GOP Uses Biggest Event to Push Trump Third-Term Scheme
The move comes as Trump’s base shows signs of strain, with tensions spilling out over the Epstein files and the war in Iran.
Evangelist Franklin Graham has urged conservatives to unite behind Donald Trump in an apparent bid to give the president a third term.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday, Graham urged Trump loyalists to put their differences aside and suggested they should try to keep the president in office.

Evangelist Franklin Graham delivers an invocation during Donald Trump's second inauguration on Jan 20, 2025.
Pool/Getty Images
“I love Donald Trump,” said Graham. “Is he perfect? No. But I love that guy. I love him. And we’ll never get another president like Donald Trump. That’s why we need to do everything we can to get him re-elected.”
Franklin, 73, is the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham and is one of Trump’s most prominent religious allies, acting as a key bridge to white evangelical voters.
Franklin Graham, son of the late Reverend Billy Graham, rallies for Trump at CPAC.
Daniel Cole/REUTERS
He later issued a statement saying that he “misspoke”. Regardless, a third term would be near-impossible given that the Constitution bans people from being elected as president more than twice.
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Nonetheless, this has not stopped Trump diehards—or the 79-year-old president himself—from daring to dream.
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Trump has repeatedly threatened to run for a third term and, earlier this year, even suggested going for a fourth.
Hats promoting an unlawful third term run in 2028 for Donald Trump are being sold at CPAC.
Daniel Cole/REUTERS
“RECORD NUMBERS ALL OVER THE PLACE! SHOULD I TRY FOR A FOURTH TERM?” he wrote on Truth Social.
But Graham’s comments come at a time when Trump’s base is showing signs of strain, with tensions spilling out over the Epstein files, the war in Iran, and bitter personal feuds.
As the Pentagon weighs up whether to send troops to the Middle East, Graham sought to counter reports of unease within Trump’s base over the conflict.
Praising Trump’s handling of the situation, he accused mainstream media outlets of attempting to “plant seeds of doubt” among supporters by highlighting criticism from within conservative ranks.
“They want to divide his base,” Graham said, urging attendees to reject such narratives.
Former Trump adviser Mercedes Schlapp also used the CPAC stage to call for MAGAworld to curb the infighting as they fend off Democrats during this year’s midterms.
“I love Donald Trump,” declared Franklin Graham at CPAC.
Daniel Cole/REUTERS
“You know who the enemy is? Communists, socialists, Marxists,” she said, taking aim at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Josh Hammer, host of The Josh Hammer Show, had a different approach, taking aim at former Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, podcaster Megyn Kelly, and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, whom he described as “cowards of the retard right.” All three have spoken out against the president or his policies in recent months.
“What is the end goal here? The answer is both simple and harrowing,” Hammer said. “The goal is to destroy the MAGA coalition and the current iteration of the American right.”
Meanwhile, former congressman Matt Gaetz, who Trump initially tapped to be Attorney General until a sex scandal with an underage girl derailed his chances, put the onus on Congress to help the president.
“We are facing the midterms soon… I don’t know how they’re going to go, but for nine more months, we have the presidency, we have the House, and we have the Senate. We have a majority. I think we should take it out for a spin,” he said.
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