One can only shake their head at the seemingly idle chatter about former President Donald Trump making another bid for the presidency come 2028. As ludicrous as this might seem, the chatter can be traced back to Trump himself, who evidently can’t stop mulling over this possibility aloud.
Interestingly, this possibility – or should I say constitutional absurdity – has gained some traction amongst Trump’s unwavering fan base. It’s certainly worth noting the deluded cheerleading pattern that’s become definitive of this group. Any time Trump lets slip a controversial or inexplicable remark, much like this one, his followers are quick to dismiss critics with a nigh patronizing ‘Don’t be so sensitive.’
Even more confounding is that when, or if, Trump does follow through on his inexplicable remarks, his followers seem to feign shock and righteousness, responding with a ‘Well, of course he did it. He said he was going to do it. Why are you surprised? Get over it.’ It would seem as if we’re living in some sort of twisted timeline where down is up, and up is down!
Looking back on Trump’s career thus far, it seems foolish not to take his words both seriously and literally, even with the buffer of irony. After all, he made claims of a third term long before he lost his reelection in 2020, under the bizarre justification of a so-called ‘re-do’ owed to him from his 2016 campaign supposedly being ‘spied on’.
In the time since, Trump appears to have developed an unhealthy fascination with the idea of serving more than two terms. At the NRA convention, he boldly inquired whether he would be considered a three-term president, or just two-term, following in the footsteps of Franklin Roosevelt who served ‘almost 16 years.’
Such whispers of another term were still in play after his second term yields, with Trump apparently stating ‘Unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out.’’ during a meeting with House Republicans. To add to this, at a rally in Las Vegas he mentioned being open to the unprecedented idea of serving not once, not twice, but possibly three or even four times!
Though all of this speculation and chatter is built on the assumption that Trump could serve more than two terms, which according to the 22nd Amendment, he cannot: ‘…No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice…’. It would seem that the Trump camp is setting themselves up for disappointment with these wild fantasies.
The current division in the country and the divided federal and state government levels essentially guarantee that any sort of constitutional amendment is virtually unachievable. Considering the two major parties can barely agree on a common lunch menu, envisioning a reality where two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of state legislators agree on an amendment that prolongs Trump’s reign is nothing short of comical.
Possibly the grandest challenge Trump will face in this titanic endeavour is simply gaining ballot access. Come 2027, when the political sphere is more electrified, Trump’s eligibility could very well be challenged by other presidential hopefuls.
However, expecting a potential Republican candidate to challenge Trump’s eligibility may be wishful thinking due to an apparent reluctance within the GOP to upset the Trump apple cart. Furthermore, such a challenge would likely occur after the wind is in the sails of Trump’s campaign, ensuring the Republican establishment’s support.
The Republican National Committee could choose to dodge the primaries and handpick Trump as their nominee. Such a turn of events could see this farcical debate end up before the Supreme Court, who’ve proven in the past to be surprisingly lenient when it comes to presidential actions during their term.
Trump’s adherents justify his nonconformist antics with their starry-eyed affection for his ability to upset the status quo. This, in my opinion, is a rather misguided interpretation of Trump’s repeated dismissals of established norms and practices.