Kidding on the square all the way to tyranny

Remember that stuff way back when about how some people took Trump seriously but not literally and other people took him literally but not seriously and maybe this is just all some experimental TV show or we’re really in the Matrix or whatever?

Kidding on the square is essential to the psychology and aesthetics of fascism:

The Trump Organization is encouraging supporters to “[m]ake a statement” with a “Trump 2028” hat, now available on the official Trump Store.

The big picture: President Trump said last month he’s “not joking” about serving a third term, but the 22nd amendment bars him from running again in 2028.

• Amending the Constitution is an arduous process that’s unlikely to succeed.
• While Trump later told reporters he’s not looking at the scenario now, he first told NBC “there are methods” by which he could make it happen.
• The White House did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.

Context: The 22nd amendment clearly states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

• Though Trump suggested his path back to the White House could be on the coattails of a JD Vance victory, top Republicans on the Hill shrugged off the third-term chatter.
• House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) characterized the idea as “too fanciful to really discuss seriously,” Axios’ Andrew Solender reported.
• But for $50, supporters can flaunt those fanciful musings.

Flashback: From sneakers to Bibles to perfume, the Trump branding bonanza is nothing new.

• Even after he assumed the presidency a second time, his political operation continued to hawk merch inspired by his agenda — such as “Make Greenland Great Again,” “Gulf of America” and “DOGE” t-shirts.
• Part of that push, Axios’ Alex Isenstadt notes, is to tap into issues that fire up his base — and get under his opponents’ skin. Case in point: plastic Trump straws.

Zoom in: But some legal scholars told Axios they’re taking the 2028 push, no matter how improbable, seriously.

• Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced a longshot measure in January that proposed a change to the Constitution that would allow Trump — but not former Presidents Bush, Obama or Clinton — to seek a third term.
• And former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said in an interview last month that he’s a “firm believer” that Trump will run and win the White House for a third time in 2028.
• Asked how Trump would sidestep constitutional limits, Bannon replied, “We’re working on it.”

I bet.

The hats are made in China natch. (Any guesses on the per unit manufacturing cost of this $50 hat?).

The fact is that nobody knows what Trump is going to do three years from now, including Trump.

I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit.

Look, why take a chance? At least that’s the way I feel about it.