"I like working": Trump floats idea of third term, says he's "not joking" | Salon.com
By: Alex Galbraith (Salon)
... uh, doesn't he have to make it thru this term first?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Donald Trump is considering staying in office past 2028.
The president floated an unconstitutional third term to NBC's Kristen Welker, saying that "a lot of people" want him to serve past the end of his current stint in the Oval Office.
Considering the president's questionable relationship with the peaceful handing over of power, Welker asked Trump if he was seriously suggesting an extension to his time atop the executive.
"I'm not joking," Trump said. "But I'm not — it is far too early to think about it."
When asked why he would want to stay on, Trump gave a simple answer and brushed aside concerns about the constitutionality of his plans.
"I like working," he said. "There are methods by which you could do it."
Trump agreed that he could take office a third time if Vice President JD Vance won the presidency and then ceded it to him. However, he clammed up when Welker asked him to share other methods in which he might stay on.
The current two-term limit was put into place after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died in office while serving his fourth term. The 22nd Amendment barring three-term presidents was passed by Congress in 1947 and ratified by the states in 1951. For Trump to take office a third time, he would need the support of two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the state legislatures.
Tennessee GOP Rep. Andy Ogles introduced a proposal shortly after Trump's inauguration that could allow him to stand for a third term. The narrowly written proposed amendment would only allow for presidents who served non-consecutive terms to qualify, thereby ruling out the return of long-time Trump foe, President Barack Obama.
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yeah, having obama beat him in the 2028 election would drive the white supremacist, er, maga party right over the brink ...
Never gonna happen[✘]
Why not?
Because
He's dreaming. Even if JD Vance won in 2028 he can't hand over the office to trmp
I wish some one would slap some goddamned sense into this brainless fucker
... torpedo bat.
[✘]
[✘]
He could always follow his hero's footsteps...
Here would be the Trump version:
With a constitutional provision forcing Trump to step down in 2028, he chooses JD Vance as his political successor. Vance announces he is running with Trump as his VP and wins riding the MAGA wave into the 2028 election. Confirming widespread expectations, Vance makes good on his campaign promise to resign making Donald Trump the 48th President of the United States giving him more time and power in office, perhaps with enough time and power to attempt more Putin tactics...
And what's really sad is that I know there are now millions of supposed Americans who would fully support and enable their Dear Leader Donald to do the exact same thing as Putin has done because they are loyal to Trump and not our constitution. It truly is heartbreaking to watch so many get so deluded and start worshiping this gold painted carpetbagger.
He can't do that! Once you've served your 2 terms that's it! You're done. Now git!
Does nobody get civics in school anymore?????
Actually the 22nd Amendment states that he could not be elected into the office of the President for a third term, but he could if the election was for Vance as the President and Trump as the VP, and Vance be willing to resign after being sworn in. But I really cannot see anybody who wins the Oval Office be willing to immediately resign the office.
The other way would be to get an amendment to the 22nd which I really cannot see getting thru the 2/3 state ratification.
We'll find out in a few years just how serious Trump is on this but I still think this talk is more of a red herring to keep attention away from the other crap he's doing.
I really do hope it's a red herring. So that means we just have to keep our eyes and ears open
Except perhaps for one who knows they were only elected as a placeholder for a populist authoritarian leader...
The only reason Medvedev even stayed in the position of President for one term was because the Russian constitution required a full term served in between a former President being re-elected. Of course, once Putin got back in power, he made sure his now passive compliant parlement changed the constitution to allow him to stay in power for two more consecutive terms.
Sadly, the MAGAverse could, if they maintain enough of the voters to keep an edge over Democrats each Presidential election cycle, give a victory to Vance who resigns and hands power back to Trump in 2028 and in 2032 and if Trump is still alive and kicking at 86 years old he could pick another patsy suck-up Republican to run in 2032 once Vance could no longer run and be the new MAGA stand in on election day with "VP" Trump by their side. Hell, it might even be our first female President Pam Bondi, who then hands over the presidency to Republicans Fuehrer for life, because I mean, come on, every conservative knows it's not a woman's place to be in power over a man. And there's nothing in the constitution that would prevent that.
Dear TG, it's no more a red herring than Trump saying he was going to engineer his way out of his federal court cases: Accomplished. If there is a will there is a way, the saying goes.
Trump is letting it be known he is actively setting in motion the 'building project' to accomplish the 'great' feat of a third term. His 'wish' is to let it be. Even though he will be old as 'Methuselah'.
Democrats better wake the 'eff' up and be proactive in the states because it is certainly what Musk, Trump's bankroller is after in going after state officials and judges.
Democrats educate the people now! Get off your butts and think! I have shared this before, as if it is not obvious, Trump is talking to the world's dictators ('palin around') about details and steps on how to engineer his autocracy (realignment) of the world order in personal self-interest and greed. And they are telling him 'step-by-step.'
Democrats get proactive: "See the man." He is headed your way. Full Stop.
The 12th Amendment says "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President..." At which point it would apply to Trump.
True, that would put a block on that approach. So I guess the only other way short of a constitutional amendment to change the 22nd Amendment or a true military coup (yeah, like that will happen) would be for Trump to be elected Speaker to the House of Representatives and then have both the president and vice-president resign after winning the election.
Yeah, not very likely to happen. He'd have better luck making stone soup.
The two amendments that deal with this in detail are the 22nd and the 12th. The 12th of course came first, and states "But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."
The 22nd ratified later says "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once."
Trump's eligibility to serve three terms would likely come down to how the court interprets the 12th and 22nd Amendments.
The long and short is that it appears that the constitution stands against Trump attempting some end-run around the law, but past-precedent shows that is exactly his modus operandi when he doesn't get his way. He knows the simple thug street rule of "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" and I would not put it past him, especially after his attempted January 6th insurrection, to just claim he can do it and force the conservative courts to rule against him in the face of his tiki-torch wielding mob.
Now come on. . . you know I can't touch that (Chuckles)!
Well he has put it out there whether early, so democrats had better get a head start on the legalities surrounding this end-run, because it damn sure is going to come front in center in three to four years. . . . Forewarned is. . . . The 'man' has enlightened the bundle and opposition party to 'get ready' for This! The man has had the research done and likes what he sees in it. . . . Moreover, he loves a challenge. Besides he has nearly four years to reshape the mind of the citizens to his daily pressure tactics to get what he 'wants.'
AH-HA! I thought so
the US Constitution means nothing to trumpski or his most ardent ass-lickers ...
I want to make a Big Mac with a copy of the Constitution in it and watch him eat it
Trump is doing what he always does: Truthful hyperbole.
But look it: The man has told us there are methods. Be warned then. . . he and 'his people' that is, thinktanks have checked for the method/s out there. One is to amend the constitution and you do that by the approved method of control of congress and the control of states. . . now then. . .do you see why Musk is running across state borders throwing money at elections?
Trump is doing what he always does: Truthful hyperbole.
But look it: The man has told us there are methods. Be warned then. . . he and 'his people' that is, thinktanks have checked for the method/s out there. One is to amend the constitution and you do that by the approved method of control of congress and the control of states. . . now then. . .do you see why Musk is running across state borders throwing money at elections?
Wake the eff up, democrats! Trump is firing out cues all over the place and it is YOUR damn job to catch and steer those cues!
When Trump says "I like working" what he really means is: I like playing golf at taxpayers' expense.
Waste, fraud and abuse.
As did Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Ford, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama - yup - pure waste, fraud and abuse.
Donald Trump has never known an honest day’s work in his entire life. Grifting, refusing to pay contractors, getting sued thousands of times - this is not work. I remember when he was launching his first successful run for president, he had Don Jr. running around offering spots for his administration to select individuals. I can’t remember who it was offhand but one of those individuals turned him down and in an interview said Don Jr. was describing the endless responsibilities for all the positions he was trying to fill. The guy said “and what responsibilities will Trump have?” It was clear that Trump had no plans of doing anything but playing the role of a king who does nothing himself, because he’s a worthless piece of shit who is incapable of work and is far too woefully uninformed to make decisions.
I didn't like George Bush much but he did work. On his ranch clearing brush.
Buish bought the ranch as a PR gimmick two months after he announced his presidential candidacy. His work clearing brush was a photo op.
I know. But you could see he was sweating. Even Ronald Reagan chopped wood for a photo op. At least they were doing something with their hands
I'm pretty sure trumpski is doing something with his hands whenever the cameras aren't on him ...
There has to be golf courses in DC, rightt?
Working???? At golf?? At Mar-A-Lago every weekend???
He was unaware of American soldiers killed in a training exercise in Lithuania. What work? He is the president so why didn't he have a clue? Why didn't his Chief of Staff or anyone in his military tell him?
He is just issuing executive orders which aren't laws and many of those were signed with auto pen. He has tripled the number of executive orders over Biden just so he can skirt the actual laws that contradict his own orders.
Where are the "Tea Party Patriots" with their pocket Constitutions and three cornered hats screaming about tyranny?
As your attorney, I must alert you that right now, there is nothing preventing it. He could 100% do it.
The Supreme Court made it clear in 2024 that they were not going to interfere in who a party nominated or who is on the ballot. They left it to Congress to deal with whether or not Trump was ineligible under the 14th Amendment.
Congressional Republicans have likewise been clear that they will do nothing to impede Trump.
So he could very easily be elected a third time, as only Democrats are willing to enforce the Constitution.
Don't you think most, if not all, "blue" states/blue state election officials would keep him off their ballots if he tries to run for a third term?
Do you think he would "easily" win enough of the popular vote state by state to secure an electoral college win for a third term?
I believe the answer to the first question is "yes", and the answer to the second question is probably "no".
I do, however, agree that neither the Republican Supreme Court nor a Republican Congress is likely to do anything to prevent him from running for a third term.
No, because the Supreme Court decided it’s not up to the states. The party determines their nominee, not the state.
He has repeatedly exceeded expectations in this regard. It doesn’t need to be easy. It just needs to be enough.
Maybe if he runs, the Democrats will nominate Barack Obama.
I would like to see the Supreme Court case you are referring to. Please provide the cite.
It has been my understanding that state governments have the ability to exclude candidates who are constitutionally infirm, although I haven't conducted any research on the topic. I did just find this article I'm supplying for the sake of discussion:
I'm not vouching for the accuracy or pertinence of the article.
It’s Trump v Anderson . Now, that case was focused on the 14th Amendment, not the 22nd, but I believe the Court’s holding extends beyond that limitation. From page 6,
The Court feared the chaos that would result from individual states disqualifying candidates - or alternatively, allowing them on the ballot - based on different opinions about the same set of facts. Trump won this case, which doesn’t personally please me, but I don’t disagree with the Court’s concerns on this point. It was a 9-0 decision.
I remember reading Trump v. Anderson when it first came down. I agree entirely with your assessment that the case holds that states may not disqualify candidates for federal office, as the Court clearly states.
Given the 22nd and 12th Amendments, how do you think the Supreme Court would treat the validity of Trump's election to a third term, or election as Vice-President, as well as the constitutionality of any attempt by Trump to exercise presidential power under Article 2?