Trump already enjoys much greater powers than he did in 2020.
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As America gears up for its 250th birthday in 2026 and the presidential election in 2028, one big question continues to be asked: Will Trump subvert democracy and stay in the White House for a third term? The president denies the claim, but that means little coming from a leader who is a notorious flip-flopper.
In March, Trump did not rule out the possibility of seeking a third term as president, which is prohibited by the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, saying in an exclusive interview with NBC News that there were methods for doing so and clarifying that he was “not joking.”
“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump said, referring to his allies. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”
Also in March, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said that he is “a firm believer that President Trump will run and win again in 2028,” adding that he and others are working on ways to do it. Bannon told The Economist: “Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that.” He added, “At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is. But there’s a plan.”
It would be the understatement of the century to say that Trump is a vain man. Just consider how he relishes praise and how he practically went to war with Norway in an effort to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The man’s ego and vanity simply know no restraints, and securing a third term in office would be the ultimate jewel in his crown. So will he prove wrong his detractors, who say he has utter contempt for the constitution and democracy, or will he go quietly into the night in 2028?
To get an answer to that question it is necessary to consider Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, when a crowd of supporters had assembled in Washington DC to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of then president-elect Joe Biden.
Trump told the crowd: “We will never give up. We will never concede, it doesn’t happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore and that’s what this is all about. To use a favorite term that all of you people really came up with, we will stop the steal.”
Following Trump’s ‘incitement for insurrection,’ thousands of supporters made their way to the Capitol Building where they stormed the complex, destroyed property and clashed with police. They also chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” a reference to Trump’s Vice President who refused to block certification of the Electoral College results. Estimated price tag for the mayhem was about $3 million dollars, with five lives lost. In other words, if Trump decides he will refuse a peaceful transfer of power, he only needs to say the word and he will have lots of ‘people power’ to back him up.
And what did Trump do as one of his first acts after being sworn in again? He set about pardoning or commuting the sentences of every person convicted in connection with the January 6 protests. He then turned his sights on the U.S. justice system, summarily firing dozens of government officials who had tried to hold him accountable for the attack on the Capitol Building. Those individuals have now been replaced with sycophants, mere minions who will happily do the President’s bidding.
As things currently stand, Trump enjoys much greater powers than he did in 2020. He has a loyal vice president to preside over the joint session of Congress, which will be crucial should the question of a third term in the White House appear before them. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has opened the door for a third Trump term, as it did for his current term, by “essentially granting him absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for any crimes he might commit in violation of the Constitution or the laws of the United States,” wrote J. Michael Luttig in The Atlantic.
Perhaps most disturbing, consider how Trump has been quick to militarize cities and states across the nation as he attempts to eject millions of illegal immigrants from the country. All this could be dress rehearsal for a real battle on the streets should Trump make the epic decision to remain in office.
Perhaps we should conclude with the words of Thomas Paine, one of the great Founding Fathers, who wrote: “For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other.” It remains to be seen if Trump heeds that timeless advice.
