2019 will be the worst year of Donald Trump's life

[Zorro]

Some presidents have really bad years.

For Nixon, it was 1974 — the Watergate year, which ended with his resignation. For Clinton, it was 1998 — the Monica year, which culminated with an impeachment trial in the Senate in 1999. He won that vote easily and came out more popular than before.

It’s a good guess that Donald Trump’s really bad year will be 2019. And it’s not yet clear whether he’ll survive, like Clinton, or be forced out of office, like Nixon.

Nixon’s worst year resulted from crimes in his 1972 reelection effort, when burglars working for the campaign got caught breaking into the Democratic headquarters, and then Nixon and others conspired to stop the break-in investigation and cover up what had happened.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-wiener-trump-nixon-clinton-20190103-story.html

It's going to be a pretty bad year for the rest of us, too.

[BigmanPigman]

1. The worst year for the rest of the country was the year he was born/spawned.

[SuprstitionAintthWay]

2. My money's on 2021, not 2019, being Trump's worst year.

We'll learn what Mueller has, or, at least, a lot of it, in 2019, yes. And what happens of course depends very heavily on what Mueller's found.

But he's not going to try to criminally charge a sitting president. And impeachment is essentially worthless without conviction by 2/3 of the Senate. Which I don't see happening in a McConnell senate without irrefutable and extremely compelling evidence of multiple very serious crimes. Nixon could be ousted because he taped himself committing his crimes and both houses of Congress were Democratically controlled. We're going to have neither of those conditions (Trump is like Tony Soprano about avoiding leaving incriminating evidence) in 2019 and 2020.

I hope I'm wrong, but I believe it's most likely he'll serve out his (please let it be just) one term, leave office in late January 2021, and the next day be indicted on multiple felony counts, from indictments that today are under seal.

But then, he may well not even still be here to face trial. He'll know ahead of time, illegally from Whitaker and his other DoJ spies, exactly what's awaiting him on that coming January 2021 day. Meaning he'll... do what? My hope it's nothing more destructive to the nation, such as starting a war, invoking Emergency Powers, etc., than simply fleeing the country during his last days in office. But I can easily see his last official state visit as president being to Moscow. And him then sending Air Force One and the Secret Service back home without him.

Heads of state fleeing to exile to avoid imprisonment (or worse) under the next ruler has been common for as long as states have existed. If it happens here in 2021, it'll just be something new for us. (Well, Jeff Davis did try to flee. He just didn't make it.)

If Trump flees to Russia, with which we have no extradition treaty, he'll be able to live comfortably enough under Putin's sponsorship. But the global ignominy will make it his worst year anyway.

And even if all this does transpire, the next time a Republican occupies the White House, Trump may well get pardoned and be able to return home.

[mucifer]

4. It looks like Cohen might have tapes

Fingers crossed

[Dan]

3. Actually,

Unless Trump is cleared of working with the Russians to secure the POTUS, every year of his life from this point forward will be bad, I don’t know if there can be a thing such as worse year. He and his family are on a losing streak - and it looks like it will continue, plus his family will have the pleasure of reading what the history books will have to say about him... Nope, in my opinion there is no such thing as the worse year - but rather an ongoing continuation of family shame.