Would Trump Really Refuse to Leave Office?
As the Dems debate in Miami, we revisit the question of what the president might do if one of them beats him in 2020
Donald Trump loves fast food, golf, and dictators. Especially dictators. During the course of his presidency, he has invited Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, praised Vladimir Putin’s leadership skills, and called Kim Jong Un “a smart cookie.” Such plaudits prompt an obvious question: If Trump could dispense with democracy, would he?
Many people fear the answer to that question. In Michael Cohen’s testimony to Congress in February, the president’s one-time attorney said, “I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power.” Cohen might not be the most reliable of authorities — prior to that testimony, he’d pleaded guilty to lying to Senate and House committees. But other, more credible figures have voiced similar concerns around the president’s likelihood — or unlikelihood — of accepting defeat in the 2020 election.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted in a May interview with the New York Times that Trump would cast doubt on a close election and “poison the public mind.” Benjamin Hart went further in New York magazine and said “Trump is likely to cry foul no matter the election…
