Watching the pageantry of GHW Bush's lying in state. Do we have to do this for Trump?

[Hamlette]

I'm not a huge fan of Poppy Bush but I sort of like the music, the coffin going up the stairs etc. But I can't help but think one day it will be Trump. We need to make sure he is so tarnished he doesn't get this.

[Siwsan]

1. I'm hoping he ends up in a Pauper's Field

Seems appropriate, don't you think?

[Turbineguy]

2. People are going to show up.

Just to make sure he's dead.

[Sneederbunk]

3. One day at a time, please.

[bdjhawk]

4. After all if the respectful comments from both sides

Since his passing, all I can think if is how the RW/Repugs will behave when Bill Clinton and Barack Obama pass away. In their minds, neither will be worthy of this type of ceremony. Nor will President Carter.

[The Genealogist]

35. Clinton and Obama, I'd imagine they will act badly

Carter, I'm not so sure. My ultra-conservative relatives actually like the work he's done for Habitat for Humanity. I imagine they are not alone.

[IADEMO2004]

5. I'm thinking nation wide Mardi Gras

[MiniMe]

6. I don't think they did for Nixon

Could be wrong, but I thought they didn't do anything special for him

[Jarqui]

13. Repose, funeral and burial was at his library in CA

Compared to other presidents, it was a very subdued funeral

[MiniMe]

17. Thanks, I thought it was something like that

[ADX]

28. That's because his family wanted it that way...

...All former U.S. Presidents are automatically entitled to all the attendant pomp and circumstance being visited on GHWB, unless the family expresses other wishes.

[pnwmom]

46. We've never before both impeached and convicted a President.

So I don't think past history would apply.

[Princess Turandot]

23. The government didn't 'deny' him the DC formalities/ceremonies...

That was at the family's request. All of the living presidents still attended the funeral. WJC wound up giving a eulogy.

[catbyte]

7. I think we can just skip that step. 😉😎

[EffieBlack]

8. This is one of the many, many reasons we should never have allowed him to be elected president

Electing him was treated by many as some kind of a statement or experiment or a joke. But now the reality has hit, and it's not pretty

Even if he is removed or resigns in disgrace and has an asterisk next to his name, he will ALWAYS have been the 45th president of the United States and, as such, is entitled to many of the honors and tributes accorded to the people who hold or have held the office.

[BlueStater]

10. Fuck that.

It's time to break tradition in regards to this psychotic, unqualified, traitorous, nasty piece of work.

No presidential library. No state funeral. He deserves neither.

[EffieBlack]

20. No. It's time to never again make a psychotic, unqualified, traitorous nasty piece of work president

The decision was made when he was elected president.

What mechanism do you suggest be used to deny him the honors of the office he holds? An act of Congress? Good luck with that. And good luck keeping a cravenly partisan Congress from denying honors to future presidents who fully deserve it but whom they don't like ala Barack Obama.

[BlueStater]

25. Yes, as a matter of fact.

He's a goddamn traitor, a fucking embarrassment, and an all-around horrendous excuse for a human being. He is a black mark on our history. He doesn't deserve to be honored by this country in any way, shape, or form.

Just like we don't honor previous failures like James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Warren G. Harding, we should not honor this asshole. We should only use him as an eternal reference for what a president shouldn't be.

[EffieBlack]

31. You didn't answer my question

It's not enough that you hate him. What mechanism do you suggest be employed to deny him the honors due a president?

And since when don't we honor James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Warren G. Harding? Not only were they given full honors at their deaths, there are plenty of schools, etc. that still have their names on them.

I despise him as much as you do. And I'm certainly not excited about the idea of him receiving various presidential. But people should have thought of that before letting him have the job.

[BlueStater]

39. Yes, I did answer it.

The mechanism would be Congress, like you mentioned in your first post.

That's about the full extent of the honors those men receive. Since they're looked upon by the vast majority of people as failures, we don't have museums dedicated to their memories or anything like that. If you want a more recent example, even Nixon isn't honored all that much outside of having a library:

https://www.howderfamily.com/blog/nothing-named-nixon/

We shouldn't waste a cent of taxpayer money to honor a piece of shit like Trump. He needs to be shunned by society. They won't say it publicly, but even those in power know what a disgrace he is. He's not even being invited to speak at the funeral of one of his predecessors, for crying out loud.

[pnwmom]

47. Is there any official law about how to bury former Presidents?

Or just custom, which could be changed if we --- for the first time in history -- both impeached and convicted a President.

I doubt that the Senate would convict him -- but if the circumstances were so egregious that they did, I could imagine Congress deciding to deny him the usual pomp of a Presidential burial.

[PJMcK]

9. Well, Trump isn't dead...

... yet.

[elfin]

11. Whenever it is and whatever form it takes....

I hope I am to still here to feel a semblance of tranquility that indeed, he is GONE and unable to spread his toxic practices anymore.

It is a concern of mine that he will outlive geezer me. Cheney is still here against all odds, adding to my pessimism.

[dalton99a]

12. Trump will be eligible.

DA PAM 1-1/OPNAVINST 5360.1/AFM 143-2/CG 390 • 30 December 1965

Chapter 1

STATE FUNERAL POLICY

Section I
GENERAL

1. Persons entitled to State Funeral.

a. The President of the United States.

b. An Ex-President of the United States.

c. The President-elect of the United States.

d. Any other person specifically designated by the President of the United States.

2. Eligibility for burial in national cemetery.

a. Eligibility for a State Funeral does not in itself entitle the deceased to burial in Arlington National Cemetery or any other national cemetery. (Reference: Act of 14 May 1948 (62 Stat. 234; 24 U.S.C. 281)).

b. Paragraph not used.

3. Responsibilities.

a. The President notifies the Congress that he has directed that a State Funeral be conducted. The Congress, which has sole authority for use of the U.S. Capitol, makes the Rotunda available for the State Ceremony through its own procedures.

b. The Secretary of Defense is the designated representative of the President of the United States. The Secretary of the Army is the designated representative of the Secretary of Defense for the purpose of making all arrangements for State Funerals in Washington, D.C. This includes participation of all Armed Forces and coordination with the State Department for participation of all branches of the Government and the Diplomatic Corps.

c. The Commanding General, Military District of Washington, U.S. Army as the designated representative of the Secretary of the Army, will make all ceremonial arrangements for State Funerals in Washington, D.C. and will be responsible for the planning and arranging of State Funerals throughout the continental United States.

d. The Department of the Army (Secretary of the General Staff) will —

(1) Upon the demise obtain the Presidents' desires as to type of funeral to be offered.

(2) Furnish a liaison officer to Headquarters, Military District of Washington, U.S. Army, (MDW), to coordinate activities and participation of the Department of Defense.

(3) Designate an appropriate officer aide to the next of kin.

(4) In coordination with the other military services and governmental departments, determine the distinguished persons to attend all phases of the funeral, and forward the names to The Adjutant General for preparation of announcements. An information copy will be forwarded to HQ, MDW.

(5) Designate a time and place for briefing of all military distinguished persons and inform HQ, MDW.

e. The Department of the Army (The Adjutant General) will —

(1) Formulate the list of honorary pallbearers consonant with desires of the next of kin and notify persons selected.

(2) Issue announcements to distinguished persons, family, and friends to attend the funeral service and certain other phases of the funeral ceremony to include:

(a) Reply as to acceptance, if time will permit.

(b) Time and place of participation.

(c) Seating and parking permits as appropriate.

(3) Furnish field grade officer guides beyond the capability of HQ, MDW to provide.


etc.

[jmowreader]

14. We know that, and that's the problem

There's a difference between being eligible and being worthy. Not even Nixon was as bad as Trump, and the dictionary definition for "scum of the earth" is "see Richard Nixon."

[meow2u3]

15. Is there an exception for a President who was removed from office via impeachment?

Just asking.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. Although he will be entitled to a state funeral Tiny won't want his funeral to be held

in the National Cathedral; it's too small, seating only about 4,000. He will want it to be held in a sports stadium or arena where thousands of mourning MAGAts can attend and can watch the proceedings on a Jumbotron. It will have to be BIGGER than any other presidential funeral, ever. Meatloaf and Ted Nugent will perform, and all the most famous right-wing televangelists will officiate.

I'd go, just to be sure the mofo is dead.

[dflprincess]

41. I'll go just to dance on his casket.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. I'd be tempted to do something a bit less delicate on his casket.

[pnwmom]

48. According to the policy, the decision will be up to the CURRENT President.

a. The President notifies the Congress that he has directed that a State Funeral be conducted.

Depending on circumstances, a future President could choose not to bury Trump with full honors.

[mcar]

16. The pageantry is nice

Nixon had his at his library. Dotard can lie in state at Trump Tower, next to a Starbucks or something.

[trof]

18. fuck no

[dsc]

19. Presidents get to plan their own funerals to a large extent

Even if Trump resigns like Nixon did he would be entitled to lie in state in the capital.

[struggle4progress]

21. Practice this: "Oh, look! Donald is lying again!"

[Raine]

24. Yes, if that's what he wants..

They make their own plans years ahead of time, Trump will probably want lots of pomp.

[allgood33]

26. Hopefully.

[Lexapro Liberal]

27. No no

When Agent Orange croaks, we'll all have to work 24 hours straight with no breaks and no benefits, then pay our employers for the honor.

[gopiscrap]

45. welcome to DU!

[AlexSFCA]

29. how was it for hitler? same should be for trump

[EffieBlack]

32. A little different

By the time it was an issue for Hitler, his country hardly existed and was occupied by the Allies.

[AlexSFCA]

44. how was it for Nixon?

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

30. Think of the poor pallbearers who have to carry that thing up the steps

[Kaleva]

33. Put him on top of the Griswold's station wagon and tour the country so his base can adore him.

[royable]

34. I don't think they'd allow a flaming dumpster into the Rotunda. n/t

[dflprincess]

40. LOL!!!!!

[NotASurfer]

36. The rules might be different for a convicted felon serving a life sentence

Release the remains to next of kin, if any remaining free want them, perhaps

[Atticus]

37. How about we just double bag him and drag him out to the curb? nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

43. Will the trash collection rules in D.C. allow for that?

In my city garbage has to be in the wheelie bin, you can't just leave it on the curb or in the alley, even if it's double-bagged. Will it be possible to stuff all of him into a bin?

[UTUSN]

38. Prediction: Not gonna happen!1

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

49. Nobody will remember Trump's misdeeds, when he dies 130 years from now.

He'll just be the first president to live to be 200 years old.

A model of health and vitality. And genius.