President Trump Will Get a Third Term Even Without Defying the Constitution
Trumpism will shadow the next president, even if that is a Democrat.
By John F. Harris 01/20/2026 05:00 AM EST
One year after Donald Trump began his second term with an inaugural address assertion that he was “saved by God to make America great again,” one way to measure his influence is to cast the mind forward two years from now.
In January 2028, Democrats will be in the thick of their contest not simply to be the presidential nominee but to carry out an assignment from history: Ending the Trump Moment.
It’s been a long moment. Assuming he serves his full term, by January 2029 Trump will have been the dominant figure in American politics in this century for longer (14 years) than the dominant political figure of the 20th century (FDR, for 12 years). Trump is on track to change the character of American government and this country’s relationship with the world more profoundly than any predecessor in decades.
So what will Democrats — desperate to end a chapter they regard as a tragic accident of history — be talking about? What choice will they have: To talk about Trump. Or, alternately, to self-consciously and implausibly try not to talk about Trump.
The reach of Trump’s policies and his disruptive way of implementing them almost inevitably will dominate the campaign and first term of his successor — perhaps more so if that person is a Democrat than a Republican. In this sense, Trump is getting a third term even if he doesn’t actually flout the Constitution, as his critics suspect he wants to, and attempt to remain in office.
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https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/01/20/donald-trump-legacy-history-00736032
