# Trump won't rule out 3rd term **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 31, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371 "2025-03-31T01:50:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/281 "2025-04-03T17:59:54Z")
> [@Procacious](#): > > I live in a mostly liberal area with mostly liberal friends and they definitely toss the Nazi word around a lot in relation to Republicans (and especially this administration), but the Republican party doesn’t actually embrace this wing of their party. Yes, they tolerate it to some degree, but they do so with disdain and mostly openly reject what that fringe thinks. Over the last few years we have seen far more acceptance and support for left-wing nuts and it was enough to push large numbers of people over the voting line. Who are the “nuts” on “the left” with anywhere near the amount of influence held by Steve Bannon, Steven Miller, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Marjorie Taylor Greene, or Kristi Noem? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/282 "2025-04-03T17:59:58Z")
> [@Procacious](#): > > I live in a mostly liberal area with mostly liberal friends and they definitely toss the Nazi word around a lot in relation to Republicans (and especially this administration), but the Republican party doesn’t actually embrace this wing of their party. No, the Nazis _are_ the dominant force in the Republican party. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/283 "2025-04-03T20:24:53Z")
Isn’t it a little late in the game to be pulling the “both sides do it” card, which is just an attempt to discourage voters and citizens from doing anything? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/284 "2025-04-03T22:22:48Z")
> [@Procacious](#): > > Over the last few years we have seen far more acceptance and support for left-wing nuts and it was enough to push large numbers of people over the voting line. Welcome back! I wonder if we have ever interacted on here before. I’ve been posting since 2003… I’m curious who you identify as LWNs. For example, would AOC qualify? I think there are Dems that might offend or dissatisfy on certain issues, but I can’t think of any that obvious nuts like MTG, Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley… I could go on and on. The thing about RWNs is that they range from people who literally seem insane like Victoria Spartz (from my state of IN but not my district) and MTG to people who really do seem to have a deeply sinister streak that they don’t hide very well, such as Hawley. Not many Pubs seem normal to me any more. And I don’t see how they seem normal to the average American, but I think Trump gives them a lot of cover: if you buy into him as president, then that I think becomes your temporary standard for a “normal Republican” (and keep in mind that Trump voters are dumb, so dumb mental gymnastics like that come easily to them). But the point is that it’s “temporary.” Trump isn’t going to last until 2028, mentally and physically, so I wonder if, once he’s gone, the scales will fall from the MAGA morons’ eyes, and all these “normal Republicans” will suddenly seem like the freaks they are. I think so and I hope so. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/285 "2025-04-03T22:28:18Z")
I know of “left wing nuts”, but they are all people whose biggest source of influence is “being that guy/girl with a blog”; not actual government officials. The Right puts _their_ lunatics into power. The situation isn’t even vaguely symmetrical. And as much to the point there’s nothing the Democrats can _do_ about the mere existence of “left wing nuts”. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/286 "2025-04-03T23:23:16Z")
Look folks the Left wants to give trans folks equal rights and the Right wants them to not exist, why can’t you see that both sides are the same? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/287 "2025-04-03T23:30:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I know of “left wing nuts”, but they are all people whose biggest source of influence is “being that guy/girl with a blog”; not actual government officials. Yes. And it’s often “lefties who happen to be nuts,” whereas the righties’ nutiness is usually the aggressive, authoritarian, non-reality-based politics itself. > [@](#): > > The Right puts _their_ lunatics into power. Right, and here again, the nutty politics _is_ the selling point to the MAGA morons. > [@](#): > > The situation isn’t even vaguely symmetrical. And as much to the point there’s nothing the Democrats can _do_ about the mere existence of “left wing nuts”. And most of what is called out as nutty just isn’t. Or, if implemented, would not majorly impact society (e.g., respecting trans rights). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/288 "2025-04-03T23:36:18Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > f a person serves a day of one term, and a day of another, they can’t ever serve any part of another term. Less than 2 years does not count as a term ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/289 "2025-04-03T23:38:14Z")
> [@Procacious](#): > > It took a lot of people that are not Trump-aligned (so called independents) to vote for Trump to get him over the finish line. I disagree. It took a lot of Democratic voter not willing to vote that turned the tide. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/290 "2025-04-04T02:24:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Who are the “nuts” on “the left” with anywhere near the amount of influence held by Steve Bannon, Steven Miller, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Marjorie Taylor Greene, or Kristi Noem? I’d ask the opposite question. Who are the Republican equivalents of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? Or Barack Obama or Bill Clinton? Where are the sane Republicans? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/291 "2025-04-04T02:33:42Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > It took a lot of Democratic voter not willing to vote that turned the tide. It also took a lot of Democratic voters not being able to vote. Florida (which admittedly is the most extreme case) has over 1,600,000 adults who are not allowed to vote. That’s over ten percent of the state’s adult population. And when Republicans can’t achieve outright disenfranchisement, they’re working on making voting as difficult as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/292 "2025-04-04T02:59:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d ask the opposite question. Who are the Republican equivalents of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? Or Barack Obama or Bill Clinton? Where are the sane Republicans? The same people, basically. Not so long ago their positions would have _been_ Republican positions; heck, people used to joke about Clinton being “the best Republican President we’ve ever had”. By now after multiple rounds of political purity tests the “sane Republicans” have either been driven into retirement or joined the Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/293 "2025-04-04T03:08:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Florida (which admittedly is the most extreme case) has over 1,600,000 adults who are not allowed to vote. That’s over ten percent of the state’s adult population. What about in the swing states where Harris lost by less than 200,000 votes. In those states were there a quarter-million Democrats that could have voted but didn’t? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/294 "2025-04-04T03:14:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’d ask the opposite question. Who are the Republican equivalents of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris? Lisa Murkowski, Senator from Alaska. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/295 "2025-04-04T15:01:02Z")
I debated posting this in the Trump Recession thread but the thought processes seem to make it a better fit here. Trump is now forecasting two years of “pain,” after which time we will enter into a new era of increased US manufacturing and exports as trading partners succumb to the Trumpian pressure. Combined with lowered tax rates, this will usher in a wave of prosperity hitherto unseen. But none of that will probably happen. Instead, the recession will most likely continue to linger, which will give him the emergency he requires to take extraordinary measures to stay in office past the end of his term. Remember, only Trump can save us. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/296 "2025-04-04T15:03:51Z")
Trump is now forecasting two years of “pain,” after which time we will . . . get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/297 "2025-04-04T15:22:36Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Trump is now forecasting two years of “pain,” after which time we will enter into a new era of increased US manufacturing and exports as the Democrats return to power in the midterm elections and begin fixing the problems Trump has caused. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/298 "2025-04-04T15:38:27Z")
But are the Democrats ready to fight the extremely dirty war is coming? ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/299 "2025-04-04T16:18:20Z")
The dynamics that hurt Biden/Harris are not the same as how Trump is viewed. It’s not hard to find Republicans who don’t care about particular things Trump is trying to implement. Tariffs are one where there’s basically no one in the party supporting it. But they’ll put up with Trump because he’s better on the one issue they care about, immigration, low taxes, anti abortion, whatever. And they may even adopt Trump’s views, which are contrary to prior views of Republicans, because he’s their leader. Biden/Harris were never viewed the same way. They are viewed as being captured by the “woke mob” or special interests. They aren’t worried about Biden/Harris going off and doing a crazy thing. They are worried about they caving to extremist groups. Which can be worse for the party, because it’s harder to find an alternative voice in the Dem party. Particularly on unpopular issues like trans women in sports, or prisons, or minors being transitioned; none of these issues poll well for the Dems. The party “holding firm” on these issues is a different issue, that the particular Dem leaders can’t be trusted to think for themselves. Trump doesn’t have that problem, it’s the opposite problem with Trump, that the base can’t be trusted to hold him in line. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371/300 "2025-04-04T16:38:06Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Less than 2 years does not count as a term I think you’re talking about the actual 22nd Amendment as ratified. I was talking about one of the early drafts, which I was contrasting with the ratified text. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-wont-rule-out-3rd-term/1016371.md?page=16)