Say that Mike Pence was killed on Jan. 6th before he could certify the election. Now you have an election with no result which leads to the first succession crisis since the post-civil war era with Hayes. Trump appoints a new Vice President which says that he won and refuses to certify the election. When the senate almost certainly gets bogged down trying to elect a new president we are stuck. Now what? Does Trump remain president? It wasn't even a close election, so they can't manipulate the votes any further in his favor.

At that point we have a ticking time bomb. At the end of his term is Trump still the president? Or are we a country without a president? When that happens, if Trump stays in the White House and acts like a president, what then? Would the republican filled Supreme Court back his play? Would the military follow him? Who would oppose him? Would the secret service still protect him? What happens if some states recognize him as president, but others do not?