THOMPSON: Donald Trump will resign the presidency in 2026

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes. A simple sentence – just eight words – that has proven true time and again. Some attribute the quote to Mark Twain…but there’s no credible evidence of that. 

But before getting lost in the linguistic and literary weeds, I suggest the meaning is far more important than who first said those eight words.

The history that is rhyming is President Richard Nixon’s resignation from the U.S. presidency on Aug. 9, 1974…to escape impeachment and conviction for the Watergate Coverup. Exactly a month later – Sept. 9, 1974 – President Gerald R. Ford pardoned Nixon.

The rhyme of that history is President Donald R. Trump’s cover up of the messy, decades-long sexual trafficking of young girls and women to wealthy men worldwide by Jeffrey Epstein – now dead – and his partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Spoiler alert: I’m revealing my conclusion now rather than the end of this column…and offering some facts and opinions to support my deduction.

Donald Trump will resign the presidency in 2026…and he will either pardon himself…or President JD Vance will pardon him. Now…here’s how all that is likely to unravel. First, some context.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were jet setters…sexual partners for eight years…then business partners in a wide-ranging sex trafficking ring for at least 15 years…social climbing the whole way.

Maxwell’s father was British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, and she traded on her social standing by introducing Epstein to wealthy, prominent individuals…politicians, celebrities and other famous men around the world.

Epstein – in return – paid her $250,000 a year to manage his properties, including his homes in New York, Florida, New Mexico, Paris, and his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Eventually, after Robert Maxwell died, leaving little inheritance to his daughter, Epstein transferred millions of dollars to Ghislaine Maxwell’s bank accounts…rewarding her for  her enabling, recruiting and grooming of underage girls for Epstein’s “pyramid scheme of sexual abuse”.

The Department of Justice’s appearance of corruption on the Epstein cases spans nearly 17 years. It started when Alexander Acosta, then a prosecuting attorney with the Southern District of Florida and a lifetime Republican, structured a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein that allowed him to plead guilty to a single state charge of solicitation in 2008.

Epstein served less than 13 months in Palm Beach County Jail, and was allowed work release 12 hours a day, six days a week. Acosta’s lenient deal ended an F.B.I. probe that would have resulted in harsher Federal charges. In 2019, the Justice Department ruled that Acosta broke the law by granting serial pedophile Epstein a plea deal without notifying his victims.

Separately, DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility said Acosta exercised “poor judgement” in making the plea deal. Acosta, who had been appointed Secretary of Labor by President Trump, resigned less than a month after those findings.

Last week, the House Oversight Committee released more than 23,000 documents that it subpoenaed from the Jeffrey Epstein Estate. Again, under Trump’s regime, the Department of Justice has every appearance of corrupt practices.

It wasn’t, by the way, the DOJ that released the files…they’re holding onto them tightly. Trump knows what we don’t…and that if we knew what he knew…his actions would be either embarrassing and/or criminal.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) learned his Oversight Committee could subpoena Epstein’s Estate on MSNBC’s “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell. Khanna and Bradley Edwards, a lawyer representing Epstein victims, were on O’Donnell’s show at the same time when Edwards informed Khanna that the Committee could legally subpoena the documents from Epstein’s estate. Khanna took Edwards’ advice.

Some of the emails in the documents subpoenaed from the Epstein estate are revealing.

Epstein wrote to Maxwell: “i want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump…(Victim’s name redacted) spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75% there.”

Epstein’s comment meant that the police chief didn’t know about Trump…and Epstein believed he was 75 percent sure of being in the clear.

In an email to Trump biographer Michael Wolff, Epstein wrote: “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”

Those who have counted say Trump is mentioned in the 23,000 documents more than 2,700…more than any other person. Common sense: Why would there be that many mentions if there wasn’t something there about Trump…something corrupt…something criminal?

Look, you don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to figure this one out. Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier this year the Epstein Files were on her desk and she was reviewing them. Since then…bullshit lies…no mention of Trump. Except, of course, for the real 2,700+ times.

F.B.I. Director Kash Patel…same thing…lies…he said there is “no credible information” that Epstein trafficked minors to others. Really?

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche “interviewed” Ghislaine Maxwell – not to investigate her knowledge and truthfulness – but to get her to say good things about Trump. She did…and days later she’s in a “Club Fed” minimum security facility. No criminal guilty of sex crimes is even eligible for those facilities. And yet, there she is playing with puppies, practicing yoga, eating gourmet meals and getting private visits from friends.

So, last Wednesday, these three liars – Bondi, Patel and Blanche – tried to browbeat Representative Lauren Boebert in the White House Situation Room to get her to remove her name from the petition to release the Epstein Files. She refused.

And when Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva was sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson later on Wednesday…after a seven-week delay that prevented the incoming representative from taking her seat…the path for a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files was cleared.

Certainly, Republicans have been stupid since Trump’s reign…but none were so stupid as to end their own political careers by not voting to release every page of every file. A whole bunch of rich white men…turned a few shades whiter this past week.

The House of Representatives voted 427-1 to release the Epstein Documents. Hours later, the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent. President Trump signed the bill two days later. There was no Oval Office gathering of victims, of course, just a signing by Trump…without photographs.

The Department of Justice has about three more weeks to release the documents, but don’t underestimate Attorney General Pam Bondi’s conniving ability to insist that she can’t release evidence during an ongoing investigation. Remember, President Trump asked her to investigate Democrats involved with Epstein…a perfect excuse to hold back or redact files in a ridiculous manner.

So, when will Trump resign? I don’t know the date, of course, but I do have a good sense of history. Senators Barry Goldwater and Hugh Scott, and Rep. John Rhodes – the top three Republicans in Congress – met with President Richard Nixon on Aug. 7…basically telling him that the votes to impeach and convict him for the Watergate Coverup were in hand. Nixon resigned two days later.

I suggest we watch for the time when top Republicans in Congress go to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump. They will tell him they have the votes for impeachment and conviction. Within two days…Trump will resign. And, yes, within another day or two…not a month…Trump will have his pardon.

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.