So this was reported:
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, has approached the President about conceding the election, two sources tell CNN.
Followed by this, from Axios:
A source close to Jared Kushner said he has advised President Trump to pursue "legal remedies" to the election. A second source close to Kushner confirmed he had not advised Trump to concede.
It doesn't matter. It's highly unlikely that Trump will concede -- not now, not even after the courts rule on his lawsuits.
In part, this is because he can't bear the thought of being a loser. But it's also because conceding would destroy the brand he's built since he announced his candidacy in 2015.
For a long time we've asked, "Is there anything that could persuade MAGA Nation to abandon Trump?" The pandemic didn't do it. A sharp economic downturn didn't do it. It's clear that he actually could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any votes.
I think he might have lost some of his supporters if he'd endorsed gun control, or made a deal with Democrats to preserve DACA -- or, really, if he'd made any deal whatsoever with Democrats on a controversial issue.
But at this point, I think he'd lose many of them if he acknowledged that Joe Biden won legitimately. They don't believe that. They're dug in.
And no, I don't think they'll arrive at the acceptance stage of grief if there's a climactic Supreme Court ruling, or series of rulings, against Trump. Many of them were ready to impeach John Roberts when he voted to preserve Obamacare. I don't think the majority of rank-and-file Republicans will ever consider the 2020 presidential election to have been legitimate.
And yes, for Trump, this may also be about the money.
But with Trump, how do you determine where his desperate emotional needs end and his desperate financial needs begin?
Well into the future, his status as a hero to his people will depend on not backing down now. However, assuming that the courts reject his appeals, I think he'll be able to get away with saying something like this:
"The courts have spoken, and while I reject the corrupt process that led them to conclude that Joe Biden won this election, which I actually won by a lot, I will nevertheless agree to leave the White House as requested on January 20. But this is not over. I will never abandon the fight against the corrupt swamp creatures whose traitorous acts led to this outcome. It may take some time, but I will destroy them."
That's the only way he can leave the White House without ruining his brand.
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog
