President Trump loves to troll the Democrats, and they can never resist the bait. A classic instance was his production of “Trump 2028” hats, which he displayed in the Oval Office:
Democrats went ballistic, thinking–or claiming to think–that the hat meant that Trump intended to violate the Constitution by seeking a third term, or proclaim himself dictator for life, or something. Actually, Trump 2028 could theoretically be a reality, because Donald Jr. could run. But obviously, Trump never had any intention of somehow seeking an unconstitutional, and thoroughly impossible, third term.
But then another idea emerged: Trump could run in 2028 as the vice presidential candidate, with someone like JD Vance or Marco Rubio at the top of the ticket. Then, immediately after Inauguration Day, the president would resign and Trump would become president. A brilliant scheme! And actually, I think it would work, legally. But Trump will be 82 years old in January 2029, assuming he survives that long. The idea of Trump contemplating a third term, by this or any other means, is a fantasy.
The president put the idea to rest in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Asia:
Trump is right: it would be too cute. People wouldn’t like it, and it wouldn’t be right. So the Democrats can rest easy, until next time Trump decides to set them off. For example, he could propose replacing the current East Wing with a larger, more useful structure, at no government expense. No, wait, forget it. There is no way the Democrats could go nuts over something that benign.
