'President Trump': From Impossible to Improbable to All But Inevitable?

"For the past eight months," Latimer recalls, "since the pugnacious billionaire first toyed with a run for the White house, Washington has been consistent in their efforts to under estimate him. His level of support. His media savvy. His ability to dominate any conversation."

"Now, as he's poised for a substantial win on Super Tuesday, the impossible has become improbable and now all but inevitable. Trump is likely to win the Republican nomination and, as he challenges Hillary Clinton, he may be only an FBI investigation away from winning the White House."

And so, the lawyer and former Bush II speechwriter suggests, "the question few in Washington ever thought they'd contemplate is suddenly urgent: What would he do then? What would his first 100 days look like?"

The columnist presents a series of 'best', 'worst' and 'most likely' scenarios on issues ranging from style (inaugural address, whether the Trumps would actually live in the White House, to the target of his first tweet as president), to substance (the cabinet, Trump's ability to get along with the Republican leadership, the first presidential press conference, the first policy win, etc.).

Based on what's been said on the campaign trail, Latimer predicts that the "most likely scenario" as far as the cabinet goes is that "lots of ambitious pols join the administration, though there are a few refusals. Cabinet members might include Mark Cuban, Jeff Sessions, Rep. Duncan Hunter – one of the first to endorse him – Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum. Oprah is asked [to] do something in the administration – though probably not an actual Cabinet post –and declines."

"The real questions," Latimer jokes, "are 1) Will Trump be able to talk his favorite insult target, Jeb Bush, into being secretary of energy? (No.) and 2) Will Ann Coulter agree to be head of border control? (Definitely!)."

As for the Republican establishment, the most likely scenario is that "he treats the Republicans just as he's doing now – like they are the embarrassment. He sides with Democrats and Republicans on issues as it suits him, with no real concern about re-election or consistency. This proves a winning approach to a sizable group of Americans, by the way."

On the question of "who will be the guest of honor at Trump's first State Dinner," the writer suggests that the answer is "none – at least in the first year until relations with other leaders cool," apparently forgetting the real estate mogul's much-talked about buddy-buddy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As for Trump's first policy win, the 'worst case scenario' is that "there isn't one," with the Mexican government refusing to pay for the wall, despite being threatened with a trade war. The 'most likely scenario? "An infrastructure bill that allocates a huge amount of federal dollars to bridges, roads and highways –pork that appeals to members of both parties."

As far as approval ratings go, the 'worst case scenario, Latimer suggests, is "33 percent (assuming many Republicans split off into a warring third party and Democrats don't make any effort to work with Trump). The best case? "53 percent. (The president surprises people with a humble approach to the job, but can't resist occasional flares of Trump bravado.) The 'most likely scenario', the soothsayer notes, "is 45 percent. (Nothing overtly terrible happens, and he scores about the same as most new presidents.)"