Why does Trump Want a Second Term?

[lpetrich]

What Is the Point of Trump’s Second Term as President? - The Atlantic noting Trump tells aides to look for big spending cuts in second term, sowing confusion about budget priorities - The Washington Post

If Trump is really contemplating large cuts in a second term, it’d be very strange. But the idea of a serious fiscal-conservative turn after 2020, no matter how unlikely, does raise a larger question: What exactly would be the point of a second Trump term?

After noting the big spending that he wants on the military and his border wall,

It’s hard to imagine what Trump would want to cut steeply, either. Entitlements, which make up roughly half of the federal budget, are extremely popular, as every president who has attempted to cut them has discovered. More importantly, Trump promised during the 2016 campaign not to cut entitlements, and while he could change his mind on that, it would probably be politically unwise, since his voters may be even more pro-entitlement than the average Republican president’s.

...
The president has not so far laid out a real platform for a second four years, although he has signaled over the past 10 days or so that he intends to focus his campaign on racist remarks and sowing division among Americans. One reason might be that so much of Trump’s first-term agenda remains incomplete. When he was running for office, Trump promised to drain the swamp, build the wall, win the trade war, repeal and replace Obamacare, appoint conservative judges, replace NAFTA, stop free-riding allies, and stand up to America’s enemies.

...
The president has not so far laid out a real platform for a second four years, although he has signaled over the past 10 days or so that he intends to focus his campaign on racist remarks and sowing division among Americans. One reason might be that so much of Trump’s first-term agenda remains incomplete. When he was running for office, Trump promised to drain the swamp, build the wall, win the trade war, repeal and replace Obamacare, appoint conservative judges, replace NAFTA, stop free-riding allies, and stand up to America’s enemies.

...
The real reason Trump is running again, one suspects, is that he wants the prestige of winning a second term, just as he wanted the prestige of winning the first, and that he harbors a near-mortal fear of being branded a loser.

...
In a second term, without reelection hanging over him, Trump would likely be even more disengaged from the work of governance.

He seems to want the glory of the presidency without any of the work of governance. Far from what one of his targets tweeted about another one: AOC reports that Rep. Elijah Cummings asked her "Are you here to do the work?" It's hard to imagine that about Trump's presidency. He watches Fox & Friends, plays golf, and is bored with any serious business. His aides reportedly manipulate him by deciding what to leave on his desk and getting on to Fox & Friends.

 

[Elixir]

Pfffft.
To retain his fortune, stay out of jail, and allow the statute of limitations to expire on the majority of his most recent crimes.

DUH!!

It stretches credulity to think that the people at The Atlantic don't know this.

 

[Politesse]

Why does anyone in the news media still expect Trump to have some sort of traditional "platform"? It's obvious he decides what to do or say as he's doing it.

 

[Elixir]

Why does anyone in the news media still expect Trump to have some sort of traditional "platform"? It's obvious he decides what to do or say as he's doing it.

Zackly! The media have to pretend they're professionally covering some kind of super-important shit all the time, so they impute thought, motives and profound intent where there's really nothing more than an infantile brat indulging his lowlife impulses. But they'd feel SO foolish admitting that, so...

 

[crazyfingers]

Pfffft.
To retain his fortune, stay out of jail, and allow the statute of limitations to expire on the majority of his most recent crimes.

DUH!!

It stretches credulity to think that the people at The Atlantic don't know this.

That and his ego will not allow himself to be seen as a loser. He cares about power and his ego. So he will fight, lie, cheat and destroy the country for a second term.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Pfffft.
To retain his fortune, stay out of jail, and allow the statute of limitations to expire on the majority of his most recent crimes.

DUH!!

It stretches credulity to think that the people at The Atlantic don't know this.

That and his ego will not allow himself to be seen as a loser. He cares about power and his ego. So he will fight, lie, cheat and destroy the country for a second term.

...ensuring history will see him as a loser....

 

[crazyfingers]

Pfffft.
To retain his fortune, stay out of jail, and allow the statute of limitations to expire on the majority of his most recent crimes.

DUH!!

It stretches credulity to think that the people at The Atlantic don't know this.

That and his ego will not allow himself to be seen as a loser. He cares about power and his ego. So he will fight, lie, cheat and destroy the country for a second term.

...ensuring history will see him as a loser....

Yep

 

[Koyaanisqatsi]

It’s far simpler. This is the only time he’s actually made any money on his own. Everything else he’s ever done has been through his father or because of his father. Even selling the licensing rights of the name “Trump” was never him; that was his father’s name he was selling, not his. His name means bankruptcy and failure.

The Apprentice, likewise, was never him; it was the image his father created for him. His best selling book was not written by him at all. He had nothing to do with it.

All he ever did was profit off of destruction. He’s a cockroach.

So this is literally the first time in his entire life—I’m talking about 2020—where he actually believes he can be successful on his own.

He’s dead wrong, of course, but that’s the reason. Whether through a combination of whatever drugs he’s clearly on or just the inevitable side effects of having been coddled his entire life—while being fucked by men like his father, Roy Cohen and Vladimir Putin, literally and figuratively—he thinks that all of the millions he’s been able to make selling autographs and trinkets and Mar-A-Largo memberships (because the real people that run things—the Republicans—have profited off of him beyond their wildest dreams and recognized him as the useful idiot Putin saw and corrupted decades ago so they’ve turned a blind eye to all the emoluments violations he’s constantly racking up), were all his original ideas.

And he’s not wrong. This is literally the first time he fully understood he was in a power position. Not the real power, of course; he’ll never be allowed to have any real power. But he finally was in a position to profit off all of his puppeteers.

Remember, he’s been a puppet literally all of his life. First his father’s then, despicably, Roy Cohen’s and now Putin’s. Think of that in prison terms and how his greasy little asshole was tossed from cell to cell all of his life.

I almost feel for him.

So, yes, it makes perfect sense that this trainwreck of human excrement would think that it’s finally his turn after all of the shit he’s had to gobble down from such men.

That’s what’s motivating him to run again. Because he can keep smiling as his pathetic sons and daughters are submerged in the dark fishing up all the shekels that drop through the outhouse floorboards, as their father’s ass gets repeatedly fucked by the true powermongers in his world.

 

[Elixir]

It’s far simpler. This is the only time he’s actually made any money on his own. Everything else he’s ever done has been through his father or because of his father. Even selling the licensing rights of the name “Trump” was never him; that was his father’s name he was selling, not his. His name means bankruptcy and failure.

The Apprentice, likewise, was never him; it was the image his father created for him. His best selling book was not written by him at all. He had nothing to do with it.

All he ever did was profit off of destruction. He’s a cockroach.

So this is literally the first time in his entire life—I’m talking about 2020—where he actually believes he can be successful on his own.

He’s dead wrong, of course, but that’s the reason. Whether through a combination of whatever drugs he’s clearly on or just the inevitable side effects of having been coddled his entire life—while being fucked by men like his father, Roy Cohen and Vladimir Putin, literally and figuratively—he thinks that all of the millions he’s been able to make selling autographs and trinkets and Mar-A-Largo memberships (because the real people that run things—the Republicans—have profited off of him beyond their wildest dreams and recognized him as the useful idiot Putin saw and corrupted decades ago so they’ve turned a blind eye to all the emoluments violations he’s constantly racking up), were all his original ideas.

And he’s not wrong. This is literally the first time he fully understood he was in a power position. Not the real power, of course; he’ll never be allowed to have any real power. But he finally was in a position to profit off all of his puppeteers.

Remember, he’s been a puppet literally all of his life. First his father’s then, despicably, Roy Cohen’s and now Putin’s. Think of that in prison terms and how his greasy little asshole was tossed from cell to cell all of his life.

I almost feel for him.

So, yes, it makes perfect sense that this trainwreck of human excrement would think that it’s finally his turn after all of the shit he’s had to gobble down from such men.

That’s what’s motivating him to run again. Because he can keep smiling as his pathetic sons and daughters are submerged in the dark fishing up all the shekels that drop through the outhouse floorboards, as their father’s ass gets repeatedly fucked by the true powermongers in his world.

Okay, you said it better, and painted a more detailed picture. Same thing though.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I think the only thing worse than losing a Presidential Election is getting fired by the US people and being a one-term President.

 

[ideologyhunter]

I don't think Trump fears prison. He has successfully dodged court judgments his whole life.
It's ego (the worst word to him is loser, and I'm sure he thinks one-termers are losers.) Also, as said by others, POTUS has been a huge cash grab for him. HYUUUGE.

 

[ronburgundy]

Pfffft.
To retain his fortune, stay out of jail, and allow the statute of limitations to expire on the majority of his most recent crimes.

DUH!!

It stretches credulity to think that the people at The Atlantic don't know this.

That and his ego will not allow himself to be seen as a loser. He cares about power and his ego. So he will fight, lie, cheat and destroy the country for a second term.

...ensuring history will see him as a loser....

Yeah, but he'll be dead, and that kind of analysis is easy to pretend is biased and wrong. Being a one-term loser is a simple straightforward fact.
I think that even if Trump could be certain that voluntarily stepping down after one term would massively improve how history ultimately views his presidency, he would still choose the ego boost of re-election and another 4 years of cult followers.

 

[Half-Life]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

He's taking no salary as President.

You get what you pay for.

 

[ZiprHead]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

His golfing is costing us $340 Million. His pay is a drop in that bucket.

 

[Half-Life]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

His golfing is costing us $340 Million. His pay is a drop in that bucket.

How the hell can golf cost that much? Is he having million dollar shots of alcohol while playing?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

His golfing is costing us $340 Million. His pay is a drop in that bucket.

How the hell can golf cost that much? Is he having million dollar shots of alcohol while playing?

He is playing golf at private courses which requires additional security. Obama typically played on bases where security already existed.

 

[ZiprHead]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

His golfing is costing us $340 Million. His pay is a drop in that bucket.

How the hell can golf cost that much? Is he having million dollar shots of alcohol while playing?

Forbes.com-Trump’s Golf Trips Could Cost Taxpayers Over $340 Million

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

His golfing is costing us $340 Million. His pay is a drop in that bucket.

How the hell can golf cost that much? Is he having million dollar shots of alcohol while playing?

That's funny. People a lot less funny are making millions doing conservative talk radio.

Like others have said, Trumpo has spent way more than his predecessor. And the money he is raking in because of his political influence makes that salary look like a nickel on the sidewalk.

 

[Patooka]

He's taking no salary as President. That is very admirable. Did Obama do that?

Obama didn't donate his salary whilst costing the American Taxpayer millions in security costs.
He also didn't force state functions to occur in his venues, making him millions outside the office of president.
Obama also didn't stiff cities of venue costs for his rallies across the US (a half million in El Paso alone)
Obama didn't force the US taxpayer to fund jobs for his entire deadbeat family (and worthless son in law who is fucking Trump's love of his life) either.
You're right. Obama did none of those things. He kept his 400k salary and cost the taxpayers a shit ton less. And that doesn't include all the funding cuts Trump did to pay for his expensive lifestyle.

Oh, and Obama could keep his paycheck and not oversee the longest government shutdown in US history.