Donald Trump made a major political comeback, but he has one major weakness, a professor argued on Sunday.
E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington, D.C., columnist covering national politics for the Washington Post and a government professor at Georgetown University, said over the weekend that Trump's status as an immediate "lame duck" president could hold him back over the next four years.
Dionne began by emphasizing the limits set on a President under the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, saying it was "clear and unambiguous" that Trump can't serve again after this upcoming term.
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The professor went on to say that everyone in government, but especially Republicans, should look beyond Trump.
"This means that when he is inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump immediately becomes a lame duck president," Dionne wrote in the Post. "This has important implications for everyone in government. That’s especially true for Republicans."
He then added that, "After nearly a decade — during which so many in the GOP cowered in fear over the costs of defying Trump — ambitious senators, House members and governors will be contemplating their own futures in a world without him."
Republicans in the Senate showed that they are already capable of thinking post-Trump when they chose to reject MAGA favorite Rick Scott as the Senate GOP leader, according to Dionne. Now they should continue to do so in order to hold Trump back when his autocratic tendencies show themselves, he argued.
"Just as important, recognizing the limitations on a Trump presidency is a first step toward holding Trump in check," he wrote on Sunday. "Doing so allows us to imagine a politics liberated from the unhealthy hold he has on the imaginations of both parties."
Dionne concluded with a warning about Trump's power.
"There should be no complacency about what Trump can do. He has a lot of power. The MAGA movement will bring pressure to bear on any Republican dissidents," he wrote. "Many in the party no doubt wonder if Trump’s sway over his followers will ever go away. But GOP politicians now face a question they never had to ask about Trump: How much are they willing to risk on behalf of a lame-duck president?"