Trump will be in his eighties by the time he finishes his term, which means the notion of a third term would be implausible even without the 22nd Amendment. So why does he keep talking about it?
Part of it is to tweak the left, of course. Part of it is because he has grown to love exercising power. He probably can’t imagine the country without him, and he may fear future legal problems in spite of the Supreme Court’s immunity decision. But the biggest reason is that it keeps him from sounding like a lame duck. It gives him leverage against any opposition, and it keeps the GOP’s factions in line. The techno-aristocrats and the populists may despise each other, but they don’t dare break into open warfare as long as he’s in charge.
Of course, the problem for him is that his presence galvanizes the left like nothing else. He will feel that in 2026.