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(52,118 posts)

12. This is kinda silly. The constitution tells us exactly when power shifts to the new president

Reply to LiberalArkie (Original post)

Sat Nov 21, 2020, 11:48 AM

Nov 2020

It tells us that the former president has no power. It tells us that it's the new president who is commander-in-chief and who sign bills into law, etc.

Donnie "refusing to relinquish power" isn't applicable here because the constitution tells us that it's not his power to relinquish or not.

There's no golden scepter that the president passes to the new president that he could hold on to past January 20 at noon. His power simply vanishes at that moment.

So the constitution does contemplate this and it prevents it from happening by denying any blocking action or inaction by the outgoing president. There's nothing he can do to stop it.

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Highlight:

The Founders didn't prepare for a president who refuses to step down, historians say [View all] LiberalArkie Nov 2020 OP

We won't have that situation because he won't be prez anymore- just a trespasser Blues Heron Nov 2020 #1

The secret service would be forced to escort the new first family into the White House Chainfire Nov 2020 #7

When we think "traitor" we think "Benedict Arnold" Goodheart Nov 2020 #2

There was "honor" in those days treestar Nov 2020 #3

Bill Maher's been saying it for quite some time. nt BootinUp Nov 2020 #4

I don't know about "this fall." Laelth Nov 2020 #5

When a Leader Just Won't Go frazzled Nov 2020 #6

The Founders had spent over a decade dealing with a head of state who refused to relinquish power Klaralven Nov 2020 #8

Our Founding fathers vision of leadership - particularly the presidency packman Nov 2020 #9

I learn so much here! crickets Nov 2020 #13

I believe that the Founding Fathers not only assumed honor Vogon_Glory Nov 2020 #10

The Founders assumed that if it ever reached this point, the country would be over Azathoth Nov 2020 #11

This is kinda silly. The constitution tells us exactly when power shifts to the new president unblock Nov 2020 #12

Yeah, it doesn't quite work that way in practice Azathoth Nov 2020 #14

But it's silly to say the constitution doesn't contemplate the constitution being ignored unblock Nov 2020 #15

"Within the constitution, this is not a problem." True Azathoth Nov 2020 #16

right. the founders' remedy was to just ignore the tyrant. unblock Nov 2020 #18

The Founders never envisioned this problem because they thought the Electoral College would Poiuyt Nov 2020 #17

The system was not set up to deal with trump and we need to be viligent Gothmog Nov 2020 #19

They never contemplated the possibility that criminals would seize three branches of our government. dalton99a Nov 2020 #20

They did though. AnyFunctioningAdult Nov 2020 #21

I saw this article on the Washington Post website also Gothmog Nov 2020 #22