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The past week and its showcase of President Donald Trumps erratic behavior offered a window into how he would deal with defeat.

Surely he would offer excuses and question the results. But would he do something more drastic?

For that matter, how would he act after a victory?

I reached out to Kate Andersen Brower, the journalist, CNN contributor and author of a number of books about presidents and the presidency, most recently Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump, about the most recent presidents and their relationships with each other.

Our Q-and-A, lightly edited, is below.

Why we wait months to inaugurate a President and how Trump came in

CNN: We hold a presidential election on the first Tuesday after after the first Monday in November. But the new President doesnt take office until January. Whats the reason for this gap and is it still necessary?

KAB: The reason for this gap is to provide for the peaceful transfer of power and it is absolutely necessary. Perhaps now more than ever before.

I interviewed more than two dozen people who worked for Barack Obama and George W. Bush and on both sides I was told that they had a smooth transition which was important at a time when the country was going through the worst economic crisis since the great depression. Michelle Obamas first chief of staff, Jackie Norris, told me that she will never forget the intense camaraderie and loyalty that the first ladies and members of the first ladies staffs have for each other. The same was true for the West Wing.

The haphazard way the Trump campaign approached the transition is dangerous. To be sure part of that is because no one on his campaign team had even taken the time to put together an acceptance speech. They did not think they would win.

Trump won the election in part by saying he would drain the swamp but there are basic responsibilities of the federal government that he would have been better equipped to manage if he had some level of institutional knowledge (Joe Biden is the exact opposite). And that takes time which means it takes a couple of months to make appointments and to learn how things work.

I wrote in my book Team of Five that Obama aides were told to prepare drafts of thick how-to manuals on how their offices functioned, including details as small as voicemail passwords.

This is from the book:

But Obama aides had no one to hand their carefully curated briefing books to.

Career government employees waited at the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and all across the sprawling bureaucracy. They wanted guidance they wanted to know who their new bosses were and how their jobs would change in a Trump presidency but they got nothing. In fact, some high-level employees waited and waited until, after weeks of silence, they assumed they were no longer employed, and packed up their offices.

How Trump could go out

CNN: Having watched Trumps first term, what are some things we should look for in a post-defeat transition?

KAB: I think that should Trump lose to Joe Biden (who is the epitome of a career politician after spending eight years as vice president and almost 40 in the Senate) he will feel no obligation to do for him what George W. Bush did for Barack Obama. I do not think there will be a genuine handover, or peaceful transfer of power. I think its unlikely in defeat that Trump would behave radically differently than he does in office. I would be surprised if Trump shows up to Bidens swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol if he wins.

Peaceful transfers

CNN: The US is known for its peaceful transfers of power. Is there any precedent for a losing president or his administration wreaking havoc on the way out the door?

KAB: Historically there were certainly some bitter defeats (see John Adams and Thomas Jefferson) but in modern times both parties have touted their abilities to peacefully transfer power. During the 2008 campaign, Bushs director of national intelligence, John Michael McConnell, had arranged for Obama and his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, to get a report with the thirteen most important national security issues at hand. Once, during the last two months of the 2008 campaign, Obama and McCain found themselves sitting at the same table in the Roosevelt Room, with Bush sitting between them, as they discussed the $700 billion authorization by Congress to save the sickeningly sinking market.

Bush and Obama had a real respect for each other. At the May 2012 unveiling of George W. and Laura Bushs official portraits at the White House, Obama said, President Bush understood that rescuing our economy was not just a Democratic or a Republican issue, it was an American priority. Ill always be grateful for that. Contrast that with President Trump reportedly not inviting President Obama to his portrait unveiling at the White House.

Its unlikely Trump would somehow refuse to go

CNN: Trumps not the kind of person to simply go quietly. What kinds of things could he do if he wanted to throw a cog into the machine of government?

KAB: He could refuse to leave, but I do not see that happening. There has been discussion on the left, Bill Maher notably, so it is something on peoples minds. I have a hard time envisioning

Trump sitting on the steps of the Capitol with hundreds of thousands of people in the audience cheering for his departure.

Former presidents have traditionally had a grudging admiration for each other, even after having been forced out of office. After Ronald Reagan spoke at Jimmy Carters library opening Carter said, I now understand more clearly than I ever had before why you won.

Jimmy Carter apologized to George W. Bush at Bushs library dedication for being too tough on him, especially for his outspoken criticism of the war in Iraq. Oh, hush, Bush replied. Can you imagine that happening with Trump and whoever succeeds him, whenever it happens?

Emboldening the emboldened

CNN: No President has been impeached, acquitted and reelected. You can imagine that if he wins, Trump would feel more emboldened than anyone else in history. How might Trump treat the office in a second term as the ultimate winner?

KAB: I think he will feel emboldened to take whatever actions he wants. When I interviewed him for my book, it was shortly after the release of the Mueller report and he felt like he had been exonerated. He was frankly exuberant and eager to talk about how he thinks he has done more than any president in history. So I can only imagine his reaction to being reelected after being impeached. A lot of what he spends his time doing is governing only with his supporters in mind and if he is reelected that would prove the immense power of his voters. I think he would criticize reporters and the so-called deep state even more than he does today. It would not be a good scene.

No historical precedent for Trump

CNN: Is there another president who came to the White House unpopular and then won reelection unpopular? Is there another two-term president as divisive as Trump?

KAB: I think George W. Bush was incredibly divisive but not to this extent. His approval ratings have soared since leaving office. And like Trump he was elected without the popular vote. Bush has followed his fathers lead and stayed mostly on the sidelines. Hes watched his approval ratings soar because absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I cannot foresee Trump staying on the sidelines.

Unpopular presidents and second terms

CNN: What can we learn from the second terms of presidents who werent insanely popular at the time of their reelection and won against expectations (Im thinking of Harry Truman here or Richard Nixon)?

KAB: If you look at Nixon and Watergate, winning by a thin margin (in 1968) only made him more paranoid and irrational and led to his resignation. That example does not bode well.

Trump and his GOP successor

CNN: Were deep into conjecture here, but I have wondered, if Trump won, how hed treat Mike Pence, who has been a loyal soldier during this first term. Its hard to imagine someone with Trumps reality show sensibilities just handing over the baton to someone like Pence, who undoubtedly lacks Trumps flair for drama, as the next logical GOP nominee. What does history tell us?

KAB: Trump is not loyal to people just because they are loyal to him. I think he would treat Mike Pence well if reelected because logically Pence would have helped him convince evangelical voters to stay with him. But I dont think that loyalty would last long and Trump could back someone else should Pence run in 2024. It would not translate into long-term support unless it benefited him somehow.

CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to reflect the year President Richard Nixon won the election by a thin margin.

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Trump just showed us what he'll be like after the election - no matter what happens - Local News 8 - LocalNews8.com

The Notre Dame student organization WeStaNDFor led a walkout during Vice President Mike Pence's address during the school's commencement.

Vice President Mike Pence's response Friday to unrest in Minneapolis following the police-involved killing of George Floyd is putting a spotlight on his past actions.

Pence said in a tweet, "Ourprayers are with the family of George Floyd and our prayers are also with the family of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia. We have no tolerance for racism in America."

A follow-up tweet continued:

"We believe in law and order in this Country. We condemn violence against property or persons. We will always stand for the right of Americans to peacefully protest and let their voices be heard."

Former Minneapolis police officerDerek Chauvin, who is white,was arrested Friday, days after video circulated of him holding his knee to Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes before Floyd, a black man,died.

The arrest came after Minneapolis residents awoke Friday to smoke billowing, fires burning and police lining their streets after another intense night of protestsfollowing Floyd's death.

But in the past, Pence has turned his back on peaceful protest. In October 2017, the former Indiana governortweeted that he walked out ofLucas Oil Stadiumafter a group of San Francisco 49ers players knelt during the national anthemto protest racial inequality and social injustice.

"I left today's Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem, Pence tweeted minutes after leaving the stadium.

According to documents released by theHuffington Postfrom the Department of Homeland Security a year after the walkout, the estimated cost of Pence'svisitwas about $325,000. The numbers includehotel, travel and additional security measures.

Earlier that same year, he seemed to take another silent protest in stride when roughly 100 University of Notre Dame graduates walked out during Pence's commencement speech.

The vice presidentspent a chunk of his 15-minute address discussing his support for freedom of speech at universities and said, sadly, when free speech and civility are waning on campuses across America, Notre Dame is a campus where deliberation is welcomed, where opposing views are debated, and where every speaker, no matter how unpopular or unfashionable, is afforded the right to air their views in the open for all to hear.

Pence didnt acknowledge the walkout directly,but continued to discuss expression on college campuses..

The increasing intolerance and suppression of the time-honored tradition of free expression on our campuses jeopardizes the liberties of every American, he said. This should not and must not be met with silence.

Contact IndyStar reporter Elizabeth DePompei at 317-444-6196 or edepompei@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @edepompei.

Read or Share this story: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2020/05/29/mike-pence-left-nfl-game-over-peaceful-protests/5286243002/

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Mike Pence says he supports peaceful protests. Here's how he's responded to them before. - IndyStar

Vice President Mike Pence, ignoring the experts, predicted on April 24 that the US would "have this coronavirus epidemic behind us" by Memorial Day weekend.

"If you look at the trends today, that I think by Memorial Day weekend we will have this coronavirus epidemic behind us," Pence, who is spearheading the administration's pandemic response, told conservative commentator Geraldo Rivera in April.

In fact, US deaths from the virus neared the devastating milestone of 100,000 over the holiday weekend, and US hospitalizations are ticking up again after two weeks of decline.

While new cases are on the decline in 14 states, they have plateaued in 28 states and are on the rise in eight states, according to data published by The New York Times. Puerto Rico is also seeing increasing case numbers, while Guam is seeing its numbers level off.

Scott Gottlieb, Trump's former Food and Drug Administration chief, noted on Twitter that hospitalizations have risen over the last week outside of the epicenters of the crisis in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

A White House Coronavirus Task Force official told Insider that the nation's overall declining daily death toll and infections, increased testing capacity, and overall downward trend in hospitalizations are evidence the pandemic is largely over.

Experts say the crisis is far from over and the World Health Organization on Tuesday warned that regions that reopen too quickly could experience an "immediate second peak" in infections.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert who is helping lead the administration's virus response, in late March warned against making predictions about the virus' future toll.

"I just don't think that we really need to make a projection when it's such a moving target that we could so easily be wrong and mislead people," he told CNN.

Many experts say they can't accurately predict what the US's infection rate and death toll will look like going forward, in part because much depends on how quickly and safely states reopen.

Pence's April statement is just one of a slew of predictions and declarations Trump administration officials have made downplaying the pandemic threat over the last few months.

Trump infamously predicted in late February that the US's virus cases would drop to zero "within a couple of days." On April 10, he said the total US death toll would be "substantially below" 100,000, predicting "50, 60, 65" thousand deaths. He repeatedly revised those numbers upwards in the following days, still putting the upper limit of deaths at 110,000.

Over the weekend, Trump misleadingly claimed "cases, numbers and deaths are going down all over the Country."

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Mike Pence predicted the pandemic would be 'behind us' by Memorial Day - Business Insider - Business Insider

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. For President Trump, it was a chance to rewrite the story line from tragedy to triumph. Even as the United States reached the grim milestone on Wednesday of 100,000 dead from the coronavirus pandemic, he would help mark the nations trailblazing return to human spaceflight from American soil.

But Mr. Trumps hopes of demonstrating that America was back with the verve of a rockets red glare were doused by lightning-filled storm clouds that forced flight controllers to scrub the long-awaited launch of the SpaceX rocket even as the president watched helplessly from the Kennedy Space Center.

Only minutes after heralding what was to be the first launch of NASA astronauts into orbit from the United States in nearly a decade, a disappointed Mr. Trump scrapped planned remarks and made a hasty retreat to Air Force One to fly back to Washington and the misery of the health crisis. Still, just as the countrys reopening after months of lockdown proceeds with fits and starts, Mr. Trump vowed not to give up, promising to return this weekend when the launch will be tried again.

The scheduled launch of the Crew Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket was to herald a new beginning in Americas odyssey in space nine years after NASAs shuttle fleet was retired, which forced the United States to rely on Russia to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. In returning to space, the country is now turning to private sector transport, led by SpaceX, the company founded by the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

For Mr. Trump, the excursion to Florida was a family affair. In addition to the first lady, Melania Trump, he brought his eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner; Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle; Eric and Lara Trump; and several grandchildren.

While Ivanka Trump and her children wore masks, her brothers and the president and first lady did not. Mr. Kushner wore one getting on and off the plane but not during a tour of the space center. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, who flew in separately, wore masks when seeing off the astronauts, but not later when in Mr. Trumps presence.

The president made no public mention of the virus death toll as it passed 100,000, in keeping with his habit of not focusing on those who have been lost to the pandemic. But before taking off for Cape Canaveral, he erupted on Twitter at criticism of his administrations initial response.

The Radical Left Lamestream Media, together with their partner, the Do Nothing Democrats, are trying to spread a new narrative that President Trump was slow in reacting to Covid 19, he wrote, referring to himself in the third person. Wrong, I was very fast, even doing the Ban on China long before anybody thought necessary!

The juxtaposition of the two milestones the toll of the pandemic and the promise of a new space future was a matter of happenstance, but they intersected in other ways, as well. NASA was forced to enact measures to ensure that the two astronauts did not take the virus with them to the space station. And the agency told fans who would normally turn out in large numbers to stay home and instead tune in online.

Mr. Musk has been a prominent voice against the economic restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus, defying California authorities who told him to keep his Tesla plant closed to protect workers against spreading the virus. Mr. Trump two weeks ago publicly backed Mr. Musk in his fight with the states Democratic leaders.

At the space center on Wednesday, Mr. Trump hailed Mr. Musk, calling him a friend of mine for a long time. The two shared the excitement of the moment as the president asked Jim Bridenstine, the NASA administrator, about the flight status.

We are a go for launch right now, Mr. Bridenstine told him optimistically, as it turned out.

Just 16 minutes and 54 seconds before the scheduled 4:33 p.m. liftoff came word over loudspeakers that the launch had been scrubbed because of weather.

Since Apollo, presidents have embraced the space program as a manifestation of the American ideal, a rockets-roaring, television-friendly expression of national determination, ingenuity and the spirit of adventure. But only some occupants of the Oval Office backed that with a real commitment of political will and resources, resulting in a stutter-step journey that has had impressive progress at times even as humanity has remained restricted to low-earth orbit for nearly 50 years.

Mr. Trump is the latest to promise to end that, embracing an ambitious goal of returning to the moon as a way station for an eventual mission to Mars. While demonstrating no particular affinity for the science or engineering of the enterprise, he has eagerly associated himself with the image of space heroism, inviting Apollo 11 moon-walker Buzz Aldrin to his State of the Union address and creating a Space Force within the military. Only two weeks ago, he happily displayed the new Space Force flag during a photo opportunity in the Oval Office.

Before the scrub on Wednesday, Mr. Trump boasted that he had revived NASA. They had grass growing in the runways between the cracks, the president said of the launchpads that have sat unused for NASA crewed flights for nine years. Now we have the best the best of the best.

Mr. Bridenstine said the administration had backed up its commitment with large budget requests. Were bringing America back as it relates to human spaceflight, he said, adding, Todays a big day for the nation.

But independent analysts said Mr. Trumps enthusiasm was not enough, recalling the old Mercury-era adage, no bucks, no Buck Rogers.

Trump is a bit of a spaceflight fan, of course, said Roger D. Launius, a former NASA historian. But, he added: Im not sure how much Trump desires to make his moon landing announcement a reality. There is not much of a reflection of this initiative in the budgets he has proposed.

Nor has Congress jumped on board. Thats not a partisan issue, Mr. Launius said. Neither party seems to be lining up to support it.

Attending a launch in person has always been fraught for presidents. They would happily share the glory of a landmark launch, but they recognize the risks of being on hand if something were to go wrong. As a result, only two sitting presidents have personally attended. President Richard M. Nixon was there when Apollo 12 took off in 1969, and President Bill Clinton witnessed the astronaut John Glenns return to space aboard the shuttle in 1998.

Lyndon B. Johnson, who did more for the space program than any president other than perhaps John F. Kennedy, attended the historic Apollo 11 launch in 1969 as a private citizen, only months after leaving office. Otherwise, presidents tend to send vice presidents. Spiro Agnew witnessed four Apollo launches.

While Mr. Trump was happy to take credit for this weeks prospective launch, it has its origins under two previous presidents. After President George W. Bush ordered an end to the shuttle program, he initiated the development of new rockets with the goal of returning to the moon, while turning to the private sector for cargo launches. President Barack Obama canceled Mr. Bushs rocket program, judging it too expensive, but signed contracts with SpaceX and other private companies to transport crews to the space station.

Dava J. Newman, a former deputy NASA administrator under Mr. Obama who now teaches at M.I.T., said the achievement of this new phase in Americas space program was really a result of all of the great work over the past decade across multiple administrations and Congresses.

Once it happens, that is.

Peter Baker reported from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Michael D. Shear from Washington.

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At Cape Canaveral, Trumps Search for a Heroic Narrative Is Thwarted - The New York Times

As the US inches closer to the grim landmark of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths, Vice President Mike Pence said that the country has seen real progress and that it is on the far side of the coronavirus pandemic in many places.

More than 98,000 Americans have lost their lives, our hearts are with their families on this Memorial Day as well. But I think we also do well to reflect on the fact that because the American people embraced the presidents leadership, listened to state and local authorities, tens of thousands of families have been spared the heartache of that loss. We have seen real progress all across the country. Hospitalizations are declining, we have seen a steady decline in cases, new cases across the country. Most importantly, fatalities continue to decline, Pence told Fox & Friends on May 25.

We are on the far side of this epidemic in many of the places most impacted. Thats given us an opportunity not just to issue, as we did now more than a month ago, the guidelines to open up America again, but the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the (US coronavirus) task force will continue to produce useful information about how we can bring back our schools, how we can bring back summer camps, how we can go back to churches, synagogues, and mosques, and enjoy safely and responsibly our freedoms of religions, he said.

Currently, all US states have started the process of reopening. Pence said that while there may be instances where people would do well to be reminded about the importance of social distancing and the importance of continuing regular hygiene, both President Donald Trump and he are very confident that as these restrictions are loosened in the days ahead, the American people will step forward and put this country back to work in a safe and responsible way.

During a briefing on May 23, White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr Deborah Birx said that Covid-19 mortality is decreasing over time in the US. The other thing that has decreased significantly over the last month is new hospitalizations. We can see now that theres over a 50% decline in new hospitalizations. Although every region of the country is different, we are encouraged to see these new hospitalizations declining, said Dr Birx. However, she said that cases are also going up in many places. Maryland, the District, and Virginia are states with a high number of positive cases. This is followed by Nebraska and Illinois. The number one metro with the highest positivity rate is the District of Columbia, which includes Northern Virginia and Maryland, Montgomery County and PG County. That is followed by Baltimore, Chicago, and Minneapolis. And so these are the places where we have seen an increase of cases, said Dr Birx.

A recent report said that the coronavirus pandemic is not under control in much of the US, and 24 states still have a reproduction number above the critical threshold of one, meaning that each coronavirus patient is infecting more than one person. Any reproduction rate above one means the virus spreads exponentially. The analysis by Imperial College London also found that increased mobility following the relaxation of social distancing rules could lead to the doubling of Covid-19 deaths over the next two months. As of May 26, over 1,662,760 coronavirus cases have been reported from across the US, and more than 98,220 have died in the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins.

Meanwhile, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director, World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, has cautioned that the world is in the middle of the first wave and that countries could see the second peak of coronavirus cases in this wave itself if they let up too soon on measures to halt the outbreak.

Right now, we are not in the second wave, we are right in the middle of the first wave globally. In many countries, we are very much in a phase where the disease is on the way up. The actual number of people who have been infected in each country remains relatively low. When we speak about a second wave classically, what we often mean is that there will be a first wave, the disease by itself effectively goes to a very low level, and then it curls a number of months later, and that may be a reality for many countries in a number of months' time, said Dr Ryan during a briefing.

Dr Ryan emphasized that countries need to be also cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time. We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now, it is going to keep going down, and we are going to get several months to get ready for a second wave. We may get a second peak in this wave. This happened during pandemics in the past, and it certainly happened for the Spanish flu pandemic. We got a second peak, not necessarily a second wave, he said.

Accordingly, said the WHO experts, right now, countries in Europe, North America, many other countries around the world in South-East Asia, have to continue to put in place public health and social measures, surveillance measures, testing measures and a comprehensive strategy to ensure that they continue on a downward trajectory and that there is no immediate second peak. We will then have to look later in the year whether or not there is a possibility of a second wave of infections coming. And thats particularly of concern when we look at the possibility of having a second wave of infections that may be also associated with the influenza season, which will greatly complicate things for disease control, said Dr Ryan.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHOs technical lead on Covid-19, also said that all countries need to remain on high alert. All countries need to be ready to rapidly detect cases, even countries that have had success in suppression. Even countries that have seen a decline in cases must remain ready, she said. Dr Kerkhove said studies indicate that a large proportion of the population remains susceptible, and that means the virus will start an outbreak if given the opportunity. A hallmark of coronaviruses is its ability to amplify in certain settings, its ability to cause transmission, or super spreading events. And we are seeing in a number of situations in these closed settings when the virus has an opportunity, it can transmit readily, she said. Dr Kerkhove said that countries must remain vigilant, and have systems in place to readily detect those cases, care for those cases, as well as find, trace, and quarantine contacts.

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Mike Pence says US on 'far side' of Covid-19 pandemic even as WHO warns of second peak if nations are careless - MEAWW