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Until the delivery on January 20, Donald Trump can forgive his allies, friends and family at will, also pre-emptively. More troublesome for the country, however, is that his team can destroy files and sabotage the beginning of Joe Biden.
Donald Trump can still do a lot until January 20 to make it difficult for Joe Biden to get started.
Joe Biden narrowly won the presidential election. The nightmare scenario now is that Donald Trump does not recognize the result and refuses to leave the White House. Even if the incumbent finally admits defeat and resigns on January 20, he can still damage democratic institutions through questionable pardons. And you can make it harder for your successor to get started by refusing to cooperate, destroying government files and firing officials.
Free hand with forgiveness
When it comes to pardons, American presidents have almost a free hand, and many of Trump’s predecessors used the so-called lame duck period to make controversial decisions. George W. Bush pardoned about six officials implicated in the Iran-Contra affair, and Bill Clinton pardoned the dubious commodity trader and investor Marc Rich. However, none of his predecessors used the instrument with as much self-shame during his tenure as Trump. Therefore, political observers assume that the angry chosen person will forgive numerous political allies, donors, friends and family in the coming weeks.
Among other things, the president is likely to forgive the allies who are being investigated in the case of Russia. His former adviser Steve Bannon, accused of conspiracy and fraud, should also benefit from Trump’s generosity. Narcissistic Trump loves to change lives with a wink. In recent years, therefore, he has repeatedly forgiven people in a completely arbitrary way when asked to do so on one of his favorite Fox News shows or by famous friends.
Can the president forgive himself?
Trump is even expected to pardon family members like Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, as well as loyal employees, to avoid future legal proceedings. His lawyers take the position that a presidential pardon does not require a prior indictment or conviction. They mark a precedent in which Gerald Ford had preemptively pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon.
Such large-scale pardons are likely to spark a political storm and debate about restricting this privilege. Trump’s opponents currently have little legal means to stop such abuse of clemency.
However, the president’s pardon has limits. It only works against national criminal charges. Public prosecutors are free to investigate at the state and local level. This means that a lawsuit against Trump’s corporate empire due to financial irregularities in New York would still be possible. The president himself only enjoys immunity while in office. For example, after January 20, investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election could be resumed. Therefore, Trump had already declared that he also had the right to forgive himself. Most legal experts believe, however, that this is not the case.
At the annual “National Prayer Breakfast” in Washington on February 6, President Trump lets the front page of the “Washington Post” speak for itself.
Sabotage when delivering the cargo
Handovers are complicated even in normal times, because more than 4,000 employees in ministries and government offices are replaced with each change of president. The power vacuum and loss of competition affect government operations even without the sabotage of the previous administration. It is essential that the successor is well informed, and the president-elect is usually involved in all important decisions before taking office. Trump, however, cares little about these democratic practices. Therefore, Biden’s team hopes it will have to get by without the usual briefings and presentations.
This is likely to be even more difficult given that the written traces of politics for the past four years are deficient. The law stipulates that all information about events and decisions must be kept on file at the White House. Yet Trump often only had important conversations orally and tore up written documents after he had dealt with them or had them disappear; even through meetings with foreign heads of state. There are also rumors that White House employees want to remove existing virtual and other traces so that they cannot be uploaded with them in the future.
Dismissal of unpopular officials
Trump had hinted that if he won, he would fire several unpopular people. His list of targets includes top officials like FBI Director Christopher Wray and chief immunologist Anthony Fauci. Although Trump has now lost, he could still carry out his threat to crush hated critics. Such personal decisions would only be symbolic if Biden could reverse them. But they would bring additional unrest to the political scene and cost the successor valuable time.
Popular immunologist Anthony Fauci filmed in Washington in March 2020.
Military conflicts
In theory, the president could order military strikes or covert operations until the last minute. In the US media, there is speculation that Trump could increase pressure on Beijing in the South China Sea in the coming weeks or launch a cyberattack against Iran to put himself back on the world stage. However, it is doubtful that, given the legal dispute over his electoral defeat, he still has time for adventures in foreign policy.
pandemic
While some fear the hyperactivism of a frustrated loser in the election, others warn that the Trump administration will do absolutely nothing in the future. That would be particularly devastating to contain the pandemic and could make it even more difficult for Biden to get started. Some commentators point out in this regard, however, that the president has paid so little attention to the spread of the virus and the negative economic consequences in recent months that it does not matter if he withdraws to Mar-a-Lago entirely and alone. I would still play golf. In any case, Trump is more likely to want to enjoy every second in the spotlight.
A field of white flags for the victims of the pandemic in Washington. Almost 250,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the US.
