I know it’s spooky season, but the spike in “Trump 2028” mentions over the last week is getting a little too scary for my liking. In less than one year, Trump has waged a cruel campaign to crack down on immigration, used the Department of Justice as his personal revenge tool, overseen the second-longest government shutdown, and literally demolished part of the White House. So, I’m not confident he won’t find a way to also defy the Constitution.
Trump has been joking about running for a third term for years—though it’s definitely become much more alarming lately. In April, he unveiled a collection of Trump 2028 merch, and Republicans, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), laughed it off, saying that the president just loves to troll people. (So fun!) In April, Trump also ominously told Time that “there are some loopholes that have been discussed.” He tried to walk it back during an interview with NBC News in May, but also said that he didn’t know if he needed to follow the Constitution. (He’s currently selling “Trump 2028” hats on trumpstore.com for $50, so my guess is as bad as yours, probably.)
But last week, Steve Bannon essentially warned of a coup-to-be, and alluded to a “plan” in place to secure a third term: “Trump is going to be president in ‘28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.” Then on Sunday, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump addressed Bannon’s comments, saying, “I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had… I would love to do it.” Welp.
Trump on third term: I haven’t really thought about it… but I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had…. I would love to do it
Of course, the22nd Amendment, which reads, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,” means it would be unconstitutional. And while some in MAGA world have suggested he might try to stay by running as vice president, Trump said on Air Force One, “I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out because it’s too cute. I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It’s not—it wouldn’t be right.” As if the idea of something being “not right” has ever stopped Trump before.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson—who monitors his porn intake with his son—also said there was “no path” for this to happen. “There is the 22nd Amendment,” he told reporters. “It’s been a great run, but I think the president knows, and he and I’ve talked about, the constrictions of the Constitution.” (Cue: the image of Johnson providing Trump with Constitution 101 lessons. Reassuring!)
And while some GOP politicians have laughed off the third-term “jokes,” others have taken it way too seriously. In January,Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill to revise the 22nd Amendment and increase the term limit to three terms. In a statement, he said Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal.” Political activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference echoed support for the bill and have since launched a Third Term Project to support it. Though the bill never advanced.
I just need to remind everyone that Donald Trump is NOT leaving office in 2028. In 10 months he has:
– disbanded the Federal Election Commission, who oversees elections
– has the Supreme Court overturning the Voting Rights Act to give him ~20 more seats in Congress
– has one of… pic.twitter.com/vGjazVj2DJ
Now, if Trump were to illegally run again in 2028, he would be 82 years old. He would have cankles of biblical proportions (he already does), confuse IQ tests with dementia screenings (he already did), and have absolutely—indubitably—lost his marbles (he… has).
