Thread by @VigilantFox

Democrats are panicking about the unthinkable: a THIRD Trump presidency.

They’re calling him a “lame duck” president—but what they really fear isn’t Trump himself.
It’s how he empowers people like you and me.

Could Trump actually return to the White House for a third time?

Victor Davis Hanson just dropped a stunning analysis, revealing what Trump is really thinking about a third term—and whether the MAGA movement can survive without him.

Let’s break it down.

🧵 THREAD

Victor Davis Hanson just explained why the media is already melting down about Trump’s second term—because they’re terrified of what might come after it.

Even though Trump still has nearly four full years if reelected, journalists are already calling him a “lame duck.” But Hanson says that’s not what they’re really worried about.

“You know, one of the most popular topics in the media is Donald Trump is now a lame duck, even though he has basically a full term of four years,” he said.

He pointed to headlines from The New York Times and The Washington Post, which pose the same anxious question: Can MAGA survive after Trump steps down?

“In other words,” Hanson explained, “if I were to decode that, it was ‘please, please, let’s end these crazy MAGA people because Trump won’t be around.’”

According to Hanson, Trump saw that narrative coming—and decided to flip it on its head.

In a March interview, when asked whether he’d consider a third term, Trump gave a deliberately provocative answer:

“No, you can’t do it—but my lawyers are working on it.”

Hanson said the line was pure troll bait.

“Donald Trump has been trolling the media.”

He clarified that Trump was referencing the 22nd Amendment, which says no person can be elected president more than twice—but doesn’t technically say you can’t hold office again.

“That amendment was passed in 1951,” Hanson explained, “right before the ascension of Dwight Eisenhower. It was a Republican reaction… kind of ironic, because Eisenhower probably would have been elected a third time and beaten John F. Kennedy—if the rule hadn’t just been put in place.”

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Now, back to the story you came for.

So was Trump floating a real plan to stay in power?

Not at all, Hanson says—but the move was strategic.

By teasing the idea, Trump sparked panic in the press and reminded everyone that he’s far from politically irrelevant.

“Trump was not serious at the time,” Hanson said.

“He just wanted to either troll the press and media, or he wanted to dispel the idea that he was a lame duck and just throw it out there, that maybe he could be president a third time.”

And technically, there’s a loophole:

“Perhaps he could get a vice president. He could run as vice president, the president could resign, and then he would take over and hold office three times but not be elected.”

It’s unlikely—but that wasn’t the point.

So what comes next?

According to Hanson, that’s what really matters to Trump now—not holding power, but passing on the mission.

“He raised the question: will this MAGA doctrine continue after I leave?” Hanson said. “Will there be sunshine after the sun is gone?”

Trump, he added, plans to stick around as a “senior statesman” who helps shape the future of the Republican Party—and makes sure his successor carries the MAGA torch.

“I’m going to be around,” Trump reportedly said.

“I’m going to endorse somebody, and I’m going to make sure that person, by the force of my ex-presidency and influence, shall abide by MAGA doctrines.”

Hanson closed with a clear prediction:

“So, no, Donald Trump is not going to seek a third term. And yes, I think the MAGA ideology of the Republican Party will stay with us for the near future.”

Watch the full video with @VDHanson below:

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This story is HUGE.

Trump just did what every other politician promised to do but failed—he took a wrecking ball to pharma price gouging.