Despite Donald Trump’s insistence that he’s not joking about a third term, his own press secretary says otherwise. In a recent briefing aimed squarely at conservative media outlets and grassroots supporters, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off the idea of a 2028 Trump run as little more than “trolling”—a provocation meant to rile up critics and rally the base, not a serious plan to blow past the 22nd Amendment.
Leavitt’s comments came during a game dubbed “Trump Troll or Trump Truth,” where she was asked to clarify whether Trump’s more outlandish statements were sincere or strategic mischief, wrote The Daily Beast. She confirmed that Trump’s past musings about buying Greenland or turning Canada into the 51st state were indeed rooted in genuine interest. But when it came to the notion of running again in 2028? “Trump trolling,” she said flatly—before adding with a grin that the $50 “TRUMP 2028” hats are “flying off the shelves,” thanks in part to aggressive promotion from Eric Trump and the campaign store.
That said, Trump himself has repeatedly muddied the waters with his humor. In an interview with NBC News last month, he declared he insisted he wasn’t joking about a third term but admitted it was premature to discuss seriously. He went so far as to suggest there might be “methods” to get around the Constitution’s two-term limit.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, one of Trump’s longest-serving allies, acknowledged that repealing the 22nd Amendment would be a “heavy lift,” hinting at the near impossibility of the idea becoming reality. Most Americans seem to agree. A recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found that 62 percent of voters oppose Trump serving a third term.
Still, within Trumpworld, the line between trolling and trial balloon remains deliberately blurred. Even as Leavitt and others insist the third-term talk is all in jest, they’re doing everything they can to keep the idea alive—complete with merchandise, media stunts, and winks to the faithful that drives the president’s most diehard opponents insane.
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