Former President Donald Trump found his sweet spot during a weekend speech, joking about running for a third term that rallied his conservative base while simultaneously sending liberals into apoplexy.
Giving remarks before the National Rifle Association at the group’s annual meeting, President Trump harkened back to the four terms of former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who extended his stay in the White House following the outbreak of World War II.
“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? You tell me,” Trump quipped according to Politico. The open question prompted audible roars of approval from the audience.
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The X account for President Joe Biden’s campaign quickly seized on the remarks, saying that Trump wants to “violate the Constitution.” However, the Republican challenger told Time Magazine back in April that he wouldn’t be in favor of abolishing or skirting the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, enacted in 1944 to limit future presidents to two four-year terms.
“I wouldn’t be in favor of it at all. I intend to serve four years and do a great job. And I want to bring our country back. I want to put it back on the right track. Our country is going down. We’re a failing nation right now. We’re a nation in turmoil,” he said.
By ratcheting up his rhetoric now, President Trump has been able to prime supporters heading into next month’s first debate against President Biden, an opportunity for Trump to finally point out in-person how much his aging Democratic rival struggles to “put two sentences together,” as he said last week. Part of Trump’s wide-ranging remarks at the NRA event included more shots at the president.
“He did that State of the Union the other day – he was high as a kite,” he joked as the audience laughed. “So I think we should call for drug tests in the debate.”
Rather than let the gentle ribbing slide, the White House returned a sharp statement to Politico in response to questions about whether Biden is taking illegal drugs to stay lucid on stage.
“It’s telling that Republican officials are unable to stop announcing how intimidated they remain by [the] President’s State of the Union performance. But after losing every public and private negotiation with President Biden — and after seeing him succeed where they failed across the board, ranging from actually rebuilding America’s infrastructure to actually reducing violent crime to actually outcompeting China — it tracks that those same Republican officials mistake confidence for a drug,” said Biden spokesman Andrew Bates.
Approximately four in 5 voters feel President Biden is too old to run for another four-year term, a significant liability he carries into the June 27th debate. President Trump has repeatedly mocked him for his gait, special grippy black sneakers, misstatements, and other meandering remarks while on stage.