Prominent political and poll analyst Nate Silver suggested on Wednesday that President Donald Trump could simply “quit” the presidency following the Republican Party’s catastrophic defeat in the midterm elections this month.
During an appearance on the “Still Counting” podcast, Silver responded to Vice President JD Vance’s election post-mortem — in which he conceded that the midterms had been lost due to Trump’s Iran war — by saying, “It used to be a little more common for, like, presidents and vice presidents to be rivals… We haven’t seen that recently… That dynamic’s going to be interesting.”
Donald Trump 2023 Rally Creative Commons Photo
President Donald Trump speaks during the 136th Coast Guard Academy commencement exercise in New London, Conn., May 17, 2017.
The ceremony was the President’s first service academy graduation as commander-in-chief.
Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley.
“That’s part of why I had just the weird intuition that maybe Trump will find some pretense to quit,” Silver continued. “He could get very, very isolated.”
Trump Could ‘Go Off to Mar-a-Lago’ and Just ‘Let JD Have the Job’
Silver proposed that Trump could “just go off to Mar-a-Lago, or go off to the West Village, and start a karaoke bar where he can comment on men’s asses all he wants,” adding that he might just “let JD have the job” in the White House.
Vance’s own political future has also been brought into question following the midterms, with newspapers in his home state of Ohio warning the vice president’s 2028 presidential hopes might be over after being tied to Trump’s sinking ship.
Silver was one of many political analysts who predicted a “blue tsunami” in this month’s midterm elections.
“If the election goes roughly as the polls say it will, then in some ways it would mark the end of the Trump era,” he told the New York Times in October.
Only One U.S. President Has Ever Resigned From the Presidency
Only one U.S. president, Richard Nixon, has ever resigned the presidency, and it is far more likely that Trump will serve out the rest of his term, either vetoing legislation from the Democrat-controlled House and Senate or working with the Democratic Party to get things done.
In a post-election interview with “60 Minutes,” Trump signaled that he was willing to work with the Democratic Party to advance legislation, including an effective amnesty for illegal immigrants.
The president told the program that his mass deportations of illegal immigrants had been “too tough” and expressed concern that the policy might have contributed to the Republican Party’s defeat in the midterms.
“I think ultimately that hurt me,” he said, before expressing interest in working with Democrats to pass legislation which would allow illegal immigrants working in landscaping, hotels, and other industries to remain in the country.
Trump Will Be Out of White House by Easter, Says Democratic Strategist
Democratic strategist James Carville predicted last month that Trump would leave the White House by Easter next year, suggesting that the president would get bored after losing big in the midterm elections and struggle with his declining power and relevance.
Arguing that Trump was “not particularly a hard man,” Carville told Fox News he would “put a huge amount of money” on Trump exiting the White House within 6 months.
“Trump will be out by Easter,” he said, adding, “I think he’s going to get really bored and when you lose one this big, people don’t really pay attention to you.”
Carville had previously raised concerns over Trump’s health and well-being, arguing that the 80-year-old president was “obviously not well” and frequently falling asleep during meetings and conferences.
A White House spokesperson shot down Carville’s prediction, calling the Democratic strategist a “stone-cold loser” with a “peanut-sized brain.”
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel publicly called on Trump to resign from the White House on Wednesday, making similar claims to Carville that Trump no longer even wanted to serve.
“Quit already! Just quit. Nobody wants you. Even you don’t want to be president anymore,” Kimmel declared. “The only party he leads is the slumber party, and he’s the only person in it.”
If Trump Resigns, Vance Would Become President and Get to Nominate His Own VP
Under the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, in the event of a president resigns, dies, or is removed, the presidency transfers to the sitting vice president.
If Trump resigned the presidency, Vice President JD Vance would become president and could nominate his own vice president, who would then have to be confirmed by a majority in both the House and Senate.
About the Author: Charlie Nash
Charlie Nash is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Spectator, Mediaite, New Statesman, and the American Conservative, among other major publications. The Washington Post, Fox News, the Daily Beast, MS NOW, NewsNation, Hannity, and more have featured his reporting. You can follow Charlie on X at @CharlieNash and on LinkedIn.
