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Two weeks ago, I opined here that I didnt believe former President TrumpDonald TrumpGrant Woods, longtime friend of McCain and former Arizona AG, dies at 67 Super PACs release ad campaign hitting Vance over past comments on Trump Glasgow summit raises stakes for Biden deal MORE would run again in 2024. Boy, did I get some serious push-back from political friends telling me that Trump is a megalomaniac and there is no way he is not going to run in the next presidential election.

My rationale in that piece for his not running was: My hope is that Trumps massive ego will allow enough room for him to contemplate that his name is so toxic to tens of millions of Americans that his nomination might instigate massive civil unrest. If Trump does believe in our nation, as he says he does, then he should know it would be much better to sit out the election and try to use his influence to help the partys nominee.

One of my friends, who had a high-level political career, openly laughed in my face when I offered up that opinion. He, in turn, gave me a definition of a megalomaniac that he had just looked up on his phone: A megalomaniac is a pathological egotist that is, someone with a psychological disorder with symptoms like delusions of grandeur and an obsession with power.

Trump, my friend continued over a coffee, is the personification of that definition. He doesnt care if hes toxic to tens of millions of voters or who turns out in the streets to protest his run. Do you believe his ego actually allows him to logically think things through? Look at Arizona. Look at Georgia.

By Arizona my friend meant that Trump knew he had to win the state in 2020 and he also knew that the late Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainGrant Woods, longtime friend of McCain and former Arizona AG, dies at 67 Will Trump choose megalomania over country? Trump attacks Meghan McCain and her family MORE, a decorated war hero, was seen as the patron saint of the state to hundreds of thousands of voters. Trump knew that if he continued to malign and insult McCain, he would turn off a great many of those voters and yet, his unchecked ego could not stop itself. Consequently, he proceeded to lose the state and its 11 electoral votes by fewer than 11,000 votes out of over 3.3 million cast.

Next, we come to Georgia. Out of almost 5 million votes cast, Trump lost the state and its 16 electoral votes by just under 12,000 votes. Gee, Ill bet he secretly wishes he hadnt demonized mail-in voting after that result. Then, after he did lose the state, he also helped flush the chances of the two Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate down the toilet.

Trump continually cried fraud while smearing Republican leaders in the state. If you were looking for a formula to depress the Republican vote, that would be one. And then, quite surreally, some of Trumps allies were urging Georgia Republicans not to vote in the Senate runoff elections elections that would determine which party would control the Senate come 2021.

No one, perhaps, was surprised to note that approximately 250,000 fewer Republicans voted in the Senate runoffs than in the general election. When we look at the final tally of those special elections and see that Sen. Jon OssoffJon OssoffWill Trump choose megalomania over country? How 'Buy American', other pro-US policies can help advocates pass ambitious climate policies Democrats jostle over health care priorities for scaled-back package MORE (D-Ga.) beat former Sen. David PerdueDavid PerdueWill Trump choose megalomania over country? I voted for Trump in 2020 he proved to be the ultimate RINO in 2021 Draft Georgia congressional lines target McBath, shore up Bourdeaux MORE (R-Ga.) by just 55,000 votes and Sen. Raphael WarnockRaphael WarnockWill Trump choose megalomania over country? Senate Democrats call for diversity among new Federal Reserve Bank presidents On The Money Democrats eye tough choices as deadline looms MORE (D-Ga.) beat former Sen. Kelly LoefflerKelly LoefflerWill Trump choose megalomania over country? I voted for Trump in 2020 he proved to be the ultimate RINO in 2021 Draft Georgia congressional lines target McBath, shore up Bourdeaux MORE (R-Ga.) by about 93,000 votes, we can safely surmise that Trump and his allies hit another level of stupid when it comes to politics.

As my friend offered to bet me that Trump will definitely run again in 2024 a bet I cowardly declined he threw in one more bit of trivia atop the pathological egotist pile: The letters for Trumps MAGA acronym are all included in megalomaniac.

Its amusing, to be sure, in a scary kind of way. All of that said, I still dont believe Trump will run for president in 2024. While the push-back I took may have helped to convince me that Trump is never going to put our country before his ego, I do believe that same ego along with his advancing age (hell turn 78 in June 2024) will force him to decline another run.

That ego might tell him: At 78 years old, we dont need a humiliating loss heaped upon us because now 90 million Democratic voters came out to crush us, while 30 million fewer Republicans voted for us in 2020 because of Trump fatigue. No, much better to not run and to continue to claim voter fraud happened in 2020 while we ride off into a Mar-a-Lago sunset.

In my estimation, Donald Trump would be wise to listen to the voice of that ego.

Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.

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Will Trump choose megalomania over country? | TheHill - The Hill

When the House of Representatives select committee on the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol issued subpoenas to aides and confidantes of Donald TrumpDonald TrumpGrant Woods, longtime friend of McCain and former Arizona AG, dies at 67 Super PACs release ad campaign hitting Vance over past comments on Trump Glasgow summit raises stakes for Biden deal MORE to testify and provide documents, the former president promised defiance on executive privilege and other grounds.

Neither English common law nor the U.S. Constitution address the executives authority to withhold information from legislatures, the courts, or the public. The Eisenhower administration (which invoked executive privilege a record 44 times) was the first to use the phrase. The Supreme Court formally codified it (while limiting its scope) in United States v. Nixon (1972).

That said, claims of executive privilege are as old as the United States.In 1792, George Washington refused to supply Congress with documents related to a disastrous military campaign against Native Americans. Thomas Jefferson refused to comply with a subpoena to testify at the trial of former vice president Aaron Burr in 1804. Many of their successors followed suit.

These days, executive privilege is being invoked not to promote efficiency, protect confidentiality, and enhance national security, but to delay and thereby deny justice. Abuses of a doctrine that is at best a necessary evil reveal that our system of checks and balances, once the envy of the world, is on life support.

To be sure, the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel has decreed that the doctrine of executive privilege should not be employed to shield documents which contain evidence of criminal or unethical conduct by agency officials. The DOJ has recently argued that Trumps use of law enforcement officials and litigation to advance his personal political interests with respect to the results of the 2020 presidential election constitute an exceptional circumstance, justifying a departure from its normal practice of protecting internal deliberations.The Biden White House has authorized the National Archives to supply relevant documents to the select committee. Federal agencies are cooperating with the select committee.

Nonetheless, the former president knows that because litigation in the United States is long and life is short, he can win while losing by using roadmaps provided by the Supreme Court. Heres how:

In Nixon v. Administrator of General Services (1977) the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Presidential Recordings and Preservation Act,which authorized the GSA to assume custody of Nixons presidential material (42 million documents and 880 tape recordings) and make them available for use in judicial proceedings. The court indicated, however, that a former president may also be heard on his or her right to invoke executive privilege (albeit with less deference than that given to the incumbent president), a ruling Trump is certain to exploit.

In Trump v. Mazars (2020), a case involving subpoenas to the Trump Organizations accounting firm, the court claimed that in addition to having a valid legislative purpose, congressional inquiries into behavior in the executive branch must show that other sourcescannot provide the relevant information or issue subpoenas that are not broader than reasonably necessary to achieve the objective and must ensure that the legislative purpose is detailed and substantive. These requirements give Team Trump a lot to contest.

The DOJ is likely to pursue criminal contempt charges against Trump aides and confidantes who refused to obey congressional subpoenas (including Steve BannonStephen (Steve) Kevin BannonJudge to hear Trump's case against Jan. 6 committee in November Poll: Majority of voters view Jan. 6 probe through political lens Biden: Comment that DOJ should prosecute those who defy subpoenas 'not appropriate' MORE, who has the most dubious claim of executive privilege, since he was not serving in the executive branch in 2020). Some or all of theloyalists, however, will surely contest the charges in court and draw the process out for as long as possible.If convicted, they may well accept punishment for a misdemeanor (a $1,000 fine and 1-12 months in prison) rather than testify.

The clock is ticking.Rep. Bennie ThompsonBennie Gordon ThompsonSunday shows preview: CDC signs off on 'mix and match' vaccine boosters The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Altria - Manchin heatedly dismisses rumors of leaving Democratic Party Bannon eyed as key link between White House, Jan. 6 riot MORE (D-Miss.), chair of the select committee, plans to issue a report in the spring of 2022. More important, if the midterm elections in November 2022 result in Republican control of the House of Representatives, Congressional investigations of the Jan. 6 insurrection will end.

In an essay in The New Republic, Timothy Noah candidly, if crudely, expressed his concern about the absence of checks on presidential power amidst political polarization and public apathy: If the crimes of Donald Trump [who has claimed that Article II of the Constitution gives him a right to do whatever I want] dont prompt Americans to call bullshit on executive privilege, nothing will.

Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. He is the co-author (with Stuart Blumin) of "Rude Republic: Americans and Their Politics in the Nineteenth Century."

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Abuses of executive privilege reveal our system of checks and balances is on life support | TheHill - The Hill

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Letter to the editor: Delighting in Donald Trump's eventual demise - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle

GOP gubernatorial candidate Gregg Youngkin (L), Former President Donald Trump (R). Getty Images

Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin has attempted to distance himself from Donald Trump.

The Democratic National Committee has mocked Trump about this by flying a plane with a banner near Mar-a-Lago.

The Virginia governor race between Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe is currently neck-in-neck.

Democrats have been mocking Donald Trump over gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin's attempts to distance himself from the former president.

Republican Glenn Youngkin is currently running for governor in Virginia against former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who held the position from 2014-2018.

Although Trump has endorsed Youngkin and called him a "great gentleman," the Republican candidate has subtly tried to disassociate himself from the former president.

The Democratic National Committee flew a plane near Trump's Florida resort Mar-a-Lago, carrying a banner that read, "why won't Youngkin let Trump campaign in VA?"

They also erected a billboard in Florida to highlight the former president's endorsement of Youngkin, believing that associating him with Trump will damage his chances in the November 2 election.

On Thursday, Youngkin criticized attendees of a recent GOP "Take Back Virginia" rally who pledged allegiance to a flag that was said to have been flown on January 6 near the Capitol.

"It is weird and wrong to pledge allegiance to a flag connected to January 6," Youngkin said. "As I have said many times before, the violence that occurred on January 6 was sickening and wrong."

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon appeared at the rally and Donald Trump called in on a phone line.

Trump endorsed Youngkin on the call and said, "We've got to get him in. I know Terry McAuliffe very well and he was a lousy governor."

On Thursday, Youngkin avoided answering questions about whether he wanted Trump to campaign for him.

"Anybody who calls me a good man, I so appreciate it, including President Trump," he eventually replied, according to The Hill.

Story continues

The Republican candidate has also previously acknowledged Joe Biden's presidential victory in 2020, putting him at odds with Donald Trump and his allies, who continue to make baseless claims about the election being fraudulent.

Youngkin's decision to distance himself from Trump is likely because of the former president's unpopularity in the state.

Democrats had growing success in Virginia during the Trump presidency. In the 2017 governor race, Democratic Ralph Northam defeated the Republican nominee by the largest margin for a Democrat since 1985.

The party then took full control of the state legislature in 2019, and Joe Biden won the state with a solid margin in the 2020 presidential election.

Youngkin is likely aware that the associations with Trump will not help his chances of winning the race, which according to recent polls, is currently neck-and-neck.

Glenn Youngkin, a former private equity executive and first-time political candidate, has been able to unite the party's business class and its dominant Trump wing, Insider's John L. Dorman recently reported.

Youngkin's approach, along with Biden's sagging ratings, has made the Virginia election very competitive.

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Democrats mock Donald Trump over Virginia governor race ...

Hes the new Trump tower.

Teenage former first son Barron Trump was photographed in the Big Apple this week towering over his 5-foot-11-inch mom, Melania.

The rarely photographed youngest son of former President Donald Trump is already 6 feet 7 inches tall even though he only just turned 15.

He looked every inch of it on Wednesday when he stood head and shoulders over his mom and their security detail as they were snapped leaving their Manhattan home, the suitably named Trump Tower.

The towering teen, wearing a dark, long-sleeve T-shirt tucked into his jeans, also appeared to show impeccable manners, with the Daily Mail saying he was carrying his mothers bag for her.

The rare Louis Vuitton x Richard Prince bag cost $3,995 when it was released in 2008, the outlet said paling in comparison to the $11,000 black Hermes Birkin bag his mom toted.

Former model Melania, 51, also wore a black button-down shirt with white pants that she paired with $645 Christian Louboutin pointy-toe flats.

The former president himself no slouch at 6 feet 3 marveled at a GOP event in North Carolina last month how his youngest is also already the tallest.

Barron is 6-foot-7, can you believe it? And hes 15, Trump said.

Eric is short hes only 6-foot-6, he joked of his 37-year-old son, who was previously the tallest in the family.

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Barron Trump shows off his 6-foot-7 height in NYC