Donald Trump flirted with the idea of being president for three terms – a clear violation of the US constitution – during a bombastic speech for the National Rifle Association in which he vowed to reverse gun safety measures green-lighted during the Biden administration.

“You know, FDR 16 years – almost 16 years – he was four terms. I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?” The ex-president and GOP presidential frontrunner said to the organization’s annual convention in Dallas, prompting some in the crowd to yell “three!” Politico reported.

Trump has floated a third term in past comments, even mentioning a prolonged presidency while campaigning in 2020. He has also tried distancing himself from this idea, telling Time magazine in April: “I wouldn’t be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job.”

  • gregorum@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    The only time we elected a president more than twice, it was a Socialist, and he was so popular that we had to pass a law after he was elected a fourth time so it didn’t happen again.

    Edit: fixed!

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      The only time we elected a president 3 times, it was a Socialist

      FDR was elected to four terms. He died 85 days into his fourth.

      and he was so popular that we had to pass a law to keep him from being elected a fourth time.

      The 22nd amendment wasn’t even drafted until after FDR was dead, and wasn’t ratified until 1951. And the language of the amendment specifically exempts the president at the time of ratification. The 22nd Amendment wouldn’t have stopped Truman from running again, let alone his predecessor.

          • gregorum@lemm.ee
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            6 months ago

            You got downvoted too, lol.

            People in Lemmy can be odd. I’ve noticed that, once in a while, I may pick up a stan. After a possibly terse exchange, I’ll see all comments/posts have, like, as single downvote for a few days.

    • BigFig@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      FDR was a Social Democrat not a Democratic Socialist. Similar but very different

    • Sunforged@lemmy.ml
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      6 months ago

      FDR was not a socialist and the New Deal was a compromise from the existing capitalist power structure in order to harness and then diffuse the growing socialist energy in the country. It’s a huge reason the New Deal focused so much on highway expansion instead of public transportation.