Partisan double standards are par for the course in politics, but it never stops being frustratingly annoying. Whether it’s how Democrats love the filibuster when they’re in the minority but call it racist when they’re in the majority. The same Democrats who cheered when Joe Biden defied the Supreme Court after they told him that he couldn’t unilaterally cancel student debt are now outraged at the thought of Trump defying activist district court judges.
And then there’s the outrage over Donald Trump quipping about a third term. He’s been joking about the possibility for a while now, but he recently insisted that he was serious.
"A lot of people want me to do it," Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker on Sunday. "But I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it's very early in the administration."
He added, “It is far too early to think about it... There are methods which you could do it" and insisted that he wasn’t joking.
Whether he really is or if he’s just trolling, I can’t say, but the perpetually outraged political left can’t handle it. The mainstream media into hysterics. Outlets aplenty called Trump’s musings dictatorial, a constitutional crisis, and, predictably, a sign of “fascism.” Constitutional experts are chiming in, ready to throw cold water on the idea that Trump could serve a third term.
But let’s rewind a bit. Where were these same voices when Barack Obama toyed with the idea of a third term — multiple times? Did the media pile on? Call him an authoritarian? Cue the alarm bells? Of course not. They practically swooned over Barack Obama’s jokes about clinging to power. But when Donald Trump does it, it’s a full-blown constitutional crisis.
Don’t worry; I have receipts. In a July 2015 speech to the African Union, Obama joked that he could win a third term if allowed.
I have to also say that Africa’s democratic progress is also at risk when leaders refuse to step aside when their terms end. Now, let me be honest with you—I do not understand this. I am in my second term. It has been an extraordinary privilege for me to serve as President of the United States. I cannot imagine a greater honor or a more interesting job. I love my work. But under our Constitution, I cannot run again. I can't run again. I actually think I'm a pretty good President—I think if I ran I could win. But I can't.
The crowd laughed when he joked, and there was no panic in the media.
And it wasn’t the only time he said anything like it. In December 2020, he joked to Stephen Colbert he’d like to be a shadow president.
This example may not be particularly funny because many believe he was, in fact, the shadow president for Joe Biden. Heck, Biden had countless Obama retreads in his administration, and in light of the autopen scandal, it seems likely that Obama’s minions were up to something.
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Say what you want about Trump’s candid thoughts, but the double standard here is undeniable. A president half-joking about a third term is either dangerous or it isn’t. To fawn over Obama while vilifying Trump smacks of a partisan agenda so obvious it’s laughable. The real threat to democracy isn’t Trump’s offhand remarks; it’s a media-political complex that bends the rules to protect its own.
The truth is that Obama has essentially already had his third term with Joe Biden as the figurehead. This isn’t a conspiracy theory; it’s an observation grounded in the glaringly obvious. Meanwhile, the left clutches its pearls over Trump while conveniently pretending the Constitution doesn’t exist when it benefits it.
