He himself has said he could run as Vance’s VP, and then Vance could resign. He said it like it was a clever hack he’d figured out. But the text of the amendment specifically forbids it. You can’t be VP if you aren’t eligible to be President, and if you’ve been elected twice, you aren’t eligible to be President.
I suppose he could say he hasn’t been elected twice because Elon hacked the voting machines in swing states in 2024, but at that point why bother?
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.
In both cases it speaks to how many times you can be elected to the office of the president. But election isn’t the only pathway. There is line of succession as Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Cabinet Secretaries.
Can Trump deport suspected undocumented migrants without due process? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump completely ignore the rulings of the court system up to and including the Supreme Court? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump target specific people, companies, or organizations with punitive executive orders unless they bend to his will or do his bidding? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump withhold federal funding from universities and other organizations that don’t adopt Trump-friendly policies and give him direct control over their operations? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump threaten executive, legislative, or otherwise punitive action against news organizations and reporters who report on him unfavorably? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump unilaterally implement and rescind tariffs unilaterally, based on nothing but his personal whims? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the idea by now.
Asking “can” he do something is irrelevant. The actual questions to ask are if there is anybody with the power and authority to stop him, do they have the ability to enforce it, and are they willing to use that power? If the answer to those questions are “no”, then the answer to whether or not Trump “can” do something is “He can, and he will, because fuck you that’s why.”
If there is nobody willing or able to enforce the law, those laws are mere suggestions that can be ignored when inconvenient.
No.
It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.
Given that they are serious, though, and the subject, maybe they should be taken deadly seriously.
He himself has said he could run as Vance’s VP, and then Vance could resign. He said it like it was a clever hack he’d figured out. But the text of the amendment specifically forbids it. You can’t be VP if you aren’t eligible to be President, and if you’ve been elected twice, you aren’t eligible to be President.
I suppose he could say he hasn’t been elected twice because Elon hacked the voting machines in swing states in 2024, but at that point why bother?
He still says he’s been elected three times in a row, he’s not gonna say he wasn’t elected.
That’s not what the 22nd Amendment says, though.
In both cases it speaks to how many times you can be elected to the office of the president. But election isn’t the only pathway. There is line of succession as Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Cabinet Secretaries.
Can Trump deport suspected undocumented migrants without due process? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump completely ignore the rulings of the court system up to and including the Supreme Court? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump target specific people, companies, or organizations with punitive executive orders unless they bend to his will or do his bidding? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump withhold federal funding from universities and other organizations that don’t adopt Trump-friendly policies and give him direct control over their operations? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump threaten executive, legislative, or otherwise punitive action against news organizations and reporters who report on him unfavorably? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
Can Trump unilaterally implement and rescind tariffs unilaterally, based on nothing but his personal whims? “No. It’s not complicated. Anyone that tries to inject nuance into this simple question is not to be taken seriously.” Except he’s doing just that.
I could go on and on, but I’m sure you get the idea by now.
Asking “can” he do something is irrelevant. The actual questions to ask are if there is anybody with the power and authority to stop him, do they have the ability to enforce it, and are they willing to use that power? If the answer to those questions are “no”, then the answer to whether or not Trump “can” do something is “He can, and he will, because fuck you that’s why.”
If there is nobody willing or able to enforce the law, those laws are mere suggestions that can be ignored when inconvenient.