Trump’s Third Term? Steve Bannon’s Nonsense Exposed
Steve Bannon isn’t joking—he’s testing boundaries and normalizing authoritarian thinking. The right’s disinformation machine is relentless, and we can’t afford to ignore it.
Steve Bannon is at it again. Speaking to a crowd at the New York Young Republican Club, he floated a wild claim that Donald Trump could run for a third term because his two terms wouldn’t be consecutive. “Are you ready for Trump 28?” he asked, leaning hard into the absurdity.
But Bannon isn’t just throwing this out there on a whim. He invoked attorney Mike Davis, who reportedly told Bannon that because Trump’s two terms wouldn’t be consecutive, he could somehow skirt the Constitution and run again. Davis, a former GOP operative who worked on the confirmation teams for Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, is a regular on Bannon’s podcast, where this misinformation is churned out to a loyal audience.
Bannon is testing boundaries, setting the stage for what could become the next Republican litmus test—just like the Big Lie that Trump “won” the 2020 election.
The 22nd Amendment Exists
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution makes it crystal clear:
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.
It doesn’t matter if those terms are consecutive or not. Two terms, and that’s it.
The rule was ratified in 1951, following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four-term presidency. It was designed specifically to prevent any president from accumulating unchecked power. Bannon’s “consecutive” argument, amplified by Davis, has zero legal basis—it’s a distortion meant to rile up his audience and keep Trump supporters hopeful for the impossible.
The Next Litmus Test: Do You Support Trump’s Third Term?
We’ve seen this tactic before.
In the wake of the 2020 election, “Who won the 2020 election?” became the defining litmus test for Republican members of Congress. Those who refused to go along with Trump’s lie—that he “won” when Biden was the rightful victor—faced primary threats, public banishment, and attacks from MAGA-aligned forces.
Bannon is attempting to replicate that playbook. The next litmus test won’t be about the past—it will be about the future:
Do you support Trump running for a third term?
The fact that this is constitutionally impossible doesn’t matter to Bannon or his audience. The goal is to push this lie into the mainstream, make it a test of loyalty within the Republican Party, and wield it as a cudgel against anyone who dares push back.
Legacy Media Must Step Up
This is where legacy media must step in—and step up.
• Those with regular access to members of Congress cannot allow the normalization of this absurd idea. Journalists need to ask Republican lawmakers where they stand on Trump’s so-called third term and hold them accountable for their answers.
• We cannot afford a repeat of the Big Lie, where disinformation wasn’t corrected early and instead became the dominant narrative for tens of millions of Americans.
A responsible, reliable Fourth Estate has a duty to not only correct the lie but to make it so toxic that it can’t shape how members of Congress conduct themselves, particularly as Trump eyes a return to power. Bannon’s efforts rely on repetition, normalization, and silence from credible media outlets. We cannot give him that opening.
Mike Davis: A Key Player in Bannon’s Machine
Bannon’s invocation of Mike Davis isn’t incidental—it’s strategic. Davis is a former Senate aide who led efforts to confirm Gorsuch and Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, a high-profile operative within Republican legal circles.
Since leaving government, Davis has become a fixture on far-right media, particularly Bannon’s War Room podcast, where he regularly pushes conspiratorial talking points about Trump’s legal battles and the Constitution. By suggesting Trump can “skirt the Constitution” and run again, Davis gives a veneer of legal credibility to Bannon’s authoritarian messaging.
This is how disinformation works: A lawyer like Davis floats a fringe idea, Bannon amplifies it, and suddenly the radical right has a talking point that gets repeated online, at events, and across digital media until it feels plausible to the base.
Gavin Wax and the Extremist Transformation of NYYRC
The New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC), under leader Gavin Wax, is no longer a mainstream political group. Wax has turned it into a breeding ground for extremist ideology and authoritarian rhetoric.
By inviting figures like Bannon, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and self-proclaimed fascists, Wax has positioned the NYYRC as a platform where fringe ideas—like Trump running for a third term—are normalized. This is not a harmless club; it’s a central node in the radical right’s disinformation machine.
The Disinformation Election: How the Right Dominates
This wasn’t just an election; it was a disinformation election, and I maintain this is no accident. Organizations like Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA and Gavin Wax’s NYYRC don’t just dominate digital spaces—they meet regularly, share messaging, and amplify extremist narratives.
We must match their energy.
Meanwhile, what’s happening on the progressive side? Almost nothing.
There is no equivalent infrastructure, no coordination, and no regular convening to combat these lies. The result? Half the country is awash in disinformation, and the radical right continues to set the agenda unchallenged.
Why This Matters
Bannon’s third-term nonsense might seem laughable, but it’s not harmless. It’s a test balloon for authoritarian thinking. It normalizes ideas that should remain unthinkable, and it pressures lawmakers to adopt extremist positions as new loyalty tests.
If legacy media fails to step up, if progressives fail to organize, this lie—like the Big Lie—could take hold. We cannot allow that to happen.
Conclusion: Staying Engaged
Let’s be clear: the 22nd Amendment still exists, and Trump cannot run for a third term. Bannon’s claim, backed by Mike Davis, is legally, factually, and constitutionally false.
But this isn’t just about the Constitution—it’s about how lies are normalized and weaponized. Legacy media must hold lawmakers accountable. Progressives must build the infrastructure to counter these narratives. And all of us must stay engaged.
Democracy doesn’t defend itself, and the disinformation machine isn’t slowing down.
Call to Action
Share this post. Talk to your friends and family about what’s really happening. The radical right didn’t build its machine overnight, and we can’t fight it without all of us working together.
I look forward to the day when Bannon is in New York state jail, his February trial cannot come soon enough.