"No more elections. Oh, that's good"
During his meeting with Zelensky, Donald Trump made a questionable comment about the 2028 US presidential election.
There was a brief yet monumental moment during the much-anticipated, high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky that went largely unnoticed.
While the two Presidents, who got along much better than during their last meeting, were taking questions from reporters, Donald Trump thought something out loud that may hint at his plans to stay in power indefinitely.
It happened when a reporter asked Zelensky if he intended to hold elections once the war came to an end, to which Zelensky quickly replied, “Yes, of course.” The question echoed some of the criticism from America’s far-right politicians, including Donald Trump, who called Zelensky a dictator since elections in Ukraine had been cancelled.
Experts argue that such a postponement of elections is normal under the current circumstances, which are that Ukraine is at war and that about a third of its territory is under Russian control. Holding a fair election now would be impossible and is therefore prohibited under martial law. The counterargument, that countries like the US managed to hold elections during World War II, is quickly rendered moot once one considers that the US was fighting abroad and that no US territory was under foreign control.
As Trump backed away from his previous criticism - that Selensky must hold an election - and agreed that one can’t have an election while at war, he said something much more interesting:
"So, let me just say, three and a half years from now... if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections. Oh, that's good."
- Donald Trump
A reminder: Three and a half years from now, the 2028 presidential election will take place. Since Trump can’t legally run again, he would lose the Presidency. But as his statement shows, he might like the idea that he could postpone any election if the US is at war. What he doesn’t seem to understand is what I mentioned before: For an election to be delayed, the US would have to be at war on its territory. This, however, may not stop Trump from trying to use martial law to delay elections illegitimately.
Just a Joke?
Now, Trump has often talked about outrageously unconstitutional ideas, like his plan to run for a third term. He always starts by making hints, saying that other people want him to run again. Once the media picks it up and outrage builds, he backtracks and calls it a joke before saying “unless”. By now, he is already selling “Trump 2028” hats, surely just for comedic purposes.
His allies often urge critics not to take these “jokes” seriously, but the past has shown that Trump will go to great lengths to retain power. Likely because he faces legal trouble and potentially jail time, every time he is not protected by the presidency.
There is some time until the 2028 election, but his willingness to meddle with the 2026 midterms by urging Republicans to redraw congressional maps shows that he cares little about a fair and democratic process.
Lawmakers and Judges will be expected to respond if Trump tries to cancel fair elections, and pushes through with this idea, which he felt he could say out loud in front of the whole world without any worries.