Strategy Behind Trump’s Repeated Comments on a Third Presidential Term

[army judge]

President Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of running for a third term as president, and told NBC News that he was "not joking" about it.Credit...Kenny Holston/The New York Times


The president's comments deflect attention from other controversies. And they freeze the field of potential successors who might steal the spotlight from a lame duck.

President Trump cannot run for a third term as president, barring changes to the Constitution. But that has not stopped him from openly flirting with the idea.
He has floated it publicly and privately, and on Sunday, he said he was "not joking" about it. In an interview with NBC News, he insisted there were "methods" to circumvent the two-term limit set out by the 22nd Amendment.

Mr. Trump has not specified those methods, and there are no apparent signs that he is actually laying groundwork for a third term. But his musings — whether based in reality or not — serve a distinct political purpose.

They redirect attention from other controversies, such as the leaked Signal message chain in which his top advisers discussed details of a military operation. And they freeze the field of potential successors who may steal the spotlight from a lame duck — a status dreaded by American presidents, who see their relevance diminish steadily over time.

"It reads like somebody who doesn't want to be treated like a lame duck and is throwing it out there right now," said Derek T. Muller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame and a scholar in election law. "It's really hard to be a lame duck president or to be treated that way, and people are talking to you like your term's already over."
In January, Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee, a Republican, proposed a long shot amendment to the Constitution to make Mr. Trump eligible for a third term.

On Capitol Hill, Monday, top Republicans rejected the idea of changing the Constitution and suggested the president was joking. Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the Senate majority leader, said Mr. Trump was "probably having some fun with it," and Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the House majority leader, said the comments were aimed to "get people talking." White House officials suggested the same, noting Mr. Trump did not bring up the topic unprompted but only responded to questions asked by reporters.

"Look, you guys continue to ask the president this question about a third term, and then he answers honestly and candidly with a smile, and then everybody here melts down about his answer," Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters Monday.

She added: "It's not really something we're thinking about. He has four years. There's a lot of work to do. We've done a lot, nearly for 100 days. And the American people love what this president is doing."

Dave Carney, a Republican strategist who ran Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC, said Mr. Trump's strategy may be to keep people guessing.
"It keeps people uncomfortable," he said. "The people on the left are going to go crazy, and it's going to put other people on notice that Trump's going to be around longer than we think. Trump excels by keeping people off kilter and uncomfortable."
"He hasn't broken a law. He hasn't said he's going to," Mr. Carney added. "He said there are a lot of different options out there. His ability to infuriate his opponents is one of his greatest strengths while the Democrats are in disarray."

Mr. Trump has made clear that he has no interest in sharing the spotlight. Just a few months into his second term, he has declared a broad mandate to reshape the federal government and demonstrated an expansive view of executive power. And he has chafed against any efforts to rein him in.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have fallen in line with his agenda, ceding much of their power to him. And when federal judges have halted his administration, Mr. Trump has lashed out, suggesting they should be impeached. Democrats worry Mr. Trump's comments about judges and a third term are hurtling the country toward a constitutional crisis.

"I'm very concerned that he is going to seek to exert maximum power until he's checked," Representative Ro Khanna of California, a Democrat, said in an interview Monday.

For now, Mr. Trump maintains that he is focused on his second term.
"I don't even want to talk about it," he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night. "I'm just telling you I have had more people saying, 'Please run again.' We have a long way to go before we even think about that but I've had a lot of people."

Erica L. Green contributed reporting.

https://archive.is/reYid

 

[Redemptionman]

It removes the news cycle from focusing on the negatives of his tariffs. Gives MSM another narrative to talk about.

The tariffs are bad, period. Regardless of the foreign import goods, every manufacturer in America is raising their prices 32-25 percent. So, they can sell less but make record profits. Mass layoffs do not matter since the rich can over come such trivial issues.

 

[welkin]

The tariffs are bad, period. Regardless of the foreign import goods, every manufacturer in America is raising their prices 32-25 percent. So, they can sell less but make record profits.

Is it OK for countries to charge the US high tariffs on American good causing huge trade deficits to the detriment of the US? So, tariffs are only bad when the US imposes them on other countries to compensate for tariffs placed on the US? Is that your position?

So, they can sell less but make record profits. Mass layoffs do not matter since the rich can over come such trivial issues.

That would be you. You're a self-proclaimed rich guy. You probably understand economics less than you understand the stock markets.

 

[Redemptionman]

Is it OK for countries to charge the US high tariffs on American good causing huge trade deficits to the detriment of the US? So, tariffs are only bad when the US imposes them on other countries to compensate for tariffs placed on the US? Is that your position?

That would be you. You're a self-proclaimed rich guy. You probably understand economics less than you understand the stock markets.

LOL, your funny. Rich is relative but I assume you meant ability to survive economic down turns which you would be correct. This isn't the 50s, 60s, 70s, everything has been outsourced since the beginning of the 80s especially when the 90s rolled around.

I am glad I don't understand the stock market especially since I get 30-40 percent returns on my stocks and roughly 8-12 percent of my mutual funds. Believe what you want but not all the Republicans who voted for Trump are happy. Wisconsin just elected a liberal to the supreme court and I look forward to a democrat sweep in the mid terms.

Just glad we made the purchases of products when we did, don't think I will be buying a new vehicle in the next 5-10 years. By then they will probably have these tariffs repealed but increasing vehicle prices 8-15 grand on average and making everyday items more money isn't smart regardless of who the president is.

A better idea would be to Tax the Bezos and Musks of the world into giving their money to the government which they don't want to do. Which is why Musk bought and paid for Trump.

You get what you vote for and I should have done more research before putting my vote on the Trump train.