I expect him to counter-program the inauguration with his own announcement. It’s a smart play, really. He gets to set himself up as the presumptive nominee through which all roads must travel, he gets four years of rallies and grifting at his properties, AND he will argue that any of the forthcoming prosecutions are inappropriate given that he’s a candidate for office. And the GOP sure seems like they’ll go merrily along.
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Though any attempt to have this PAC-person get ahold of them I feel would involve ghostings…
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Another scary point is that he will continue to drive the party to the right, complete with white supremacy, forcing whoever does win the republican nomination in 2024 to be another right wing asshole.
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He’s already the only President in U.S. history to lose the popular vote twice, but why rest on those laurels when there’s a chance of going 3-for-3?
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I’m really curious how the struggle between him and Paul Ryan will play out. Obviously it would be best if they burned each other to the ground and salted the ashes, but I have no idea what will actually come of it.
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2016 was a real mind fuck. Normally, you Monday morning quarterback after you’ve lost. Trump spent 2016 (up to the point where he actually won) doing preemptive Saturday night quarterbacking as an insurance policy. And then when he won, he still claimed there was fraud!
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It’s like the world’s shittiest Kickstarter that fell through.
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Except there is zero reason for the media, save perhaps Fox News (and definitely save Newsmax and OANN), to cover a counter-inauguration. For four years, the media have given Trump what he values above all else—attention—only because he’s the president and you kind of have to report on what the president says, no matter how zany or dangerous. But come January 20, news reporters don’t have to justify covering a single rally, tweet, press release, or Fox News appearance ever again.
I think the jury may still be out on the influence Trump has over the Republican Party. The Republican establishment never liked him, and tried to stop him in the primaries, but eventually they came around to his being a means to an end. That end happened: they got their tax cuts for the wealthy and their 200-some federal judges, including three Supreme Court seats. Trump was always a liability outweighed by his usefulness to the party. Now all he’ll have is his rabid fan base as a regular civilian. It remains to be seen what effect Civilian Trump has on the Republican Party, as opposed to a Candidate Trump or President Trump. (On the issue of Candidate Trump, however, I seriously doubt any non-Trumpist Republican like Mitch McConnell will start quaking in his boots at the prospect of Trump running in four years’ time. Sure, he’ll send some mean tweets—which, as noted, won’t be nearly as covered in the media because they’re coming from Civilian Trump—and even though he’s nominally founding a PAC, I think he’d much rather find ways to funnel that money into his own pockets rather than spending it either supporting a Trumpist Republican or hurting a non-Trumpist one.)
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It’s really very Hans Gruber.
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I want that shirt. No, I need that shirt. And you say I can get it for free? I just need to pay $30? Sounds legit!
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So long as he follows the signs for the grand egress…
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That is great news.
This person should reach out to the US Postal Inspectors and the Federal Election Commission, as this he would be the poster child for having standing in such a fraud case if ever prosecuted.
The FEC did prevail against a “candidate” that was materially misrepresenting themselves as fundraising for the GOP ( FEC v. Novacek, 2010) . Even if the FEC doesn’t prevail, that “near miss” should quickly chill these fundraising efforts, especially if the FEC says they will aggressively prosecute this as “election fraud.”
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I actually worry a bit because while we will be able to ignore the mango scented piss-biscuit, his fervent followers will not. And our inattention will allow this festering wound on the body politic to continue to suppurate. He will run again for 2024. The only reason that he hasn’t announced already is that he is still running this con based on fixing the last election. The grifting and the attention are just too tempting for him to voluntarily give them up.
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To bilk his cult suckers out of $150 million
A joke here about $750 paid in tax.
So, technically just bilking people out of $149999250, after expenses.
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That list will likely be shorter once this coming winter is over…
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A fool and his money are something something…
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You mean the guy who took his ball and went home over a year ago?
If he had any interest in setting himself up as an alternative to Trump then he’s pretty much squandered every possible opportunity. And retiring to a cherry gig on the Fox board in the face of inter party squabbles and a lost midterm was a great way to stay at the forefront of conservative politics.
Frankly I don’t think he had any interest in the first place. Dude even took a parting shot at the validity of our elections on his way out the door.
Dude ducked out because he knew his particular brand of milk toast, tax cuts and dog whistle conservatism was dead in the water. Not cause he had an issue with what was going on.
You’re forgetting about all those sweet, sweet ratings and the important above all else horse race framing. Exactly the reason for them to cover whatever the hell Trump cooks up.
The recent tendency to actually cut the guy off might mean they finally understand how damaging that is. But I won’t be holding my breath. We’re gonna be hearing about every temper tantrum until (or unless) he ends up in jail.
That rabid fan base represents a massive chunk of the GOP base. Enough to lose or win them elections in otherwise safe districts. Enough to mount successful primary challenges.
The majority of the Republican Establishment that never liked him retired, got replaced by Trumpists, or had their seats lost to the DNC in the face of Trump instigated challenges. Those that remain are at best entirely OK with what’s been happening so long as they get to stay in power, a good lot of them are fully on board.
A lot of this is stuff they’ve been pushing, sometimes cryptically sometimes shockingly open, for decades. To whatever extent some of these people might personally dislike Trump because he is crass, stupid and gross. These are their voters now. Trump may not have personal control of the whole Republican party, but the voters he has empowered and brought to the forefront are making the decisions on who runs, who has campaign dollars, which media personalities are most important to court. They’ve had a sizable impact on who even wants to be associated with the party going forward.
Even if a string of loses from here through the midterms sees mainstream Republicans dump the Trump approach. We’re as likely to see a shift further rightward, or a rift and 3rd party runs splitting votes as anything sensible.
This didn’t start with Donnie Two Burgers, and it doesn’t go away with him. Mitch McConnell saying oopsy sometime in 2023 does nothing about the actual, no shit bands of armed fascists wandering our streets.
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Wow, he’s really shattered Jill Stein’s record.
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I thought he already said that he’ll hold an announcement for his 2024 candidacy while Biden’s being inaugurated? His lawyers say that it’s a lie which means it’s true.
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Edward Norton’s theory is that Trump hopes to stir up enough fear of a coup that he can wangle immunity from prosecution in exchange for deigning to concede.
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