Assuming Trump loses in November ...

[VMA131Marine]

… and I’m now quite optimistic that will be the case, what will happen to Trump in terms of the Republican Party?

Trump and the RNC are now almost inextricably linked barring some kind of revolt because Trump acolytes and family are in the leadership positions. Would Trump really run for President for a fourth time and would he get any serious challengers? Who is the next potential leader of the Republican Party? Do they tack back to the center or will it be a potentially more radical person than Trump himself?
Ted Cruz?
Ron DeSantis?
Nikki Haley?
Greg Abbott?
Matt Gaetz?
Vivek Ramaswamy?
Stephen Miller?
Rick “Skeletor” Scott?

Other ideas?

I think it’s really going to require some Republican with cojones to push Trump out, even with a second electoral loss under his belt. Trump will still have massive legal bills and he needs the fund-raising capacity of the Republican Party to generate cash so he doesn’t have to pay them out of his own pocket.
Or does Trump hold onto control and take the national party down with him?

Discuss!

[nikatnyte]

1. Trump's last stand

If Trump loses in November (as I, too, believe he will), that will be the end of him. Despite the Supreme Court, President Harris will be able to marshal forces and move ahead with all the criminal trials against Trump. The Republican Party, as sycophantic and deranged as they are, will realize that continuing with Trumpism is a one-way ticket to nowhere. Already holding on to reality by a barely perceptible thread, Trump will crumble into complete incoherence (and incontinence) in the face of certain prison time and total bankruptcy. It will be a pleasure to see. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and this fall will be spectacular.

[PeaceWave]

24. As long as there's money to grift from poor GOPers, Trump will be back in 2028.

[mdbl]

29. Dont's see him lasting that long

not with his McDonald's diet and all.

[wordstroken]

33. From a nurse's perspective, I agree!!

Physically, mentally, he’s too unwell!!
And they’re probably hiding 98 percent of what’s going on with his ill health.

[Trueblue1968]

41. Die of a broken heart ??????

[regnaD kciN]

38. If Trump loses in November...

…prepare for a nerve-wracking couple of months that will make last time seem like a smooth transition. Trump will, of course, scream “stolen election!” – but, this time, he has MAGAt minions installed at all levels of the election apparatus in key states, and they will do everything they can to gum up the works to prevent certification and throw the choice of president to the House (where Republicans will likely still have the majority). Their goal is to make sure Trump becomes president and Project 2025 put in place, no matter how the election goes. I only hope our side is prepared for this, and has strong enough plans to counter it.

[canetoad]

46. You have the distinction

Of being a long time DU member, but you haven't posted very much. Glad you broke your silence.

[LuvLoogie]

2. No!

[VMA131Marine]

6. No, what?

[LuvLoogie]

12. Don't want to discuss who's next.

Not yet!

[VMA131Marine]

13. Well, is it someone new

Or someone we know?

[LuvLoogie]

15. Maybe Sununu

DeSantis will recall his own bigoted wierdness and mysogyny.

I think Harris' will have effectively defeated that as a go to tactic for the GOPs.

But they won't change. They've been pumping out too many young Nazi Bros that are still in the pipeline. Most women don't want to hook up with them. Any people of color still in the party get elevated if they grovel to the Christian Nationalist White Supremacy.

I don't want to try and rationalize with them, persuade them.

Ridicule them and let them fizzle out in their dead end world view. We're trying to evolve as a nation, not suck it dry.

[Carlitos Brigante]

3. If he loses, I would assume that they'll still double down on crazy. At least for a while because

they don't want to lose his supporters. If he were to lose by a lot. Which I'm not seeing right now now. Then all bets are off. I do think that from Cruz on down. Many of the top stooges hate his guts. And won't mind it all that much when he finally disappears and just croaks.

[uponit7771]

4. GQP will keep him, he has Epstein list ... nothing else explains GQP attachment to underperforming person

[Qutzupalotl]

5. The conventional wisdom is that a losing party

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does a lot of soul-searching. In this case, that could take centuries.

MAGA is a brand and an attitude, but no real governing policy. My hope is that some moderate or sane person on the other side will rise, but I sure don't see them now. Haley is probably next in line, though now somewhat tainted for having endorsed TFG.

Because of the chaos and lack of unifying principles beyond a personality, I don't see a big electoral win in their future until they dump the extremism … and that is so much a part of their identity, I don't see them changing anytime soon. Someone should tell them to stop digging, but it won't be me.

[Wicked Blue]

9. First, it needs to possess a soul

and the Maggats don't seem to have souls.

[Wounded Bear]

7. I think you have me confused with somebody who gives a shit...

trump, like all narcissists, has no concern for what follows him. He assumes he's gonna live forever because in his world, he is all that matters.

The fact that repubs have no plan of succession after trump amuses me. They deserve a generation in the wilderness, until they find some candidates who are adults.

[VMA131Marine]

10. Well, I didn't ask you specifically ...

But thanks for your input. I honestly could see Trump trying again in 2028 (assuming he’s not dead or in prison) and still being the only viable GOP candidate because the opposition won’t be able to coalesce behind a single alternative.

[bpj62]

8. Biggest Grifter Ever

Trump will do everything he can to keep his grip on the financial apparatus of the RNC. He will definitely run in 2928 because he has dirt on his possible opponents courtesy of Putin and people like David Pecker. Trump has no other real source of income and if he leaves the campaign trail what good is Truth Social. The best thing for the Republicans is for Trump to become incapacitated or to pass away because no one else in his family is capable of exerting the pressure that Trump has on the Republican party.

[VMA131Marine]

11. Yes, he will run in 2028!

No prize for the correct answer, sorry. 🤣

[demosincebirth]

14. I'd pick the Gestapo, Steven Miller, a sure winner.

[getagrip_already]

16. First, he will replay the 2020 loss...

Lawsuits, the bigger lie, challenges, scotus appeals, etc.

That will keep him busily grifting for a couple of years, all the time campaigning. And at least some of that time will be in prison or confinement.

But all the time slipping further and further into the throws of dimentia. In 4 years he likely wont even be able to pretend.

[anciano]

17. Very thought provoking question....

I think that he personally would no longer be a force in the Repub party, but that the oligarchs behind the curtain who actually set the Repub agenda are not going away any time soon. They will simply anoint a new messiah for their cause and carry on. Our struggle to protect democracy will never end.

[orange jar]

19. Agreed.

I don't think the MAGA ideology is ever going to completely go away in mainstream politics, but I think that — if he loses in November — the real power brokers who back the Republicans are going to look for someone else to be the face of it.

I think they're already ready to get rid of Trump, honestly, and probably wish they had someone else right now. After this election is over, assuming that Harris will defeat him, I think they're definitely going to dump him. The ones who actually influence the alt-right and adjacent movements never liked him to begin with, but they were willing to put up with him because he was always seen as the useful idiot who's the best conduit for implementing far right, religious fascism — simply because he will do anything to make money. Now he's too much of a liability.

Trump will continue to grift and he will always have his diehard supporters, but most of his supporters care more about his fascist policies and what he represents than the man himself.

[VMA131Marine]

22. I thought the GOP would take advantage of Trump's

first impeachment to dump him in favour of Pence TBH. He has insulted and demeaned all the GOP leadership by that point and I thought they would be eager to get rid of him. Then they let him off on the second impeachment and I realised that they must have Stockholm Syndrome or something else that keeps them beholden to Trump no matter what he does.
At least part of the reason is because it seems that there are now no consequences for lying if you are a Republican. For example, the RW media have convinced most of the GOP base that Jan 6th, 2021 was no more than a boisterous tourist group that got a bit out of hand despite how many of us saw it happen in real time. They really have bought into the idea that there is no lie too big that you can’t convince people to believe it. Republicanism is now a post-truth ideology and I’m not sure that genie can ever be put back in the bottle. If Elon Musk decided to run for President I’d bet that enough Republicans could be convinced by the RW media he really was a natural-born US citizen that he could get the nomination.
Also Republicans no longer care what the Constitution actually says; they have a Supreme Court that will ignore wording and precedent to enact RW policy by judicial fiat.

[Emile]

18. Marjorie Taylor Greene

[VMA131Marine]

20. You may be onto something with this

Greene has clearly managed to move up to more of a leadership role in the Republican House caucus. But I’m not sure how well her brand plays even statewide in Georgia, much less nationwide. I think she would have to be elected as Governor in GA or Senator to be credible as a Presidential candidate but maybe not if Trump passed the torch to her.

[WarGamer]

21. Trump will still be Kingmaker.

The Heir apparent is whoever he says it is.

The GOP needs the Trump base PLUS the anti-Trumpers.

[VMA131Marine]

23. So Donald Junior?

I had thought that Trump might want to pass the torch to Ivanka if he had won in 2020 so that she could have become the first woman president. However, she’s been mostly invisible this time around. She’s not going to speak out against him but it appears that her and Jared’s foray into politics and is over. Don Jr and Eric are just really unlikable.

[WarGamer]

25. Maybe Tulsi?

Noem, if she hadn't shot the pooch...

Desantis?

Someone new?

Anna Paulina Luna?

[VMA131Marine]

28. Oh man! Really scraping the bottom of the barrel there

One thing is certain, the real power brokers behind GOP money are not going to run.

[mucifer]

26. from russia, saudi arabia or prison?

[WarGamer]

27. none of the above. No indication he will be imprisoned or even go to trial again.

[VMA131Marine]

31. Well, if Trump loses in November

I fully expect him to stand trial in the two cases being brought by the special counsel. I’m less certain about the Georgia case. Willis having a relationship with the prosecutor she hired was a ridiculous own goal even if not explicitly barred by Georgia rules.

[wnylib]

35. Even after he loses? I think that his influence will fade.

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The extreme right will not fade. But Trump's influence among them will. They will reject his rambling, weird behavior, but will double down on racism, immigration, religion, accusations of communism, and anti gender identity rhetoric.

Racism will be especially strong as a reaction against having a Black and Asian president, just as it was during Obama's presidency. They will focus on the 2026 midterms to undercut the Harris-Walz policies. They will ramp up the "othering" of anyone who is not White, Christian, heterosexual.

I expect the fascists to ditch the MAGA name and replace it with something else, just as they ditched Tea Party in favor of MAGA. They'll find a new leader to carry the fascist torch.

They will never give up. Trump did not originate the American fascist movement. He was just the public face of it who could win votes, so they embraced and protected him. He is no longer useful. They will want someone more dedicated to the greater cause of fascism than Trump's self-centered commitment to his own personal gain and ego.

[WarGamer]

44. the GOP came very close to taking complete control.

If Trump wasn't a loon...

And could have held the traditional suburban R voter intact... they'd be in complete control.

They will pick a better showman and liar next time.

[wnylib]

45. Agree. We can't relax after Harris/Walz win.

The battle against fascism is perpetual.

[BlueWavePsych]

30. Tough to guess.

[bucolic_frolic]

32. Republican Party has been privatized. It is Private Equity. It is owned by Trump

A new Conservative Party of new name will emerge.

Trump will run again and again when he is out of jail

Trump-Vance '36

[DET]

34. On a Serious Note...

Trump won’t run again in four years because he’ll be dead. I’m not sure he can make it to this years election, mentally or physically. Meanwhile, the Republican Party will persist in their endeavor to turn the country into a dictatorship, but they’ll realize that they have to run someone who superficially seems ‘normal’. My prediction - Glen Youngkin (current Governor of Virginia). Fortunately, we’ve been able to limit the amount of damage he could inflict on the state. I’d hate to see him bring his act to the national stage.

[Stardust Mirror]

36. Dead Ted Walking

is what The Church Lady called Cruz on the SNL opening

[mercuryblues]

37. trump will not run again

he can barely string a sentece together now. In 4 years, he'll have to be restrained in a wheelchair to keep from falling out.

Larry Hogan
Glenn Youngkin
Brian Kemp
Gregg Abbott

They PTB want to give off the illusion of moving to the center. Make no mistake, all repukes stand for the same agenda. Their overlords pay them to. They just know how to keep it under their white hood,

[regnaD kciN]

39. "Once you go fash, you never get rash"...

In other words, once you’ve found fascism appealing, your chances of returning to rationality are nil. I fully expect Republicans to be on a quest for “the next Trump” for a generation or more.

[Mountainguy]

40. Civil war in the Republican party

as the Chamber of Commerce types look to pull their apparatus back from the MAGA types.

Those two aren't going to be able to coexist because they have massively different goals.

[keithbvadu2]

42. Will Lara Trump lose her job (in best soap opera voice), and DonOld lose that revenue?

[VMA131Marine]

43. Well, based on performance she should be fired now.

But, will Eric be forced to divorce her. Otherwise, Thanksgiving dinner is going to be … AWKWARD!

[Celerity]

47. Brian Kemp nt

[StrictlyRockers]

48. I'm super curious to see what happens when (if) Trump loses

I like to make predictions, but this future is beyond my kell. I'm not willing to make predictions here. I just hope MAGA fades out and dies.

[Skittles]

49. my guess is Trump and the MAGAt movement would be squashed

heck you KNOW the rank and file are already very much regretting they backed that fascist freak again

who knows, maybe people a bit saner who never humped Trump will start to emerge in the GOP - probably younger folk