One of Capitol Hill’s most prominent — and most vocal — Democrats is warning about what he says are the ways President Donald Trump could try to remain in power beyond his current term.
Trump has long hinted that he is interested in a third term, and even has had red “Trump 2028” caps as part of his merchandise offering. And while he recently appeared to put to rest questions about a third term — prohibited under a plain reading of the U.S. Constitution — by saying he has been told he cannot run, doubts among some still linger.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) on Friday shared what he suggested were possible ways Trump could try to stay in power past 2028 — and warned he thinks it’s possible that he will.
“I think he is right now trying to scheme a way to be able to stay,” Murphy told The Bulwark’s Sam Stein at the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival.
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“I think you have a potential, two potential Supreme Court vacancies coming up,” Murphy noted, “and it may be very important for him to install folks on the Supreme Court who may be willing to entertain radical ideas about the restrictions on the Constitution, about a third term.”
Murphy continued with an alternative theory, suggesting that Trump “may just be interested in installing Donald Trump Jr. or another family member in the White House.”
But then the Connecticut Democrat served up a warning.
“Whatever he’s planning on doing, he can’t get away with it unless he destroys the ability of the people to speak their mind in elections because he and his party are going to lose in 2026 and 2028 unless he’s successful in rigging the election,” Murphy declared.
He vowed, “We’re going to do everything in our power, and we need to order all of our advocacy in the United States Senate and the House to stop him from doing it.”
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Murphy continued with his warnings.
“I don’t think anybody with ambition right now should be planning on running for president in 2028 because we may not have a free and fair election in 2028,” Murphy declared. “We all have to be in the business of saving our democracy right now.”
“I do think we have to, all of us,” he added, “be traveling the entire country, whether it be an early primary state or not, to build this political resistance movement.”
Q: Is your anticipation that Trump is going to try to remain in the White House after 2028?
CHRIS MURPHY: Sure. I think right now he is trying to scheme a way to stay. pic.twitter.com/mw4Zco38Cv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 14, 2025
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