Trump keeps teasing a third term, but his fans at CPAC don't back him on that | Opinion
I went to CPAC wanting to know if Trump supporters thought the president should run again in 2028. What I heard was a profound respect for the Constitution and the US Supreme Court.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — I came to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday with three questions on my mind, not for the politicians and culture-war grifters on stage, but for the people who paid from $47 to hundreds of dollars to listen to them.
I wanted to know if the CPAC crowd thought that President Donald Trump, who has been testing the boundaries of illegally seeking a third term since taking office last month, should run again in 2028. Trump is expected to speak at CPAC on Saturday.
And, because Trump’s burn-it-all-down approach to governing has been met with so many legal challenges, I wondered if his fans at CPAC want him to defy the U.S. Supreme Court if one or more of those cases reach that level of appeal and he loses.
Finally, because billionaire co-president Elon Musk has been the guy with the gasoline can and book of matches setting fire to the government while Vice President JD Vance spends time in Europe telling Europe how terrible Europe is, I asked which of these guys holds more power in the Trump administration.
Your intrepid pollster picked 10 people at random in CPAC’s cavernous convention space at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. What I heard from them, for the most part, was profound respect for the U.S. Constitution, which limits a president to two terms and establishes the separation of powers among the presidency, Congress and the courts.
Nine out of 10 said Trump should not seek a third term and should comply with a Supreme Court ruling that limits his power or actions.
As for Vance and Musk – that was a much closer call, but the vice president had the edge as six of the people I spoke to saw him as more powerful, three saw Musk that way, and one called it a tie.
Trump and his circle are pushing the idea of a third term
The interviews were random, but the questions weren’t.
Steve Bannon, a hard-right propagandist who worked in Trump’s first administration, rallied the CPAC crowd in a Thursday speech, urging them to chant “We want Trump” as the 2028 Republican nominee for president.
"A man like Trump comes along only once or twice in a country’s history," said Bannon, who framed his quest in terms of how he expected America’s media outlets to hate it.
And that’s the point. It’s a troll.
But trolling can also be boundary-testing. Nobody likes to see what he can get away with more than Trump, who broached the idea again of a third term during an event Thursday at the White House.
And U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, helped Trump probe the limits by introducing a resolution last month to allow a third Trump term.
Do Trump supporters want a third term?
Noah Gassler, 23, from Prince Edward County, Virginia, told me that Trump should not seek a third term and should comply with any order issued by the Supreme Court.
”We have a constitutional amendment limiting the president to two terms. It’s to avoid presidents becoming tyrants,” Gassler said, adding that on the courts, “If he wants to be seen as a president who upholds law and order, I think he should abide by their decisions.”
Trump and Vance have been critical of lower court judges ruling against their administration, with the vice president edging up to the line of defying the country’s highest court.
William Heath of Clinton, Iowa, who was spending his 70th birthday at CPAC on Friday, was open to the idea of a Trump third term but against the president defying the high court.
”The Supreme Court is important to ensure that the Constitution is implemented properly,” Heath told me.
Leah Parsons, 45, of Calvert County, Maryland, took the long view on following the Constitution: “I think we should respect that because maybe someday our side is not in power and I wouldn’t want another side doing the same thing.”
Laura Forbes-Bryant, 49, of Charles County, Maryland, said she would be in favor of a Trump third term if that were legal.
“But I think it’s time to pass the baton,” she added.
Do Trump supporters think Elon Musk is more powerful than JD Vance?
On the perception of power, Bonnie Heath, 72, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, told me that Musk’s ability to cut government with Trump’s approval makes him more powerful than Vance.
“The power of the audit is mighty,” said Bonnie, who is unrelated to William.
Soren Powell, 46, of Accokeek, Maryland, gives the edge to Musk.
”From what I can tell, Elon is pulling a lot of strings behind the scenes,” Powell said. “Vance is giving good speeches but he’s not really doing the work.”
Tyler Yzaguirre, 32, of Washington, D.C., also leans Musk's way, saying, “Just because of how close he and Trump are, how they are together all the time.”
Gassler goes with Vance, because the vice president was elected to his office.
”Elon, he definitely has a lot of influence, a lot of power, but I feel like he’s been brought on as an adviser,” Gassler said. “He doesn’t actually get to make laws. Trump still has agency. Trump can still say, no, I’m not going to do that if he doesn’t like something Elon is doing.”
Follow Paste BN columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan