Donald Trump's Future Plans Revealed
As Donald Trump ends his term as President of the United States, many of his most loyal supporters (and haters) are looking to see where his time in politics will take him.
When a president leaves office, the former first family typically heads off on a vacation of sorts before diving into their post-presidency plans. Former President Barack Obama left office in January 2017 and has since written a new memoir and launched a production company called Higher Ground, according to Indie Wire. But Trump's presidency has been anything from typical, and the same can be said for this transition.
A mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to try to upend the Democratic process and stop Joe Biden from taking office. Following the insurrection, Trump was impeached for the second time by the U.S. House of represents, who charged him with inciting the deadly riot. Notable political figures on both sides of the aisle have condemned the violence on the Capitol and some seem to be breaking their loyalty to the former president. To top it off, social media cracked down on Trump, removing him from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and even Pinterest (yes, Pinterest).
So what's next for Trump? Let's take a closer look at what the future may hold in store.
Donald Trump is looking to start his own political party
According to The Wall Street Journal, former president Donald Trump is in talks to possibly begin his own political party. Sources claimed the 45th president "would want to call the new party the 'Patriot Party.'"
Despite other former presidents trailing off into retirement or writing memoirs or to continuing their legacy through nonprofit organizations, Trump reportedly hopes to keep his political ambitions alive, but now that he is cut off from communicating with his supporters via social media, the former president could find it challenging to keep the fire in his base.
"It's unclear how serious Mr. Trump is about starting a new party, which would require a significant investment of time and resources," The Wall Street Journal reported. "...Third parties have typically failed to draw enough support to play a major role in national elections. Any effort to start a new party would likely face intense opposition from Republican party officials, who would chafe at the thought of Mr. Trump peeling off support from GOP candidates."
With impeachment proceedings continuing even after his time in office, Trump's political capital may be limited.
Donald Trump faces a second impeachment
Former President Donald Trump's hopes to form a new political party may be curtailed by the impeachment trial hanging over his head. No. 45 made history as the first president to be impeached twice, and at the time of this writing, he'll have to pull together legal backing for a trial that could begin by the end of January 2021.
According to NBC News, the Democrat-led House of Representatives impeached the president "the week before he left office for allegedly inciting a deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 election. The Senate will now be required to determine whether he should be convicted of the charge, a decision that could prohibit him from running for public office again," NBC News reported. Once the senate goes to trial, every Democratic senator and at least 17 Republican senators would need to vote in favor of the impeachment article in order to achieve a two-thirds majority to convict the former President, NBC News reported. If that occurs, Trump will make history for all the wrong reasons. "The Senate has never convicted an impeached president or former president," per USA Today.
Rumors swirled that Trump had considered his longtime pal, Rudy Giuliani to represent him in the trial, but CNBC reported that the former president actually hired South Carolina attorney Butch Bowers instead.
Donald Trump's business empire is suffering
Donald Trump and members of his family flew to their Florida home after vacating the White House. What was waiting for Trump as he stepped off the plane into the Sunshine State? Economic troubles, that's what.
It is no secret that prior to his time in politics, Trump was known as a New York businessman running multiple golf courses, hotels, and slapping the Trump name on what feels like half the buildings in Manhattan. He parlayed his notoriety on the social scene into a role as the co-executive producer and star of The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice beginning in 2004. Although the reality show ended when Trump's presidency began, the rest of Trump's business affairs were managed by his son, Eric Trump, during Donald's time in office.
According to the Associated Press, the former president's 2020 financial disclosure showed "a family business ravaged by pandemic shutdowns and restrictions, with revenue plunging more than 40% at his Doral golf property, his Washington hotel and both his Scottish resorts over the past year." He's also contending with the fallout from businesses who are breaking ties with the Trump name following the Capitol riot. "The disclosure showed sizable debt facing the company of more than $300 million, much of it coming due in the next four years," the AP reported.