Donald Trump isn’t hiding his contempt for critics warning he’s consolidating too much power — he’s rubbing it in their faces. On Sunday, the president posted a bizarre, taunting video to his Truth Social account, hinting at the idea of staying in power permanently with a meme declaring himself ruler “4EVA.”
The video plays like a surreal troll job aimed squarely at those who showed up to “No Kings” rallies over the weekend — nationwide protests warning against authoritarian overreach in Trump’s second term.
It starts with a mock Time magazine cover titled “How Trumpism Outlasts Trump,” then zooms in to reveal a series of fake campaign yard signs: “Trump 2028,” “Trump 2032,” “Trump 2036,” and on and on. The dramatic, almost cartoonishly sinister music of Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King blares in the background as the years tick by.
The sequence escalates until Trump himself appears holding a “Trump 2048” sign — which then speeds through election years all the way to the year 90,000. The final punchline? A looming black screen flashing the message: “TRUMP 4EVA.”
On the surface, it’s another Trumpian meme meant to trigger the left. But the timing — just after protests specifically warning against permanent presidential power — makes it feel like a calculated middle finger to anyone concerned about the erosion of democratic norms.
Trump has leaned into this idea before. At a recent Oval Office meeting with Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, “Trump 2028” hats were placed deliberately on the Resolute Desk — not so much a statement as a provocation.
Legally, Trump can’t run again after this term. The 22nd Amendment is clear: two terms max. But that hasn’t stopped him from repeatedly floating the idea of a third term — or more — almost as a running joke that doesn’t feel entirely like a joke.
Scrapping the term limits would require a constitutional amendment — a politically herculean feat needing two-thirds of both the House and Senate, followed by approval from three-fourths of state legislatures. Nearly impossible. But that hasn’t calmed nerves.
Even among seasoned Democrats, the concern is real. California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently told Stephen Colbert, “I fear that we will not have an election in 2028 — I really mean that in the core of my soul — unless we wake up to the code red of what’s happening in this country and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is.”
Meanwhile, Trump has taken a darker turn in public musings, frequently bringing up his own mortality — possibly to frame his political legacy as something that will outlive him.
On a flight from Washington to Israel, he told Fox News’ Peter Doocy: “I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I really don’t. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly in Air Force One. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people.”
For his critics, the meme may be absurd. For his base, it’s more fuel for the movement. But the message is the same: Trump isn’t going anywhere — not quietly, and not soon.
