The Scoop
A majority of Republican voters would support President Donald Trump seeking a constitutionally-prohibited third term, according to new polling from Data for Progress.
The survey of 1,247 likely voters, conducted last week and provided first to Semafor, found 53% of Republicans in favor of Trump running again in 2028. At the same time, Republicans were less likely than Democrats or independents to think that Trump would try to run again — a bid that would violate the 22nd Amendment and its two-term limit.
Fifty-nine percent of Democrats assumed that Trump would “attempt to run for president again,” an idea he has indulged with varying degrees of seriousness since winning reelection last year. The president’s merchandise store sells $50 “Trump 2028″ hats, which he’s also shown off to White House visitors.
“I’m not joking,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” this spring, when asked about the third term talk. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a constitutional amendment in January that would allow Trump to run again, but would exclude the other living two-term presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
Opposition to the idea from Democrats and independents overwhelmed Republican support. Ninety-one percent of Democrats and 77% of independents said that Trump should not try to run again. Eighty-six percent and 77%, respectively, said that presidents should “only be able to serve two terms,” while just 52% of Republicans agreed.
The View From Data for Progress
Ryan O’Donnell, the interim executive director at Data for Progress, emphasized the overall finding that the electorate did not want Trump to finagle a third term.
“Despite Trump acting like a wannabe dictator and pretending the 22nd Amendment doesn’t exist, voters reject the idea of ‘Trump 2028,’ no matter what the president says,” he said. “We consistently see his approval underwater and find his agenda to be deeply unpopular.”
David’s view
The membrane between trolling and reality has never been thinner. Every time the president muses about a third term, it makes news, just like every time he attacks a celebrity on Truth Social. He often changes his tune on the celebrities; he is raising money, but not yet putting together a 2028 campaign. (He filed for his second presidential bid on Jan. 20, 2017.)
But you can find Democrats and liberal writers who worry that Trump will not leave power; they remember being laughed at when they said he wouldn’t concede the 2020 election, and they remember what happened next.
Are there Republicans who want Trump to turn the Constitution over and find an escape clause? Yes, just as there were Republicans who believed that Trump could have remained in office in 2021 had former Vice President Mike Pence refused to consider electoral votes from several swing states Trump lost. (Steve Bannon: “We’ll see what the definition of term limit is.“)
I’m not surprised that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think Trump would try this, or that half of Republicans think it would be a cool idea. Someone’s buying those $50 hats.
Notable
In USA Today, Kinsey Crowley ran through the basics on the 22nd Amendment, which outlaws what Trump keeps talking about.
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