US Presidential: What Life For Trump In The Event Of Defeat?

To hear him, Donald Trump never considered defeat to Joe Biden. If that happened on Tuesday, and he was deprived of a second term, what could the sequel look like after he leaves the White House on January 20, 2021? If he regularly evokes his life before politics – “I had such a magnificent life” – he is less talkative about what the life afterwards might look like.

In the light of the past four years, only one scenario seems difficult to imagine: discreet withdrawal and anonymity. At the time of conversion, Donald Trump could be tempted again by the small screen. If his name as a real estate developer was known in the 80s and 90s, it is The Apprentice which allowed him to push the door of all American homes. Co-producer of this reality TV show that he presented between 2004 and 2015, he managed, despite the ups and downs of his real estate empire, to project an image of a strong and charismatic businessman.

Trouble with the law?

In a large meeting room in the Trump Tower, the real estate mogul received candidates and dismissed one by broadcast, using his phrase that has become ritual: “You’re fired”. On several occasions since his arrival at the White House, he has deplored the positioning of Fox News, not Trumpist enough for his taste. Viewers “want an alternative now. And me too ! He tweeted a few months ago. 2021 could be an opportunity to get started, either from a blank sheet (but the initial investment could be prohibitive), or from existing “friendly” channels, such as One America News and NewsMax TV.

Once the White House leaves, Donald Trump’s judicial horizon could darken significantly. In New York, he is the target of two investigations which could each lead to prosecution. The first, criminal and initiated by the Manhattan prosecutor, Cyrus Vance, targets possible acts of tax evasion, insurance fraud and accounting manipulation. The second, civil, was started by New York State Attorney Letitia James and seeks to determine whether the Trump Organization lied about the size of its assets to obtain loans and tax benefits.

Trump 2024 ?

In theory, nothing would prevent Donald Trump from trying his luck again in four years. The Constitution prohibits serving more than two terms, but making two non-consecutive is a possibility. Only one man succeeded in this bet: Grover Cleveland, at the end of the XIX^e century. Elected in 1884, he was defeated in 1888, then elected again in 1892. He is, in the history books, both on the 22^e and the 24^e President of the United States. Beyond the countless political obstacles to overcome (the Republican Party could be tempted to turn the page on Trumpism), the question of age could also arise. Grover Cleveland was 56 at the start of his second term. Donald Trump would have 78.

In the tone both provocative and mocking that he is fond of, the 45^e president of the story has referred to several “leads” in recent months. In June at the White House, he had mentioned, in laughter, the possibility of a road trip with his wife Melania Trump. “Maybe I’ll drive to New York with the first lady. I think I’ll buy a motorhome and travel with the first lady. ”

Time for retirement for Donald Trump?

On a less romantic note, he stopped a few days ago during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania to admire the trucks parked from a distance. “Nice trucks! Do you think I could climb into one of them and go? Would love that, just drive and carve the road. During a trip to The Villages, the largest retirement community in Florida, he spoke of a more peaceful option. “I will be moving to The Villages. It’s not a bad idea. I even like it a lot! “.

There remains a more radical option. “I’m not going to feel very good,” he said a few weeks ago, referring to the humiliation he thought would represent a defeat against “Sleeping Joe”. “Maybe I’ll have to leave the country. ”