Is Trump Planning To Rule Forever? As Americans drown in chaos, Trump flaunts Trump 2028 merch in the White House, testing if the Constitution even matters anymore. The question isn’t if he’ll try; it's if we’ll together stop him. Michael Cohen and MeidasTouch Network Sep 10 Guest article by Michael Cohen. Follow him on Substack for more by clicking here Donald Trump never jokes. Let me repeat that, because it seems to fly over the heads of half this country like Air Force One buzzing Mar-a-Lago. He doesn’t joke. He telegraphs. Every “quip” about staying in office beyond his term is not a punchline; it’s a test balloon. And guess what? We’ve let him float them so high, they’ve blotted out the damn sun. So here we are in 2025, Americans drowning in chaos like it’s our new national pastime. Inflation flare-ups, migrant deportations, wars abroad, climate disasters, tariff wars—to name just a few—we wake up each day spinning from the headlines. And while we’re chasing every fire like confused Golden Retrievers, Trump and his loyalists are doing what they do best: plotting. Behind closed doors, between daily briefings and TV appearances, the machinery of permanent power is being assembled brick by brick. And don’t take my word for it; just look at the branding. The White House gift shop now peddles Trump 2028 merchandise like it’s just another line in the catalog, right next to the MAGA coffee mugs, watches, and golden sneakers. This isn’t subtle. This isn’t “own the libs” irony. It’s a statement: He’s not leaving. Of course, the Constitution has something to say about this. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951 after FDR’s four-term marathon, makes it clear: two terms, max. Trump’s own handpicked Supreme Court darling Amy Coney Barrett admits as much, telling Bret Baier, “That’s what the amendment says.” Thanks, Amy. Glad you cracked that one wide open. But notice the wiggle. Notice the lawyerly hedging. She didn’t say it was unchallengeable. She said it’s what the amendment says. And then you have Justice Sonia Sotomayor on The View—yes, that’s where we are as a country, parsing constitutional law over coffee mugs and celebrity gossip—pointing out that the 22nd Amendment has never been challenged in court. Her words: “Until somebody tries, you don’t know.” Translation? Trump could try. No. Trump will try. And with this Supreme Court, with this Congress, with this country still clinging to his every grievance, who’s to say he couldn’t pull it off? Now here’s the part where I get nasty, because I told you so. I screamed it from the rooftops in 2020, 2024, and again in 2025. Trump doesn’t respect norms. He doesn’t respect laws. Hell, he doesn’t respect reality. The man tried to overturn an election, sat back while his mob ransacked the Capitol, and then had the gall to claim he was the victim. And people still voted for him. He joked about staying beyond two terms during the 2025 campaign, and the crowd roared like they were at a Rolling Stones concert. So here’s the million-dollar question: Does America actually want a king? A monarch? A ruler for life? Because maybe the answer is yes. Maybe a slice of this country—the same people wearing Trump 2028 hats while slurping Diet Coke—are tired of democracy altogether. Maybe they want the simplicity of a strongman. One voice, one will, one supreme leader. It’s not that different from the cult logic I’ve seen up close: blind loyalty in exchange for certainty. Trump knows this. That’s why he keeps dangling the possibility of a third term like a carrot, telling audiences he “probably won’t” run, but hey, “people are asking him.” Of course they’re asking him; he’s trained them to. He’s made himself indispensable, painting every successor—Vance, Rubio, Don Jr., whoever—as second-tier, pale imitations of the real deal. He’s the brand. He’s the show. And like every authoritarian before him, he’s grooming the stage for a forever run. Don’t dismiss this as paranoia. History is clear: authoritarians don’t seize power in one stroke. They erode it slowly, steadily, while their supporters cheer. FDR broke the two-term precedent, yes—but he did it with a world war raging, and Congress acted afterward to slam the door shut. Trump wants to kick that door off its hinges, not because of necessity, but because he craves adoration. And if you think the courts, the Constitution, or Congress will stand in his way, remember: these are the same institutions that have bent and buckled under his weight for nearly a decade. So I’ll say it again, with all the cynicism I can muster: I told you so. I told you Trump would never leave willingly. I told you that every “joke” was a threat in disguise. And I told you that unless America wakes the hell up, we’re going to sleepwalk into coronation day. The question is whether we deserve it. Because if we keep letting Trump float his “jokes,” keep buying the hats, keep excusing the authoritarian cosplay as harmless bluster, then maybe we’re not just getting the leader we deserve; we’re begging for him. And when the Trump 2032 banners roll out, don’t act surprised. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. THEY ARE NOT LEAVING. HAD ENOUGH YET? TIRED OF THE BILLIONAIRE CLASS ROBBING US AND OUR CHILDREN OF THEIR FUTURE? IF YES, THEN PLEASE, SUBSCRIBE. SHARE. RESTACK. JOIN ME!!!! Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump Discharged Felon I know—you’re drained. Burned out. Numb from the chaos. Same here. But for nearly a decade I’ve been swinging in the dark, carving out space for truth to breathe. Now I’m asking you to swing with me. Because if you’ve made it this far, you already know: This isn’t a newsletter. It’s a battle cry. A siren. A line drawn deep in the dirt. We are not bystanders watching the wreckage pile up. We are the pushback. We drag the rot into daylight. We speak the unspeakable and refuse to blink. But here’s the catch—I can’t carry this fight alone. The storm isn’t coming—it’s here. Wrapped in red, white, and blue. Preaching “liberty” while peddling authoritarianism like it’s a discount sale. So I’ll ask you straight: Are. You. With. Me? This isn’t the kind of post you skim and forget. This is movement. Messy, loud, relentless movement—and it only exists if you fuel it. We need to shout past spin, punch holes through propaganda, and be immune to gaslighting. That takes more than clicks. More than hollow likes. It takes skin in the game. So if you believe truth matters—if you’re sick of the circus, if you want to stop screaming into the void and start striking back—this is your moment. Here’s how you throw down: Become a paid subscriber. Fund the kind of journalism that doesn’t flinch. Share this with the loudest voices you know—the ones who never bite their tongue. Build the community. Amplify the message. Be the megaphone. And yeah—Founding Members: the first 240 will get a signed, numbered, limited-edition Substack version of Revenge. Not just a collector’s item. It’s proof. Evidence that you stood up instead of sitting out. But don’t get it twisted: This isn’t about a book. It’s about guts. It’s about spine. It’s about locking arms and saying, “Not. On. Our. Watch.” You want to make a dent? Then make it—now. Because if we don’t fight for truth, no one will. But if we fight together? They. Can’t. Silence. Us. Let’s be so loud they’ll pray we were only angry tweets. Let’s be immovable. Unshakable. Unignorable. Un-fucking-breakable. Game on. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. A guest post by Michael Cohen Principal of Crisis-X #1 and #8 NYT Bestseller Author Host of The Mea Culpa Podcast Co-Host of The Political Beatdown Former Personal Attorney To President Donald J. Trump and Discharged Felon