As soon as Trump first "won" the 2016 presidential election (despite losing the popular vote by 2.3 million), I had a bad feeling that we would never get rid of him. That he was a dictator in waiting, and that he would try and orchestrate ways to make sure that he would stay in power.
Indeed, I was half right. His first term was chaotic and betrayed a lack of cohesion and competency. The Trump White House felt like a revolving door place of employment, and his cabinet and advisors hardly felt like the most loyal. Many even insulted him, and the leaks were often quite astonishing.
Still, there were signs of the aspiring wanna be dictator. He kept joking/not joking about throwing around ideas of running for a third term and even claiming that the United States might want to look into China's system of having a "president for life." He even tried to push the 2020 election when he knew that it was not going his way. Then, he refused to accept election defeat gracefully, never conceding and, of course, gathering his MAGA cult in Washington and directing them to the Capitol to disrupt democratic proceedings that would make a transfer of power away from the Trump administration official and inevitable.
Then, just a couple of years ago, Trump suggested that parts of the Constitution might need to be suspended. Once again, it sure felt like the aspiring wanna be dictator would continue to haunt American politics for many years to come. Of course, he won this past election, predictably enough.
Now, we are seeing his dictatorial aspirations in action. He indeed has brought the hammer down with tons of Executive Orders, although at least some of those are being challenged in courts.
However, one aspect of Trump being in power which many - possibly most - people around me seemed to dismiss a little too automatically was that Trump would find a way to remain in power. When I predicted that Trump would be running again in 2028, and would at the very least likely clinch a fourth straight GOP presidential nomination, seemed to be a thought that nobody wanted to entertain, and felt was too far-fetched.
In truth, I hoped that they would be proven right. Still hope that I am wrong, in fact.
Still, here is some proof that Trump does indeed intent to stay in power. A measure introduced by Republican Representative from Tennessee Andy Ogles would allow for Trump (and any other former or possibly future president) to indeed run for a third term, even though right now, the 22nd Amendment prohibits presidents from serving more than two terms.
Ogles even sounded like a typical bootlicking politician empowering a wanna be dictator to become so in fact. According to Ogles, 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.”
As it turns out, the measure would also, by certain red tape (which Republicans otherwise usually rail loudly against), prevent former two-term presidents like Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, from running for a third term. But Trump would get the green light.
Nor did Ogles pretend to any kind of objectivity or fairness. He does not hide his pro-Trump stance, or his desire to give Trump all of the power that he so obviously desires.
Here is a bit more of this justification from Ogles:
“It is imperative that we provide President Trump with every resource necessary to correct the disastrous course set by the Biden administration,” Ogles said in a statement.
“He is dedicated to restoring the republic and saving our country, and we, as legislators and as states, must do everything in our power to support him,” said Ogles, a hard-line conservative who is serving his second term in the House.
“I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms,” he added.
Convenient, eh?
And here we go. Not one month into his new presidential term - in fact, not even fully a week in, as this story came out just three days into the second Trump presidency - there is now legislation being considered to give Trump what he pretty much always transparently lusted after: power in perpetuity.
We indeed might never get rid of President Trump. Never in my life have I wanted to be wrong as much as with this. But this is the reality of what we are now facing, and I feel that it is time to look this beast directly, if we have any shot at possibly being able to slay this particular dragon.
Yes, Trump wants to be president past just this current term in office. If we want to have any chance at preventing that from being a real possibility, it is time to start recognizing this and to stop daydreaming about term limits, like many Americans daydreamed that Trump would actually find himself in prison after leaving the White House in January of 2021. This man truly is every bit the threat to American democracy that many have warned about. We need to recognize this and step up, or he will indeed prove to be the man to end what remains of our American democracy.
Constitutional amendment to allow Trump third term introduced in the House by Dan Mangan, Jan 24 2025:
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-constitution-ogles.html
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