Trump is reportedly 'trying to survive from 1 news cycle to the next,' with no exit ramp

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 13 November 2020

President Trump is meeting with his skeptical advisers to discuss ways he might still reverse his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, including gumming up the vote certification process in certain states so friendly Republican state legislators have a shot at picking pro-Trump electors, Maggie Haberman reports at The New York Times. But these discussions aren't "detailed" or even serious, and Trump isn't showing "any obsessive desire" to stay in the White House, Haberman writes. "He knows it's over," one adviser said.

"There is no grand strategy at play," Haberman reports, citing half a dozen advisers and people close to the outgoing president. "Trump is simply trying to survive from one news cycle to the next, seeing how far he can push his case against his defeat and ensure the continued support of his Republican base." His mood is "often bleak" but he isn't raising his voice, aides tell the Times, and he isn't thinking about "a peaceful transition" so much as "settling scores both inside and outside the administration."

Trump is watching lots of "television coverage about the final weeks of his presidency," Haberman reports, and "the work of government has been reduced to something of a sideshow." He is considering suggestions he exact revenge on Fox News by starting a rival conservative media outlet, though Republicans are skeptical he'd actually hurt Fox News. He's also "talking seriously about announcing that he is planning to run again in 2024," shortly after Biden's victory is certified, Haberman writes. Even if he doesn't run again, that will let him freeze the 2024 GOP field, "keep the wide support he showed even in defeat, and could guarantee a lucrative book deal or speaking fees." Read more about Trump's unfocused post-presidency musing at The New York Times.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.