Will Trump join the strongman club?

The world’s most exclusive club, of presidents-for-life, is growing. It already includes Putin of Russia, Xi of China, Lukashenko of Belarus, Sisi of Egypt and Kim of North Korea. Then there are the other permanent rulers, MBS of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf monarchies, not forgetting Khamenei of Iran, and half a dozen African leaders.

Now Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is trying to join the club. He has engineered trumped-up charges of terrorism and corruption against the man who might beat him in forthcoming elections, Istanbul’s mayor. More importantly, Donald J. Trump openly admires such autocrats and clearly wants to be one himself. This is the age of the strongman – and the world is far more dangerous because of it.

Trump often muses that he might like a third term as president. This could be Trump’s usual trolling, but he has returned to the subject again and again. He should get four more years ‘based on the way we were treated’, because his first campaign had been ‘spied on’; he wasn’t ‘100 per cent sure’ he couldn’t run again; he was ‘so good’ people might say he should make a comeback. Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon – the keeper of the MAGA flame – says his old boss will run and win in 2028. Bannon was asked about the small problem of the US Constitution and its 22nd Amendment, which says you get only two terms, eight years. He gave a knowing smile. ‘We’re working on it. I think we’ll have a couple of alternatives.’ 

What on earth is Bannon talking about? He says he hopes for a once-in-a-generation realignment of US politics, as when FDR won in 1932. FDR had four terms – the only US president to have more than two – but that was because of the second world war and before the 22nd Amendment.