what I increasingly think is going to happen - serious sore loserism

[cab67]

It is entirely possible that the presidential election will be close, that we won't know for sure who won for several days, and that the result will be disputed. It's also very possible that if Trump is defeated, he'll pretend he won and pull all kinds of shit to stay in office. He'll claim the results were rigged, that a lot of mail-in ballots were fraudulent, that undocumented immigrants voted in large numbers, or whatever.

But although my optimism is best described as highly cautious, I'm really beginning to think that the result won't be all that close, and that a Biden victory will be clear by the morning after the election. He'll win enough electoral votes that no office-holding Republican other than Trump himself will be unable to spin some other result out of the numbers.

If that's the case, we're going to see Trump be the worst loser in human history.

He'll never concede the election to Biden. He'll never admit he lost, even if he only tangentially alludes to voter fraud and doesn't actually claim victory. He'll be the first president in the modern era, other than those who died in office, to not congratulate his successor.

He'll also be the first president in the modern era who won't attend his successor's inauguration. Other than VPs who replace a president who died (T. Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, LBJ) or resigned (Ford), the outgoing president has always attended the inauguration of the incoming president. This has been true when the outgoing and incoming presidents are of different parties (e.g. Truman and Eisenhower, Eisenhower and Kennedy, LBJ and Nixon, GW Bush and Obama), and it's even been true of presidents voted out after only one term - Hoover, Ford, Carter, and GHW Bush all attended the inaugurations of their successors.

Trump will be a no show. He lacks the grace and decency to be magnanimous. Indeed, he doesn't even have the self-control to act like such a person, even for a little while. He'll slink off somewhere and not be seen. Republicans won't want him campaigning on their behalf, news channels won't seek his thoughts or opinions on political issues, and he won't be able to go on the lecture circuit. He'll exist only as a cranky voice on Twitter.

His portrait should never be displayed in the White House or the National Portrait Gallery. It would besmirch these places.

I'm sure his handlers will make sure he feels important and relevant, but it'll be Sunset Avenue.

Again, there are a lot of what-ifs that have to happen for any of this to come to pass. But that's what I'm really beginning to think will happen.

My unrequested tuppence, anyway.

[Thekaspervote]

1. He has already publicly stated he will not be at Biden's inauguration

Threw in as an after thought..if I don’t win.

[Rice4VP]

12. When did he say that?

I’ve always thought that he wouldn’t go anyway

[SlogginThroughIt]

2. It isn't going to be close.

[dchill]

3. I'm thinking he'll evacuate way before Inauguration Day.

He might even steal Air Force One.

[JHB]

5. I think the pilots will have something to say about that

[dchill]

10. He'll still be pResident. They follow orders.

[JHB]

20. What are you suggesting, that he's going to stick his head in the cockpit...

...and suddenly tell them to divert to Moscow?

They'll take him on a planned flight, and he may try to skip away at the destination, you said steal AF1, so maybe you can tell us exactly how you think that would happen.

[dware]

30. Just how the hell will he "steal" AF1?

AF1 is perhaps the most guarded aircraft on the planet, the pilots are the best of the best, they will not obey an illegal order.

If they even got a hint of the Mango Menace attempting to abscond with the aircraft, they would refuse to do his bidding.

[flibbitygiblets]

4. Agreed with one exception. He will not slink off.

He will find a way to continue to profit, probably via RW radio and pay per view TV..

Roughly 1/4 of the country will tune in.

[dchill]

9. He'll have to broadcast from "somewhere at sea."

The hound dogs will be on his trail.

[BootinUp]

6. "He'll exist only as a cranky voice on Twitter" k&r

[dalton99a]

7. Twitter should turn off his hate channel

The only reason they haven't done so is because he is the president of the U.S. (or so they said)

[Binkie The Clown]

8. And eventually, he will pass quietly in a memory care facility or mental institution. nt

[dixiechiken1]

14. He doesn't do ANYTHING quietly...

He'll go out kicking and screaming, making his caretakers' lives miserable the entire time. I feel bad for them. He can suck it.

[Binkie The Clown]

16. Probably true, but out of sight of the press, and so "quiet" to us, the public. nt

[dixiechiken1]

19. From your lips to god's ears, my friend...

[Skraxx]

11. He's Already Telegraphing Leaving the Country

Believe what he says. He knows if he loses he faces prosecution.

[Solomon]

32. That's what i've been saying.

He's seen enuf to know he can't win even with the cheating and suppression so he's telling us straight out that he's leaving the country. He can't stay here when he loses.

[SledDriver]

13. Trump already is the worst loser in human history.

[hauckeye]

15. Do you think he will still have rallies?

He will need his adulation fix. But he’d have to pay for them himself so maybe not

[Wounded Bear]

17. Trump is a sore winner...why would be be a good loser?

[Blues Heron]

18. He'll fold like a wet paper bag when faced with the overwhelming rejection

He has a history of slinking away

[ProudMNDemocrat]

21. Good riddance, you POS President....

Trump and former FLOTUS will not be present when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in. They are that petty.

The funny thing, pun intended, people have the memory of an Elephant. The Trumps will be remembered In the most unflattering way. The lighting of the White House Christmas tree this year will not be a celebration, but a PITY PARTY with a LOSER POTUS.

[beachbumbob]

22. rest assured, the presumptive winner will be announced 1 minute after California poll closes

[NurseJackie]

23. Boulevard.

[cab67]

27. point taken

[NurseJackie]

29. ...

[Proud Liberal Dem]

24. We all remember how much of a "sore winner" he was

I mean, he WON in 2016 (EC) and became POTUS but spent nearly a year complaining about "illegal voters" and established a committee to look at the "issue" because he didn't win the PV. Him losing both the EC and the PV is going to drive him over the edge.

[Old Terp]

25. Nixon resigned, not Ford. Ford did attend Carter's Inauguration.

As for Trump, it all Depends.

[cab67]

26. I know.

I was naming the incoming presidents, not their predecessors.

[cwydro]

28. I think you might well be right.

I dread the next few months.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

31. It's not going to be close.

Most states are counting their absentee/early votes in a timely manner. The few states that are not won't matter in the end.

He will, of course, be a sore loser and will spend every waking second tweeting and attending rallies talking about the "voter fraud" and how mailed in ballots shouldn't be counted and all sorts of garbage. I suppose it's too much to hope that those around him will get him to put a lid on it.

[lettucebe]

33. The results will be disputed unless tRump wins. Period. Doesn't matter the margin.

tRump will still file lawsuits aplenty.

[cab67]

41. I used to think this.

I won't say you're wrong, because I'm not certain he won't try to pull all kinds of stunts, but given the demeanor of other Republicans, it's increasingly likely (to my eyes, anyway) that he'll be either dissuaded or prevented from doing this.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

34. He'll leave the country before the inauguration.

That's what I strongly suspect will happen, anyway.

Maybe he'll invent an excuse for traveling to a country without an extradition treaty with the USA?

Russia? I doubt a pilot will fly him there, and the Secret Service will still insist on protecting him.

I can imagine him being flown to Ukraine so he can supposedly continue "investigating" there, however, and then he'll never return to face prosecution.

[JCMach1]

36. He will go to Dubai. Allies of his who gave him billions

In dark money.

AND, wait for it


No Extradition Treaty with US.


Oh, and lots of places that scream Trump.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

37. Then maybe a later flight to Russia.

Nothing will surprise me from that traitor!

[mnhtnbb]

42. I agree. He'll head for Dubai. Maybe leave Pence in charge during transition.

[JCMach1]

35. Damnatio memoriea

[Brainfodder]

38. If loud & proudly supporting this stain NOW, you deserve what you get!

Burning/shooting/whatevering MAGA hat videos I expect to to be a popular thing in 2021.

[tormadjax]

39. My God...he wouldn't run again in '24 would he?!

I mean, lets say he does lose... not so badly and goes into his "rigged election" mode and barnstorms around the nation for 4 years.

He would turn 78 in June of '24. Joe will be 78 in November of this year. Hard to say he would be too old then.

God help us!

[cab67]

40. I doubt he'd get through the primaries in 2024.

Trump still has his core, but I strongly doubt the Republican Party would allow him to get very far next time around. They'd try to coalesce around another candidate and limit the field to prevent him from getting the nomination.

[Martin Eden]

43. Let Trump disgrace himself. I'm more worried about

Violence from his heavily armed supporters who believe all the hyperbolic alarmist rhetoric from their Dear Leader -- that Joe Biden will destroy America with socialism, open borders, and hordes of black rioters attacking white communities.

Some of the white supremacist terror groups are gearing up for a civil war, and who knows what the QAnon crazies are capable of. They believe "Deep State" Democrats worship Satan, engage in pedophile sex trafficking, and murder children.

I fear for the lives of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and other innocent people who are in danger from the violence that is likely to ensue after stochastic terrorist Donald Trump is removed from office.