Regarding the recent Angry Poodle column “Trump Will Try to Stop or Steal the Next Election,” I think Nick Welsh is right to raise the concern.
Some people respond by saying that Trump can’t possibly do that because it would be illegal — that the Constitution, the courts, or provisions like the 25th Amendment would stop him. I hope that’s true. But recent history suggests that counting on norms or even clear legal limits is not enough.
Here’s what worries me. In the run-up to the next election cycle, he could issue an executive order — he has already issued more than 230 in the first year of his second term — declaring a national emergency. He could claim that there is evidence of widespread fraud in certain states, especially those run by Democrats, and argue that fair elections cannot be held there. On that basis, he could attempt to suspend or delay elections in those states.
Even if such an order were challenged immediately, court cases take time. By the time appeals worked their way up — possibly to a Supreme Court that might uphold the action — the political landscape could already have shifted. A new Congress might be seated with Republican majorities, and attention would be moving on to the next cycle before the constitutional questions were fully resolved.
Maybe this scenario seems far-fetched. But we have seen enough in recent years to know that what once seemed unthinkable can become reality. It’s better to think seriously about these possibilities now than to dismiss them outright.
