Hubbell: Parsing Trump's Menacing Talk about Seeking a Third Term
The convicted felon president revealed his own concerns about his obvious cognitive decline, but mainstream media buried the lede in reams of horserace coverage about his unconstitutional musings
By Robert B. Hubbell /Today’s Edition
During a press gaggle on Air Force One this week, Trump managed to troll the media by dangling the possibility that he might run for a third term.
Many political commentators took the bait—hook, line, sinker, fishing boat, marina, canning facility, and supermarket shelves selling canned fish.
Trump made some very consequential statements during his press gaggle, but the least important was the delusional statement that he might run for a third term—a prospect that is so plainly unconstitutional that it was designed only to trigger nervous Democrats and credulous reporters looking for a soundbite. In that task, he succeeded.
The real story is that Trump ruled out running as vice president in 2028, a strategy designed to circumvent the Constitution by resorting to a scheme so unthinkable and contrary to the intent of the 22nd Amendment that the Framers did not bother to address it.
Moreover, Trump admitted that his second “annual” physical this year included an MRI and a standard test for dementia—the second time he took the cognitive test in the last six months.
The combination of an MRI and the second administration of a standard diagnostic test for mental impairment strongly suggests that Trump’s doctors believe there is cause for concern about Trump’s cognitive decline.
Tigers, elephants, giraffes. To its credit, the NYTimes acknowledged the MRI in its headline about Trump’s statements during the press gaggle. See NYTimes, Trump Says a Recent M.R.I. Scan Was ‘Perfect,’ and He’d ‘Love’ a Third Term.
Trump famously says the quiet part “out loud.” He can’t keep a secret. As the Times described the gaggle, Trump “seemed intent on presenting himself as fit to lead”—suggesting that Trump is worried about his ability to do so.
Indeed, Trump was so fixated on proving that he is not in the midst of cognitive decline that he challenged much younger Democrats—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett—to an “IQ test” that involves remembering the words “tiger, elephant, and giraffe.” (See HuffPo, Trump Makes Bizarre Boast About Beating Top Democrats In Dementia Test).
Trump mistakenly believes that the test administered by his physicians is designed to assess IQ. It is not. Instead, it is designed to detect early signs of cognitive impairment.
Hollow talk.Trump’s musings about running for a third term triggered a range of reactions among political commentators from “I told you so” to “I told you so.”
It is not clear why that reaction is helpful. The appropriate responses are (a) the Constitution prohibits being elected to a third term, and even a corrupt Supreme Court would uphold the 22nd Amendment ban, and (b) if Trump runs for a third term, Democrats will kick his presidential ballroom.
As noted in the Times, Trump believes he should run for a third term because he maintains high favorability ratings “among his supporters.”
That is a true statement. Republicans continue to support Trump at their usual cultish levels. But no one can win the presidency without substantial support from independents—a cohort that has turned on Trump in significant numbers. Trump earned the support of 48% of independents in 2024. His current favorability rating among independents is 33%.
Trump’s talk of a bid for a third term is hollow for two reasons: It would be ruled unconstitutional (even by a corrupt Supreme Court), and it would result in a bruising defeat for Republicans.
Bottom line. Do not interpret the above as suggesting that we can relent. We cannot. We must work harder than ever to defeat Trump and his enablers.
He is assaulting and undermining democracy every day. He doesn’t need to run for a third term to inflict grievous injury on the Constitution. We don’t need additional reasons to declare a national emergency to rise up against Trump in massive numbers to withdraw the “consent of the governed.”
But we also don’t need to react with reflexive panic to every head-fake and troll by Trump.
We need to be more confident and disciplined in reacting to his unhinged ramblings. He made two consequential statements this week —that he won’t run as vice president in 2028 and that his physicians are concerned about cognitive decline—but both were buried by coverage of an empty threat that he will run for a third term.
We are doing everything we should be doing—but we need more Americans to join in our efforts. That is where we should be directing our energy.
Robert B. Hubbell began writing his “Today’s Edition” newsletter in 2017. You can subscribe here.
Image: IndyWeek.com