US Elections: Trump’s Last Stand: 75 Days of ‘Unlimited Power’

Donald Trump’s last 75 days in the White House could spell an unprecedented end, as the angry president wields “unlimited” powers to reward friends and take revenge on enemies.

Instead of being a “lame duck,” the defeated but still-in-office president has been relieved of responsibility.

As reported by axios.com, “after the defeat, there are no restrictions on ordinary presidential powers between the elections and the inauguration.”

“He will have nearly unlimited power to reward his friends, settle scores, and stack tables and commissions with his allies during his final days in office.”

The Washington Post described the nation as in “unprecedented danger” from “an angry and unhinged executive” who will be in office until January 20, the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration.

“Mr. Trump could do incalculable damage with last-day acts, from firing competent senior officials in the intelligence and national security communities to granting pardons to his criminal associates,” he reported.

In addition to granting clemency, which Trump was fond of last February, he can rush the passage of legislation and turn the jobs of his political appointees into permanent positions in the new administration.

Former President Barack Obama filled many federal positions with people who would continue to serve after he left office.

As Trump reflects on his defeat and launches legal challenges to Joe Biden’s victory, he may choose to exercise his last position as commander-in-chief.

This could be disastrous for global security, if it involves withdrawing troops and diplomats in sensitive regions.

In October, Trump tweeted that he would bring 4,500 soldiers home to Afghanistan for Christmas.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to shut down the US embassy in Iraq after repeated rocket bombardments by Iranians.

A quiet withdrawal of high-ranking military personnel is already underway, which had provided a stabilizing influence in many African countries.

Withdrawal from the Middle East could be disastrous, the Washington Post reported, prompting a possible return of the Taliban and civil war in Afghanistan.

Not known for his restraint, Trump may seek to distribute favors, as presidents do when they leave the White House and during an unstable transition period.

Internationally, it may succumb to the approaches of Israeli allied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sanction further annexation of Palestinian settlements in the West Bank.

The Washington Post suggested that another friend of Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, might seek favors, which Congress has already opposed.

China could take advantage of the transition period and move strongly into the disputed territory, Taiwan.

The Chinese state publication, People’s Daily, responded to Trump’s tweet that “I won this election a lot” with a tweet that read “HaHa” and a laughing emoji.

When it comes to domestic favors, Trump has already shown a taste for preventing people from getting a criminal record or freeing them from jail, and he’s not the first president to do so.

Barack Obama, while in office, but particularly after Trump won the election as his inauguration date approached, broke the record for granting clemency.

In February, Trump launched a “clemency spree” by commuting sentences and granting pardons to 11 people.

Lucky recipients included junk bond king Michael Milken and former San Francisco 49ers owner and convicted gambling con artist Edward DeBartolo Jr.

After Trump won the election in November 2016, Obama granted 78 commutations of prison sentences on a single day the following month.

On January 17, 2017, three days before Trump’s inauguration, Obama pardoned 64 people and commuted the sentences of 209, including 109 for life, including former soldier and WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

On his last full day in office, on January 19, 2017, Obama commuted the prison terms of 330 federal inmates, mostly drug offenders, to “punishments that were too harsh.”

“Presidents leaving office generally do not feel completely unbridled – in fact, there is now a more immediate and pressing constraint: ‘What will history think of me?'” Retired college expert on presidential transitions, John, told axios. Burke. com.

“It might be tempting for him to fire those he considers disloyal, for example, but it won’t do him any good in the long run. Meanness is an expensive exercise.”