In an interview aired Sunday, March 30, President Donald Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker that there were “methods” by which he could run for a third term. Naturally, the political left took this as a sign that he would definitely do it and devoted much of its energy to decrying the notion and hammering down the legal arguments against such a move. But perhaps that was the commander-in-chief’s whole purpose.
Third-Term Threats
Welker pressed Trump on whether he would attempt to stay in office beyond his constitutionally constrained second term, the president responded, “Well, there are plans… There are not plans, there are methods – there are methods which you could do it, as you know.” And with that seeming slip of the tongue, the touch paper was lit.
The notion that Trump could find a way to run again is not entirely the product of a single question on the Sunday show circuit. It was floated with all seriousness last week by the president’s former strategist Steve Bannon. “I’m a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028,” he told NewsNation. “We’re working on it... We’ll see what the definition of term limit is.”
Previously, Bannon had made the case that the 22nd Amendment – which notes term limits - could be circumvented as it does not specify the word “consecutive.”
Indeed, Donald Trump has made jokes about running again on numerous occasions. At the House Republican retreat this January, he tongue-in-cheek asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, “Am I allowed to run again, Mike?” And in February, he floated the notion light-heartedly to his supporters at the White House, asking “Should I run again? You tell me.”
For those who are willing to assume Trump will make their worst fears manifest, such a question to the crowds would have been reminiscent of Julius Caesar having Consul Mark Antony lower the diadem (a laureled crown) onto his head in order to make himself emperor of the Republic. Caesar watched the reaction of his people to see if they would bite. As a true showman, he refused three times to the adoring approval of the masses, but what if the crowd had cheered him raucously? Would he, rather than Augustus, become Rome’s first?
Yet, this does not appear to be the game that Trump is playing. While there may, indeed, be “methods” – if not “plans” – it seems far more likely that the president has already achieved his ultimate aim.
An Apoplectic Left
The number one Google Trends topic in politics is “Trump third term.” The Fourth Estate has almost dutifully rolled out a plethora of experts and scholars to defang the whole notion. From headlines like “Trump Says He’s ‘Not Joking’ About Seeking a Third Term in Defiance of Constitution,” and “Trump suggests ‘methods’ exist for bid for unconstitutional third term,” the media has shifted much of its focus from what Trump is doing, to what he might be doing.
Liberty Nation News’ Editor-at-Large Jim Fite gave his opinion:
“Donald Trump very well could be trolling the left. The man does like his jokes. That said, he did say he’s ‘not joking’ – and I made the mistake of assuming a lot of his campaign promises in 2016 were jokes or exaggerations, only to be proven wrong once he took office. I’m not entirely sold on the idea that he isn’t considering it.
“The magic combination of 12th and 22nd Amendments sure seems to make it impossible (the 12th says you can’t be VP if you aren’t qualified to be president, and the 22nd says you can’t run for a third term), but he just might think ‘be’ in the 12th isn’t the same as ‘run for’ in the 22nd. That’s a heck of a stretch, but, as I often say, the president can do pretty much whatever he wants until the courts say otherwise.”
While Democrats and their media allies spend time and energy chasing down Donald Trump’s claims, they are splitting their attention on what could simply be a phantom. This division could come to a head when campaigning for the 2026 midterms gets underway – especially if Trump keeps dropping “hints.”
Dig Deeper into the Themes Discussed in this Article!
Liberty Vault: The Bill of Rights
Liberty Vault: The Constitution of the United States
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