Why Trump declaring a 2024 presidential bid would be "profoundly stupid"

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( December 17, 2020 Roughly six weeks after Joe Biden won the election, the mood here remains exhausted and annoyed. Donald Trump is reportedly telling advisers that he'll [refuse to leave the White House]( on Inauguration Day. The pandemic continues to explode. And I'm smack in the middle of a 10-day self-isolation period without anything else to watch across six streaming platforms. But! Hoping against hope each day, I do try to couch my grumpy outlook with the small caveat that incremental change is underway. Here are several nuggets of optimism I discovered today: • Ian McKellen is [officially vaccinated]( and feeling flippin' "euphoric": "I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone," he says. • This photo of [New Yorkers dining in the snow](. • The FDA is on the verge of likely [recommending the Moderna]( vaccine. • Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden's incoming deputy chief of staff, gives a refreshingly honest, unapologetic [interview]( on motherhood and politics. But perhaps the best reason to hold out this Thursday comes from our very own Russ Choma, who shoots down the prospect of Trump's reported [flirtation with a 2024 run](—a move that one campaign finance attorney warned would be "profoundly stupid": Should Trump make his presidential intentions official—as opposed to merely hinting at them—that would be "profoundly stupid," in the words of one campaign finance attorney who spoke to Mother Jones. That’s because declaring a presidential bid will trigger a slew of election laws prescribing how Trump can raise and spend money. It would also force Trump to continue filing annual financial disclosures containing information about his business deals, loans, and personal wealth that Trump may not be eager to reveal. That's enough reason to be sort of, kind of cheery today, right? Onward! —Inae Oh Advertisement [Oxford University Press]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [National Security Experts Warn Trump “Is Promoting Terrorism”]( The president's post-election incitement expands on a tactic he has long used: stochastic terrorism. BY MARK FOLLMAN [Trending] [Rand Paul is "very, very concerned" with eligible voters voting]( BY INAE OH [“Voting is life or death”: How Georgia Democrats are organizing in one of the earliest COVID hot spots]( BY BECCA ANDREWS [COVID relief package contains a $120 billion gift to the superwealthy]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC [Southern California jails have become COVID superspreaders]( BY LAURA THOMPSON Advertisement [Oxford University Press]( [The Big Feature] [Special Feature]( [A Black Professor's Colleague Called the Cops on Him. What the School Did Next Made It Much Worse.]( An incident two years ago at Sacramento State University illustrates how difficult it can be to be Black in the largely white world of academia. BY JACKIE FLYNN MOGENSEN [Fiercely Independent] Please read Monika Bauerlein's year-in-review column, "[There's No Quick Fix for Healing Democracy](," and make a year-end gift to support Mother Jones' journalism. [Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [Prince, Quincy Jones, Madonna: Looking Back at the Music of 1984]( Just 14 days left in 2020. Speed things along with a round of recharges: 1. Michaelangelo Matos’ phenomenal new book is out. [Can’t Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop’s Blockbuster Year]( is a detail-rich read on the constellation of music that shaped a moment, and how a moment shaped the music. His scene-setting, pattern-matching, vivid turns of phrase, and historical vision are every bit as electrifying as the music he’s immersed in. A deeper-dive review in the weeks ahead. 2. Gabi Yetter, a Recharge reader and founder of “[The Good In Us](,” a Facebook group dedicated to deeds of solidarity worldwide, has published her first novel. [Whisper of the Lotus]( is set in Cambodia, where Yetter used to live. All proceeds from the first two months of book sales go to the antitrafficking organization [Justice and Soul](. 3. In a crowded field of candidates for funniest folks of 2020 who’ve made the best of an excruciating year, [comedian Leslie Jones]( stands out. 4. If you haven’t spelunked yet through [Yesterday’s Print](, dig in. Archival news clips with a bite. [From 1918](: “The man who is unwilling to wear a flu mask usually is of the kind who expects everybody to listen to him when he speaks.” [Also from 1918](: “Don’t throw away the masks. Two of them tied together will make excellent ear muffs later on.” 5. A headline that sands down the cynicism of any cold news-junky heart: “Over 900 Cars Paid for Each Other’s Meals at a Dairy Queen Drive-Thru in Minnesota.” What? What? And no one called me? I don’t like Dairy Queen anyway. “What started as a random act of kindness…resulted in over 900 cars also taking part in the pay-it-forward chain,” [reports]( CNN’s Alisha Ebrahimji. 6. The Arizona Daily Star and ProPublica teamed up yesterday to host a livestream of stories about developmental disabilities, [boosted]( by the National Center on Disability and Journalism. 7. “A small dam but a big deal,” a colleague told me in celebrating the news of a [100-year-old dam’s removal]( from a former golf course to improve salmon migration. Share your own good news at recharge@motherjones.com. —Daniel King Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755