London Real Alan Dershowitz - How Trump Can Legally Be President in 2029 - And Exactly How He Does It
Feb 19, 2026
Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law professor emeritus and constitutional scholar, offers a sharp legal tour of the 22nd Amendment and its ambiguities. He outlines hypothetical routes that might allow a former two-term president to return, contrasts textual versus purposive interpretation, and explores how courts and politics could shape any attempt to serve again.
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Designated Survivor Hypothetical
- Dershowitz offers a hypothetical where both president and vice president are killed and the House elects a prior president as Speaker who ascends to president.
- He frames it as a realistic thought experiment about succession law.
Interpretive Schools Shape Outcomes
- Constitutional interpretation schools differ: textualists stick to words, purposivists consider intent, and living-constitutionists adapt to current needs.
- The 22nd Amendment debate exemplifies these conflicting methods.
Write Clear Constitutional Criteria
- Amend ambiguous constitutional provisions to avoid loopholes and political crises.
- Dershowitz urges specifying terms like 'serve' or 'hold' to prevent circumvention.
