President Donald Trum raised eyebrows on Monday when he made a sinister jest about pulling the United States into a war in order to stay in power after his second term ended.
He made the remark while meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Oval Office. Trump was answering a reporter’s query on why there hasn’t been an election in Ukraine. Zelensky’s tenure, which started in May 2019, was scheduled to expire in May 2024, but voting is now impossible due to Russia’s invasion.
Trump seems to have an uneasy thought after that. Is it impossible to hold elections during a war? In my opinion, there won’t be any more elections in three and a half years if we end up at war with someone. He joked, “That’s good.”
It’s there.
Trump claims that he enjoys the concept of declaring war in order to end future elections and maintain his position of power indefinitely.www.twitter.com/W3AycWoEEW images
August 18, 2025: No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC)
Although it was spoken in jest, the comment struck a chord with a president who has frequently hinted at a third term. Trump has never shied away from taking advantage of obscure regulations, and detractors fear this could be more than lighthearted joking. Netizens expressed dissatisfaction with X’s word choice.
“I can’t believe he joked about that,” one commenter remarked. Like what? This subject is not amusing. “It’s not funny,” said another. Because you know damn well that he has already considered it, which scares me! TRUMP, YOU ARE NOT FUNNY!
He has already demonstrated a desire to go outside the law. He invoked the antiquated Alien Enemies Act in March to defend the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants without a trial.
The 22nd Amendment clearly states that a president may only hold office for two elected terms. However, Trump has contemplated disregarding that limitation on numerous occasions. Many people want me to do it, he stated in an interview with NBC News in March. However, I essentially remind them that we still have a lot of work ahead of us because the administration is still very young. My attention is on the present.
He continued, “I’m not joking,” when asked if he was being serious. However, I don’t think so because it’s much too early.
Ever since he entered politics in 2016, Trump’s political strategy has been characterized by this conflict between being lighthearted and being grave. Laws have often been barriers he attempts to circumvent or force through.
Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in 2024 when he was seeking reelection. The charges were related to hush-money payments he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election.
Trump’s opposition to the US Constitution was made abundantly evident a long time ago.
August 18, 2025, Dark Chayse (@DarkChayse)
Naturally, after his own vice president, Mike Pence, declined to reverse the results, he famously called on thousands of his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol in a violent attempt to prevent Joe Biden’s election from being confirmed on January 6, 2021.
Legal experts swiftly deemed Trump’s administration’s attempt to abolish birthright citizenship by executive order to be flagrantly unlawful. Court cases pertaining to such endeavor are currently pending.
What does Trump mean when he makes jokes about war as a way to maintain power? For a lot of people, it feels more like another warning flag than amusement.
