During her Senate confirmation hearing for Attorney General, Pam Bondi suggested that Donald Trump could run for a third term as president if the Constitution were changed.
Bondi was Trump’s second pick for United States Attorney General after his first controversial pick, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration. Unlike Gaetz, she isn’t dragged down by misconduct allegations, and she is one of the few Trump cabinet picks who actually boasts relevant experience for the position for which she was nominated. Hence, her Senate confirmation hearing wasn’t very contentious. However, the major concern Democrats voiced during the hearing was her loyalty to Trump. Back in 2020, Bondi proved her unwavering loyalty to Trump by backing and promoting his false claims of election fraud. Since she was willing to try to overturn a fair election for Trump, Democrats expressed hesitation about giving her power over the Department of Justice, knowing she could weaponize it to serve Trump.
While Bondi promised not to weaponize the DOJ, she raised several red flags regarding elections. Despite repeatedly being asked if Trump lost the 2020 election, she staunchly refused to answer “yes or no” to the question. Additionally, she expressed openness to the idea of Trump running for president again in 2028.
Pam Bondi suggests Trump could run for president again
During the Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Chris Coons questioned Bondi about who would be her main client as Attorney General. She responded, “My oath would be to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. The people of America would be my client.” While she acknowledged that she would “advise” the president, she reiterated that the American people were her clients, which was a satisfactory answer. Given her understanding of her oath to the Constitution, Coons followed up with a very simple question about her interpretation of it. He asked, “Is president-elect Trump eligible to run for another term as president in 2028?”
Bondi could’ve simply said “no” because the Constitution bars presidents from serving more than two terms. However, she responded, “No, Senator … not unless they change the Constitution.”
Bondi’s mention of changing the Constitution raises eyebrows, especially since Trump has proposed doing the same thing in the past. Perhaps she was just being thorough in her answers. The thing is, Coons and everyone else already knows that the Constitution, since 1951, has put a two-term limit on presidents. Hence, he wasn’t asking to see if she knew about this clause, but if she’d respect it, even if it goes against Trump’s desires. The supreme law of the land says that Trump can’t run in 2028, so the answer should’ve been a resounding “No.” Yet, Bondi suggested he could do it if the Constitution were changed.
Again, she said this right after acknowledging her own oath to uphold and defend the Constitution as Attorney General. Someone serious about this oath would not casually mention that someone could change that Constitution. She’s not just entertaining someone changing it but entertaining changing a crucial clause that was put in place to avoid presidents becoming a threat to freedom and democracy. When someone suggests doing something that goes against the Constitution, it seems like common sense to say, “No, you can’t do that,” not to say, “Well, they could change the Constitution.”
Her comment was especially concerning given that Trump also suggested he might run for another term. He said he only suspected he might not run again, although he cryptically mentioned how maybe America would “just figure it out” and find a way to make his third term possible. Trump joking about a third term and floating ideas to “change the Constitution” was concerning enough without his presumptive Attorney General also casually suggesting that the Constitution could be changed.
Published: Jan 16, 2025 05:38 pm