Will the MAGA Doctrine Continue After Trump Leaves Office?

There are people who claim that Donald Trump is a lame-duck president. Yet, this so-called lame duck has accomplished more for America and Americans in just over 100 days that Joe Biden accomplished for them in four years.

According to Victor Davis Hanson, those who want Trump to be a lame-duck president are hoping that the MAGA movement will go away when Trump leaves office. The MAGA movement arose from the Tea Party movement as well as taking some ideas from the candidacy of Ron Paul. Neither the Tea Party movement nor the efforts of Ron Paul are robust today, one reason detractors hope that the MAGA movement will go away also – much like Reaganism did not survive President Ronald Reagan. Hanson continued with his explanation. 

A lot of presidents think about [running for a third term]. Every successful president, the topic comes up. It came up with Reagan. It came up with Clinton [and] Obama….

But here’s my point. Trump was not serious at the time . He just wanted to either troll the press and media or he wanted to dispel the idea that he was a lame duck and just throw it out there that maybe he could be president a third time. Because if you look at the language of the 22^nd Amendment, it doesn’t say you can’t hold office twice. It says you can’t be elected.

Perhaps he could get a vice president – he could run as vice president. The president could resign. And then, he would take over and hold office three times but not be elected. That was all fantasy. He was never going to do that. No voter would vote for a president to step down.

Here’s my point, again. Donald Trump was trolling and he knows what makes the Left angry and confuses. And the worst thing that they fear is a third term. But just this May – just recently he was asked that question again. He said, “Of course I’m not gonna run for a third term. And who’s going to be the standard bearer? I don’t know. I don’t wanna pick them. But we have an obvious vice president who’s a firm believer in MAGA. And we have Marco Rubio, a successful secretary of state, who could also serve.”

But the point, again, is he raised the question, “Will this MAGA doctrine continue after I leave? Will there be sunshine after the sun is gone?” In other words, to use a simile. And he’s saying, “I’m gonna be around. I’m gonna be a senior statesman. I’m going to endorse somebody. And I’m gonna ensure that that person, by the force of my ex-presidency and influence, shall abide by MAGA doctrines.”

So no, Donald Trump is not going to seek a third term. And yes, I think the MAGA ideology of the Republican Party will stay with us for the near future.