Is there a point at which Republicans and the broader conservative movement take President Trump's third-term push seriously and start trying to make it happen?
His former adviser Steve Bannon told The Economist that there is "a plan" to make Trump president again despite the limitations of the 22nd Amendment.
"There's many different alternatives," he said, declining to reveal any of those until a later date.
The Trump Organization is selling Trump 2028 hats, and Trump had 2028 hats in the Oval Office during a pre-government shutdown meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he asked Vice President Vance if he had a problem with that, with Vance saying: "No comment."
The chatter has ramped up so much again that even a market analyst at Signum Global addressed the matter, per Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal, outlining a potential third-term loophole.
Trump on Air Force One early Monday said he would not attempt that loophole — running as vice president, with the person atop the ticket stepping down and then Trump taking over once elected — calling it "too cute."
But he would not rule out seeking a third term — and said he "would love to do it."
Trump has talked about a potential third term or 2028 bid repeatedly for months. Most national Republicans have dismissed the idea as a joke, or trolling the media — despite Trump himself telling NBC earlier this year that he is "not joking" about the matter.
If meme magic is real, don't be surprised when Trump 2028 starts picking up steam.
There are already real efforts in the works.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) proposed a Constitutional amendment in January that would allow Trump to seek a third term. It was carefully worded to only allow a president who has served two non-consecutive terms to seek a third one, preventing former President Obama and former President Bush from mounting a return.
It's politically impossible for that effort to succeed. It would take two-thirds of each chamber of Congress – meaning significant support from Democrats – to advance, before needing three-quarters of states to ratify the amendment.
But other forces are working to build up outside support.
Take the Third Term Project – an initiative spearheaded by Republicans for National Renewal, which describes itself as a nationalist and populist group – whose activists first popped up at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) earlier this year, handing out "Trump 2028" stickers and displaying an image of Trump in the style of a Roman statue.
That group has mentioned not only a constitutional amendment through Congress but other long-shot ideas like an Article V Convention called by states to amend the Constitution, the idea of running as vice president, or even a legal challenge in an attempt to get the Supreme Court's conservative justices to decide that the 22nd Amendment allows the president to serve more than two terms as long as they are non-consecutive.
The Third Term Project is finalizing a white paper on the topic, titled "Staying Till The Job is Done: The Case for the Third Term Project."
I got my hands on an excerpt, which is more aimed at building political support for the third-term cause than on a legal loophole. Here it is:
"Given the overwhelming need to protect the national interest amidst these fluctuating circumstances, it might very well be time to act boldly and think anew in order to preserve the nation and civilization our forefathers so painstakingly fought for and bequeathed to us. Put more bluntly, it might be time to consider the potential benefits of allowing truly exceptional leaders to stay in office long enough for consequential nation-building goals to be properly seen through.
"Firstly, it is important to establish what is and is not historical fact and precedence. In the American context, there was an article of faith that the President would not serve more than two terms in that most esteemed office in order to prevent the emergence of what was seen as a calcified monarchy. This article was later codified into the Constitution as the twenty-second amendment, shortly after the only man to break this gentlemen's agreement, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, served four consecutive terms before dying in office.
"The purported benefits of the New Deal in mitigating the effects of the Great Depression is a topic still fiercely debated to this day, with conservative and liberal historians and economists arguing vastly divergent opinions on the matter. But what is objectively true is that FDR, apart from the Founding Fathers themselves, is the man most responsible for the America we currently have today, for better or worse.
"This level of consequence would have been all but impossible to achieve had FDR been officially confined to less than a decade of national stewardship, which then begs the question: Should America be blessed with a truly noble and exceptional leader who goes on to occupy the Oval Office, would it be wiser to allow him a flexible timeline with which to serve this nation to the fullest extent of his capabilities?"
It all sounds very far-fetched. But given Trump's refusal to rule out a third term, his history of inspiring an election-denialism movement, and devoted following, it's feasible to see the jokes turning into a movement as Trump and his allies making a serious third-term effort — even if it's ill-fated.
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