Trump wants to be president for life: Take him at his word – Timothy L. O’Brien

In a recent speech, Donald Trump reiterated his desire to extend his presidency beyond the standard two terms, urging Christians to vote to secure such a future. While his campaign claims he aims for unity and prosperity, Trump's history suggests an unyielding ambition for power. With the possibility of altering the 22nd Amendment, Trump's comments spark debate on the potential for an unprecedented third term in office..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..Join us for BizNews' first investment-focused conference on Thursday, 12 September, in Hermanus, featuring top experts like Frans Cronje, Piet Viljoen, and more. Get insights on electricity and exploiting SA's gas bounty from new and familiar faces. Register here..By Timothy L. O'Brien.Donald Trump revisited one of his favorite mantras on Friday night: He would like to be president for life. .___STEADY_PAYWALL___."Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won't have to do it anymore," he told a religious group at a Florida event. "You got to get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not going to have to vote.".The Trump campaign insisted the remarks had nothing to do with thrones and scepters. Steven Cheung, a spokesman, said that Trump "was talking about uniting this country and bringing prosperity to every American, as opposed to the divisive political environment that has sowed so much division and even resulted in an assassination attempt.".That's quite an interpretive stretch, even for a Republican Party claiming at its recent Milwaukee convention that it planned to focus on unity. Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, had a different take. He told a Sunday talk show that Trump was "obviously making a joke." Republican Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, a Trump critic turned apologist, said the remarks were merely hyperbole and "a classic Trumpism." Trump just meant to say that he will fix the country, not rig elections, he added. Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, allowed that all Trump intended to convey was that he's "gonna right this ship called America and pass it on to the next generation.".Read more: 🔒 Gold tops list as best hedge against Trump's return, survey finds.Perhaps. But the great unknown is how much time Trump truly wants to spend righting this ship called America — and when he'll ever be ready to pass it on to the next generation should he return to the Oval Office. The wisest course is to recognize that he has repeatedly said over the last several years that he wants to occupy the White House for more than two terms. If Republicans gain control of both chambers of Congress in November and eventually secure support from at least 38 states, they could toy with the Constitution and repeal the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms..Trump has never wanted to surrender power. After all, he and his allies unsuccessfully waged dozens of legal challenges to the results of the 2020 presidential election. They created slates of fake electors to undermine the Electoral College tally, and Trump personally pressured state officials to dispute the results. He also fomented an insurrection at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to overturn the election more baldly and brazenly. He continues to perpetrate the lie that that election was rigged against him. And he has said in the past that eight years in the White House might not satisfy him.."He's now president for life. President for life," Trump said of Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2018. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot someday." In 2019, he fantasized about remaining president "at least for 10 or 14 years." That same year he also took to Twitter to share that his supporters "would demand that I stay longer" than two terms in office. He floated the idea of three terms again when he was campaigning in 2020..The American Conservative, a publication founded by former Republican strategist and presidential contender Patrick Buchanan and others, bills itself "as a challenge to the GOP Beltway conservative establishment." Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation effort engineered by Trump advisers and supporters that offers a possible policy road map if Trump returns to the White House, also counts the American Conservative as a member of its advisory board..Read more: Trump wows Bitcoiners, vows crypto-friendly regulation if re-elected.Earlier this year, the American Conservative published a widely circulated article arguing that the 22nd Amendment "is an arbitrary restraint on presidents who serve nonconsecutive terms — and on democracy itself." Trump supporters are particularly poorly served by term limits, the piece said, before advocating for "Trump 2028!".A couple of months after the article was published, Trump asked a National Rifle Association gathering how long he should stay in office: "You know, FDR 16 years — almost 16 years — he was four terms. I don't know, are we going to be considered three term? Or two term?" Some attendees shouted back: "Three.".Trump has suggested that he would respect the Constitution. In a lengthy interview with Time magazine earlier this year, he said he had no intention of trying to overturn the 22nd Amendment. "I wouldn't be in favor of a challenge. Not for me," he said. "I wouldn't be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job.".So who should we believe, the Trump who showed up for the Time interview or the Trump who routinely tried to subvert the Constitution during his presidency? I'd bet on the latter. At his core, Trump is an outlaw and an authoritarian..To be sure, Congress may remain divided after November. And corralling dozens of states to force through a repeal of the 22nd Amendment would also be an uphill task. But Trump has spent decades finding his way around rules and the law. Uphill tasks are unlikely to slow him down..Trump has told us before that he wants an extended stay in the White House and he said it again on Friday night. We should take him at his word. Given the opportunity to sit on a throne, he'll act on it..Read also:.🔒 High noon in Chicago: Democrats aim to block second Trump term – Max HastingsTrump & Biden: The Cover-ups – with Colonel Chris WyattGlobal leaders size up Kamala Harris's rise, brace for Trump victory.© 2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Trump wants to be president for life: Take him at his word – Timothy L. O’Brien

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