If Trump figures out he can't win

[intrepidity]

What is the liklihood that he cuts a deal with, eg Nikki Haley, to run in his stead as long as she agrees to make his legal problems go away?

He might be facing such a decision soon, imho.

What would a Harris vs. Haley matchup look like for us? I would imagine their side might experience something like what we are currently enjoying. What a wild turn of events that'd be. We'd then be in the position of having all our campaigning against Trump be suddenly moot.

Could that happen?

[BoRaGard]

1. The only surprise will be

if there are no surprises.

[Scrivener7]

2. I don't think his ego would let it happen.

[johnnyplankton]

12. Totally agree...

[PatSeg]

20. Me either

It's really not his style, but you never know how truly desperate he could become.

[surfered]

32. Yup!

[SWBTATTReg]

54. You're right. And they say an outsized ego is one of the worse things one can have, and we all know that the orange

tangerine has a giant ego the size of the moon. Where he gets that from, I still haven't figured it out, considering that he is a loser many times over, w/ marriages, w/ elections, with his numerous businesses, w/ his mentality (what mentality?), etc., and it's getting worse by the day, literally.

His inflated and oversized ego is the only thing he has left.

I guess in November, we'll have to jointly join together w/ all of the disaffected former republican voters, the former tRUMP voters, Independents by the millions, as well as the millions and upon millions of democratic voters to finally stomp this POS into the ground so deep, that he'll pop up in China or Russia somewhere (where he actually belongs I guess, unless he still has some secrets that he still hasn't released (and if he still does, throw him in jail w/ no release, he doesn't deserve anything, the traitor).

[gab13by13]

3. Zero

[Rebl2]

29. Zero chance

he quits the race?

[marble falls]

4. What's going to happen is there is going to be an open convention, the slate will be Romney/Haley ...

... They will lose bigly when the MAGAs stay away from the polls.

[COL Mustard]

8. They've already nominated him

I’m not aware of any mechanism for changing an already nominated candidate. He already has the support of the RNC delegates so I really don’t see how this is even possible.

[obamanut2012]

44. It isn't

[onenote]

10. I guess you missed the fact that the repubs already held their convention.

[obamanut2012]

43. What is this happening when they had the con and a nominees

It is done.

[magicarpet]

5. Oh please,...

Keep these ideas under your hat. Lest we give them any ideas how to save trDUMP's ass.

Just let the don-OLD ramble on and on until he is blue in the face and gasping for breath.

[Indykatie]

6. No.

[onenote]

7. The likelihood is zero.

Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't been paying attention to Trump for the past eight years.

[PJMcK]

14. I've been hearing Trump's BS since the 1980s

I’m still baffled that this idiot has followers.

SMDH

[TheRickles]

9. To be pellucidly clear about it (as malaise would say): No!

[TheFarseer]

11. You guys are overconfident

Trump is still a clear favorite at the gambling sites and winning or statistically tied in most of the battleground states. I think this is headed in the right direction but there’s plenty of time to change that so stay frosty.

[emulatorloo]

28. Yeah, the polls are still more or less statistically tied. The election will be close, like they always are.

[Walleye]

13. I don't know whether Trump thinks he's losing or not, but he damn well knows he doesn't deserve to win.

[Zoomie1986]

58. No, he doesn't know that

Quite the opposite, in fact. He thinks he's entitled to be President, and even President for Life.

He's a narcissist. They think they deserve everything they want and more of it than anyone else, because they're so much better than the rest of us.

[SocialDemocrat61]

15. No way that happens

More likely he fakes a heart attack during a rally, pays off a Doctor to declare him dead, flies secretly to a non-extradition country and begins a new life under another name, Ronald Drump with his new wife, Katy Tur.

[Zoomie1986]

60. He's not doing any of that either

Honestly, I don't know where people get these far-fetched ideas, when even a cursory understanding of what motivates him makes those speculations moot. I'll give you a hint. Narcissists don't comprehend losing. They have no concept of it. Zero.

He also wants to be President too much to walk away from it. He doesn't care at all about the job, but of having the prestige, power, access to the Treasury and all of that attention of everything he does. He won't have that if he fakes that heart attack, and he certainly won't have the attention he craves if he goes to a country with a press that pales in comparison in influence and reach compared to that of America's.

[SocialDemocrat61]

61. Um...I was joking

[Zoomie1986]

64. And we're to know that...how?

[SocialDemocrat61]

67. Because it was completely outlandish

and unrealistic.

[Ms. Toad]

16. How soon the panic that Harris couldn't be in the ballot everywhere is forgotten.

That hasn't been a real possibility for Democrats since June.

But the rules on ballot access also apply to the Republicans, and some of the deadlines are tied to conventions, and have passed for Republicans who held their convention a couple is weeks ago. If he switches now, chances are high a Republican replacement would not be in the ballot in every state.

[intrepidity]

18. That is the one valid argument against this scenario

I hadn't forgotten, I just didn't remember.

[malaise]

35. The thing is that the COnvicted felon does not and will not give a shit about

The ReTHUG party. He will do whatever benefits him even if he destroys the entire party.

[kentuck]

17. Even if he thought he could not win fair and square...

He would still think he could steal it. So he would never cut a deal with anyone, in my opinion.

[intrepidity]

19. You're probably correct. nt

[dchill]

27. Pretty sure that's already cut in stone.

It's The Plan.

[malaise]

41. He tried that and failed n/t

[Demobrat]

21. Even if it were possible and he did

I don’t think the MAGAts would come out for anyone else. They are cult members, not Republicans.

[Demobrat]

22. Deleted

[newdayneeded]

23. He's not losing......

At least that is what his circles tell him every morning. he's completely insulated from real poll numbers. If he does glance at a real poll that shows him losing, they all come in single file and tell him it's fake news.

[underpants]

36. Yep. That was part of picking Vance

I saw several commenters on TV say they HE is positive that’s it over. He’s winning by a landslide (or a “land slade” as he misread from a teleprompter) so they went with Vance. Dull bland cardboard cutout of a candidate who will echo the MAGA words.

You don’t bring him any bad news or reality and forget correcting him or not praising his every word if you want to stay in or around the inner circle.

[-misanthroptimist]

24. He won't drop out as long as he can grift from the stupid and ignorant

So what if he's gonna lose? That just means four more years of running the President grift. There's good -and very easy- money in it for him. He'll never walk away from an easy revenue stream.

[Bmoboy]

25. Replaced by a woman?

Not the Donald we know.

[flying_wahini]

26. If he thinks he will lose he will be on a jet headed for SA.

“To play golf” of course.

[emulatorloo]

30. Trump is not withdrawing. The election will be close.

[TBF]

31. If Donald were less arrogant & we had a different Supreme Court maybe -

I don't see it happening right now. He still thinks he can steal this. And he also may not care because I do believe the primary objective for him right now is to avoid jail & the SC has handed him that.

[Prairie Gates]

33. What if the sun hits the Earth tomorrow?

[unblock]

34. Everything points to another coup attempt.

Between violence and made-up fraud allegations and various county officials and secretaries of state refusing to certify, their obvious plan is for the house to refuse to accept enough Democratic electors to deny Harris a majority.

Then the house decides who the next president will be, with one vote per state. Even if Democrats control the house, republicans are almost sure to control more state delegations.

They'll just install Donnie no matter what the actual vote was.

Oh, and they've got the Supreme Court which can meddle. They cheated us in 2000, and today's Supreme Court is even more partisan and unethical.

[John Shaft]

40. THIS

The Demented Toddler (no offense to actual toddlers) will spray diarrhea everywhere and get his deplorables to break stuff, desecrate, shit in the hallways, and fight the cops again.

[newdayneeded]

47. i promise you

they won't get inside the building again. the capital cops and national guard will have WAY different instructions this time.

[Frasier Balzov]

51. Will the defenders have the numbers?

The great equalizer is lethal force.

When the American government is firing upon its own citizens, that's civil war.

[Zoomie1986]

59. If the Democrats control the House and the Senate

Then deciding who's POTUS will never go to the legislatures. It only takes a simple majority of both houses to accept the proper electors that would make Harris POTUS.

[Jirel]

37. No.

This scenario relies on Tangerine Palpatine (a) having the ability to admit to himself he might lose, and (b) being willing to strategize to have a graceful (totally not his thing) exit versus cheating, lying, and plotting an insurrection. Ain’t happening.

He had the ability to do something along those lines when he was clearly in poor shape in the last election. Instead, he had a squad of plotters doing their best to undermine the constitutional and legal process to have himself crowned the winner. Are you kidding? He’s going to be twice as bad this time around. He’s being beaten up by a woman of color - does anyone seriously think he’d consider handing over the reins to another woman of color who was the last person in his party trying to tear him down, even though she is now stupidly and grossly playing nice?

Narcissistic, fascist dictator wannabes who have never worked a legitimate job in their lives and whose entire business and political careers have been based on bullying, lying, theft, and fraud do not suddenly get a moment of clarity and go hat in hand to exactly the kind of person they resent the most, making a deal for a pardon and safety.

Expect violence.

[C_U_L8R]

38. MAGAts don't respond well to change

they might just stay home and take out their confusion and frustration on the nearest convenient target.

[John Shaft]

39. I wonder if it's in a rapist's nature

to defer/concede to a woman?

[obamanut2012]

42. Lol no

[themaguffin]

45. People think that he picked Vance because...

...he could "be safe."

Maybe, but I think he picked Vance because he has zero interest in anything but his base, and frankly if he could not have a VP, he would skip it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

46. Trump's main reason for running is to stay out of prison! Let's not forget that.

TFG will not step aside. There is no way that TFG will trust anyone to keep him out of prison

Link to tweet

[struggle4progress]

48. If the grifty-eyed sticky-fingered two-tongued toad decides he can't win fairly, he'll lie, cheat, and steal

[H2O Man]

49. Interesting.

I have one friend who thinks the felon will drop out this fall. I don'r see that as likely. I do think there is a good chance he will try to replace the ball & chain for the VP spot, and replace him with Haley. Worse, she would accept it, because she has no shame.

[Prairie_Seagull]

50. Knowing that democracy is on the ballot.

What would be the chances of President Biden pardoning TSF with the promise of it dropping out. With the state charges still pending in one form or another and the immunity SC decision in play.

Might this be an option?

[Zoomie1986]

63. Another thing that will not happen

TSF will never agree to that. He doesn't trust Biden at all. Besides, he thinks he will win and stop all of his legal problems himself. BTW, it's not just those court cases that has him running. He has other reasons for wanting to be POTUS again.

All this time of seeing him in action, and too many still don't get what the idiot is about, what drives him.

[WarGamer]

52. not a chance.

Right now he's got a ~ 50/50 chance to win.

Why would he quit?

[RidinWithHarris]

53. Trump can't "figure out" such a thing, he can only get more and more unhinged...

…as a sense of danger sets in, one that doesn’t allow consciously acknowledging the chance of losing.

Trump can, however, become more and more angry that “they” will “steal” his rightful victory… but letting someone else become President doesn’t sound like a way Trump could bear to handle that fear.

[chowmama]

55. Never

He only surrounds himself with people who confirm his belief that everybody loves him. Whenever he's confronted with evidence to the contrary, he melts down (Atlanta). Anybody who mentioned it would be excluded/fired. Then he recovers and it's rinse, repeat.

He's also convinced that they have plans in place that, if he loses, they will take the position by elector fraud and, if necessary, by armed coup. This isn't going to be successful, but I think they will try. It'll get ugly before he's completely defanged.

He's insane enough that he can hold both thoughts in his head simultaneously.

[Zoomie1986]

56. You're worrying for nothing.

He won't cede that much power, access to money and narcissistic supply to anyone, and certainly not to a brown woman.

The GOP also can't let him leave the ticket. MAGA will go nuts if they try it, and the party cannot withstand losing even a fraction of their votes. It would literally crater the party if he isn't the candidate. He has to stay there until 5 November, win or lose. The party will not survive otherwise.

[Ojerly]

57. The MAGATS would implode.

He's too much an egotistical narcissist to even think he's losing.
Too many of them don't like her from the time she was anti-Fat Donnie. No the Mango Mussolini will start his new attempt of a coup.

[ecstatic]

62. Haley doesn't stand for anything. She's a phony and therefore unelectable.

I keep seeing concern about haley and I'm confused about why people fear her.

She did relatively good in the primaries because the only two alternatives were traitor trump and disastrous desantis.

Anyone who listened to the substance and the constant backtracking over dumb / ignorant statements knows that she is unelectable.

[LudwigPastorius]

65. He won't quit.

He still might flee the country after he loses, though.

[ecstatic]

66. Also - once trump figures out he can't win, he will step up his efforts

to get his supporters who work the polls to cheat. Listen out for more projecting about Democrats cheating -- that will be the dog whistle / permission slip for trumper poll workers to cheat.

He'll also spend a lot more time trying to pressure congress members into objecting on January 6th. That's why it would have been nice if the people who tried to assist him last time had actually been prosecuted and sent to jail.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

68. Maybe he has a bunker for himself a la Hitler.

Except you’d better believe Melania would NOT go there with him. She’s probably planting a bomb in the bunker.

[Lettuce Be]

69. I'd say the chance is zero

His ego would never let him admit defeat. Never. He'll die on this hill.