The American Presidential election is over and it is evident that Joe Biden will be that country's new President, but that will not happen until the twentieth of January, next year. This means that for the next ten weeks, Donald Trump will remain in the oval office and it will be his finger that will hover over the proverbial nuclear button.
Alarmingly, Trump is still legally the Commander in Chief of America's vast military and in his present mood all sorts of mischief is possible. He might decide to pull the remaining 4,500 American troops out of Afghanistan against the wishes of the Pentagon generals. It is impossible to predict how such an unpredictable move would destabilize the relationship with both America's friends and enemies.
Equally fractious will be the hand over to the new president. Common courtesy means Biden would be invited to sit in on security briefings so to be fully informed on the day he takes the oath of office, but Trump has not yet conceded defeat and intends to fight this election result in the courts.
It is quite possible that on January 20 Trump may barricade himself in the oval office. The world may see horror pictures of the police breaking down the door and dragging Trump, kicking and screaming out of the White House. It is obvious that Trump will not relinquish office quietly.
Changes are already underway to fragment the administration. Mark Esper, the Defence Secretary has been terminated and it is believed that this was because he refused to sign off on Trump's decision to invoke the " insurrection act " and bring National Guard troops onto the streets against the wishes of state governors.
The American Constitution closely defines the relationship between police and the American military when it comes to keeping civil order and Trump's administrative experience has come from the business world which disregards such ethics
Traditionally, an outgoing President has the power to bestow pardons on people convicted by the courts. It would be technically possible for the President to pardon himself for crimes committed while in office or for his business dealings before taking that office. When Trump steps down the protection of holding the Presidency will disappear and he may be called to account in the American legal system. That is a situation many will be watching with interest.
Technically, having served only one term Trump is again eligible to stand for office again in the future. This election saw more voters turn out than any previous election and the results were close. Trump is clearly the leader of the giant Republican party and if he can keep the support of the voters who put him into office, another run for the Presidency is probably likely.
That will probably depend on how these ten weeks before Biden takes office impact on the American lifestyle and world events. Trump will not be forgiven if he uses his powers to spread chaos and leave behind a barely functioning government.
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