Trump said it. Now he’s building the machine to make it real.
Trump is on the quest to be president for life, like his on-and-off buddy, Vladimir Putin. And he has already told world leaders how he might do it.
“If we are at war… no more elections.”
He said that behind closed doors with President Zelenskyy and European leaders. He smiled and called it a joke, but the setting made it clear. This was a message. He was testing how far he can go.
States’ rights were supposed to stop this.
The Constitution says powers not granted to the federal government go to the states or the people. That is what the Tenth Amendment guarantees:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
That is the legal firewall. Federal elections are run by the states. Article I, Section 4 makes that clear:
“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations.”