Social media critics sounded off Thursday night after a MAGA Republican announced his proposal to amend the Constitution to allow President Donald Trump to seek a third term.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) on Thursday proposed a House Joint Resolution to amend the Constitution to allow a president to be elected for up to three terms. In doing so, he cited Trump's accomplishments and "decisive leadership."
"President Trump’s decisive leadership stands in stark contrast to the chaos, suffering, and economic decline Americans have endured over the past four years. He has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal," Ogles said in a news release.
Presidential term limits were officially established in the United States in 1951, with the ratification of the 22nd Amendment. The amendment limited presidents to serving no more than two elected terms.
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Before that, the country had no formal limit for presidents, though they traditionally served two terms following a precedent set by George Washington. That tradition was famously broken by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected to four consecutive terms during the Great Depression and World War II.
The internet swiftly reacted to Ogles on Thursday night with a mix of mockery, worry and disdain.
"Here we go. Republican Congressman Andy Ogles has drafted a constitutional amendment to allow Donald Trump to be president for a third term," the Republicans Against Trumpism account wrote on Bluesky.
"Andy Ogles just introduced a constitutional amendment to allow Donald Trump a third term. I think someone will have some thoughts about that," wrote Santiago Mayer, executive director at Voters of Tomorrow, on Bluesky. Attached to Mayer's post: a smiling gif of former President Barrack Obama.
"You guys, this is not great," Molly Jong-Fast, special correspondent at Vanity Fair and host of the Fast politics podcast and MSNBC, wrote on Bluesky.
"Nobody ever heard or cared about a congressman named Andy Ogles until he pushed some go-nowhere legislation to change the law and give Trump a third term. How’s the view from your knees, Andy?" chided Joe Hagan, special correspondent for Vanity Fair., on Bluesky.
"Pretty funny- Ogles, a right wing loon humiliating himself to curry favor with Trump, had enough sense to realize if this actually passed Barack Obama would wreck Trump in an election, so he wrote a line in to specifically block Obama from running," noted Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA).
"BREAKING: Republican Rep. Andy Ogles has introduced a constitutional amendment to allow Trump to serve a third term as president. When MAGA said they wanted Trump to be a king, they weren’t kidding. Utter insanity," wrote Democratic social media influencer Harry Sisson.
