The suggestion followed a stretch of days in which Trump referred to himself as a king and quoted a dictator in suggesting that he was immune from following laws — all while his administration has continued pushing the bounds of presidential power.
Trump’s escalating rhetoric stoked further alarm among critics who say he is governing with an authoritarian playbook and fear he could attempt to seize power undemocratically, as he attempted to do after losing the 2020 election. The Constitution’s 22nd Amendment limits presidents from holding the office more than twice.
Trump’s suggestion before attendees of a Black History Month reception came after he mentioned “the next time” in a seeming reference to running again. He then cut off his own sentence to ask the audience if he should run another time. Met by shouts of affirmation, Trump basked in the attention, laughing and waving a hand at the audience….
The limits of Trump’s power — and whether he will heed them — have become a central theme of the first weeks of his presidency. Since taking office, Trump has moved rapidly to stretch the limits of presidential authority. The U.S. DOGE Service has triggered alarm among federal agencies for sweeping actions against them that in many cases appear to violate federal law, and his administration has come close to openly defying judges.
In the midst of this blitz, Trump on Saturday posted on social media, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” citing a quote often attributed to the French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte — and appearing to endorse a view generally seen as antidemocratic. Four days later, he referred to himself as “the king” on social media and the White House posted an illustration of him wearing a crown.
Declaring that New York was “SAVED” by his move to revoke federal approval of the city’s congestion pricing toll, Trump wrote: “LONG LIVE THE KING!” The White House reposted his message on its social media channels with the addition of the illustration, which was made to look like a mock Time magazine cover.
Trump has also claimed a sweeping mandate from the American people and inaccurately says he won in a “landslide,” assertions that are not supported by the election results. In fact, Trump’s victory was historically slim, with the smallest margin of victory in the national popular vote of any president who won the popular vote since Richard M. Nixon in 1968….