S.E. Cupp: Donald Trump isn’t joking about a third term
In a thought-provoking editorial published almost a year ago, The New York Times delivered a stark warning about former President Donald Trump, urging readers to “Believe him” regarding his intentions if he were to return to power. The editorial highlighted Trump’s promises to prosecute his enemies, engage in mass deportations, and manipulate disasters for political gain. This cautionary message resonates even more today as many of Trump’s campaign promises and threats have materialized, particularly through the lens of Project 2025. This initiative, spearheaded by the conservative Heritage Foundation, aims to reshape the federal government and consolidate executive power, seemingly providing Trump with a strategic roadmap to circumvent legal and constitutional obstacles that hindered his first term.
The editorial’s predictions have been validated by a community-driven tracker that identified 121 out of 319 objectives from Project 2025 that Trump has already implemented. These include significant policy shifts such as reversing Biden-era Title IX rules, restricting press freedoms, and utilizing government contracts to combat so-called “woke policies.” Trump’s actions at rallies, where he has explicitly stated his intent to seek “retribution,” further underscore the seriousness of his ambitions. Despite some dismissing his intentions as mere trolling, Trump’s history of disregarding norms and legal boundaries should not be underestimated. His legal actions against critics and his open discussions regarding a potential third presidential term illustrate a troubling trend that suggests he is not merely making idle threats.
The article also highlights the complicity of certain Republican lawmakers who appear willing to support Trump’s ambitions, including calls to repeal the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms. Figures like Rep. Randy Fine and Sen. Tommy Tuberville have expressed sentiments that suggest a readiness to entertain Trump’s unorthodox approaches to governance. Steve Bannon, a key strategist for Trump, has indicated that plans for a potential third term are already in the works, suggesting a calculated effort to navigate around constitutional constraints. As S.E. Cupp, the author of the piece, emphasizes, the past behavior of Trump and his allies indicates that they are not to be taken lightly; their intentions are serious, and the public should remain vigilant. The overarching message is clear: with Trump, it is wise to take him at his word, as his promises and threats often translate into reality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAleqlBbBuw
Believe him.
Almost a year ago to the day, The New York Times ran a
special editorial
just before Donald Trump would win the presidency again.
They used a full page to print out in giant, boldface, all-caps the following missive:
“Donald Trump says he will prosecute his enemies, order mass deportations, use soldiers against citizens, abandon allies, and play politics with disasters. Believe him.”
It was good advice, as we know a lot of what he was promising to do has already happened.
We saw much of it outlined in Project 2025, a blueprint published by the conservative Heritage Foundation, to reshape the federal government and consolidate executive power around Trump.
Despite denying any involvement in the project, Trump has seemingly used it as a literal roadmap to help avoid the parts of his first administration where he was thwarted by pesky inconveniences like the Constitution, the law, and separation of powers.
A community-driven
Project 2025 tracker
found that of the 319 objectives outlined in the initiative, Trump’s already made good on 121, including using government contracts to “push back against woke policies” in corporate America, rescinding Biden-era Title IX rules that strengthened the ability to prosecute sexual assault and discrimination cases, and turning back former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s policy that limited DOJ’s ability to subpoena journalists during leak investigations, to name just a few.
But he also blatantly told Americans what he was going to do at his rallies. These weren’t empty threats. They weren’t trial balloons so he could poll-test their popularity. They were promises.
One in particular seems to be motivating many of his decisions: “I will be your retribution.”
Just five days after the Times editorial was published, Trump sued CBS News for its interview of former Vice President Kamala Harris. A month after he won reelection he sued the Des Moines Register over a poll he didn’t like.
He’s already
prosecuted
former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton. He’s actively investigating other critics, including Sen. Adam Schiff, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, and former DHS official Miles Taylor.
And as we’ve all seen, he’s ordered mass deportations. He’s used soldiers against U.S. citizens. He’s abandoned allies. He’s
played politics
with disasters.
And yet, there are still apparently people who think he’s bluffing when he says he’d run for a third term.
Trump’s been teasing the idea for months. He makes it sound a little like he’s joking, but we’ve seen this movie before. He “joked” about not leaving the White House in 2020, too — and we all know what happened on Jan. 6. It’s always just a joke, until it isn’t.
Speaker Mike Johnson, ever Trump’s loyal lackey, has laughed it off as mere “trolling,” and has said he’s talked to the president about the constitutional constrictions of such a move — as if that’s ever been a compelling consideration for Trump.
Former Ohio governor and former presidential candidate John Kasich also brushed it off on MSNBC:
“No! Listen, have we had any states try to move to call a convention to change the amendment? Have we had any Republican governors do that? They’re not even going to answer a question like that because it’s not going to happen.”
Oh, the hubris. Trump has broken every norm, and he’s already violated the Constitution dozens of times. Anyone who believes Trump lives within existing boundaries, either of legality or decency, hasn’t been paying attention.
And counter to Kasich’s beliefs, Trump’s already got accomplices in both chambers of Congress willing to help him.
Rep. Randy Fine called for repealing the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidential terms to two,
earlier this month
.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville says it’s Trump’s call to make:
“If you read the Constitution, it says it’s not [possible],” said Tuberville. “But if [Trump] says he has some different circumstances that might be able to go around the Constitution, but that’s up to him.”
This isn’t a troll or a joke. Just listen to Steve Bannon, the architect of Trump’s first campaign:
“Well, he’s going to get a third term. So, Trump ’28. Trump is going to be president in ’28 and people ought to just get accommodated with that. There’s many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is.”
They have a plan. They’ll lay it out. This isn’t childish wishcasting or manifesting.
Bannon and Trump are designing it. They’re planning it. I’d bet they’re talking to lawyers and constitutional experts, and to the people they will need to help them do it at every level of government.
If we’ve learned one thing about Trump in all these years, it’s that we should believe him.
S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.
