I’ve already laid out how J.D. could lose in the primaries to an outsider insurgent. Assume that doesn’t happen. How does he win the general election?
There are two possibilities. In the first scenario, he clings desperately to Trump, who has somehow regained some of his past popularity. The Democrats nominate a weak candidate, and he wins in spite of Trump’s record.
The second scenario is more sinister: the revival of the Green Bay sweep. This time, Trump has complete control of the military, the Supreme Court has been a reliable ally on issues pertaining to elections, and J.D. will be presiding at the meeting in which the votes will be counted. He also knows that Trump will pardon him if things go wrong.
It would be 1876–J.D.’s model for solving electoral problems–only much worse.