If ever a post will get me in trouble, this is the one.
I’ve had arguments with MAGA friends about the assassination attempts on Trump. Do they reflect what liberals want? Do ordinary Democrats support it? How much does your average Trump hater actually want him dead? How much do they support his assassination? It was time to look in the mirror and examine my own beliefs. I hate Trump. I really do. I hate him as a human being, I hate him as President. The country, the planet, the species, are all far worse off because of his existence. But what does that imply? Do I actually want him to be murdered? When is the cure worse than the disease?
Here are my rankings, from most to least desirable, of how the Trump presidency ends.
Trump Exits Early:
- Trump willingly leaves office now. He decides to run a media empire or something. Being President sucks. He abdicates and leaves the last couple years to JD Vance. (He dies on a bed made of hundred dollar bills surrounded by pretty blond women telling him how great he is. His last words are “I won.”)
- Trump willingly ends his term now due to mental or physical incapacitation. He abdicates via Section 3 of the 25th Amendment. JD Vance takes over.
- Trump dies of natural causes now. JD Vance takes over.
- Trump unwillingly leaves office now. He is impeached and convicted or is removed by others via Section 4 of the 25th Amendment. Either way, he leaves office early unwillingly. JD Vance takes over.
Trump Finishes Term:
- Trump finishes out his term. Nothing special. He leaves at end of his term.
- Trump finishes out his term. But along the way he gets something horrible and visibly disfiguring. A physical injury, a medical issue, whatever. He is not really in charge but continues as a figurehead. Similar to Woodrow Wilson’s stroke or Reagan’s early dementia. But it must be visible. The humiliation and loss of physical normalcy matters. This is the spiteful one.
The Exception:
- Trump ends his term early due to assassination. JD Vance takes over. Although assassination is part of “leaving office early”, assassination is very bad. I moved it down. The societal and moral cost of political violence overrides the benefit of an early exit. I still prefer assassination to the last category though, Trump keeps on going.
Trump Keeps Going:
- Trump somehow pulls a constitutional fast one, serves a 3rd term (or more).
- Trump leads another insurrection. He serves a 3rd term, but relies on overt physical violence rather than pseudo-legal maneuvering.
- Trump effectively becomes king, doesn’t leave until his death.
- Trump actually declares himself king, doesn’t leave until his death. He passes the crown to his handpicked heirs, Donald Trump Jr or Jared Kushner.