What Happens if Trump loses and Refuses to Concede? (1 Viewer)

If Trump loses and refuses to concede, what do you think would happen on January 20, 2021?

  • Trump's staff would eventually talk him out of trying to remain in office

    Votes: 5 38.5%
  • Trump would ignore his staff and call on his loyal supporters to revolt

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Trump would have to be physically removed from the White House

    Votes: 4 30.8%

  • Total voters
    13

Users who are viewing this thread

    Saintamaniac

    Rise Sons of the Gold & Purple
    Joined
    Sep 28, 2019
    Messages
    1,356
    Reaction score
    2,631
    Age
    53
    Location
    Laplace, LA
    Offline
    VP Biden has been making the case and voicing his opinion that his biggest fear is Trump trying to steal the election or losing and refusing to concede. Corey Booker just the other day stated the same and went so far as to say:
    "I would sooner die. And I mean that very seriously, I would sooner die than to see my nation's constitutional tradition of peaceful transfers of power to be vacated by a demagogue who won't humble himself,"


    What do you think would happen?
     

    FullMonte

    Well-known member
    Joined
    Nov 14, 2019
    Messages
    942
    Reaction score
    1,600
    Age
    55
    Location
    Bossier City
    Offline
    Here's the question I've always had....

    What happens if a candidate concedes the election, but then when the votes are finally counted, it turns out that candidate won. I would assume that regardless of concession, the result of the vote is what matters.
     

    Richard

    Well-known member
    Staff member
    Joined
    Oct 6, 2018
    Messages
    470
    Reaction score
    1,043
    Location
    Soso, MS
    Offline
    Addressing the scenario, I can see a situation where Trump challenges the results in states where the totals are close, but only if the election would swing his way if those states went to him. Trump has always been very litigious, so I would think that he would try to have the results of swing states reversed. However, if it wouldn’t change the ultimate result of the election and he still wouldn’t have enough electoral college votes, he would reluctantly accept his fate. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t leave without questioning the validity of the results no matter how large his defeat.
     

    brandon

    Well-known member
    Joined
    May 17, 2019
    Messages
    2,488
    Reaction score
    4,224
    Offline
    I’ve been banging this drum for years.

    You left off an option: Trump refuses to concede and Republicans in Congress, the Supreme Court, and the military actively support him.
     

    JRad

    I'm not a cat
    Joined
    Sep 28, 2019
    Messages
    1,356
    Reaction score
    2,003
    Age
    40
    Location
    Baton Rouge
    Offline
    I’m not convinced he’d get away with it, if he even had it in him to try. While I do believe you’re going to hear about a fixed election, I’m not sure he has enough interest to do anything beyond go through the motions of resisting.

    Despite his current support, I don’t think that stays strong enough for any real resistance.

    What does concern me is a small part (I want to emphasize small part here) of his base wouldn’t hesitate to act out

    The transition, whenever it comes, is going to be awful though. He’s not the person you want to be handed off a project from.
     

    cuddlemonkey

    Well-known monkey
    Joined
    May 17, 2019
    Messages
    3,252
    Reaction score
    3,581
    Offline
    Trump will never admit he lost. He'll be on Russian TV, in jail, wherever talking about how things were rigged against him and he should be declared the winner.

    And far too many people will believe 100% of it.
     

    Kiln

    Active member
    Joined
    May 14, 2020
    Messages
    27
    Reaction score
    26
    Age
    46
    Location
    Pond
    Offline
    Then why did you respond? If you don't have any constructive contribution, simply ignore it and move on. If you find it so stupid, it's kinda stupid to join in, no?
    its to stupid to add anything constructive. I cared just enough to call it what it is, stupid. I also thought it was stupid when the other side said the same thing about Barry, stupid.
     

    Maxp

    Well-known member
    Joined
    May 17, 2019
    Messages
    403
    Reaction score
    632
    Offline
    its to stupid to add anything constructive. I cared just enough to call it what it is, stupid. I also thought it was stupid when the other side said the same thing about Barry, stupid.
    I don't know, Trump already claimed his 2016 victory was illegitimate.
     

    Incumbent

    Well-known member
    Joined
    Oct 7, 2019
    Messages
    285
    Reaction score
    744
    Location
    United States
    Online
    Something to keep an eye on are the fights over mail-in voting amid COVID-19 fears. In Texas, this has led the state supreme court to render a decision that has been described as a "don't ask, don't tell" approach to mail-in voting qualifications. Voters are supposed to meet a hardship requirement to qualify. A concern is that some people will vote by mail, fearing risk of infection, something that then could become contested post-election, and serve as grounds for litigation. It could also potentially expose voters to charges of fraud, asserting a misrepresentation of circumstances to secure a mail-in ballot that didn't fit the narrow list of requirements.

    Here's some background.

     
    Last edited:

    superchuck500

    U.S. Blues
    Joined
    Mar 26, 2019
    Messages
    3,842
    Reaction score
    9,302
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Offline
    Anti-Obama people used to engage in fantasy about Obama refusing to leave or instituting martial law to avoid the ending of his term. I thought those hypotheticals were pretty silly - and I think the same about similar questions about Trump.

    I think its possible that Trump may attempt legal challenges if he were to lose the election, but I think the matter would be resolved by the Supreme Court prior to January 20, the constitutional date at which the presidential term ends. If Trump loses that legal challenge, the new president will be sworn in and Trump will no longer have the constitutional legal authority to act as president and commander-in-chief.

    So Trump, or any sitting president for that matter, doesn't really get to control whether they remain president. They could try to physically remain in the White House but that doesn't really do much apart from raising an issue with a trespasser in the White House. And he could attempt some kind of constitutional coup with loyalists, but I think, at the end of the day, few will meaningful ability to carry out such a coup would actually agree to it.
     

    insidejob

    "Trained Marxist"
    Joined
    May 21, 2019
    Messages
    2,625
    Reaction score
    3,455
    Age
    87
    Location
    ग्लानि
    Offline
    And he could attempt some kind of constitutional coup with loyalists, but I think, at the end of the day, few will meaningful ability to carry out such a coup would actually agree to it.
    IDK, the Klan and hosts of White Nationalist groups that have come out of the shadows since his election are probably foaming at the mouth to militarize themselves and defend their Dear Leader because they'll have been convinced the election was rigged. He'll start ramping up that rhetoric just like he did last time as the election gets much closer.

    Regardless, this will not be a peaceful transfer of power, IMO (among the citizens). His base will probably take to the streets on election night if he loses - and they'll probably be armed too. Combine that with scores of people who take to the streets to celebrate his ouster, and things could get ugly - fast. Add police in riot gear to the mix and I don't even want to think about how ugly it could end up being.
     

    FullMonte

    Well-known member
    Joined
    Nov 14, 2019
    Messages
    942
    Reaction score
    1,600
    Age
    55
    Location
    Bossier City
    Offline
    I personally think the bigger concern than what Trump will do (re: not leaving) is whether or not the administration will make a good faith effort to aid the incoming administration.

    We've all heard the stories of the manuals that the Obama administration officials wrote and supplied to their replacements (that were apparently never even opened). WIll the Trump officials make the same effort?
     
    OP
    OP
    Saintamaniac

    Saintamaniac

    Rise Sons of the Gold & Purple
    Joined
    Sep 28, 2019
    Messages
    1,356
    Reaction score
    2,631
    Age
    53
    Location
    Laplace, LA
    Offline
    Anti-Obama people used to engage in fantasy about Obama refusing to leave or instituting martial law to avoid the ending of his term. I thought those hypotheticals were pretty silly - and I think the same about similar questions about Trump.
    There are several differences between what was being said about Obama about what has been demonstrated by Trump. Trump has more than demonstrated that there is very little that he won't do to save himself. Trump is guilty of everything that the Anti-Obama crowd ever accused him Obama of being. Trump has already been named an unindicted conspirator in an actual crime. This wasn't true of Obama. Trump has attempted to use the military against peaceful demonstrators. Obama never did that. Trump has shown clear tendencies for a total disregard for the rule of law. Obama never did that. Trump has been rebuked by former military leaders and intelligence officers. That has never happened to Obama.

    Every baseless conspiracy theory that the Anti-Obama crowd came up with was simply pipe dream. Trump is a desperate man who faces the real prospect of prison if he does not win reelection and there is nothing he won't do or nothing he is not capable of doing to save himself. So respectfully, I reject the comparisons to the Anti-Obama crowd and disagree that this question is silly. Trump's actions show that there is a real concern with how the outcome of this election will play out.
     

    JimEverett

    Well-known member
    Joined
    Sep 30, 2019
    Messages
    1,831
    Reaction score
    1,444
    Location
    Nashville
    Offline
    Anti-Obama people used to engage in fantasy about Obama refusing to leave or instituting martial law to avoid the ending of his term. I thought those hypotheticals were pretty silly - and I think the same about similar questions about Trump.

    I think its possible that Trump may attempt legal challenges if he were to lose the election, but I think the matter would be resolved by the Supreme Court prior to January 20, the constitutional date at which the presidential term ends. If Trump loses that legal challenge, the new president will be sworn in and Trump will no longer have the constitutional legal authority to act as president and commander-in-chief.

    So Trump, or any sitting president for that matter, doesn't really get to control whether they remain president. They could try to physically remain in the White House but that doesn't really do much apart from raising an issue with a trespasser in the White House. And he could attempt some kind of constitutional coup with loyalists, but I think, at the end of the day, few will meaningful ability to carry out such a coup would actually agree to it.
    Yeah - and there is no indication that he would even be willing to fight the judiciary on the issue. The Trump Administration has lost several high profile court cases, to my knowledge they have followed the law as ultimately interpreted.
    If anything, I am more concerned about the response if Trump ends up winning.
     

    GrandAdmiral

    Well-known member
    Joined
    Nov 20, 2019
    Messages
    2,627
    Reaction score
    3,481
    Location
    Center of the Universe
    Offline
    I personally think the bigger concern than what Trump will do (re: not leaving) is whether or not the administration will make a good faith effort to aid the incoming administration.

    We've all heard the stories of the manuals that the Obama administration officials wrote and supplied to their replacements (that were apparently never even opened). WIll the Trump officials make the same effort?

    To make it as simple of an answer as possible... no.
     

    Create an account or login to comment

    You must be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create account

    Create an account on our community. It's easy!

    Log in

    Already have an account? Log in here.

    Advertisement

    MAP Amazon Affiliate Ad

    General News Feed

    Fact Checkers News Feed

    Sponsored

    Top Bottom