Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Odds slashed on Donald Trump being forced from office before end of first term

Gamblers now think there is a 53 per cent chance Republican will not make it to 2020

Benjamin Kentish
Friday 11 August 2017 17:51 BST
Comments
Donald Trump was criticised for his comments on North Korea
Donald Trump was criticised for his comments on North Korea (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

The odds of Donald Trump leaving office before the end of his first term have been slashed as the US President faces continuing pressure over alleged links to Russia and his handling of the North Korea crisis.

Users of gambling site Betfair believe it is now more likely than not that the Republican will fail to make it to 2020, saying there is a 53 per cent chance he will be forced out before then.

The odds on him being removed have shortened significantly since Mr Trump took office in January, when there was thought to be a 63 per cent chance that he would remain in post until at least 2020.

Some punters believe the billionaire businessman could even be removed in the next few months, giving a 10 per cent chance that he will not be President by the end of 2017.

If Mr Trump is to be forced out before 2020, however, gamblers think it is most likely to happen next year. There is thought to be a 26 per cent likelihood that he will leave office in 2018 – up from 17 per cent in March.

It comes amid mounting criticism of Mr Trump’s response to North Korea’s repeated missile tests.

The Republican vowed to inflict “fire and fury the like of which the world has never seen” on the communist state if the tests continue.

That led North Korea to threaten to fire four missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Critics said the US President's comments were “irresponsible and dangerous”, with 60 members of Congress condemning what they said was Mr Trump’s decision to “dramatically increase tensions with North Korea and raise the spectre of nuclear war”.

One former Republican senator described the remarks as “crazy” and “like pouring gasoline on a fire”.

Mr Trump’s presidency is also being dogged by the on-going investigation into his alleged links with Russia.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues to gather evidence and a number of members of Mr Trump’s inner circle have had to testify in front of congressional committees.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in