Donald Trump’s resignation is now on the table
Just a week ago, Donald Trump wasn’t even being impeached. But now that his whistleblower scandal has exposed that he really has been conspiring against the United States for his personal gain, Trump’s impeachment has quickly become mainstream. Now, thanks to new revelations yesterday, we’ve entered a new phase: the resignation stage.
Last night the influential Boston Globe newspaper ran an article with the headline “Forget impeachment. Donald Trump needs to resign.” This came after a number of smaller newspapers, including the Connecticut Post and Orlando Weekly, also called for his resignation. This kind of thing matters, because it helps frame the narrative for the public, and it means Trump has to deal with that narrative being foisted on him.
At this point the odds of Trump finishing his term are dropping by the hour. His smartest move would be to try to negotiate some kind of resignation plea deal in exchange for reduced prison time for himself and his family. If he tries to stand his ground as his popularity plummets and he’s eventually forced out, he’ll be in far worse position to try to negotiate such a deal. This is the guy who’s strategically gone bankrupt six times, so it makes sense that he’d try to close out his failed presidency with a bankruptcy deal as well.
The thing is, over the past few days, Donald Trump has been folding like a tent. He’s voluntarily released a phone call transcript and whistleblower complaint that have proven his guilt and set off a feeding frenzy. He’s handing away the documents that he could have used as leverage for dragging things out. If Trump really is just giving on his presidency like this in a delusional haze, you have to wonder if he might just go ahead and resign without bothering to cut a plea deal. After all, he’s probably convinced himself he’s innocent anyway. If so, he’ll be shocked that the second he resigns, he’ll be arrested. But he’s going to end up being arrested in the end anyway. In any case, with newspapers calling for Trump’s resignation, it’s officially on the table.
