President Trump is leaving the door open to the idea of seeking a third term — even though that door is apparently firmly closed by the Constitution.

His suggestion is eliciting divergent reactions among Democrats and liberals. Some see the speculation over a third term as part of an ominous, autocratic push by the president.

Other see a diversionary tactic or simple attention-trolling, as other stories including ‘Signalgate’ and a stumbling stock market afflict Trump.

Trump has alluded to a third term before. It’s never been quite clear whether he’s joking.

But the most recent speculation was sparked by an interview with NBC News broadcast over the weekend. Trump directly insisted he was not kidding.

“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump told host Kristen Welker. He also told Welker there were “methods which you could do it.”

The president did not outline the full gamut of supposed options, but he did say that a possibility his allies have floated — having Vice President Vance run as the GOP presidential nominee in 2028, win, and then pass power back to Trump — was one possibility.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday aboard Air Force One, the president seemed to inch away from the idea again, while not abandoning it entirely.

“I don't even want to talk about it. I'm just telling you I have had more people saying, 'Please run again.' We have a long way to go before we even think about that, but I've had a lot of people [say that],” Trump insisted.

Some Democrats........

© The Hill