President Trump may be closer to exiting the Oval Office than most anyone realizes. Among the issues that threaten his tenure in office are dissension in his MAGA base over the issue of the existence, or lack thereof, of a file of client names of alleged child sex ring leader Jeffrey Epstein; alienation of independent and young male voters, who are discovering any old lie will dribble out of President Trump’s mouth, if he thinks it opportune; a Big Beautiful Bill, which will bring the sky down on many voters, under the President’s guidance was passed and he signed it; the failure of the President’s signature tariffs; the disassembly of the medical research establishment; DOGE; unpopular pardons and commutations that appear to buy the loyalty of criminals; and much else.
But what happens if he leaves office? He loses the protection of the ill-advised Trump v. United States decision, and may end up in jail due to his 32 criminal convictions in New York state court. What’s more, there are a number of prosecutions which were quashed when he assumed office, including a very serious question of why classified documents were not only found in his possession, but were actively hidden from the FBI upon searching Trump’s home / country club.
Upon termination of his Administration, he could be in very serious trouble. Welcome to the old icon of Greek despair.
So my guess is that he’s looking at running, and perhaps sooner rather than later. But this report may reflect the closing of an escape destination:
But Trump hasn’t folded to his erstwhile friend Putin. He’s not left Europe in the lurch under the shadow of an increasingly expansionist Russia amid the continent’s worst land war since World War II. Trump seems more warmly disposed toward NATO than he has been for years. …
But he at least has now shed some misconceptions that by force of personality alone he can bend Putin to his will. And by promising Patriot missiles to Kyiv — which Trump said on Tuesday are “already being shipped” — and being open to a new Russia sanctions push in Congress, he’s added steel to American peacemaking.
Trying to coerce Putin to the table may not work either. But at least Trump isn’t giving Ukraine away. [CNN/Politics]
An ex-pat former President in Moscow would have certainly been unique, but now it seems unlikely.
Nor does Beijing or Pyongyang seem likely.
The now-President, future former-President is a poor planner, so watching him try to find a future safe space should be entertaining.
