Lakhota
Diamond Member
- Jul 14, 2011
- 165,561
- 89,041
The point here is that Trump has a long record of making wholly unsubstantiated claims about election results. And that includes doing so in an election -- 2016 -- in which he won!
It's not much of a stretch then to imagine that Trump, if he does come up short in the 2020 election, wouldn't be willing to simply go quietly into that good night. For Trump, refusing to admit defeat and hand over power voluntarily would be the final sacred cow he could slaughter. He's built a political career on a willingness to break with long-held traditions, the venerated elements of our capital "D" democracy that have long distinguished us from the rest of the world. Trump scoffs at all that sort of stuff, the trappings, he would argue, of an arcane system put in place by elites who can't channel the will of the people like he can.
If you think that's overstating things, it's worth noting that Trump has repeatedly "joked" about changing the Constitution to allow him to serve more than two terms as president.
Now, close your eyes and imagine this: Trump narrowly loses -- by 20-ish electoral votes -- in 2020. He refuses to concede, insists there has been widespread election fraud and notes that Democrats (and the media) have been trying to steal from him since he was elected in 2016.
Doesn't seem all that outlandish, does it?
More: What happens if Donald Trump refuses to admit he lost in 2020? - CNNPolitics
Based on Trump's history and previous statements - I agree there is a real possibility that he would not relinquish power willingly - especially in a close election. What do you think?
It's not much of a stretch then to imagine that Trump, if he does come up short in the 2020 election, wouldn't be willing to simply go quietly into that good night. For Trump, refusing to admit defeat and hand over power voluntarily would be the final sacred cow he could slaughter. He's built a political career on a willingness to break with long-held traditions, the venerated elements of our capital "D" democracy that have long distinguished us from the rest of the world. Trump scoffs at all that sort of stuff, the trappings, he would argue, of an arcane system put in place by elites who can't channel the will of the people like he can.
If you think that's overstating things, it's worth noting that Trump has repeatedly "joked" about changing the Constitution to allow him to serve more than two terms as president.
Now, close your eyes and imagine this: Trump narrowly loses -- by 20-ish electoral votes -- in 2020. He refuses to concede, insists there has been widespread election fraud and notes that Democrats (and the media) have been trying to steal from him since he was elected in 2016.
Doesn't seem all that outlandish, does it?
More: What happens if Donald Trump refuses to admit he lost in 2020? - CNNPolitics
Based on Trump's history and previous statements - I agree there is a real possibility that he would not relinquish power willingly - especially in a close election. What do you think?