Con 13 days left before Election Day, President Donald Trump remains a decided underdog to win a second term in office.
While Trump proved that anything is possible when he won the presidency four years ago, every sign this time — sondaggi, i soldi, Messaggio — indicates he is likely headed toward a defeat.
Which then raises an interesting question: What will Trump do next?
And by that, I don’t mean will Trump concede defeat and hand over power to former Vice President Joe Biden gracefully. We know — if you take Trump at his word — he has no plans to do anything of the sort. He has already laid the groundwork to claim the election was “truccato” against him and to avoid ever actually admitting he lost.
What I mean is, what will Trump’s next career move be? And I think I know the answer.
Consider what we know about Donald Trump if he loses on November 3:
1) He loves the national spotlight and won’t want to give it up
2) He has long been obsessed with cable TV
3) His brand, which amounts, essentially, a suo nome, e ha always been the biggest money maker for his companies, will be significantly diminished in the eyes of many Americans because of the actions he took (and didn’t take) as president
4) He will still personally owe more than $ 400 million in loans that will be coming due over the next few years
5) His revenue streams will be severely constrained because of point No. 3 above and because his royalties from his successful reality TV career are petering out
Trump will, in short, need a new act — and one that can provide him with money (ideally, lots of it) to pay of his debts.
And if you’ve listened closely to him over the past year of so, he’s already told us what that next act will likely be.
“.@FoxNews just doesn’t get what’s happening!,” Trump tweeted in April. “They are being fed Democrat talking points, and they play them without hesitation or research…The people who are watching @FoxNews, in record numbers (thank you President Trump), are angry. They want an alternative now. So do I!”
Then in May, Trump tweeted this: “.@FoxNews is no longer the same. We miss the great Roger Ailes. You have more anti-Trump people, by far, than ever before. Looking for a new outlet!”
E this in July: “.@FoxNews weekend afternoons is the worst! Getting into @CNN and MSDNC territory. Watch @OANN & @newsmax instead. Much better!”
There’s more — a lot more — but you get the idea. Trump doesn’t think Fox News is sufficiently pro-Trump, which is laughable, and has been trying to boost both One America News and NewsMax TV into potential competitors for conservative mind share.
Both networks are overtly pro-Trump. NewsMax is run by Chris Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend. OAN, a newer entrant into the cable world (it was started in 2013), has been steered by founder Robert Herring Sr. to be among the most ardent defenders of the President since he began running for the office.
Both networks also have the same problem: They have tiny audiences — a barnacle on the great white whale that is Fox News.
Which is where Trump comes in.
Consider the boost having Trump on board as the president of either of those networks — not to mention either the host of his own show or a regular contributor to the airwaves. What about renaming One America News the “Trump News Network?” Or the potential of the President to recruit a major conservative star to his new network? (OAN confermato in the summer of 2017 that it had attempted to hire Bill O’Reilly after he was fired from Fox.)
What would be in it for Trump? For starters, the possibility of making money — lots of it. Then there is the continued exposure having his own TV network — maybe even with his name on it! — would mean for Trump. And the ability to continue to shape the future of the Republican Party in his likeness.
Given the dire financial straits we know Trump is in — thanks to The New York Times’ reporting on his tax returns — and his need to continue to be relevant (not to mention his repeated hints about an alternative to Fox News), it seems like starting a cable network or glomming on to an existing one is the obvious next step for Trump. And one he won’t be able to resist taking.
