If Harris wins, Trump will cry foul and run again in 2028

There are less than two weeks to go before Election Day, and Donald Trump keeps telling us who he is — and what he would do if elected president.

His closing argument has run the gamut, including calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “s--- vice president,” suggesting he could use the military to go after political adversaries, calling Jan. 6 “a day of love,” threatening to strip broadcast licenses of media outlets and kibitzing about the size of the late Arnold Palmer’s penis.

In short, we’ll be in for another term of threats and retribution aimed at anyone who dares challenge him. Throw in Trump’s dated, if profane, pop culture references, and we’d be looking at a chaotic four years.

If Trump wins, we won’t be able to say we didn’t know what he would do with power. Trump is, in many ways, an open book — easy to understand.

What is difficult to comprehend is that Americans would reelect someone who has been twice impeached, convicted of 34 felony counts and found liable for sexual assault (just to name a few of the stats on the back of his baseball card).

Perhaps my disappointment would deserve an asterisk; thanks to the vicissitudes of our electoral system, Trump would likely win the presidency while again losing the popular vote — a caveat that would serve as cold comfort for those of us worried about this great American experiment.

But what if Trump loses?

One reason to root for a Harris victory is because of the message it would send: Crazy doesn’t win. The voters want sane centrism.

My hope is that Harris would internalize this and govern in such a way that acknowledges that her winning coalition includes many moderate and conservative Americans.

Regardless, one thing I’m willing to bet on is that Trump won’t go away. If losing in 2020 wasn’t enough to get rid of him, there is little reason to believe that losing in 2024 would do the trick.

As in Mel Brooks’s satirical film “The Producers,” a failing campaign might ultimately prove more profitable than a winning one. If Trump is campaigning, he will get lots of free attention and publicity.

He can also sell sneakers, Bibles, watches and all manner of merch. In other words, it will be springtime for Trump!

Another reason for Trump to keep running for president past 2024? Candidate Trump is harder to pursue legally than citizen Trump, precisely because Trump and his minions would accuse the Harris administration of the very thing he is currently threatening: retribution against political adversaries.

Sure, you might say, Trump has every incentive to run again (or at least, to pretend to), but there’s no way Republicans would nominate a two-time loser.

The first problem with this assumption — which I previously made, as well — is that, in the minds of Republican voters, Trump won in 2020. And assuming the election in a couple weeks is as close as we think it will be, Trump will likely claim victory once again.

Indeed, we could again see a scenario where Trump is ahead in, say, Pennsylvania, on election night but loses the state after all ballots are counted. This is, of course, an invitation for him to claim the election was stolen. Again.

The second problem is that GOP elites have been chastened. Trump’s 2016 opponents (Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, et al.) were all brought to heel. Next, he was miraculously resurrected after the October 2016 “Access Hollywood” scandal, bestowing on him a sort of magical "Houdini" quality. More recently, Trump humiliated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who dared challenge him in the 2024 GOP primary. Who wants to test Trump again in 2028?

The third problem is that Trump has — forgive the term — rigged the system.

Republican politicians care about getting reelected, which means keeping their MAGA-loving primary voters happy. Right-wing influencers and media voices care about clicks and ratings. And so-called “conservative” organizations care about donations. All the incentives are perverse.

The hoi polloi love Trump. Whether that’s because they are true believers, or because they prioritize excitement and entertainment over winning elections and governing, is irrelevant.

Among Republicans, it is in virtually no one's best interest to make the sacrifices necessary to weaken Trump’s grip on the party. Trump owns the GOP.

The only question is whether he will soon be the most powerful man in the world or merely a cult leader who has captured a floundering, rump party. That question is on the ballot this November.

Matt K. Lewis is a columnist, podcaster and author of the books “Too Dumb to Fail” and “Filthy Rich Politicians.”