Sensationalism Doesn't Belong in Journalism, But It's There!

In one of his pointless, senseless, rambling, demented monologues, Trump got triggered to make comments about the possibility that he would seek a third term.  In a demonstration of the poor quality of education received by some journalists in this country, some reporters picked up on this theme and it was one of multiple Trump news items that popped up for a while.  Reporters put the news out there as if it were something of significance, and as if Trump mentioning it makes it a possibility.  

Of course, the various deceitful ways that they were talking about a "third term," like having another body in the oval office elected as President who just gives deference to Trump and lets him run the country, is along the lines of what they were talking about.  But that's about as realistic as the possibility that he could actually run for, or serve, a third term.  That cannot happen unless the Constitution is either amended, or destroyed.  

It's an ego booster.  In Trump talk, there are "some people," a nebulous group whom he wants us to believe is representative of "the American people," and who are really just his own sycophants, who might have brought this up.  Getting around the rules is an obsession with this guy.  No one is talking about how to make it possible to get Trump a third term, in fact, well over half of "the American people" are talking about how to shorten his time in this term by a considerable amount. 

So why is this popping up in the media everywhere, as if talking about Trump ten times a day is not already a waste of time?  

In case these journalists are misinformed, or profoundly ignorant, the way it works is that the Constitution specifically states that a President is limited to two terms in office, and can only be elected to two terms.  In the event that a Vice-President was called upon to serve starting on the 402 day of his own term, then that person could wind up being in the White House as long as 9 years, 364 days.  But they cannot run again after winning two elections and they must leave at the end of their second term. 

It would take a two thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, and two thirds of the state legislatures ratifying it to change the provision about Presidential term limits.  That's not happening.  And no, the Supreme Court cannot step in and re-interpret that part of the Constitution.  There's not even any grounds to file a lawsuit.  Any forceful attempt to simply remain, or to sabotage the incoming administration would be identified as a coup, and if force was required to get him out, any opposition that was defending his attempt to stay would, along with him, be arrested.  

The ideology to which the GOP has sold out very likely doesn't care about the Constitution, something that we not only need to consider, but to be prepared to oppose, defending, as patriots, the Constitution against what would be one of its enemies.  Journalists would be doing their job if they pointed out that talk of a third term is not in the best interests of anyone in this country.