Why Trump is terrified of losing

Losing re-election would be worse than a humiliation for Donald Trump, said Jane Mayer. It could well mean a prison sentence. More than a dozen lawsuits and criminal investigations into Trump’s finances are underway. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is overseeing a probe into Trump’s possible complicity in the $130,000 payment to silence porn star Stormy Daniels, which already landed former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in prison. Vance has broadened the investigation to encompass “potentially illegal self-dealing in Trump’s financial practices,” including tax fraud, insurance fraud, and bank fraud. New York State Attorney General Letitia James is also hot on Trump’s trail. While Trump could try to pre-emptively pardon himself, or resign and have Vice President Mike Pence do it, the president can pardon only federal, not state, crimes. Some have suggested Trump might try to abscond abroad. Yet he can’t outrun his debts: In the next four years, Trump must meet payment deadlines for more than $300 million in loans he has personally guaranteed and $900 million in real estate debt. The presidency has protected Trump from these “grave legal and financial threats,” but a reckoning may soon be coming.