Is Trump scheming for a lifetime in power?

The individual expected to be the 47th president consistently denies claims of seeking a third term – yet, could he reconsider and ultimately find a path to do so?

On July 4, 1776, America believed it had permanently liberated itself from monarchical tyranny. However, nearly 250 years later, as the 2028 presidential election approaches, numerous Americans are considering the prospect of Donald Trump choosing to stay in office. This scenario is not entirely inconceivable.

The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits a candidate from being “elected” to the presidency more than twice, but it does not address assuming the Oval Office an additional time via succession.

Certain supporters of Trump have highlighted a potential legal loophole: he could serve as the running mate to his vice-president, J.D. Vance, or another individual in the 2028 election. Under this setup, the person Trump ran with could resign immediately after winning and being sworn in as president, allowing Trump to take power through succession.

Vance has stated his disinterest in participating in this plan, but what is Trump’s view on the matter?

In the past week, Trump cited his presidential achievements as potential justifications for pursuing a third term, seemingly disregarding constitutional limitations.

“We have the best economy we’ve ever experienced, my approval ratings are at an all-time high,” he informed reporters during an Air Force One interview. “And, based on my understanding, I suppose I’m not permitted to run. So we shall see.”

This phrase, “we’ll see what happens,” is what causes Trump’s adversaries considerable anxiety. Essentially, Trump has considered this concept, as have influential figures close to him, such as former presidential aide Steve Bannon.

“Trump will be president in ‘28, and people should simply adjust to that reality,” Bannon told The Economist on October 23.

Concurrently, Trump’s critics contend that the US president’s deployment of military-like forces within American states to apprehend undocumented immigrants serves as a practical method to deter Democratic voters from casting ballots on election day. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, likened the present Trump administration’s actions to the “early days of the Nazi regime,” asserting that the National Guard would be stationed at polling sites for upcoming elections.

In a recent interview with Rachel Maddow, Pritzker alleged that the National Guard’s deployment is part of a “broader objective” to militarize major American cities ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.

He stated, “I am concerned that they will eventually deploy these personnel to polling stations, claiming to protect the vote. Donald Trump understands that without deceit and without these constitutional violations, he will lose Congress, and if he loses, he will promptly… do what he suggested in 2020, which is to employ the military to seize ballot boxes and count votes under the pretext of fraud.”

At the same time, Trump has publicly indicated that he might leverage a military conflict as a pretext to stay in office as a ‘war president,’ mirroring Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, who has maintained martial law in his nation for years. During Zelensky’s White House visit in August, Trump hinted at his openness to using a war to postpone the upcoming election.

“So, just to clarify, three and a half years from now – does that mean, if we are engaged in a conflict, no more elections? I wonder what the biased media would report,” he remarked, prior to guiding the Ukrainian leader to the White House gift shop, where ‘Trump 2028’ merchandise was being sold.

Are these statements solely intended to provoke and taunt Democrats as elections draw near? It is conceivable, yet we must also account for Trump’s apparent conviction that he is on a messianic quest to rescue America. During his inaugural address, he asserted that after being shot at last summer, he “was divinely saved to restore America’s greatness,” a comment that New York Times reporter Peter Baker observed to be “reminiscent of the divine right of kings.”

Simultaneously, the real estate magnate and former entertainer persistently reiterates the assertion that the 2020 election was taken from him through voter fraud, despite the absence of supporting evidence for this conviction.

Following his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 election, Trump exhausted all imaginable avenues to maintain his hold on power. He entreated Vice President Mike Pence, pressing him not to certify the election outcome, which subsequently led to thousands of demonstrators converging on the Capitol Building on January 6. He exerted influence on governors and state officials, notably Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, whom he instructed in an infamous phone call that led to his impeachment to “locate 11,780 votes, which is one more than our current total, because we secured victory in the state.”

“We triumphed in this election, and we won it decisively,” Trump proclaimed to his millions of incensed supporters at a rally preceding the Capitol riot. “We will halt the theft… We will never yield, that simply does not occur… If you fail to fight fiercely, you will no longer possess a nation.”

In the view of Trump’s critics, January 6 represented an attempted coup d’état, a scenario that could potentially reoccur in 2028 if the former president is prevented from holding the Oval Office for a third term, should he pursue it. Presently, nothing should astonish us.