A former GOP congressman has warned that President Donald Trump may ‘try to stop the midterm elections’ and run for a third presidential term in 2028.
Joe Walsh, an Illinois Republican turned never-Trump Independent, appeared on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki Sunday and issued his stark warning about how far Trump may go to stay in power.
‘I have no doubt that if Trump could, he would try to run again,’ Walsh told guest host Michael Steele. ‘He tried to overthrow an American election four years ago. I have no doubt that he could try to stop the midterm elections. If he’s physically able, he may try to run again in ’28.’
Walsh’s warning came after Steele, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, claimed that Trump ‘sees himself as a king’ and alleged the Republican Party agrees.
He pointed out how GOP lawmakers are ‘lining up to pay tribute’ to Trump, citing their proposals to put his face on the $250 bill, carve his bust into Mount Rushmore and turn his birthday into a federal holiday. He also highlighted how Sen. Lindsey Graham has backed an unconstitutional third term for Trump.
‘It’s too easy to have fun with this. But Michael, this is scary s**t,’ Walsh replied, adding that the ‘biggest failure of all of us during this Trump era has been the failure of imagination’.
The one-term congressman has been a longtime Trump critic and even challenged him in the 2020 Republican primary, although he ended his campaign after just six months.
Walsh has previously claimed that he officially turned against Trump in 2018 after the president’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland. Trump faced backlash for the meeting after he seemed to support Russia’s assertion that it didn’t interfere in the 2016 election, despite US intelligence reports claiming that it did.
Former Rep. Joe Walsh (L) has warned that President Donald Trump may ‘try to stop the midterm elections ‘ and run for a third presidential term in 2028. He issued the stark prediction during a Sunday appearance on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki, where he spoke with guest host Michael Steele (R) and newly Senior Washington Correspondent Eugene Daniels (2nd-L)
Walsh’s warning came after Steele pointed out how GOP lawmakers are ‘lining up to pay tribute’ to Trump, citing their proposals to put his face on the $250 bill, (pictured) carve his bust into Mount Rushmore and turn his birthday into a federal holiday. He also highlighted how Sen. Lindsey Graham has backed an unconstitutional third term for Trump
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna announced in January that she was officially filing legislation to add Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore. (pictured) The iconic monument, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota , is a massive granite sculpture featuring the 60-foot-tall faces of four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln
Walsh told Steele that the ‘biggest failure’ during Trump’s presidency has been that ‘we have not imagined how bad and how low he’d go’.
‘In a weird way, you can’t blame Trump for feeling like he’s a king. We talk about a king. What is that? Somebody who believes they’re above the law and they’re not accountable,’ the former congressman argued.
‘Well, you can’t blame Trump. Look at all he’s gotten away with, and no one’s ever held him accountable. And here he sits in the White House, he’s got no legislative branch to worry about, the Republican Party is his.
‘Who’s gonna stop him? The courts? The people? He feels untouchable right now.’
He further warned that Trump, whom he referred to as ‘the king’, will next try to defy a Supreme Court order.
‘That’s the next part of this. The king’s going to defy the Supreme Court and then what does the Republican party do?,’ he continued.
Steele interjected: ‘Not the party. What the hell does the country do?’
Walsh claimed that currently, as ‘the king is standing with Putin and standing against the free world’, the Republican party is staying ‘quiet’.
He then doubled down on Steele’s assertion, saying: ‘When the king defies the Supreme Court, what does the country do?’
Walsh further warned that Trump, whom he referred to as ‘the king’, will next try to defy a Supreme Court order. Trump is seen walking down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on Sunday, March 9, 2025
Walsh (pictured on Sunday’s program) has been a longtime Trump critic and even challenged him in the 2020 Republican primary, although he ended his campaign after just six months. He claimed the ‘biggest failure’ during the Trump era has been that ‘we have not imagined how bad and how low he’d go’
Walsh’s criticisms of Trump come just weeks after South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson announced he is drafting legislation to put Trump’s face on a new $250 bill – notwithstanding Trump being very much alive.
Wilson posted on X he was ‘grateful to announce that I am drafting legislation to direct the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring Donald J. Trump’.
‘Bidenflation has destroyed the economy forcing American families to carry more cash. Most valuable bill for most valuable President!’ he wrote.
Wilson – who famously shouted ‘You lie!’ during Barack Obama’s 2017 State of the Union address – even posted a new image of a potential design for the bill.
It had a colorized, stern-looking Trump’s face emblazoned on the new $250.
There is one major potential snag before the idea can hit the printing presses – an 1866 law states that only non-living individuals can be put on US currency.
Similarly, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna announced in January that she was officially filing legislation to add Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore.
‘I’m actually filing the legislation as we speak,’ Luna tweeted at the time, responding to a video by Benny Johnson in which Corey Lewandowski made the same suggestion.
Walsh has previously claimed that he officially turned against Trump in 2018 after the president’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland (pictured). Trump faced backlash for the meeting after he seemed to support Russia ‘s assertion that it didn’t interfere in the 2016 election, despite US intelligence reports claiming that it did
‘What are we waiting on? Donald Trump’s face should be on Mount Rushmore. We’ve got the votes. Trump’s gonna sign it. Let’s get it done to memorialize what this man’s achieved for this country,’ Lewandowski said during his appearance on The Benny Show.
Mount Rushmore, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is a massive granite sculpture featuring the 60-foot-tall faces of four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
These presidents were chosen to represent key milestones in American history: the nation’s birth (Washington), expansion (Jefferson), development (Roosevelt), and preservation (Lincoln).
The idea for Mount Rushmore originated in the 1920s with South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who hoped to boost tourism in the region.