OPINION: Trump Should Step Aside (but he won't)

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My father hurriedly parked the car outside of our house. He grabbed the suitcases from our vacation, dropped them inside the front door and ran to the TV. As the picture slowly came to life, my father sat in his favorite chair and watched as Richard Nixon gave his resignation speech.

Nixon had wanted to stay on as President of the United States during the Watergate investigation with the hopes of clearing his reputation. He learned that he didn’t have the support of Congress to do so, and thus he stepped down.

“To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home,” Nixon told the television audience. “The nation must always come before any personal considerations.”

As a child, I was not really impacted by the speech. At one point, though, I looked over at my father and saw tears in his eyes. “People make mistakes,” he said to the TV.

Years later, I realized how strange it was for a working-class Democrat (at least he was at the time) to be sad about a Republican’s demise. But my father saw the humanity in the moment. Although we never discussed it, I think that my father felt Nixon’s pain as a flawed human who got caught up in a mess and wanted to untangle himself. I’m sure that Nixon’s desire to put the country’s best interests over his own also struck a chord with my patriotic father.

Today, we have a former President facing indictment. After four divisive years with Trump in the White House, followed by three more years of nonstop discussion about him, it would be in the country’s best interest if Trump announced he was not going to run for President in 2024. This could be his moment to put country above self, but it is unlikely to happen.

Perhaps you appreciated Trump’s politics while he was in the White House. On the other hand, maybe you saw him as a “divider in chief” at best and a racist homophobic criminal at worst. Either way, you have to admit the last few years have been exhausting. And while some of us naively believed that the furor would die down once Trump was no longer in office, that hasn’t happened.

There are those who have always thought Trump was a criminal and it was just a matter of time until he would be held accountable; others believe that an ongoing “witch hunt” has been taking place the last few years to attach his name to one or more crimes. No matter which side you’re on (or if you’ve managed to remain neutral through all of this), the thought of enduring a presidential campaign and a trial at the same time sounds absolutely dreadful.

With or without Trump, we are a divided country. Even as we make progress in many ways, we find it necessary to be resentful of the past and doubtful about the future. We have got to get on a path back toward mutual respect.

In his resignation speech, Nixon said, “By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.”

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Imagine if Trump uttered those words. If he said that he wanted to be able to fight for his innocence and possibly regain the White House, but that he loved his country too much to put it through that. If he just walked away, went back to Mar-a-lago and Melania and Barron and concentrated on his golf game.

Both political parties would be shaken, for sure, but eventually they would settle into a new rhythm. Talk of MAGA Republicans would still exist (whether good or bad); before too long, though, they would seem as distant as the Tea Party. Some of Trump’s policies would carry over to other politicians, but without the wild reaction that followed when they were uttered by Trump himself.

It’s a dreamy idea that likely won’t come true. While Nixon had people honestly tell him he didn’t have the support he needed, no one seems to be willing or capable to take on that role with Trump. Of course, he wouldn’t listen anyway. While most politicians have large egos, Trump’s is the size of one of his glitzy high-rises. Suggesting he walk away from his candidacy would only embolden him to keep going. And let’s be honest: A decent amount of politicians and citizens want him to stick around.

So then it would be up to Trump himself to make a very brave decision and remove himself from the race. What are the chances? Slim to none, I know. Trump doesn’t like losers, and getting out of the 2024 race would equate to a giant “L” in his mind.

He could do it with a lot of fanfare, though, so that it would feel an actual win. A few bands, fireworks, a “yuge” gathering of his supporters chanting his name while he borrows a line from Nixon’s resignation speech:

“To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with each and every American. In leaving it, I do so with this prayer: May God's grace be with you in all the days ahead.”

The crowd goes wild. Trump turns around and walks into the sunset, his legacy intact as far as he’s concerned. One era comes to an end and another one begins.

Photo by Karla Hernandez on Unsplash