Donald Trump’s ghostwriter thinks his resignation is imminent

| 2:46 pm EDT August 16, 2017
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Donald Trump has spent the past six months backing himself into a corner, and he’s spent the past four days ensuring that he’ll never be able to emerge from that corner. Yesterday I wrote that Trump is now in fact trying to get himself ousted (link). But Trump’s former ghostwriter Tony Schwartz, who wrote Art Of The Deal, is taking things a step further. He thinks Trump is laying the groundwork for his own resignation.

Schwartz shared the following today: “The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and congress leave him no choice” (link). He didn’t elaborate on why he thinks this is imminent. But he’s spent significant time inside Donald Trump’s head while ghostwriting for him, and he’s demonstrated with his commentary over the past year that he has a deep understanding of how Trump thinks and works. So what precisely would Trump be plotting here?

Trump’s resignation rationale could go something like this. He could take credit for the strong stock market and economy, and hope no one notices that these were both built by President Obama. He could take credit for all the imaginary manufacturing jobs he claims he’s created. He could assert that he’s accomplished more in six months than any other president has accomplished in four years. And while no serious person would believe any of the above, it would be enough to allow a delusional Trump and his supporters to pretend that his brief time in office was something other than a total failure. However there are clear caveats.

If Donald Trump resigns, the ongoing federal investigations into his Russia scandal and various other crimes will not simply come to an end. Trump would have to try to cut a deal in which he gets immunity in exchange for resignation, and it’s not clear anyone involved would be willing to give him such a deal. Even then, the State of New York will be all over him for his financial crimes the minute he exits office.