Will Trump really run again in 2028?

ON TUESDAY, in the middle of a meeting between President Trump and Democratic leaders over the impending government shutdown, red “Trump 2028” baseball caps suddenly appeared on the Resolute Desk.

- ROBIN ABCARIAN COLUMNIST

TRUMP 2028 caps have been popping up at rallies, online shops and in the Oval Office since the president assumed office in January.

“It was the strangest thing ever,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN.

Not really. Trump teasing a third term is getting to be, well, old hat at this point.

Last March, he told Kristen Welker, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” that he would not rule out pursuing an unconstitutional third White House stint. But is he serious?

“Some of this is trolling,” said Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan. “But the man has the largest ego of any person out there and he will do whatever it takes to be the center of attention.”

Not that it matters to Trump, but the 22nd Amendment is clear: No person who has been elected to the presidency twice may be elected a third time.

Still, as Trump told Welker, “I'm not joking.” And, he added, “There are methods which you could do it.”

There aren't, actually. At least not any legal methods.

And yet, I find myself worrying that he may try.

Remember, Trump already tried to overthrow the results of 2020’s free and fair presidential election, which he lost bigly. When pressuring Georgia election officials didn’t work (“I just want to find, uh, 11,780 votes....”), the president inspired a violent mob to descend on the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying the results. (“Hang Mike Pence,” anyone?)

At this point, the Constitution seems less a constraint than a mere sticking point for Trump as he smashmouths his way past anything that impedes his heart’s desires.