Trump Vows Not To Run In 2028 If He Loses Nov. 5 Do You Believe That?

I would say that it’s always good to follow the adage, “When people tell you who they are, believe them.” For most situations, that’s good advice. But when you’re dealing with the hustler from Queens, who knows? An article posted today in the Washington Times has Donald Trump announcing to the world that if he loses November 5, that’s it. Game over. He will not run again in 2028. But as you well recall, he said that he was going to leave the country if he lost in 2020. Or was it 2016? Point being, it’s hard to keep his lies straight. He did lose in 2020 and he’s still here. And my best thinking tells me that if there’s a buck to be made off MAGA between now and 2028, that’s precisely what he’s going to do, is keep grifting.

Tough to run from prison. Even tougher at 82 years old. pic.twitter.com/w5eRy1Brn7

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 22, 2024

“No, I don’t. I think … that will be it. I don’t see that at all,” said Mr. Trump, 78, during an interview on “Full Measure” with Sharyl Attkisson, when asked if he would consider running again in 2028.

“Hopefully, we’re gonna be successful,” he said.

Okay, let’s parse through this because there are arguments for both sides of this question, will Trump run or not run, as he just said he wouldn’t.

1. Trump might be on the level. He hated being president. Yes, he made loads of money and so did Ivanka and Jared, wifey, wife’s friends, and all the rest of the klan. But it was not what he thought it would be. He said to Barack Obama, when Obama briefed him on the duties of the office he had just attained, “I didn’t think it would be so much work.” And then he proceeded to do no work.
2. On the other hand, politics is Trump’s only means of income right now, other than his SAG pension. The bitcoin, the NFTs, the sneakers, bibles, shot glasses, books, tee shirts, hats, Christmas wrapping, ornaments, wine, coffee cups (takes a breath) tumblers, hoodies, popcorn, gummies, peach slices (I am not making this up) jelly beans, cookies, teddy bears, honey (I guess they sell the honey so that if Trumpy Bear comes to life, you can feed it before it takes a piece out of you) pillows, ashtrays, cheeseboards, serving dishes, hot mitts, bottle openers…..(give me a moment, my fingers just cramped up)……………………….anyhow, you get the general idea.
3. But here’s a new thought: Kamala Harris mortally wounded Trump during the debate when she invited people to attend one of his rallies and watch people leave early. His rallies are trite, tiring, and repetitive. He’s got no original material. He knows all this.
4. And if Harris beats him in November, that will be 2-1 and Trump would be the first person ever to run a fourth time for the office of president, after having won once and been defeated twice.

So he might do it or he might not. Today, I would say that you’re looking at even money no matter what he says publicly.

And do not discount the significance of Trump’s age. He’s pretty much of a wreck at age 78. He’s morbidly obese. Yes, he is out on the golf course but he doesn’t walk the course and that would make a big difference. He rides in a golf cart.

Trump’s light campaign schedule tells you everything you need to know. He’s going through the motions. So is J.D. Vance. Vance signed up for a completely different ride than the one he found himself taking. He was expecting Biden in the top slot, Harris in the number two spot. Now he’s watching Harris trounce Trump and he has to go up against everybody’s favorite teacher, Tim Walz, in a debate.

I predict the Walz/Vance debate will be reminiscent of the Kennedy/Nixon debates. Nixon came across as surly whereas Kennedy exuded boyish charm. Nixon’s five o’clock shadow did him no good on TV. It made him look like a shady character, whereas Kennedy’s fresh, all-American looks and style carried the day. Likewise, Vance is not going to compare favorably to Walz. Walz is straightforward and legit, Vance is as awkward as Ron DeSantis, if not more so.

Trump knows he’s going to lose again. He evidently does not believe the racehorse polls, because if he did, he would be fighting harder, I feel. Or, maybe Trump actually did make a true statement during the primary, when he refused to debate the other Republicans. That statement was, “Everybody knows what I stand for.”

That could be the case. Perhaps Trump figures at this point that he’s got the voting base he’s going to get and why work any harder to win anybody else over?  In all events, he gives the impression of a man who has given up.

He’s got one rally on the books for this week, tomorrow in Pennsylvania. And we won’t know for several days what his plans for the next week are. I guess he plays golf and watches TV the rest of the time and leaves the election to fate. Who knows? As with all things Trumpian, we have not seen this behavior before in politics. Never have we seen a candidate checked out in the last six weeks of the campaign.

And while Trump is watching Fox News and crying in his Diet Coke, Kamala Harris is packing in the crowds. It feels like 2008 all over again. Do you suppose Harris could take Indiana, like Obama did? Wouldn’t that be grand?