MSNBC Host Asks Dem Gov How He’ll Stop Trump From Running for ‘an Illegal Third Term’

MSNBC host Ari Melber asked Gov. Bob Ferguson (D-WA) what he plans to do to prevent President Donald Trump from “running for an illegal third term?”

Trump has been floating the idea of blowing off term limits for years, and one Republican has already introduced an amendment to allow it. Resistance liberals have sounded the alarm even as many dismiss the chatter as trolling or “a joke.”

On Thursday night’s edition of MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber, Melber hit the theme over and over, even as he interviewed Gov. Ferguson — who said only a “fool” would dismiss Trump’s teases:

MELBER: The president talks openly and repeatedly about staying in power past ’28, or why dictators, he says, bring benefits. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They say we don’t need them. Freedom. Freedom. He’s a dictator. He’s a dictator. A lot of people are saying, maybe we’d like a dictator.

So the line is that I’m a dictator, but I stopped crime. So a lot of people say, you know, if that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELBER: Do you take it seriously? How would you fight that? Would you oppose any effort by him to try to get on, say, your — your state’s ballot again for an illegal third term?

FERGUSON: Hell, yeah. Heck, yes, I take that seriously, Ari. Absolutely. Anyone who does not take him at his word when he speaks is a fool and has their head in the sand, full stop. So, absolutely, I take that seriously. And, look, we have some experience in dealing with this guy. In his first administration, I was proud that I was the first attorney general to challenge him in court, and the first to beat him in court. We beat him in court 55 more times with other attorneys general across the country.

So, look, we’ll have our battles in the court and the battle of public opinion. But every viewer watching this show, we all have agency in what’s going on. We all need to be out in the streets in peaceful protest. We need to be out there and be active. Whatever your station in life is, whatever your role is, we all have agency in what’s going on, and we all need to buckle up and prepare for the absolute worst. To do anything less is not doing our duty as Americans to defend our democracy.

Watch above via MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber.