I am hereby ruining your Election Day. Not only that, I’m also ruining the rest of your 2020, as well as your 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
No, President Trump isn’t going to win. It’s much, much worse.
The election is just two days away, and the wall doesn’t just have writing on it, it’s got three coats of primer, more than a few stencils and even some graffiti tags.
Donald Trump is down and out. The 2020 election will be a historic defeat for him. Make no mistake about that.
But he’s not done with us – not by a long shot.
This soon-to-be-lame-duck president has exceeded our collective worst expectations in almost every way imaginable, and unimaginable, for the past 4 years. The good news is the nation has learned from its mistake. The bad news is he doesn’t care.
After 4 years of us being put through the wringer, we sensible and reasonable Americans deserve a break from political insanity at long last. The hour is at hand. It’s so tantalizingly close, we can practically taste it.
But we won’t get it.
Life is full of simple pleasures, but also profound disappointments. I present to you the latter.
If you’re like me, the idea of Trump losing appeals not just for the sake of our country but for our collective psyche. In the greatest country in the world, we shouldn’t have to worry about our government bureaucracy being turned into a partisan political agent. We shouldn’t have to concern ourselves over which foreign country might decide to sever an alliance. And more simply, we shouldn’t have our day interrupted by divisive and mostly nonsensical tweets.
Trump fatigue is very real, and we want relief. No, we DEMAND it.
But, as the man says, you can’t always get what you want. We will, though, get what we need: A new president. Beyond that, what’s coming offers no respite.
Once the outcome of the election has been determined, not only will Trump incessantly push the baseless theory that the vote was rigged, he’ll go a step further. He will run for president again.
I’m not kidding. The 2024 campaign will start immediately after Joe Biden is declared the 46th president of the United States of America.
It’s so obvious. And so deflating.
But think about it. Trump never wanted the job of president, or even the power. The windfall he’s gotten by monetizing the presidency, yeah, he’s absolutely sought that. Yet, what he craves to his very core is the spotlight, the boundless adoration of his willing followers, being the center of their attention, as well as that of the “Lamestream Media,” and friendly outlets like Fox News and One America News Network. The only way he gets to keep all that is by running again.
So Trump will do just that, and he’ll win the Republican nomination in 2024. He’ll even face no serious challengers – ostracized never-Trumpers like ex-Ohio Gov. John Kasich won’t take on a kamikaze mission, nor will ambitious Trumpists with their eyes on the prize like Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. As we’ve seen repeatedly, the GOP is now the party of Trump.
Think it through. Why would a 74-year-old billionaire narcissist give up his own political machine? Especially since he “was treated very unfairly in 2020” and “the Democrats stole the election.” (Start getting used to those phrases.) Quite simply, he won’t.
And from a practical point of view, being president shields Trump from prosecution for crimes, and this too will motivate him to run. New York Attorney General Letitia James undoubtedly will go after the president after he leaves office. Other AGs may not be far behind. But with his deep pockets, Trump will be able to delay any criminal proceedings until after the 2024 election, all while using the prosecutions to fuel his ongoing grievance campaign.
So get ready for four more years of nonstop recriminations against the supposedly rigged 2020 election, and a “Greatest Hits, Vol. 2” of conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton, the deep state, Hunter Biden, James Comey, the Russia hoax and, of course, Trump’s successor, Joe Biden.
Republicans will again embrace Trump, because they have no choice. Take solace in knowing they will continue to pay a great political price.
In 2022, Democrats will add to their majorities in the House and Senate – literally unheard of in the midterm election of a first-term president. And in the 2024 rematch, after 4 years without the socialism that Trump warned would accompany a President Biden, the oldest president in America’s history will win a second term by an even larger landslide. Trump will retreat after two straight losses, but I fully expect voters to punish the Republican nominee again in 2028.
We knew America was great all along. Just give it time to play out.
Follow former Independent Congressional candidate Matt Woody on Twitter at @mattwoody2018.
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