"In a lengthy op-ed published Monday, author and policy expert William Becker laid out what he described as the “stench of scandal” President Donald Trump may have permanently placed on the White House, but despite his countless controversies, the president still had one “last chance” at achieving redemption, one that Becker urged Trump to consider before it’s too late.

Trump told his 'last chance' at redemption is to 'resign now, citing health reasons' 

Alexander Willis     April 20, 2026 12:45 PM EST

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States at the Pentagon, in Washington D.C., U.S., September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

“The voting public has twice given Trump the opportunity to redeem his legacy. Each time, he has only made it worse. His last chance is to resign now, citing health reasons,”  

----Becker wrote in an op-ed published in The Hill.

 

Becker meticulously listed what he considered to be the Trump administration’s worst controversies: 

• having “repeatedly violated the Constitution, 
• engaged in profitable conflicts of interest, 
•  abused his pardon power,  
• deployed the military against the civilian population, 
• ignored citizens’ constitutional rights,  
• withheld public funds from states that didn’t vote for him, and 
• used the threat of legal action and the denial of federal funds to extort private corporations and universities into conformance with his policies.”

And yet, despite the Trump administration’s increasing number of precedent-breaking controversies, were Trump to willfully step down from office, Becker argued, his legacy could be spared from being reduced to a historic “morality lesson.”  

The president also had a plausible reason to resign, one that could allow him to save face, Becker suggested, given Trump’s numerous suspected health issues.

“He doesn’t understand, or perhaps will not admit, that he is memorializing a decade in which he caused decay, division, degradation, degeneration and disgrace,” 

----Becker wrote. 

 

“Once Trump leaves office, the plaques on his monuments will explain how the government failed America and nearly allowed the world’s continuing democracy to slip away.”

The Hill

7 hours ago

“If he doesn’t, then the challenge of redemption will pass to Congress. History will remember its current members more kindly if they do their jobs by removing Trump from office before he does irreparable damage to the country.” 

AOL.com

9 hours ago

Opinion - Resignation is Trump's last chance at redemption

AI OVERVIEW 

In an op-ed published on April 20, 2026, author and policy expert
William S. Beckerurged President Donald Trump to resign, citing health reasons as his "last chance" at redemption.

 

The call for resignation, detailed in The Hill, centers on preserving Trump's legacy amid mounting controversies and questions regarding his fitness for office. Becker argues: 

• Redemption Opportunity: The voting public has twice provided chances for Trump to redeem his legacy, but Becker claims each opportunity has only worsened it.
• A "Face-Saving" Exit: Citing health reasons would allow Trump a plausible, face-saving reason to step down and avoid being remembered primarily for "irreparable damage" to the country.
• Congressional Action: Becker warned that if Trump does not resign, the responsibility for removing him will fall to Congress to prevent further national decline. 

This proposal comes during a period of intense scrutiny over the President's health. In early April 2026, the White House rebuked online speculation that Trump had been hospitalized at Walter Reed, maintaining that he was working "nonstop". However, official reports from late 2025 confirmed a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in older adults.