Day: April 2, 2025

What About That Third Term?

There has been way too much to do about Trump’s insistence that he is good for a third term as president…..recently in an interview on one of those propaganda sites that pretend to bring us the news he, Donny, said that he was not joking about a third term….or possibly longer.

President Trump told NBC News over the weekend he was “not joking” about considering a third term because a lot of people want him to do it. And when asked about the issue later aboard Air Force One, Trump added, “We have a long way to go before we even think about that, but I’ve had a lot of people (asking me).” So how serious is all this? A few takes:

  • “When Trump entertained questions on his plane about a third term, he had a faint smirk on his face, indicating that the idea hasn’t fully progressed from the joke phase into a plan of action,” writes Jonathan Chait at the Atlantic. “Trump has always understood questions about his abuses of power as a kind of compliment,” he adds. “The prospect of smashing imagined limits on his power gives him an obvious thrill. He is probing, exploring. And when he finds softness, as he so often does when he presses against a supposed boundary, he presses on.”
  • The right-wing site Twitchy is reveling in all this because of the widespread coverage of Trump’s comments in the mainstream media. These outlets “clearly cannot see when President Trump is having fun at their expense,” reads the post. “Because they are just that dumb.”
  • Pretty much every story takes note of the 22nd Amendment, which stipulates that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” But Trump told NBC there might be ways around that, and entertained Meet the Press host Kristen Welker’s idea of running as JD Vance’s vice president, then having Vance resign. For the record, constitutional scholars say that’s a no-go, per the BBC. “I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” says Derek Muller, an election law professor at the University of Notre Dame, referencing the 22nd Amendment as well.
  • As the debate continues on how serious Trump is about all this, his allies are busy. GOP Rep. Andy Ogles has proposed a change to the Constitution to make Trump eligible because of his non-consecutive terms, notes the New York Times, and Steve Bannon continues to trumpet the idea. Asked by NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo last month how they could get around the Constitution, Bannon said, “We’re working on it,” per Axios.

Personally I believe he is dead serious on his claim…..but for those that relish the idea here is a bit of facts for you….

Lets Look at the Constitution (remember that document?)

On the face of it, the US Constitution seems to rule out anyone having a third term. The 22nd Amendment states:

“No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once.”

Changing the constitution would require a two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval from three-quarters of the country’s state-level governments.

Trump’s Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress but does not have the majorities needed. Additionally, the Democratic Party controls 18 of the 50 state legislatures.

But with all this constitutional law stuff just how could Donny pull this off?

With all this constitutional law stuff just how could Donny pull this off?

Trump supporters say there is a loophole in the constitution, untested in court.

They argue that the 22nd Amendment only explicitly bans someone being “elected” to more than two presidential terms – and says nothing of “succession”.

Under this theory, Trump could be the vice-presidential running-mate to another candidate – perhaps his own vice-president, JD Vance – in the 2028 election.

If they win, the candidate could be sworn into the White House and then immediately resign – letting Trump take over by succession.

Steve Bannon, the podcaster and prominent former Trump adviser, said he believed Trump would “run and win again”, adding there were “a couple of alternatives” in determining how.

Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican in the House of Representatives, introduced a resolution in January calling for a constitutional amendment to allow a president to serve up to three terms – as long as they were not consecutive.

This would mean that only Trump of all living presidents would be eligible – Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush all served consecutive terms, whereas Trump won in 2016, lost in 2020, and won again in 2024.

However, the high bar for constitutional amendments makes Ogles’ proposal a pipe dream – although it got people talking.

Legal scholars (I know how much most MAGA dolts hate those guys) have to say about the very idea.

Derek Muller, an election law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the Constitution’s 12th Amendment says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice-president of the United States”.

That means serving two terms in office disqualifies anyone from running as a vice-presidential candidate, in his view.

“I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” he said.

Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston’s Northeastern University, told CBS New there were “no credible legal arguments” for a third term.

It was the Congress that was so against the multiple terms of FDR that they added an amendment but now that some half-wit is their guy they have changed their tune.

All that said is there a loophole Donny can exploit?

The path for Trump to serve a third and potential fourth term as president until January 2037, at 90 years old, is a very real possibility.

It hinges solely on the interpretation of “election” in the 22nd Amendment and the loyalty of Vice President J.D. Vance.

The VP could choose to have Trump as his vice president in the 2028 election and, after winning the election, announce he resigns as soon as he’s sworn in.

This loophole also requires Trump to remain popular enough to win another two election cycles.  (probably not going to happen)

The text of the full 22nd Amendment reads: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”

It was ratified into the Constitution in 1951 and was a direct response to Franklin D. Roosevelt winning four consecutive elections during World War 2.

https://knewz.com/how-a-simple-constitution-loophole-could-doom-u-s-to-a-trump-presidency-until-2037/

I do not think that Donny will prevail in this pipe dream….but under his boot anything could be possible.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

It’s “Liberation Day”

That is the moronic term used by Donny about his newest round of tariffs….it is so important that not much detail has been released.

First ask yourself….just what are we being liberated form…..a sane trade policy?  From what do we to be liberated?

Here’s what we know so far….

President Trump has been teasing Wednesday as “Liberation Day,” promising even more tariffs, but it’s not clear exactly what is coming. As the BBC notes, Trump has already instituted so many tariffs “it can be hard to keep track,” but he’s promised what the Guardian refers to as “the most sweeping rewrite of US trade policy” so far. The announcement is expected in a speech he’ll make at 4pm Eastern time, and the White House says the effects will be immediate. More from coverage previewing the event:

  • Trump has been focused on “reciprocal tariffs,” CNN reports, but details of what exactly that might mean are scant. One possible reason for that is, according to sources, advisers were still presenting possible plans to Trump as late as Tuesday.
  • Those plans include such possibilities as a flat rate of 20% levied on all imports or different rates for different countries, based on not only what tariffs they charge the US but on other policies Trump sees as unfair to US businesses.
  • It remains unclear just how wide of a net Trump will cast; he’s said the tariffs might apply to “all countries,” but in the past, more targeted lists have been floated. Developing countries, which have some of the biggest discrepancies between tariffs they charge the US versus what the US charges them, could be hit hardest.
  • Israel on Tuesday became the first country since Trump was elected to cancel all tariffs on US goods.
  • Meanwhile, a top European Union official warned Tuesday that the EU has a “strong plan to retaliate” if needed, CBS News reports.
  • Financial markets were “on edge” as “Liberation Day” loomed, Reuters reports. Markets have been tumbling amid the chaos, and while Trump says his tariff plan could bring in trillions in revenue, CBS News reports experts disagree. Though they do say billions could be brought in, they also warn that prices will rise.
  • More analysis here.

Trump has argued tariffs will raise revenue to offset tax cuts and revive US manufacturing. If he decides against a universal tariff, the alternative would be levying tariffs against individual trade partners. Trump has complained other countries tax American exports at a higher rate than America taxes theirs, as the AP reports. He’s indicated that, with pressure, countries might lower their tariffs on US goods. “But if tariffs are subject to negotiation, and could be lowered over time, that would raise doubts about how much revenue could ultimately be expected from their imposition,” the Journal reports. And “some aides are concerned about the effect tariffs could have on prices.”

Economists say Trump’s trade war has contributed to inflation and raised the odds of a US recession, reports USA Today, as well as alienating US allies. They say it’s unlikely that companies with overseas factories will relocate to the US, where they’ll face shortages of skilled workers, under the threat of tariffs that may be short-lived. Even if several did relocate, “the number of jobs created would be relatively small and more than offset by those wiped out in a recession, economists say,” per USA Today.

We will see just how deep the ‘hurt’ that Trump warned us about will go.

Are you ready?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Prepping For War?

Those amateurs in the War Department are getting serious about a possible war with China…

Is the war that most fear getting closer?

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth distributed a memo in mid-March ordering the Pentagon to put its focus on preparing for a war with China, a nuclear-armed power, by “assuming risk” in Europe and other parts of the world, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The Post didn’t publish the full memo, known as the Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance, but said it “outlines, in broad and sometimes partisan detail, the execution of President Donald Trump’s vision to prepare for and win a potential war against Beijing and defend the United States from threats in the ‘near abroad,’ including Greenland and the Panama Canal.”

The Pentagon has considered China the top “threat” facing the US since the first Trump administration, but the Post report said the memo is “extraordinary in its description of the potential invasion of Taiwan as the exclusive animating scenario that must be prioritized over other potential dangers — reorienting the vast US military architecture toward the Indo-Pacific region beyond its homeland defense mission.”

The report said that the guidance from Hegseth says the Pentagon’s force planning construct “will consider conflict only with Beijing when planning contingencies for a major power war” and leave the “threat from Moscow largely attended by European allies.”

Hegseth wrote that China “is the Department’s sole pacing threat, and denial of a Chinese fait accompli seizure of Taiwan — while simultaneously defending the US homeland is the Department’s sole pacing scenario.”

The memo also calls for the US to pressure Taiwan to increase military spending “significantly.”

For years now, the US military has been openly preparing for war with China despite the risk of nuclear escalation. It has done this by expanding military bases in the Asia Pacific, building alliances, and increasing support for Taiwan. While being done in the name of deterrence, these steps have only increased tensions in the region, making conflict more likely.

The Post report says that Hegseth’s plans to prepare a “denial defense” of Taiwan include “increasing the troop presence through submarines, bombers, unmanned ships, and specialty units from the Army and Marine Corps, as well as a greater focus on bombs that destroy reinforced and subterranean targets.” His memo also calls for increasing the defenses of US troop positions in the region and establishing more weapons stockpiles.

(antiwar.com)

We have troops stationed in the South China Sea patrolling for any abnormalities….and now the Chinese with all the news around the US designs has reacted….

Beijing started another series of joint military and coastguard drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, as experts said the exercises – which include the Shandong aircraft carrier – were intended to squeeze Taipei’s space to respond in the event of an attack.
According to a statement issued by the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, the patrols and exercises included simulated air and land strikes, as well as control of key passages to test the joint combat readiness of its troops.
“This is a stern warning and a strong deterrent to the separatist forces of Taiwan independence, and is a legitimate and necessary action to defend national sovereignty and safeguard national unity,” spokesman Colonel Shi Yi said.
Beijing views Taiwan as part of China to be reunited, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as independent. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying weapons for its defence.
According to Shi, army, navy, air and rocket forces have been deployed on the multidirectional naval and aerial manoeuvres.

Some of these plans scare the crap out of me…..I can smell that old thinking from Vietnam creeping into the scenario.

Hopefully Americans can remember what a debacle Vietnam was 50 years ago….if you will recall it was a minor naval engagement that lead to the debacle of the Vietnam War.

Is there any memory of that huge mistake left?

If not we are doomed to repeat our mistakes and at the cost of American lives.

Will we do it again?

The present group of amateurs are headed in that direction.

What say you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”