The man is very cognizant of his legacy, I think, and he thinks like a businessman. A businessman must be able to recognize when to cut losses, or when to change leadership in order to stem losses or enhance organizational value. Coupled with my foundational believe that he never truly intended to be President but rather to shake things up as a citizen-politician, I think he can be persuaded of the wisdom of stepping aside.
Who do you expect to persuade him of that, and where is the evidence that is actually going to happen? Versus your opinion that you think it is
possible for that to happen?
The real problem I see with your hope in this regard is him winning in 2016 when the overwhelming consensus was that he was doomed to lose. What is the evidence people are supposed to use to convince him that he is certain to lose if he stays in the race? "Here Mr. President, look at all these polls that say you can't win...." He'll laugh in their faces.
I'll admit that there was a point after he won in 2016 that I thought the same -- that what he really wanted to do was prove his critics wrong, that he really wasn't all that thrilled to actually
be President, and that he planned on throwing the torch to a hand-picked successor. In fact, I did a search and found that you and I actually had that very conversation six months ago:
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,336151.msg1821716.html#msg1821716The problem is that there has been zero evidence over the course of the last six months that is actually going to happen. He keeps talking about getting re-elected, and hasn't dropped a single hint that he might pass on a second term. In fact, he just had another guy he liked leave the Administration and join his 2020 campaign staff. That doesn't look like a guy who is not planning on running.
So at some point, the
desire to see him step aside has to give way to the recognition that he isn't. Perhaps we aren't quite at that point yet, but the point of no return -- where alternative candidates would need to get campaigns up and running -- is approaching fast. Especially since a primary campaign to pick a successor to Trump would likely be long and brutal.