One of the most controversial things I've said on this thread concerns our president and his authoritarian tendencies.
I said that as an authoritarian, there are only four ways he will leave office:
1) Die in office
2) Thrown in prison
3) Flee to exile
4) Taken out back and shot
The main argument I get from non-Trumpers is that the president is an "authoritarian wanna-be". And because he isn't a very successful authoritarian, the military won't back him if he is forced out of office via impeachment or loss of the 2020 election.
My response is that Individual-1 will never agree that he was legally ousted. If impeached and convicted, he will say the process was illegal in some way and therefore he is still president. If he loses in 2020 he will say the election was rigged and therefore he is still president.
I'm certainly no expert on authoritarianism, so I could be wrong. But I'm becoming more and more convinced that I'm right. And it's not just based on what we see of the president's behavior and psyche.
The president is facing investigators who have gone through his criminal life with a fine-toothed comb. They know every criminal act he and his organization have ever been involved with.
The only thing protecting the president and his family right now is the fact that he is the president. The presidency is his shield. There is no way he will let down that shield voluntarily.