My husband suggested that Trump might end up "defecting" to Russia...

[NurseJackie]

My husband suggested that Trump might end up "defecting" to Russia, or that he'd seek some sort of "asylum" in Russia rather than to be prosecuted or otherwise held accountable for his crimes.

At first I laughed... I thought he was joking. But then I started to wonder.

Is this something that's possible? Is Trump just that crazy, deluded, and desperate?

[HelpImSurrounded]

1. I can see it.

Actually, I think it would be the best possible outcome.

His base would evaporate.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. His base could fucking well tag along for all I care

I don’t care. Do you?

[TheRealNorth]

11. +1

There is a lot of open space in Siberia.

[HelpImSurrounded]

12. I'm good with that too. I'd like to see them all try to swim there.

[Yavin4]

16. Plenty of White people there

And they will quickly find out that bigotry and prejudice are not limited to skin color.

[RKP5637]

18. Yep, send them all to Russia. They would probably love it. Strong authoritarian personality with

Putin.

[Scarsdale]

76. Remember the two guys with beer bellies,

wearing sweatshirts declaring "I'd rather be Russian than democrat" Well, send them. Vlad would not allow tRump to run wild the way he does here. I do not think there are any golf courses there, are there?

[jmowreader]

102. There are a few

They didn't start building golf courses in Russia until 1994 and the terrible weather in much of Russia keeps them from building a huge number of courses anyway, but there are golf courses - and a Russian Golf Federation - in Trump's new home.

[RKP5637]

106. I've had friends that had to go there for awhile for work, couldn't wait to get back to US. n/t

[alfredo]

77. That would lower opioid use throughout the south.

[onecent]

81. NO I SURE DON'T CARE....HE CAN TAKE ALL THE TRUMP SHIT HE'S GOT.

I HATE HIM......TOTALLY BUT THESE REPUBLICANS THINK HE IS GOD....

[Ahpook]

97. Trump is a useful idiot

Seriously doubt Russia would like to see a bunch of rednecks flocking to their shores.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. I too, thought of this (but only on the fringes of my mind/not a serious thought), but doesn't it...

seem more and more likely, day by day? Your husband might just be right...

[YOHABLO]

3. I don't know, I'm not sure if Russians are that into golf.

[TalenaGor]

75. or watersports

[YOHABLO]

121. They just secretly video tape the foreigners who are !

[TalenaGor]

123. LOL

[Hoyt]

4. I'm OK with that, as long as he leaves within a week.

[tblue37]

5. Once he is no longer useful, Russia will wash their hands of him. They won't want him. nt

[mitch96]

62. Putin's tool. Once used up it's discarded................ nt

[aggiesal]

88. His name is Put-In for a reason! n/t

[geardaddy]

68. Yep, Putin will probably give him one of

his special polonium drinks to keep him quiet. The last thing Putey-poot wants is that loudmouthed ape shooting off his mouth.

[Efilroft Sul]

87. He'd be shot dead the moment he stepped on the tarmac. What more use could he be to Putin?

[womanofthehills]

122. Agreed - no way Russia would want him

In fact - they might release the pee pee tape if Trump makes Putin look worse.

[droidamus2]

6. Possible but...

I think it is more likely that he figures out a way to resign saying he has accomplished all that he set out to and it was great, perfect, best ever and the quickly fly off to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the US.

[NurseJackie]

27. Yep... it doesn't have to be Russia, any non-extradition country would do.

[mgardener]

96. I hear

N Korea is lovely this time of year!!
Don't you think he would want to be with his best bud?

[murielm99]

78. Yes, he may resign,

as long as it looks like he won. We have to figure out a way to get him to resign in this way. I am not sure if I care about a suitable punishment for him, just as long as he is gone.

[Generic Brad]

115. Tell him what he's won:

The home detention version of "The Apprentice"!

[jmowreader]

104. Now hold on just a second

Just because a nation has no extradition treaty with the US is no reason to think the country Trump flees to won't just deport his ass back to the United States.

[uponit7771]

8. That's where a lot of Russia's crooks go; back home

[skamaria]

82. Back to the mothership!

[LeftInTX]

9. He probably will in 2021 or 2025

If he isn't kicked out.

If he is thrown out of office, it wouldn't surprise me if he leaves the country.

Even if he completes his terms without penalities, I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves.

[mahina]

10. Who doesn't have an extradition agreement?

I remember when Ferdinand Marcos died here in Hawai’i.

He was still disgraced.

[FakeNoose]

25. Cuba, some South American and African countries, probably much of Asia

... other than Japan.

Face it, he'd never go where they speak a foreign language, or where brown or black people are in charge. If his assets & cash are frozen in U.S. banks, then what does he live on in a foreign country? He would have to live on somebody else's charity, probably Putin's. I don't think this will ever happen.

[yaesu]

56. Saudi Arabia, which I think would be a good fit for a dictator. nt

[Disaffected]

65. It's the most likely place

Afterall they took in Idi Amin after he was overthrown IIRC.

Thing is though, he had to convert to Islam before they would take him. Now, that would be ironic if Trump did the same.

[UTUSN]

13. He might as well live in a country he loves!1

[sdfernando]

14. I don't think this will happen...Why you ask?

because once the orange pustule is no longer beneficial to Putin he will drop him like a hot potato. The orange pustule has no leverage with Putin...Putin holds all the cards. The only way the orange pustule gets to Russia is if Putin wants him there so he can have a "convenient" accident.

[RKP5637]

19. Yep, Putin doesn't want him. tRump was a useful stooge/tool ... that's it. n/t

[RKP5637]

23. lol, "convenient" accident. ... OD'ed on KFC!

[DBoon]

50. Slipped on an extra crispy wing and fell out a 6th story window

nt

[eggplant]

86. twice!

[IndyOp]

72. I kind of wonder if Putin might like to have him as a trophy boy...

At Putin’s beck and call - Trump humiliating himself at Putin’s behest without realizing it.

[monmouth4]

15. It's warmer in Saudi Arabia and I believe they have golf. Just sayin'...n/t

[Bradical79]

112. Russia has more young blonde women, though -nt

[brooklynite]

17. Trump won't be separated from his money

[leftieNanner]

30. If he actually has any

[Flaleftist]

20. Would Putin take him?

It would be hilarious if he was denied entry and stuck in the airport terminal with no safe country willing to take him. I don't see it happening, but it's fun to think about.

[FakeNoose]

21. I doubt if Pootie wants him in Russia

If Chump went to Moscow, he'd be a charity case for the rest of his life. Pootie's charity.
When he's no longer president, what good is he to anybody?

He could turn out to be a troublemaker, and I doubt he'd be worth the trouble or the cost.

[Hortensis]

22. Trump may not call Russia a shithole nation, but probably regards

it as close to. Thank your husband for the image of Trump living in a Russian BFE somewhere within a 2-hour radius of Moscow, in case he might be useful for something.

Who knows what Trump'd do to avoid prison in the extremely unlikely event a deal wasn't reached between parties to send him off to disgraced retirement? Much stronger bet is that the Republican leadership wouldn't allow him to defect since a live traitor shooting off his mouth at Putin's whim would look much worse for them than in federal prison.

[magicarpet]

103. I read it quickly the first time and I thought it said defecating....

I said,

No no,... trDump shits all over America not Russia.

Then I realized it said defect to.

[d_r]

24. the old dude

already has to spend every winter in florida, how you think he would make it in russia?

[lunatica]

33. Not well at all

[Thekaspervote]

26. imho putin will have no use for dotard if he is not squatting in the WH and will send him packing

[Stuart G]

28. I thought the same thing a few months ago...

[lunatica]

29. I've wondered this very thing for a long time.

Although I think Putin would deny entry if he sees no personal benefit. But the Moscow Trump tower might ameliorate that. Putin could simplify demand a cut like he does with all his oligarchs.

[greatauntoftriplets]

31. I hope that he does.

And he can take his family and all of his "courtiers" with him.

[katmondoo]

32. I think he will get a wheelchair, wear a bathrobe and slippers and babble incoherently

Then hide out in Trump Tower or Mar-a-lago

[onenote]

34. It's a fantasy that has been repeated here several times.

Emphasis on "fantasy."

He's not "defecting" to Russia.

[NurseJackie]

37. Thanks for clearing that up.

I thought it was amusing and an interesting mental exercise.

hat has been repeated here several times.

As much time as I spend on DU, you'd think I would have seen it before... but I haven't. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

100. LOl NurseJackie the thought of that has occured to me lol

The thing of it is, Trump cannot run or hide and this he knows. He entertains the idea of serving more than two terms ,I would imagine he would imagine at least 4 terms cuz,, you know, it's been done before. That brings war into what could or would be imagined. See, it gets more crazy. Better to the imagination Trump defects to Russia, moreso easy on the imaginary thought process's lol.


But the question is , what is Trump gonna do,where will he go at the end of the shit show . Nixon for example after he left San Clemente was in the market for a condo in NYC. There were residents that were terrified at the thought of Nixon living in the building or block for that matter. This worried Nixon and he thought nobody wanted him around.

So you see the question ,where will he go is a good one. Trump is well aware of how it could be being the most hated man on the planet.
And so you can imagine Trump would sail on in history back to F.D.R.'s 4 terms . It's safe there to his way of thinking. One of the stupid things Trump said early on, we have nuke's why can't we use them. Down the line in years ,he thinks about dropping a nuclear bomb down center of the hurricane blowing to little bitty bits sending it scattering off and away.

New Jersey NurseJackie so he can hang out with his pal Christie ,or Russia lol. Indeed, mental gymnastics lol.

[EveHammond13]

35. and what would Ivanka and Jared do?

[NurseJackie]

38. Sell jewelry and men's suits on QVC?

[cwydro]

36. I would think that very unlikely.

He’s not the kind of person who could live in a foreign country.

No way.

[NurseJackie]

41. LOL! It would kill him.

But if prison were the other option, I'll bet he chooses a safe haven outside the US.

[cwydro]

46. Sadly, I don't think he'll ever see prison.

I just want him out of our house. Preferably in disgrace.

I don’t give a damn where he ends up after that.

[lunasun]

39. Putin will welcome trump but then dump him and Mel in Siberia far away where they can be best

[Blue Owl]

40. Or just defecating...

[NurseJackie]

47. Ewww.

And...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

42. Putin won't want him when he's no longer useful.

[BlueTsunami2018]

43. Russia wouldn't take him.

They use you and throw you away. Can you imagine the storm from the international community if they did this? They’d be openly admitting to placing an operative into the White House and sabotaging our country, the repercussions would be massive. Putin is evil, not stupid. Тяцмр would be told to take what’s coming or die. He’d be of zero use to Russia anymore.

[ehrnst]

44. I'm thinking Dubai. More luxurious lodgings. (nt)

[Brother Buzz]

45. Andy Borowitz says he'll fold up his tent in the middle of the night to beat the creditors...

and land in one of the former Soviet republics.

[albacore]

48. Could be....

[Downtown Hound]

49. It's a complete fantasy

Even if Trump wanted to, which I doubt, Russia would never take him. Russia doesn't care about Trump, they probably loathe him just like everybody else does. He's just a useful idiot to them. When he's no longer useful, they'll wash their hands of him.

My guess is, Trump will "have a very convenient" heart attack, a stroke, or some other "tragic incident" befall him just as he's about to go to prison. And the thing is, given his age, generally poor health, stressful lifestyle, and terrible diet, it might even be legit. Conspiracy theories will be had, debates will be had, and in the end, we'll all never really know for certain and we'll move on. And hopefully recover from this disaster in time.

[Cha]

51. We know putin would give it to him.. he took

Snowden, didn't he.

[ooky]

52. I agree with your husband. He will run rather than face prosecution.

Don't know if Russia, but somewhere we can't extradite him

[lark]

53. He wouldn't go with what's out now.

If the entire truth were to be known, I think it would be staggering, Repugs would turn and then he might do that to prevent jail time.

[yaesu]

54. he can go where there are no extradition treaties, my guess would be Saudi Arabia. nt

[The Liberal Lion]

55. My thinking is he makes a deal not to be prosecuted at the federal and state level

agrees to resign, and goes off to one of his hotels outside of the country, and then continues to make trouble pushing us ever closer to a civil war. Vampires don't just go quietly into the night, but they also don't want stakes thru their hearts.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

57. I hear Yakutsk is beautiful this time of year.

The whistle of the wind, the buzz of the snowmobiles.

[yellerpup]

58. He owes Russia money

and he didn't get the sanctions lifted. If he goes, he won't last long.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

59. He's already defected. He'd ask Putin to extract him, their asset. . . . nt

[delisen]

60. Maybe the Emirates or South America

He just needs to take wheelbarrows full of money

[sandensea]

101. Bolsonazi would take him

Argentina's Macri would too - but he's a month away from being swept out by voters suffering from his version of Bushonomics.

I can just hear Trump now: "What about Apartheid South Africa?"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

61. Viktor Yanukovych.

Another Manafort client.

Enough said.

[world wide wally]

63. Then he could be a real oligarch

[Doreen]

64. How about NC?

He did say that he and Kim Joung-un are in love. 💕💝

[relayerbob]

66. Not a chance ...

He'd be of zero value to the oligarchs. I would expect a "heart attack" within weeks of arrival

[blueinredohio]

67. That's what I think too.

Because when he's impeached New York state is coming for him. He's got no where else to go.

[Retrograde]

69. Not Russia - one of the other ex-SSRs maybe

but I doubt Putin would take him if he were not further use to him. Turkmenistan seems corrupt enough for him - and wasn't his darling daughter working on some hotel project in Azerbijian (that went the way most Trump projects do)?

[warmfeet]

70. Hey great!

He can take all the other ratfucker's with him. He can take every ratfucking supporter with him. Good riddance to bad shit.

[IndyOp]

71. This is exactly what I have been thinking!

Win-win if you ask me.

[bucolic_frolic]

73. Generally speaking, rulers who abdicate or are deposed have little problem finding asylum

They have a lot of money, they have a vaulted position amongst supporters ... Idi Amin, and countless others.

Russia? Who else would want him?

[louis-t]

74. He wouldn't do well in the colder weather.

[Delmette2.0]

79. He will not leave the country.

He could just go to either Russian or Saudi embassy and ask for aasylum. Although neither one could be considered very safe.

[onecent]

80. Could be...and HE'S GOT A-L-O-T OF MONEY NOW.

Trying to take 4 million from that fella.....and I saw another thing, I can't remember the names (I'm 74) I can't keep up...but the guy said he was never asked about sanctions...?????
I'll be on tonight or tomorrow....I hope...

[Xolodno]

83. Only on one condition....

...if Putin finds use for him.

Pro: It's not just a national embarrassment for us but a global one. We lose a lot of credibility all over the place.

Con: Russia may have economically pivoted east, but if you ask me, they always had plans to do so to some extent. They don't need the US, but they do want to work more with Europe. Accepting Trump could galvanize Europe to work more with the US and shun Russia. I think Putin's main goal was just to show that the USA, given a segment of its populace and corruption of some of their leaders, are not good partners. And I think that's been accomplished.

At this point, I think they are just enjoying the show. No matter who is President later, they have a lot of damage domestically to repair and even more on the foreign stage. But the domestic issues are going to hamper any efforts on foreign.

[flibbitygiblets]

84. Hold the phone: Maybe he could still be useful to Pooty even if impeached:

Think about this: He's got millions of mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers fawning over him as their God-King because he legitimizes their awful ideology. Or because they're just stupid, but I digress. The point is, those Jeebus-lovin, immigrant-hatin', science-disbelievin' assholes are going to be clamoring for something to fill the void.

Imagine that a newly-impeached (and either convicted or not re-elected) Trumpty Dumpty and his shilling family are granted asylum by one of his favorite dictator buddies. Then he could REALLY say whatever the fuck he wants, start his own teevee show, you name it, take over the (from all reports) chaos-filled Faux News audience, and guess what? American politics will continue to be historically divisive, fragmented, and most importantly for Pooty and the other dick-taters out there, dumb-ass Americans will continue to vote for jackasses who are happy to sell our countries values and treasure to the highest bidder. They would continue to follow their fallen hero from afar.

It could totally happen.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

85. Probably not.

He is never going to believe he is going to be impeached or removed from office or not re-elected. Keep in mind he's a total narcissist, and is convinced that everyone (except for a few meanies) loves him and whatever he says or thinks is true. So if he says he didn't do anything wrong, he's as certain of that as you are that your screen name is NurseJackie, just to make one small example.

[Woodycall]

89. I don't worry about defection. I worry about the nuclear codes.

Taking everyone, and everything, with them is the way a narcissist would commit suicide. Seriously. I hope other people with the authority to stop something like that are thinking the same thing.

[Evolve Dammit]

90. Would not surprise me; just take the Drumpf jet, not Air Force One, 'kay?

Go build your Moscow Tower so Vlad can push you out a window when he grows weary of your stupidity. Make America Great Again. Leave. And take your handler (Melanie) with you.

[George II]

91. Hmmm, Putin might allow him to defect and then set him up in an apartment....

....on the tenth floor with windows that open.

[NurseJackie]

93. I like the way you think.

Will that be high enough?

[George II]

95. Dunno, with that gut he's likely to bounce back up a few stories!

[jcgoldie]

92. See you never!

Putin will send him to the gulag anyway after he's no longer useful and just a huge liability to perpetually run his mouth...

[MoonRiver]

94. He might try, but I'm not sure Russia would take him.

[Perseus]

98. I have a feeling that Putin doesn't like trump, I don't think he is going to give him asylum

One more thing, Putin doesn't like losers, and the creature has not served him well, he has not complied with all the orders given to him, so I don't think Putin will want him in Russia.

Maybe Putin should let him in and then put him in a cage, just like the creature did to the little kids who were separated from their parents at the border.

[TrollBuster9090]

99. He can have Julien Assange's old room at the Ecuador Motel 6.

Or, he can share a cell in the Russian gulag with Edwdard Snowden. That would be poetic justice.

But if he expects Putin to let him live in luxury, in exchange for blocking the sanctions, and outing CIA spies for him, he can forget it. I'm sure at this point Putin considers him to be way too much of an embarrassment.

He might have better luck seeking asylum in Israel with BiBi...

NYT FRONT PAGE 2025:
"Madman Donald Trump Finally Dragged From Russian Embassy In New York, Shouting 'NO COLLUSION, NO COLLUSION! WITCH HUNT!'"

[jmowreader]

105. Trump isn't that stupid

He knows that if he gives up his office and runs to Russia, all the people he's been paying off with presidential favors in lieu of the money he hasn't got are going to be right there...with guns, castration knives and a squad of cops in their back pockets.

I think Trump is far more likely to attempt suicide than to defect to Russia. He'll set it up to look like Hillary killed him with her own bare hands...unfortunately, Hillary will be in California drinking wine while Trump is trying to frame her, and there will be photos. And even more unfortunately, Trump will turn out to be as good at committing suicide as he is at being president.

[subana]

110. well, he is plenty stupid!

whether or not he's that stupid remains to be seen. I do agree with you that he may try to commit suicide.

He might as well try to go to Russia, he seems to like Russia better than this country so he might even be happy there! He should probably talk to Snowden to ask how much he likes living there.

[secondwind]

107. Do they have KFC and McDonald's over there?

What about Taco Bell? He wouldn’t last a month in Moscow.

[jmowreader]

120. They have all those things, and golf too

But it really doesn’t matter because he’d be whacked by the Russian mafia as soon as he arrived.

[GulfCoast66]

108. The Secret Service would not allow it.

I mean, I guess he could act like it is a presidential trip to Russia and try not to come back. But I don’t think Putin would allow it. That would be entertaining. The secret service frog marching him back on AF1.

Once out of office no way is the Secret Service allowing him to run off.

Remember they do not see themselves nor do they working for him. But protecting the presidency for us to protect the nation.

[we can do it]

109. Buh bye!

[we can do it]

111. He can go now as far as I'm concerned.

[Bradical79]

113. More likely he tries pardoning himself, imo

Or works a double pardon deal with Pence. Pardon Pence, resign, Pence pardons Trump.

Unfortunately, I think the real most likely scenario is that he goes free. Too many pro-Trump judges, and Conservatives in the jury pool.

Remember, Trump is the result of tens of millions of our fellow Americans declaring that they don't give a fuck about ethics and dignity. Most of them are still ok with their President being a morally bankrupt criminal, as long as their own guy hurts the people they want him to hurt, and he promotes a white supremecist agenda. He's not an aberation, he's their chosen leader.

They look at children in concentration camps, hear the threats and promotion of violence, hear and read the racist statements, and say "This is the guy we want".

[NurseJackie]

116. Your observations and analysis are right on target...

... and that's tragic. What have we become?

[ananda]

114. Well ..

Though it's interesting to speculate that MF45 might defect to Russia, I'm wondering how he would stay safe there, unless of course all his debts were forgiven and he be given a spending allowance. I also wonder what would happen to all those hotels and golf courses.

[MineralMan]

117. I'm sure Putin has a dacha reserved for him not far from Novosibirsk.

It's a quiet place, where he won't be disturbed, no doubt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novosibirsk

[coeur_de_lion]

118. Oh please God let him defect

I would be willing to pay his plane fare.

[NurseJackie]

119. That would be quite a footnote in the history books.

[Maru Kitteh]

124. I Agree with others who predict Putin will wash his hands of Trump, he's weak and useless now.