President Donald Trump’s musings about possibly seeking a third term, despite the U.S. Constitution’s clear prohibition on anyone being elected more than twice to the presidency, are eliciting a range of reactions from Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Trump said he was seriously considering the possibility of a third term and that certain mechanisms exist that would allow him to do so, including having Vice President JD Vance run and then, if Vance wins, cede presidential power to Trump.
In a statement to GBH News, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch said Trump’s professed interest in a third term represents a genuine threat to democracy.
“We should not take lightly Donald Trump’s talk of seeking a 3rd term as President,” Lynch said. “Trump continually demonstrates complete disregard for democracy and the rule of law. Congress, the federal courts, the Constitution, and the 22nd Amendment [which explicitly prohibits being elected to three terms as president] mean nothing to him. And like others desperate to cling to power, he has surrounded himself with unqualified buffoons who must do his bidding or forfeit their positions.”
”These are dangerous times,“ Lynch added. ”Taking your freedom for granted is how democracies die. Every American must speak up, show up, and step up each and every moment of every single day. In this fight we are the true Patriots.“
Other members of the Massachusetts delegation were less troubled by Trump’s remarks.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said he believes Trump’s decision to muse aloud about a third term, and to insist on the seriousness of his interest, is driven by a desire to shift the public conversation from what’s become known as Signalgate . That controversy erupted after Atlantic Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was inadvertently included on a Signal chat among top Trump administration officials in which highly sensitive plans to attack Houthi militants in Yemen were discussed.
”I listened to the lead story this morning ... on NPR at 8 a.m. where they led with this story,“ Neal said. ”So we weren’t talking about whether or not there were going to be resignations related to what happened in the Red Sea with the Houthi rebels. It was more about whether or not he was earnest in what he suggested [about a third term].“
Neal added that in his view, Trump would have been keenly aware of the effect his words were likely to have. At a recent St. Patrick’s Day event in Washington, the congressman recalled, he sat near Trump as the president joked about how agitated the press becomes when the possibility of a third term is broached — something Trump has done before , albeit in a seemingly lighter manner.
Neal also contends there’s another political benefit for Trump in stirring up conversation about whether he might seek a third term.
”[It’s] another method in how he keeps Republicans in the House and Senate in line — by saying that I could be around a lot longer than you think, and I’m really not a lame duck,“ Neal said.
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahansaid that while the possibility of Trump ultimately seeking to remain in the White House after his second term ends needs to be taken seriously by Democrats, his most recent comments struck her as an attempt to avoid talking about the economy’s recent struggles.
”There’s not great news for Republicans to point to,“ Trahan told GBH News. ”They haven’t done anything in terms of legislation to try to mitigate the high cost of living. And so I do think in many respects this is a way to try to take everyone’s eye off the ball.“
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was the most dismissive of Trump’s third-term comments, casting them as the self-indulgent daydreaming of someone too undisciplined to focus on the pressing requirements of their job.
“The president is not a king,” Warren said in a statement. “The Constitution could not be clearer: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice. Donald Trump would rather fantasize about a fictional third term than do anything to lower costs for working families.”
