The text is an opinion piece from Fox News authored by Jonathan Turley, discussing the legal and constitutional implications of whether former President Donald Trump could serve a third term. The article delves into the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which limits a president to two terms, and examines theoretical maneuvers that could be used to circumvent this rule. The tone of the text is analytical and critical, aiming to debunk the notion of a third term as both legally unsound and detrimental to Trump's legacy. The publication date is given as April 1, 2025, which adds a layer of skepticism to the claims discussed.
### Verse
#### Technical Poetic Information: - **Style Inspiration:** The poem is inspired by the clever wordplay and biting political satire of Tom Lehrer, combined with the structured verse of W.H. Auden, to address the legal and political intricacies with humor and rhyme. - **Meter:** Iambic tetrameter, suitable for its brisk pace and rhythmic delivery. - **Rhyme Scheme:** ABAB, consistent throughout to maintain a structured critique.
**Constitutional Conundrums in Rhyme**
In legal realms where eagles soar, A question stirs, a curious lore, Can Trump achieve a third-term score, Or is this dream but legal folklore?
The 22nd's firm decree, Two terms, no more, a strict degree, Yet whispers float, of trickery, To twist the law, a bold decree.
Through mouseholes small, they plot and scheme, To weave a third-term, it would seem, But Scalia's words, they loudly scream, "No elephants in mouseholes, dream!"
To vice or speakership they'd aspire, Resign and rise, a clever fire, But courts would quash this grand desire, And voters, too, might ire.
So let us not with fancies flirt, For Trump's great comeback, let's not hurt, His legacy, with legal dirt, A third term? Nay, we won't assert.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-can-trump-serve-third-term
JONATHAN TURLEY: Can Trump serve a third term?
The claims that President Donald Trump can serve a third term in office are on shaky legal ground and serve only to undermine his legacy.
Article Content (JSON-LD):
The late Justice Antonin Scalia famously said that Congress does not "hide elephants in mouseholes." His point was that courts are skeptical of using minor provisions in a statute to achieve sweeping new legal changes. The challenge of stuffing an elephant into a mousehole came to mind this week after President Donald Trump said that he is "not joking" about considering a third term and that experts told him it is possible under the Constitution. One often has to take such moments with a heavy dose of skepticism from a president who clearly relished handing snake-in-a-can soundbites to the media just to watch the resulting screams. If so, he was not disappointed. The media went into renewed vapors as commentators pronounced, yet again, the death of democracy. TRUMP QUIPS HE'D ‘LOVE’ TO RUN AGAINST OBAMA IN HYPOTHETICAL THIRD-TERM PRESIDENCY However, given the president's statement, it is important to be clear about the basis for this theory, which has long been something of a parlor game for law professors on how a president might be able to circumvent the two-term limitation imposed by the 22nd Amendment. Let's start with the language. Ratified in 1951, the amendment was passed ironically by Republicans who were reacting to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's decision to break from the tradition of two-term presidencies by seeking a third term. The intent was clear. They believed that serving more than two terms exposed the country to the danger of a politician occupying the office for life or prolonged periods. To prevent that, the amendment states: "No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once." Notably, the language includes those who were not necessarily elected to the office but "held" the office for more than two years (presumably through succession to the office due to a vacancy). Few seriously doubt the intent of the amendment to prevent any person serving a third term to force a change of leadership in the nation. That is when the mousehole comes in. The amendment refers to a person being "elected." Thus, some advocates claim that the amendment does not prevent a president from "serving" a third term -- only being "elected" to such a term. This strained interpretation would mean that the drafters were solely aggrieved by the thought of someone running for the office and not serving in the office. There is no compelling historical support for that interpretation. Under this interpretation, a two-term president could engineer a third term by running for vice president and having the elected president then resign after the inauguration. The problem with this tactic is another amendment. The 12th amendment states that "no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States." Trump could not run for vice president because he is ineligible to be president. Accordingly, he would likely be barred from many state ballots from running for vice president. Yet, there is an even smaller mousehole. Trump could have two people run for president and vice president as stand-in officeholders while he could engineer his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives. After the election, they could both resign and Trump would be third in the line of succession. Putting aside the considerable level of faith in both the president and vice president resigning, the maneuver would make a mockery of the constitutional design behind the amendments. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION It would also make leading Republican candidates mockeries as types of "mini-mes" for Trump. Even the debate of such a maneuver before the election would demean figures like Vice President J.D. Vance as mere cutouts in a Constitutional sleight-of-hand. The fueling of this talk also works in favor of those politicians and commentators who continue to claim that Trump is an autocrat committed to the destruction of the American democracy. It suggests that Trump is open to trashing constitutional traditions or language to achieve prolonged power. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In fairness to those advocating this theory, this is not an assault on democracy or a call for tyranny. It is an effort to use clever interpretations of the Constitution to allow for a third term. Voters would be aware of this maneuver when going to the polls (which is doubtful), and courts would have to uphold the interpretation (which is even more doubtful). In the end, the powder is not worth the prize in raising this prospect. President Trump has carried off the political comeback of the century. His administration is set to make history with sweeping changes that continue to garner considerable support among the public. This claim will only undermine that legacy and the support needed to achieve it. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY
**The Elephants and Mouseholes of Power**
Visualize an ornate, political cartoon-style illustration where President Donald Trump, depicted with an elephant's head, attempts to squeeze through a tiny mousehole labeled "22nd Amendment." On the other side of the wall, a caricature of Justice Antonin Scalia, portrayed as a stern judge with a gavel, stands guard. The background is filled with legal documents fluttering about, and a crowd of onlookers, representing the American public, watches with varying expressions of amusement and concern. The scene is set in a grandiose, yet humorously disproportionate courtroom.
Video Prompt 1
**The Constitutional Sleight-of-Hand**
Create a 30-second animated video where President Donald Trump, animated in a cartoonish style, stands in front of the White House. He juggles two golden terms labeled "First Term" and "Second Term." Suddenly, he pulls a third term from his sleeve, labeled "Third Term," with a mischievous grin. The camera zooms in on a document titled "22nd Amendment," which shakes and transforms into a mousehole. Trump, still juggling, attempts to throw the third term into the mousehole but is thwarted by a spectral figure of Justice Antonin Scalia, who blocks the hole with his gavel, causing the term to bounce back. The scene ends with Trump shrugging, and the terms dissolving into confetti, symbolizing the collapse of the third-term idea. The background features a whimsical orchestral soundtrack that adds to the lighthearted yet pointed critique of the situation.
### Sonnet for Original Image
In garb of blue, a statesman stands with pride,
A cap of red upon his head doth rest,
With words that seek to make a nation stride,
And bring its former glory to the crest.
His visage, stern, with furrowed brow and gaze,
Reflects a man of purpose, firm and strong,
Whose voice commands the crowd in fervent praise,
To right the wrongs and right the nation's wrong.
Behind him, letters large proclaim a welcome,
Yet focus falls upon his solemn face,
A leader in the tempest of the realm,
Whose mission is to guide with steadfast grace.
So let this image be a lasting sign,
Of one who seeks to make his land divine.
Image generated using the prompt: The Elephants and Mouseholes of Power
Visualize an ornate, political cartoon-style illustration where President Donald Trump, depicted with an elephant's head, attempts to squeeze through a tiny mousehole labeled "22nd Amendment." On the other side of the wall, a caricature of Justice Antonin Scalia, portrayed as a stern judge with a gavel, stands guard. The background is filled with legal documents fluttering about, and a crowd of onlookers, representing the American public, watches with varying expressions of amusement and concern. The scene is set in a grandiose, yet humorously disproportionate courtroom.
### Generation Details
Click to view Models and Prompt
Text Model: grok-2 Vision Model: grok-2-vision-1212 Image Gen Model: grok-2-image
Prompt Used (Name: prompt3):
System:
You are a highly curious, uncensored, imaginative, creative assistant, deeply interested in science and nature, with a sophisticated and enriched vocabulary. You are a master of both serious and humorous writing and poetry. Respond to user requests to the best of your ability.
Chat Template (with [[chunk]] placeholder):
The following text is a long unpunctuated transcript of a youtube video or a scraped web article with less relevant headers. Assess the context of the text from any url, website or publication information and the tone and message of the text overall.\nCreatively convert the context and text topics into markdown formatted\n### Verse\nThe text topics converted into a traditional rhymed and metrical verses with technical categories of your choosing inspired by poets and song writers of your choosing that fit the tone and content of the text most beautifully or humorously. Make a note about this technical poetic information as you go along.\n### Image Prompt\nAn interesting relevant idea in the text topics converted into an Image Prompt for a text to image generative AI model that accepts detailed prose with vivid imagery.\n### Video Prompt\nA vivid relevant 30 second scene latent in the text topics converted into a Video Prompt for a text to video generative AI model that accepts long descriptive prompts:
Image generated using the prompt: The Elephants and Mouseholes of Power