly feel his wrath in a resignation speech, as will uncooperative members of both houses of Congress. And, of course, Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader in the Senate, and Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader in the House, will receive special invective from the departing president. Their obstructionist attitude and inability to offer any new ideas to improve the country will be the focus of Trump’s comments. And he will strongly indicate that the party that elected him president turned their backs on the agenda that made him so popular last November.
The president will also have no kind words for many of people that worked for him in the White House, especially those who could not perform up to his standards including Steve Bannon (the grim reaper), Reince Priebus (the wimpy chief of staff), Michael Flynn (the liar) and Sean Spicer (the man made famous by SNL). None of these people should have been part of the administration to begin with for a variety of reasons. Perhaps Trump will even take some parting shots at Jeff Sessions for dubious actions, and non-action, pertaining to former FBI Head James Comey and the current Special Counsel investigation into Russian involvement in our elections.
For sure Trump will attack foreign leaders who were uncooperative, critical and/or threatening. On the top of the list will be Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al Assad, Angela Merkel and many of the other heads of state that castigated him for dumb and naive comments he made.
The corporate leaders who abandoned Trump’s advisory groups will surely get airtime. Likely Trump will say that they were more concerned with political correctness than the financial stability of the nation. He will point out they did not have the backbone to work with him based upon his seemingly insignificant comments about the Charlottesville situation. Trump will ignore the fact that his response to the riot was not presidential and did not go far enough to denigrate Neo-Nazis other supremists. America cannot have a president who is considered remotely supportive of hate groups.
It’s certainly feasible that Trump will stubbornly remain in the White House and ignore all the criticism being showered upon him. But to what end? If he cannot find any support from either political party, he will be worse than a lame duck president. Our president will be emasculated and without power, something Trump is not accustomed to. Leaders around the world will not consult with him or invite him to be involved in any global issues or problems.
There’s a strong possibility Trump may commit a blunder that is serious enough to stoke impeachment proceedings. This is a long shot because impeachment must be based upon a serious crime or misdemeanor. However Robert Mueller (the Special Counsel) and his staff are continuing to investigate Trump. Perhaps they can uncover a crime that warrants impeachment.
The odds of Trump winning the Republican nomination in 2020 are zero. Mike Pence would be the probable front-runner in the GOP primaries, and he of course would assume power if Trump stepped down prematurely.
The events delineated above are total speculation on the author’s part. However the hard feelings that are being expressed about Donald Trump are real and serious. Americans are disappointed and frightened about the ramifications of a collapse of the presidency. Given the serious issues facing the country from around the world, it is an inopportune time for this to occur.
When it’s all over, Trump will return to his castle in the sky on Fifth Avenue where he will again assume the role of king. He will pick up where he left off and try to build his brand, which will carry much less value prospectively. Who would want Trump’s name on their building or hotel after he disgracefully gave up the presidency?
Note: Special thanks to Cindy and Ron M. They inspired my two-part rant about the Trump imbroglio.