Donald Trump is not playing games, and he is not joking. His recent statement — “There are methods which you could do it” — about pursuing a third presidential term in the United States is not a slip of the tongue or an improvised provocation. It’s a signal, one of many. But this time, it’s not a joke. There is no laughter. What once seemed unthinkable is now being proposed openly. And the institutional silence surrounding it is the real scandal.
What exactly did Mr. Trump say?
On March 30, 2025, during a phone interview with NBC News from Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump was asked directly whether he was serious about seeking a third term. His answer was unequivocal: “I’m not joking. There are methods which you could do it.” (SIC)
He then suggested a possible strategy: that his current VP, JD Vance, could run in 2028, win, and then resign — allowing Trump to reassume the presidency through succession. He framed it not as satire but as a tactical possibility — as if the democratic system were merely a board game to be rigged from within. The most alarming part? This isn’t the first time he’s floated the idea. But this time, he made it explicit: he is not joking.
Let’s take a closer look: how could he try to do it?
What Trump proposes is unlawful. It is constitutionally invalid — but he knows exactly what he’s doing. The technical argument he hints at stems from the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits anyone from being elected president more than twice but does not explicitly say that one cannot return to power by other means.
In that ambiguity, Trump seeks to plant the seed of legal chaos. However, the 12th Amendment closes that door. It clearly states that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President.” This means Trump cannot run for president again, be part of a presidential ticket, or assume office by succession. The door is closed — legally, constitutionally, and morally.
But let’s be honest: Mr. Trump is not interested in legality. He is interested in perception. He doesn’t need to succeed — at least not yet. He truly wants to normalize the idea, get people talking, and make it sound plausible.
Because once outrage is exhausted, ambition moves forward.
When did this begin?
Not a few days ago in this interview with NBC News. Trump has been dropping carefully calculated hints for years. In 2018, he praised Xi Jinping’s indefinite rule: “Maybe we’ll give that a shot someday,” he said — half-laughing. In 2020, he suggested postponing the election altogether. Each time, the idea sounded absurd, yet it returned, sounding a little less far-fetched each time.
Today, with a Republican Party largely submissive to his figure, a radicalized base that cannot distinguish democracy from a personality cult, and an exhausted, polarized, and misinformed electorate, Trump stretches the boundary again and signals his readiness to cross the line.
Why does this matter so much?
Because what’s at stake is not a constitutional technicality — it’s the soul of the republican system. The United States, once the global icon of representative democracy, now stands at a dangerous crossroads. If a president can reinterpret the rules at will and mock institutional limits without consequence, then the law is not the only thing eroding—it’s the idea of alternation, balance, and the rule of law.
And there is another, even more delicate front: the vote.
The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870 after the Civil War, prohibits denying the right to vote based on race or previous condition of servitude. But in recent years, Trumpism has pushed state-level laws that restrict voting access for Black and Latino communities. Voter suppression is not collateral damage — it’s a central feature of the strategy: limit who decides to ensure who stays in power. You cannot speak of constitutional respect while dismantling its basic guarantees from the margins. Democracies don’t collapse by decree. They unravel in silence — through omission, fatigue, or political convenience.
And when the Constitution becomes an obstacle, the next step is to turn it into decoration. Let us not forget that most totalitarian regimes came to power through elections.
But, for argument’s sake, what if the people want it? Democracy is not just about counting votes. It is, above all, about respecting limits — even when those limits frustrate the majority. Tyranny often wears the mask of popular will. And power — when left unchecked — does not stop on its own. History has proven that time and time again. The United States could be approaching a point of no return.
If the personal ambitions of a former president — no matter how popular — are allowed to override the rules that uphold the system, then this will not be a third term. It will be the last.
Trump is no longer joking.
And if the country continues treating the subject like a reality show, it may one day wake up without a Republic. Only the show will remain.
Jose E. Urioste
For Times Media Mexico – The Yucatan Times
April 02, 2025
Cancun, Mexico
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José E. Urioste is a Yucatecan entrepreneur and columnist. He is the major stakeholder in one of Mexico’s longest-standing financial institutions, as well as a shareholder in various ventures across mass media, real estate, and other strategic sectors, and a published author. As a political analyst and writer on philosophical and humanistic subjects, his work challenges conventional thinking with clarity and depth. His contributions to national media offer a distinctive voice on the social, business, and cultural issues shaping the public conversation.
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