I still vividly remember the very first interview I ever did for a political job in early 2016 with my future boss, a veteran of logistical and event work in the political sphere. I gushed when he mentioned he had been in a cigar club with Justice Antonin Scalia, and we both discussed how insane this political moment was. He had a background working for both parties on their conventions, inaugurations, and other special events. He was from a different era of politics, one that was far less tribal. Something he said that day has stuck with me for the past 10 years with perfect clarity: “No matter how many inaugurals I’ve worked, I still get emotional whenever I pass the steps of the Capitol. America isn't perfect, but we must never take for granted how powerful the peaceful transition of power is. For us, and for the rest of the world.”
Fast forward to 2025, and somehow I still can’t believe I’m typing the words: This week, President Trump made reference to running for a 3rd term in 2028—the same president who encouraged a mob of his supporters on January 6th, 2021 to storm the U.S. Capitol to prevent a peaceful transition of power. In his words, “I would love to do it…I have my best numbers ever.” His former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon added, “Trump is going to be president in 28, and people just ought to get accommodated with that…At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.”
To be clear, Trump later clarified, “I guess I’m not allowed to run.” But when has legality or honor ever held this man back from indulging in his worst impulses? For those of us who’ve had an unfortunate front row seat to the last decade in politics, it’s clear that when Trump has already thought about a plan, he will tease it out to see how it lands, while slowly turning up the heat to boil the frog.
Nearly a year ago, Berin Szoka wrote in The Bulwark:
We’re long past dismissing Trump’s “silly ideas.” He will do whatever it takes to stay in power until he dies. He’ll do exactly what Eisenhower joked about—what he himself has hinted at. No law or constitutional restriction on its own will stop him, a lesson driven home repeatedly during the Trump years: norms and laws and constitutional provisions are only as good as the people willing to enforce them. If Trump is determined to be a candidate in the 2028 election, the only thing that will ensure he doesn’t get another term is if he loses so clearly and decisively that even he can’t hold on to power by lying about the election and inciting violence.
The “______/Trump 2028” campaign has already begun. Most of us just haven’t accepted that fact yet.
“He was just joking!” many will say. Be that as it may, saying he will consider a third term—even in jest—is something we all would have gasped about a decade ago, and it would have been rightly viewed by the majority as disqualifying to any potential candidate for elected office. Remember how incensed we all felt over Obama followers declaring they wanted him to be president for life? Where are those conservatives today? We’ve been pushed to the fringes by a cult of personality willing to trash constitutional restraints that hinder their loyalty to Trump.
We must not allow ourselves to become calloused by all the zone flooding Trump and his lackies engage in. We must remain vigilant in our defense of constitutional norms and values, and never stop defending our democracy. We must remain clear eyed and engaged “enforcers”, because as President Reagan famously said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
What Else We’re Reading
National Review: A Time for Choosing on Antisemitism
American Jews have enjoyed more security and freedom here than at any place in world history and rewarded that welcome by making positive contributions to the nation in just about every field imaginable. A version of America that is no longer safe for Jews to live in securely, and that is overtaken by anti-Israel zealots, is not an America that any conservative should want to live in.
The Dispatch: Where’s the Emergency?
As Benjamin Franklin understood, republics fail not so much because would-be Caesars seize power. They fail because cowards give it to them—under the false pretense of an emergency.
Axios: Some evangelicals are “quietly quitting” Trump and MAGA
Axios takes note of Trump’s diminishing support from evangelicals due to the stark images of immigration crackdowns and withdrawal of aide to impoverished nations.
The Bulwark: Trump Admits Americans Didn’t Vote for His Military Crackdowns
Mayors and governors are saying no to these invasions. But Trump insists that residents are saying yes. Once again, Trump is faking consent.
The Independent: US citizen, 67, ‘has ribs broken’ by Border Patrol agents after being dragged out of car while driving home into street they’d blocked off
The Department of Homeland Security raided Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood during a children’s Halloween parade, harming U.S. citizen in the process.
The Bulwark: Why We Fight
Flash is older now and has experienced adversity. He no longer believes in magic....Last week a student at the college he’ll be attending was arrested by ICE and disappeared into the system. This is the world into which I am sending my son.
The Dispatch: Unbearable Lightness of Identity
If the cause requires solidarity with evil, then the cause is the problem. The standard cannot be '“but they’re worse!”—even when it’s true. Lesser evils are still evils.
Reuters: Inside the Trump family’s global crypto cash machine
Trump’s family has generated more than $800 million in crypto sales, along with potentially billions in unrealized gains. Many of these assets have come from financial dealings in foreign countries. Reuters investigates.
What We’re Watching
WIRED: Why Conspiracy Theories Took Hold When Charlie Kirk Died
Wired pulls on the various threads of conspiracy theories circulating in the “very online” right wing ecosystem.