Donald Trump will say to the media that he wants to serve a third term, because his numbers are so good. But this is another case of taking him seriously and not literally. I don’t think he will seriously seek to run for a third term. But, threatening to do so while reminding the press and his party about his approval numbers is a reminder about the grip he has on the imagination of the party. It is, in its way, a strategy for delaying the “lame duck” period.
But the consciousness of the political calendar is already obviously settling in, given the unusual amount of scrutiny that JD Vance is receiving for his appearance last night at a TPUSA event at Ole Miss. Prepare yourselves, because a great deal of the political commentary is already shifting into Republican primary mode, especially when it seems to be that the direction of the party is at stake.