People scoffed at Trump declaring a national emergency and cancelling the 2020 elections

[Joe Nation]

I certainly wouldn't put anything past this megalomaniac and I too found this to be a ridiculous scenario until recently but with the Covid-19 virus a reality, Trump may just see an opportunity to stay in power even if he loses the election bigly.

After what we have witnessed this week, I am not sure what this idiot will do next fall. He obviously has no empathy no compassion and only sees an opportunity for himself and you know that the GOP will happily follow him right over that cliff. They always do.

What do you think Trump will do given the current pandemic? Will he gracefully walk away in an inevitable defeat or will he declare some type of emergency and try to stay in power like his best buddy Putin has done all these years? After all, Putin is his role model.

[TwilightZone]

1. People scoff because he can't cancel the election.

It's not complicated. Bush pursued the possibility in 2004 and it was confirmed that the Executive doesn't have the authority. Same applies to Trump.

Emergency powers don't apply. Martial law doesn't apply. It's been well-established that only Congress can change the date and states control the election process and are given wide latitude.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/RL32471.pdf

[elleng]

4. Thanks for stating it so clearly.

[still_one]

6. Exactly. It would take an act of Congress, and that isn't going to happen. However, states should

starting setting up mail-in ballots for all registered voters for the November election

[pbmus]

31. This⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

[Progressive Law]

8. Just because Trump "can''t" doesn't mean he won't try.

[Luciferous]

9. Well that doesn't mean he won't try. He's been "joking" about staying president for a while...

[TwilightZone]

10. Trying and doing are two different things.

We waste way too much time on a subject that has zero chance of happening.

He says stuff like that to get a reaction and it works every, single time.

[Girard442]

11. Try this scenario: Trump leans on some red state governors to cancel state elections.

When they do, Trump then claims that the Electoral College can’t legitimately meet without all of the electors and refuses to leave the White House. SCOTUS supports him, because reasons.

At that point law enforcement and the military either drag his ass out of the White House — or they don’t.

[sarisataka]

12. Amendment XX

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

[Girard442]

18. Since the electors did not meet, Trump can stay in offfice because...

...the Roberts SCOTUS says so ipso neener neener.

Seriously, what part of being in a dictatorship is unclear to you?

[TwilightZone]

24. False.

Intentional ignorance is not a compelling argument. Trump simply does not have the authority, no matter how you want to spin it.

You really think the House is going to go along with whatever Trump wants?

[Girard442]

46. Laws don't enforce themselves.

If Trump refuses to leave the White House for whatever reason, the law is not going to rise up off the page and chuck him out itself. That duty will fall to either law enforcment or the military. They might very well decide to do the right thing but they might find a reason not to.

[onenote]

54. Get a grip, please.

If he has the power you say he has and believes he can do anything and the Supreme Court will allow it, here are some things he would have done: "fired" Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Breyer. Announced that the 2018 elections were invalid and that the House was still under Republican control. Forcibly shut down CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post and arrested dozens of journalists.

Since you think the Constitution isn't an impediment and that he intends to stay in office indefinitely, what has stopped him from doing these things?

PS -- Last term, the administration won 12 and lost 10 of the Supreme Court cases in which they were a party. The year before: 12 wins and 11 losses.

[sarisataka]

26. If we are in a dictatorship

We have already lost and are wasting our time talking about candidates, primaries and elections.

If we are not in a dictatorship then it is reasonable to assume the Constitutional process will be followed.

So the question is are we or are we not in a dictatorship?
-if we were in a dictatorship we the government allow people to discuss overthrowing it via election openly on the internet?
-if they did allow it, would you be posting such discussions on the internet knowing the NSA has plenty of resources to track you to your RL identity before you sit down to dinner today?

[Fiendish Thingy]

42. That just means we get President Pelosi nt

[Bengus81]

13. We have the House so that POS can't even try.........

If we didn't that POS would do it in a heartbeat--of course all for the good of the Country.

[onenote]

23. Is there a link supporting the assertion that Bush pursued this possibility in 2004?

The Report you cite is a report by the Congressional Research Service. The CRS is an arm of Congress and works exclusively for Congress. Many times it prepares reports at the request of a member of Congress. Other times it simple prepares them without any specific request from anyone.

I think the report is correct, but it is merely a report from some staff researchers.

[Ferrets are Cool]

28. He has gotten away with almost everything he has wanted since stealing the 2016 election...

nothing this administration does surprises me anymore. Hell, we have let him lock children in cages without any consequences...what's a a coup to this bastard?

[Takket]

52. feels like this is the 10000th time I've read this post........ but it is still necessary

[jberryhill]

57. These people spreading this stuff seem not to grasp that the election has not been cancelled

But they post these "I told you so" threads anyway.

[Turbineguy]

2. Trump needs a guarantee he will not go to jail.

[Laelth]

33. Precisely, and he will get it from Joe Biden.

It won’t be made public, but it will happen all the same. The republic’s interests must come first, and that starts with a peaceful transition of power after Trump loses the November election.

-Laelth

[Jake Stern]

39. Why bother having laws

if a Biden administration is cowed by the prospect of a Trump temper tantrum into not using them?

[Laelth]

41. The interests of the republic supersede the interests of justice.

It’s that simple, really. Sometimes, justice must be subverted in order to advance the interests of the republic. The peaceful transition of power is a primary interest of the republic, and if we have to let some definitely-guilty people go free in order to secure the peaceful transition of power, so be it.

-Laelth

[Jake Stern]

40. The only "guarantee" Trump should get:

"Leave peacefully and you can walk out on your own or chose to resist and be dragged out by US Marshals."

Anything else demeans and makes a mockery of the law.

[Dream Girl]

3. If there is no election the get President Pelosi per line of seccission

[onenote]

14. You are mistaken.

Per the Constitution, Trump's term ends January 20, 2021. Also per the Constitution: the terms of members of the House of Representatives end on January 3, 2021.

If there are no elections, not only is there no newly elected President, there are no members of the House and no one to elect a Speaker. Playing out this absurd scenario (since people here seem intent on bringing up the prospect of cancelled elections over and over and over), the line of succession would lead to the President Pro Tem of the Senate, who is Chuck Grassley (who would be unaffected by the cancellation of elections since his term doesn't end until January 2023.

[HarlanPepper]

22. Not so according to this guy

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rawstory.com/2020/03/heres-how-trump-delaying-the-2020-election-could-make-a-vermont-democrat-president-of-the-united-states/amp/

[onenote]

36. Still think it would end up being Grassley

We start out with the assumption that there are 20 seats currently held by Republicans and 15 seats held by Democrats up for election 2020. If those seats stayed vacant, the Democrats would have a five seat majority and Leahy would be President Pro Tem. But the author gives short shrift to the possibility (actually likelihood) that governors could fill the vacancies. With only a few exceptions, all of the states that would have senate vacancies have governors that aren't up for reelection. Nineteen of the states with Senate vacancies have Republican governors who are authorized by law to file the vacancy and one has a Democratic governor (NC) who is bound by law to appoint someone from the same party that previously held the seat. So that gives the Republicans 50 Senate seats. Only 11 states with seats that would be vacant have Democratic governors who are authorized to fill the vacancy (the other states leave the seat vacant until a special election is held).

So if we're playing out this highly unlikely scenario, chances are that the Republicans control the Senate on January 20 and Grassley becomes president.

[Luciferous]

5. I could see it happening, especially now that he has started referring to himself as a

wartime president. Either that or he is hoping by spinning this as a war he will stay in office since wartime presidents don't lose elections

[sop]

7. Trump would use this emergency to suppress the vote in certain areas, ensuring another EC win.

[MineralMan]

15. Focus on real things, please.

Thanks

[we can do it]

16. Thank you. Tired of seeing this pop up every hour.

[onenote]

19. I have a feeling we will be seeing this nonsense repeatedly until November.

And probably even after that.

[DashOneBravo]

27. I'm glad you said that.

[sarisataka]

17. I do not recall scoffing

That he would declare a national emergency. I remember lots of panicked proclaiming that he would do that and declare Martial (or Marshall) Law but not that he could/ would do it.

Scoffing at predictions he will cancel elections are worthy of being scoffed at.

[ck4829]

20. K&R

[HarlanPepper]

21. He can do whatever he wants

Barring a constitutional convention and 2/3 approval of the states — not going to happen — he ceases to be president at noon on1/20/21.

[MousePlayingDaffodil]

30. This . . .

. . . exactly. Even if, under the extreme hypothetical scenario where the "election has been canceled," Trump's term as President ends at noon on January 20, 2021. It's not a case of "the President refusing to leave office." The office, per automatic operation of the Constitution, will leave him.

But you're wasting your breath. Some people don't want to understand. They'd rather luxuriate in their own agitation and angst.

[HarlanPepper]

37. Yes

DU is awash with people who think they have some unique insight on Covid and how our govt works. I try to limit my exposure, tbh.

[avlbeerfan]

25. I think they are already cancelled

We are not hearing from Biden on what he would do to recover.
We may be just exiting the 1st wave by election time.

Hell we maybe at war with somebody if this was released on purpose.
China may well know the backlash from an accidental release puts their back against the wall at the very least i bet production starts getting pulled for a lot of products after this.

The death toll is going to be astronomical here in the US, look at Italy 793 today.
Italy`s a small country too.

[wryter2000]

29. I think he'll try it

He may very well float the idea as the election gets closer and he realizes he's going to lose. I don't think he'll get away with it, though.

[Newest Reality]

32. You are correct.

However, to me, the plan has always been to stay in power indefinitely, no matter what. What else would a tin pot dictator and expert confidence man want? Of course, he gets all the spoils he wants after that, so the financial aspects are secondary.

The DOJ will most likely be trying to suspend our civil liberties in short order, left and right, etc. I suspect that they will make a careful dance out of this and there will be some resistance and legal battles, but, like The Patriot Act, it is going to be difficult to stop a Trumponian Coup due to the cover and distraction a national crises can give him right now. Too many gullible people will simply stop at believing and may even want him to finish up his steamrolling of our democracy for good.

Considering how skillful, successful and manipulative El Presidente has been to this point, checks and balances may not be effective because this "virus" has already circumvented our firewalls and systemic anti-virus and we are very much infected with the democracy killing Trumpova-16, which is bad news and often fatal for We The People.

Keep your eyes wide open. We are in very dangerous territory.

[Indykatie]

35. Pence and Trump MUST Leave Office on Jan 21, 2021 With or Without an Election

Per the Constitution. That's not to say Trump won't try it since the Senate would still be held by Republicans until there is another election.

[John Fante]

38. What a load of rubbish.

[Mr. Ected]

43. And what if we have the election and a Dem wins but Trump refuses to vacate the WH? Then what?

Oh sure, the Constitution says he can't but no one could have ever foreseen an impeachment handled in the way that it was, or a Justice Department that served as a ramrod for the will of the President, or the scuttling of a criminal investigation spearheaded by the ex head of the FBI, or, or, or. These people laugh at our Constitution. And we, in holding true to the rule of law and following the procedures available to us to the letter, allow them to cheat their way around any culpability.

Best case scenario, he loses and leaves the WH, but continues to lead the MAGATs via a shadow government that follows his, and not Biden's, lead. That too could get nasty.

[sarisataka]

45. You do realize the White House is

Simply a building? Occupancy of the building confers no special powers.

[Mr. Ected]

47. No, I did not realize that. I thought it was an apparition, a concept.

You're saying it's a physical structure? Brick and mortar?

Oh my. I'll have to completely rethink the underpinnings of my political ecostructure based on this profound discovery.

[PoliticAverse]

44. And we still scoff at that despite efforts of people like you trying hard to convince us...

that he has the power to do that.

[Mr. Ected]

48. What have he or his psychophants done in the past 3.5 years

To dissuade you from believing that a corrupt and fascist president, protected by Congress, a conspiratorial Justice Department and stacked courts as well as tens of millions of true believers might be able to bend and perhaps even break the tenuous hold of the US Constitution?

[PoliticAverse]

49. Reality. Sorry, but he doesn't have the power to cancel the election. n/t

[Mr. Ected]

51. No, but he could refuse to peacefully hand over the government to the Dems and Joe Biden

The fact that he's not physically present in the WH is irrelevant. Any election loss will be deemed to be fake and all hell will break lose when that becomes the official line of the Republican Party.

I shake my head at the naivete.

[PoliticAverse]

53. "The fact that he's not physically present in the WH is irrelevant."

The fact he wouldn't be President would be pretty relevant. You don't really have to hang on his every tweet.

[Mr. Ected]

55. I don't hang on to any of his tweets. None. But I know a handful of people that do.

Give or take 40% of the voting public, that is, and that handful is significant enough to support and enforce the American version of a coup. Which, by the way, they did in 2016, if you didn't notice. We're living in it right now. That election was flat-out stolen and while we (rightfully) attempted to subvert it via the rule of law and the devices available to us in the Constitution, they've been able to circumvent its application for over a thousand days.

I'm only speaking words that scare people, and scare me to be honest, but the ruthlessness and cunning of Republicans and the fascist nature of their proponents has me thinking and believing worst case scenario. If we don't plan for it, they will. Bet on it.

[TwilightZone]

58. "I shake my head at the naivete."

You might want to consider looking in the mirror.

[Mr. Ected]

59. Does your mirror allow you to see the future? n/t

[onenote]

50. Here's a fact that the doomsayers won't believe:

During the 2018-19 Supreme Court term, the Trump administration's record in cases in which it was a party was 12 wins and 10 losses. The previous term it's record in cases in which it was a party was 12 wins and 11 losses.

The Trump administration has one of the worst won/loss records before the Supreme court in history.

[jberryhill]

56. Yes, and we still scoff

I don't understand why every couple of days, someone has to do a triumphal "I told you so" post on something that hasn't happened.