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Even if President Trump finds himself awarded the same fate as impeached President Richard Nixon — that is to say, either not charged with or pardoned of any hypothetical federal crimes — there’s no chance he will slink away from public life.
And the reason is two-fold: First he probably won’t be legally allowed to. He or his predecessor could pardon him of any federal charges lobbed against him post-presidency. But he has no control over the outcome of various state investigations into his business — most notably the one by Cyrus Vance in New York, looking into his businesses.
But, secondly, like any addict, Trump’s cravings for attention will not be easily satiated post-presidency by the mere fame and fortune that being a former leader of the free world brings. A new article in the New Yorker spells out just how dependent President Trump has become on his throngs of fans for personal fulfillment, incapable of returning to the life of a real estate mogul or a has-been celebrity that evokes little adoration or interest outside the realm of reality TV.
From the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer:
Last winter, a Cabinet secretary told me Trump had confided that he couldn’t imagine returning to his former life as a real-estate developer. As the Cabinet secretary recalled, the two men were gliding along in a motorcade, surrounded by throngs of adoring supporters, when Trump remarked, “Isn’t this incredible? After this, I could never return to ordering windows. It would be so boring.”
President Trump apparently has his sights set on remaining relevant to his base, even if that base of supporters no longer has a leader to devote themselves to. As morbid as it may seem, President Trump is, according to Mayer’s reporting, interested in taking over Rush Limbaugh’s radio show if the longtime feverish conservative commentator passes away (he has stage four lung cancer). Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January, during a made-for-reality-TV State of the Union address.
Whether through legal obligations, criminal charges, media takeovers or all the above, Trump will linger in our public life for years to come.
How’s that for some pre-Election Day positivity?
Here’s more on other stories we’re following today:
What The Investigations Team Is Watching
Matt Shuham is hitting the latest news out of Nevada — the first judicial court ruled against the Republican-led effort to challenge Clark County’s signature verification processes.
Tierney Sneed just published a piece on Ben Ginsberg’s involvement in the court case surrounding the fate of ballots cast at a Harris County, Texas voting site. Over the weekend, the longtime GOP elections lawyer penned an op-ed in the Washington Post and filed a friend-of-the-court briefing, outlining his concerns with the Republican Party and Trump’s efforts to dismantle long-held voting practices.
What The Breaking News Team Is Watching
Our breaking news team is tracking all of today’s election news in our liveblog as we enter the second to last day of campaigning before Election Night: One Day To Go: Trump Closes With A Dark Message.
Some key developments thus far:
- Law Enforcement To Install ‘Non-Scalable’ Fence Around White House
- Bad Sign For Collins In Maine Poll Detail
- Trump Cramming In Five Rallies Today, Biden To Campaign With Lady Gaga
- Trump Leaves Rallygoers Stranded In The Cold … Again
- Biden Takes Aim At Trump While Doubling Down On Defending Fauci
If You Read Anything On COVID-19 Today, Read This
This one wasn’t too hard to predict: Trump Hints At Firing Fauci After Election Day.
Coming Up
Trump has a record five rallies today. He will be in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Avoca, Pennsylvania, Traverse City, Michigan, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pence and the second lady will have two rallies in Pennsylvania and two and Michigan.
Biden will be in Cleveland, Beaver County, Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh today, while the former second lady travels to Erie, Lawrence County and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) will head to Luzerne County and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Harris and her husband will also do an event with John Legend in Philadelphia.
ICYMI: Which Election Scenario Are You Most Concerned About?
Last week we asked what aspect of the U.S.’s pandemic response you were most concerned about. With more than 61% of respondents selecting it in their top three, “undermining of science and medicine” was the top choice by a wide margin.
With election day less than 24 hours away, this week we want to know which election scenario are you most concerned about? A reminder that this project is produced by NYU’s Studio 20 journalism program in collaboration with TPM. To receive full results and analysis of each week’s poll, along with related coverage and more, don’t forget to subscribe to the project newsletter.
As always, thanks for participating!
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Country At Boiling Point As Candidates Make Final Push — TPM Staff
What We Are Reading
The Fight For Justice Doesn’t Stop After The Presidential Election — Kandist Mallett
Whatever Trump Says, Reply ‘Fuck You, And Keep Counting’ — Rick Wilson
Biden Looks Solid, But I Won’t Stop Worrying Until Trump Loses. And Maybe Not Even Then. — Michael J. Stern
