Everyone is wondering why Donald Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center for an announced medical exam on Saturday. Everyone is speculating as to the nature of the medical visit. Like everyone, I am also going to chime in with my speculation. I may be right, or I may be wrong, but like everyone else I have my own ideas as to why Trump visited the doctor.
We are all speculating because the hospital visit was unprecedented. Donald Trump and the White House have said that it was just a “routine” visit and that Trump feels “very good”. Yet, many details remain sketchy.
That has led to speculation. Here are my two cents.
To set the stage, let’s look at a few details.
The first detail is that the ongoing impeachment inquiry has produced troubling evidence that Donald Trump has committed impeachable acts. The second detail is that politics in the United States are tribal.
There are two political parties. The Democrats and the Republicans look first to stay in control of the government by pushing forth electable candidates to stack the elected offices. Candidates are disposable when the party whole is threatened. In other words, the party discards politicos that threaten the party’s ability to gain or keep control.
This is why the Republicans are circling the wagons around Donald Trump. As long as Trump ensures the party’s access to power, they will protect him.
But what if Donald Trump becomes a liability to the GOP?
Enter the 25th amendment.
The amendment provides for the transfer of presidential powers should the sitting president become incapacitated. Incapacitation includes illness and mental incapacity.
How does the GOP deal with the ensuing crisis of the Trump presidency should the impeachment provide a smoking gun?
They would have to figure out a way to remove Donald Trump from office the least politically painful way.
The 25th amendment provides the perfect mechanism. An illness is perfect to spin. It explains the reason why the GOP stood behind their president and then were forced to remove him from office. An illness is better than corruption. It also provides the GOP with the removal tools should Trump refuse to follow their suggestion to quietly give the office to Mike Pence for the good of the party.
The 25th amendment works for the GOP.
It also works for Donald Trump by giving him an easy out.
At the point that the Republicans realize that Donald Trump is likely to be removed from office their first step is to draft Mike Pence – unless they have already done so – and have him agree to provide Trump with a pardon to keep him out of jail. They may even convince to promise to keep the whole family out of jail.
I realize that a presidential pardon does not cover state crimes. The party may be able to help with that.
With a pardon on hand, they would then try to convince Donald Trump to resign for “health reasons”.
The reasons could be many.
Here is where the visit to Walter Reed comes into play.
Suddenly announcing a Trump “illness” does not allow for the proper spin of a Trump resignation. However, if Donald Trump visited the hospital for concerns and an illness, including a mental one arises, the spin would point to a prior concern and thus not as a consequence of “smoking gun” evidence that may appear.
The medical visit can also be used to force Trump out of office because of mental illness should it become necessary.
I may be wrong, or I may never be able to prove my theory, but I believe it fits perfectly in what America is witnessing today.
