As news of his ridiculous cabinet appointments continues to bewilder the country, convicted felon and President-elect Donald Trump is "joking" about serving a third, illegal term.
We all know that adjudicated sexual abuser Donald Trump doesn't make jokes about breaking the law; he just ignores it. The 22nd Amendment, however, is very clear about folks not serving more than two terms, period. There are no games to be played there; a fast-tracked constitutional amendment probably couldn't get done in time… even if people were interested in passing it.
"I suspect I won't be running again, unless you do something," Trump said, according to pool reports and audio shared with The Hill. "Unless you say, 'He's so good, we have to just figure it out.'"
The comment got laughs from the GOP lawmakers in the crowd — several of whom later told reporters that the comment was not serious.
"That was a joke. It was clearly a joke," Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said after the meeting. "I leaned over to somebody beside me, [Arizona Rep.] Andy Biggs, and I said, that'll be the headlines tomorrow, 'Trump trying to thwart the Constitution,' which — there's nothing further from the truth."
"That was a joke. I mean, he jokes all the time," Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) said, adding that a problem with politics is that "you can't even tell a joke without being excoriated."
The Hill
For reference:
Twenty-Second Amendment
Twenty-Second Amendment Explained
Section 1
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. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.
Section 2
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.
Congress.gov
Trump tells so many jokes.
Previously:
• Listen: Buddy Hackett's filthy Donald Trump putdown joke, as told to Merv Griffin
