The Trump Presidency

[Peter B]

It helped that the candidates and moderator were intelligent and, you know, sane.

It has been reported that the President spent very little time preparing for the debate.  I gather his plan all along was to drag Biden down to his level and then flog him with experience.  I don't think Pres. Trump had the slightest delusion that he would win the debate according to the ground rules.  He claimed earlier that Chris Wallace would go easy on Biden and tough on him.  You know -- Chris Wallace, the Fox News anchor.  If he's already making excuses for losing, then he probably had no interest in preparing to win.  His plan seems to have been to stump for ninety minutes in his solitary idiom, the rules and format be damned.

Over at UM one of the Trump supporters claimed Wallace was so soft on Biden and tough on Trump that Wallace must be heading to CNN soon. I'll leave it to those of you who know Wallace better to comment on his political credentials.

...Our President egging on fringe radicals is not someplace I thought we'd be.  Maybe he really is trying to start another civil war.

I wonder if he's following the Julius Caesar playbook - while he's President he can't be indicted.

If the stories about his taxes are true, and he's likely to be charged once he's no longer President, then the simple solution is to never stop being President. He can start that by winning the election, by whatever means. Alternatively he can be followed by Pence or another Trump...

This is why I don't buy the suggestion that Trump didn't intend to win the 2016 election. I'd have thought instead that he (or his advisors) would have plans for multiple scenarios. If we assume he knew in 2015 that he had tax and loan problems that could turn ugly, then it stands to reason he'd have a plan for if he won and another for if he lost (and yet another if he didn't become Republican candidate). If he loses the election or doesn't even win the nomination he at least gets a lot of free advertising which will help his business. If he wins the election he gets even more publicity, and is protected from prosecution.

[gillianren]

The softest question of the whole evening--not that I watched the debate, for reasons--was "do you oppose white supremacy?"  And Trump couldn't give the right answer.

[jfb]

I've already seen someone say that they're sure Nancy Pelosi's taxes would prove she's just as bad.

To be honest, it doesn't matter because very few actually inspire me. I think Biden is a terrible choice but at least he is not Trump. I seem to differ from a lot of people with my opinion that the DNC is falling into the same old trap: they are trying to fight asymmetric warfare with the last war's tactics. It didn't work with Hillary Clinton, and it won't work with Joe Biden.

I would have loved to see someone like Pete Buttigieg go against him. When he would go against Trump, he wouldn't bring a knife to a gunfight.

No, despite being under-informed on all the significant US politicians, my opinion is they are all just politicians like all politicians around the world: in it for themselves, and corrupt as all hell.

Democratic primary voters chose Biden over everyone else, not the DNC.  I want to make sure everyone understands that.  Yes national committees have influence, yes they can help some candidates and not help others, but at the end of the day the decision is made by voters.  I voted for Warren in the primaries, but I was in the clear minority.

People voted for Biden because he's familiar, was part of a popular Presidential administration, known as about a decent a guy as you'll find in national politics, understands the responsibility of the job and has the temperament to execute it properly, has strong foreign policy and national security credentials, etc.  Maybe he doesn't inspire people  , but if getting a criminal and national security risk out of office isn't inspiration enough then you are a failure as a citizen. 

Yes, he's old.  That's part of why I didn't vote for him in the primary.  But if the choice is between him and Trump, then it isn't really a choice; it's a slam-dunk. 

[LunarOrbit]

The softest question of the whole evening--not that I watched the debate, for reasons--was "do you oppose white supremacy?"  And Trump couldn't give the right answer.

Agreed. It's was the easiest question for him to answer, even if he doesn't truly believe it. "I condemn all white supremacist groups". Why can't he do that? Why give an answer that is open enough to interpretation that the Proud Boys celebrated?

[LunarOrbit]

I wonder if he's following the Julius Caesar playbook - while he's President he can't be indicted.

That playbook didn't end well for Julius Caesar. Give the people a non-violent method of removing their leaders from power or... bad stuff happens. And to be clear, not encouraging bad stuff to happen. I'm encouraging leaders to follow the rules and respect the outcome of elections.

[JayUtah]

I gather his plan all along was to drag Biden down to his level and then flog him with experience.

Chris Wallace just rendered a substantially similar opinion.

[Bryanpoprobson]

Breaking news his he and Melania have tested positive for Covid.

[Zakalwe]

Breaking news his he and Melania have tested positive for Covid.

Donald, please, please, please don't die of coronavirus and prevent the world from watching your soon to be bankrupted again, racist, white-supremacist supporting, corrupt ass dying in prison.

[Peter B]

Breaking news his he and Melania have tested positive for Covid.

Donald, please, please, please don't die of coronavirus and prevent the world from watching your soon to be bankrupted again, racist, white-supremacist supporting, corrupt ass dying in prison.

But if it happened, Pence gets sworn in as President, yes? Even if Trump were to die between the election and the inauguration?

What about who appears on the ballot papers if Trump dies before the election?

[Bryanpoprobson]

Sorry, have never subscribed to CT of any nature........... But say if he hasn't got the virus and is just getting out of the next debate and possibly a device to suspend elections?

Just saying....................... 

[Zakalwe]

Breaking news his he and Melania have tested positive for Covid.

Donald, please, please, please don't die of coronavirus and prevent the world from watching your soon to be bankrupted again, racist, white-supremacist supporting, corrupt ass dying in prison.

But if it happened, Pence gets sworn in as President, yes? Even if Trump were to die between the election and the inauguration?

What about who appears on the ballot papers if Trump dies before the election?

I'm no expert, but I think that if Big Orange kicked the bucket then the Reps can put a person of their choosing on the ballot paper. It'll be messy, no matter what the outcome.

[JayUtah]

A party's bylaws govern the process of replacing a dead or incapacitated candidate for President prior to the election.   The Republican party's procedure calls for the national committee members each to cast their state's number of votes in the nominating convention for a new candidate.  The problem is that the states operate the election, and the replacement of candidates on ballots is governed by individual state law.  In fact, voting is already underway in some states, which raises the issue of what to do with votes cast for a defunct candidate.  But of course the only election that actually has the effect of selecting a President is that of the Electoral College.  My state requires partisan electors to vote for the candidate selected by their party, "except in the cases of death or felony conviction of a candidate."  This likely means that Donald J. Trump's name would remain on the ballot, because the filing deadline is August 31, but the Republican party could recommend its electors vote for a different person.  If the Electoral College vote becomes so chaotic as to fail to elect a President by a majority, the provisions in the Constitution come into play.  That means the House of Representatives elects the President and Vice President, probably not something the Republican party would want to have happen.

[JayUtah]

But if it happened, Pence gets sworn in as President, yes? Even if Trump were to die between the election and the inauguration?

Yes.  The 20th Amendment explicitly provides for this.  If the President-elect dies before he can be inaugurated, the Vice-President-elect is sworn in instead as President.

What about who appears on the ballot papers if Trump dies before the election?

Appearance on the ballot is governed by individual state law.  In my state, to appear on the ballot, you must declare your candidacy and certify your electors to the Lieutenant Governor by 5pm on August 31 preceding the general election, which is also the last day for the candidate to withdraw or for the party to withdraw its candidate.  The actual preparation of the ballot is the job of each county clerk, as directed by the Lt. Governor.  And since my state votes primarily by mail, ballots have already gone out.  It is allowed under state law for polling places to post notices indicating a ballot error or a candidate who is no longer eligible, or for such notices to be mailed out or appear on the state's website.

But since you're really voting for electors, and the electors themselves are not dead, the name printed on the ballot is largely inconsequential in a Presidential election.

[gillianren]

Democratic primary voters chose Biden over everyone else, not the DNC.

Thank you--this is a thing that deeply irritates me.  The DNC can't make people run, and it can't keep people from running.  And it can't force votes.  In the end, Biden got more primary votes, and that's what mattered.

[LunarOrbit]

Democratic primary voters chose Biden over everyone else, not the DNC.

Thank you--this is a thing that deeply irritates me.  The DNC can't make people run, and it can't keep people from running.  And it can't force votes.  In the end, Biden got more primary votes, and that's what mattered.

Yeah, that irritates me too. I tried to explain it to some Bernie Sanders supporters on Twitter the other day, but I'm a Canadian, so what do I know?