Of course, what Trump is proposing is prohibited by the Constitution, which limits presidents to two terms. (If Trump lost in 2020, he could, in theory, run again in 2024). There is no provision for “redeployment” in the Constitution for Foreign Affairs around the first term of a President. And even if there was, Trump’s claim that he deserved a third term because “they were spying on my campaign” would not pass any sort of odor test.
* Russia intervened in the election with the express aim of helping Trump and hurting Hillary Clinton.
* Campaign President Paul Manafort was seen as a “serious counter-intelligence threat” whose “presence on the campaign and the proximity of Trump created opportunities for Russian intelligence services to exert influence and obtain confidential information about the Trump campaign. “
* Roger Stone was commissioned by the campaign to find out everything he could about what information WikiLeaks had about Clinton and Democrats more widely, and “Trump and the campaign believed that Stone had information about inside and outside satisfaction that Stone’s information suggested that more releases would come out. “
Of course, all of this on Monday brings to mind Trump’s claim more than the president himself did. He knows that his base loves the idea that he is the victim of some “deep state” conspiracy. And he likes to troll the media with unconstitutional ideas like serving a third term. (His base also loves his trolling of media.)
Trump, if he pressed, would almost cancel his promise to “go another four years” after he won a second term in November as one big joke that the lame media just don’t get. It’s how he dealt with the controversy that erupted when he suggested in the past that he might run for more than two terms.
While I doubt to suggest that there is any real strategy behind Trump’s statement – being a troll is not a strategy – I think he is absolutely obsessed with his own legacy and what will happen to Trumpism when he takes office. leave (either voluntarily or involuntarily).
But Trump’s entire conversation about third terms depends on him winning a second term, which at the moment seems unlikely. If Trump loses to former Vice President Joe Biden in the fall – and also costs Republican control, then the name “Trump” may look very different (and much worse) come 2021, much less 2024.
.
