This is a seriously surreal article over at Ozy magazine. I don’t know how to handle it…
While the world remains distracted by the constant circus surrounding the Trump White House, I sense a different kind of power play, and potential American future, brewing beneath the surface at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Ivanka Trump becoming the first female president of the United States.
Whatever you think of the character and presidency of Donald Trump, it’s clear he adores his daughter Ivanka, and cherishes the totemic power of his name. And what better way to ensure his family’s legacy than by setting up his daughter, already installed in the West Wing, to assume the presidency? In our current topsy-turvy political era, stranger things have already happened. Let’s take a look at a few potential Twilight Zone scenarios, which aren’t as unlikely as they once might have seemed.
And we’re already off to perhaps one of the most horrific episodes of The Twilight Zone ever dreamed up…
Ivanka lacks political experience, you say, especially of the elected kind. Well, her lack of such a background is already being shored up by her new role as special adviser to the president, and both Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner’s governing credentials will continue to be burnished as Trump hands them even larger portfolios. Remember that Hillary Clinton spun an often controversial stint as first lady into a senatorial career, even though she’d never held elected office prior to her run. It’s not unthinkable that Ivanka — despite bringing a somewhat different skill set to the table — could do something similar.
That is a genuinely terrible thought, but one I could actually see as plausible. And I don’t like it…
As “no options for involuntary reaccommodation of the VP by the president” are built into the 25th Amendment, as Whittington points out, Trump could entice Mike Pence to resign by offering him one hell of a cherry, say, a Supreme Court nomination. A recalcitrant Pence could also be forced off the ticket — or perhaps persuaded to quietly step aside — during the next presidential election cycle. Trump could bolster his case for a change by promoting Ivanka’s favorable approval ratings, currently at 46 percent, according to a recent Morning Consult–Politico poll, and also the highest in the administration.
I do see one major problem, here. The Tea Party would never let Trump get rid of Pence. Pence is their darling right now, and they would never give up that seat in the White House without a fight… and this will be true even if he were to resign of his own free will.
It’s not actually a long article, so I’m not going to quote anymore here. Please go and read it. Even if it seems far-fetched (and I’ll grant that it does), Carl does make a convincing case… and it’s scary.
That’s nightmare fuel, alright, but Ivana doesn’t have any official standing, which is how Trump installed her in the first place, so she could not legally be in line for replacement. There are actual rules for that sort of thing, and if you want nightmare fuel, just go through that list. Imagine President Ryan, there’s a fucking nightmare.
As for Pence, he’s being heavily implicated in the whole Russia mess, so if anyone ever gets around to kicking the Tiny Tyrant out, it’s likely Pence would go too, and the reality of who would get the presidency in that case is a fucking nightmare, for real.
Ya want a nightmare? One particularly dark thought occurs to me if Jabba the Trump is impeached: “Vice President Santorum”.
The nightmare fuel isn’t Ivanka. The nightmare fuel is Ivanka’s daughter.
We could be looking at a new monarchy. Yuge. The best monarchs.
@Marcus…
Do you know what scares me about that thought? It’d make me pine for a Clinton monarchy. I’d prefer an Obama monarchy, though.
I mean, obviously, no monarchy is what I’d really prefer. But assuming we don’t have a choice… could we at least get Michelle Obama at the top?
…. At least Trump hasn’t made Eric secretary of state. Yet.
I think your observation about Michelle illustrates one of the big conundrums of politics, namely those that we might want to have as leaders are too smart and well-meaning to take the job, so we’re left choosing among the worst sort of people: the ones who want the job.
That’s the Catch 22 about political power. Those who deserve it don’t want it. Those who want it don’t deserve it.