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There's been a lot of speculation regarding what Trump might or might not do in the event that he loses his re-election bid, particularly if it's a close election. There are some very good reasons why one might suspect that he would fail to accept or de-legitimize an election night loss.

First of all, he's been well known for wrapping his arms around various conspiracy theories even when there is absolutely no evidence present (see his Joe Scarborough tweets). For example, he claims that he actually won the popular vote in 2016 and that it was election fraud that denied him that victory even though he lost by over 2% and nearly 3 million votes.

Secondly, recently he's been sowing the seeds of his possible, or some might say probable, questioning the validity of the vote by making accusations that the Democrats are at work trying to rig the election:

First he lit into Michigan and Nevada, threatening to withhold federal funding because of his assertion that both states were preparing to commit voter fraud through mail-in ballot applications. Then President Donald Trump followed up Sunday with two more broadly worded warnings that November would be “the greatest Rigged Election in history.”

“The Democrats are trying to Rig the 2020 Election, plain and simple!”

And thirdly, we all know of Trump's reluctance to admit to any kind of personal failing, and certainly losing a Presidential election, particularly a re-election, can be a devastating personal blow to ego driven politicians that would have never embarked on a campaign for POTUS if not for the presence of a very prominent self esteem, as both Jimmy Carter and George HW Bush could attest to. Trump's ego defense mechanism, his inner voice that protects him from having to admit to himself that he's failed, would kick in and cause him to displace the blame on someone or something else.

The next question would be if Trump loses and starts claiming election fraud, what would the transition of power look like? How would he behave during the 2.5 months between election night and the inauguration of the new President? Would he try to maintain power?

If he doesn't win, the Republicans will toss him out. It won't matter. No substantial number of Republicans in the Senate or House or in the government will back him in any attempt to over-ride an election. He will be laughed out of office and pushed out as Republicans will just look at him and say, "You lose. See you later. On to the next battle." Just like they always do. No president gets to challenge the elections in either party even if they ask for recounts. No party wins challenging elections.

Aseahawkfan wrote:If he doesn't win, the Republicans will toss him out. It won't matter. No substantial number of Republicans in the Senate or House or in the government will back him in any attempt to over-ride an election. He will be laughed out of office and pushed out as Republicans will just look at him and say, "You lose. See you later. On to the next battle." Just like they always do. No president gets to challenge the elections in either party even if they ask for recounts. No party wins challenging elections.

Al Gore got to challenge one, and that wasn't settled for over a month. There were a lot of Democrats that still don't have a problem with Gore taking advantage of a loop hole in a law, one that was eventually ruled unconstitutional, that allowed him to cherry pick districts that voted heavily for him to recount.

If Trump loses by two or more states, he probably won't get any traction. But if he loses a close election, he'll make the 2000 election look like a church social. It could get real ugly.

My guess is he would use any tactic available to him to retain power.
He's a supreme narcissist and he can't fathom the people not loving him enough to re-elect him.

RiverDog wrote:Al Gore got to challenge one, and that wasn't settled for over a month. There were a lot of Democrats that still don't have a problem with Gore taking advantage of a loop hole in a law, one that was eventually ruled unconstitutional, that allowed him to cherry pick districts that voted heavily for him to recount.

If Trump loses by two or more states, he probably won't get any traction. But if he loses a close election, he'll make the 2000 election look like a church social. It could get real ugly.

My feeling is many Republicans would be happy to see Trump lose and would not support much of a recount. There would be a general sigh of relief that the tiresome headache is gone and they can find some candidate to beat Biden next election after he makes gaffe after gaffe or whoever the Dems throw out. Preferably someone that will bring some class and intelligence back to Republican candidates.

Aseahawkfan wrote:My feeling is many Republicans would be happy to see Trump lose and would not support much of a recount. There would be a general sigh of relief that the tiresome headache is gone and they can find some candidate to beat Biden next election after he makes gaffe after gaffe or whoever the Dems throw out. Preferably someone that will bring some class and intelligence back to Republican candidates.

I'd like to think so, too. But right now, the Republican Party belongs to Trump. If he convinces 70%-80% of R's that he got robbed, it's going to be very difficult for those Senators, Representatives, and Governors to turn on him. Remember how in 2016 we all underestimated the drawing power that Trump had with a very large percentage of the country.

Just looking at my Facebook feed, there's a whole lot of people complaining about vote by mail even though we've had it in this state for over a decade. Trump has them fired up. My gut feel is that someone is going to create an incident to give Trump something he can wrap his arms around.

Mark my words: If Trump loses, he's not going to go away quietly. It's not in his character.

RiverDog wrote:I'd like to think so, too. But right now, the Republican Party belongs to Trump. If he convinces 70%-80% of R's that he got robbed, it's going to be very difficult for those Senators, Representatives, and Governors to turn on him. Remember how in 2016 we all underestimated the drawing power that Trump had with a very large percentage of the country.

Just looking at my Facebook feed, there's a whole lot of people complaining about vote by mail even though we've had it in this state for over a decade. Trump has them fired up. My gut feel is that someone is going to create an incident to give Trump something he can wrap his arms around.

Mark my words: If Trump loses, he's not going to go away quietly. It's not in his character.

He's never quiet. Fortunately Trump doesn't run the Republican Party. There are power brokers behind the scenes who will shut him down once he's voted out. They're waiting for him to lose. Once he does, the Republican establishment will send him on his way.

Aseahawkfan wrote:He's never quiet. Fortunately Trump doesn't run the Republican Party. There are power brokers behind the scenes who will shut him down once he's voted out. They're waiting for him to lose. Once he does, the Republican establishment will send him on his way.

Well, it sure looks to me like he runs the party. But we'll see. Hopefully Biden wins handily enough to where a contested vote isn't possible. But if Biden wins by one state like Bush did with Florida in 2000, it's going to be a nasty transition. He's not going to be able to hold onto the office by force, but it's going to be real ugly.

RiverDog wrote:Well, it sure looks to me like he runs the party. But we'll see. Hopefully Biden wins handily enough to where a contested vote isn't possible. But if Biden wins by one state like Bush did with Florida in 2000, it's going to be a nasty transition. He's not going to be able to hold onto the office by force, but it's going to be real ugly.

Maybe so, but behind the scenes there will likely be Republican power brokers letting him know he's done. Same as eventually Democratic power brokers let Al Gore know he was done.

Trump is the face of the party. He likely doesn't respect other power brokers in his party that disagree with him. They likely let him run his mouth while he has the juice and is mostly doing what they want like keeping taxes lower and working on some Republican goals. But just like all sycophants and power players, once you lose the juice as president you lose the support of your base. They move on to the next guy who can get them what they want. That's the game. Trump doesn't have people really loyal to him. He has people looking to gain his favor for their agenda. If his favor means nothing, they'll leave him like vultures leave a carcass no longer worth eating for their next meal.