After a tumultuous tenure in the White House, Donald Trump’s term as president of the United States will officially end at noon on January 20 when President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office. Trump will exit Washington in disgrace, facing a gloomy political future.
While former presidents often have predictable retirements —a presidential library, a charitable foundation, publishing memoirs, dinner speeches, etc.— Trump faces a range of different options, most of them bad.
Once out of office, Trump could be exposed to a slew of federal and state charges, increasing the possibility of jail time. From potential obstruction of justice to tax fraud, election interference to incitement to insurrection, Trump’s potential legal woes have mounted.
The state of Georgia may indict him for calling Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking to “find” votes to help him overturn the election.
He may also be deposed in New York as two women are suing him amid allegations of sexual assault. Looming over everything is his potential liability in the Capitol riot, which has led to speculation that he may try to pardon himself. Even if this is constitutional, it would not shield him from state charges.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance and New York Attorney General Letitia James are both investigating the president in probes that could lead to criminal charges.
And in Scotland, there have been renewed calls to issue an Unexplained Wealth Order against Trump to investigate how he acquired his multi-million dollar Turnberry property, which was reportedly paid for in cash. This could potentially bring criminal charges in a jurisdiction outside of the U.S.
And that’s only what has been reported. There could be a number of corruption cases waiting to be discovered once the Biden administration appoints a new Attorney General.
