WASHINGTON / HARARE — Former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s bold claim that Donald Trump could serve a third term in the United States has drawn striking parallels to ongoing debates in Zimbabwe over possible constitutional amendments to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule beyond his current term limit.
Speaking to The Economist on Thursday (October 23), Bannon declared, “He’s gonna get a third term. Trump is gonna be president in ’28, and people just sort of need to get accommodated with that,” insisting there was already “a plan” to make it happen despite the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, which clearly limits presidents to two elected terms.
The remarks have sparked alarm among constitutional scholars and political analysts, who note growing global trends of leaders — particularly in developing democracies — seeking to extend their stay in power under the guise of political continuity and national stability.
In Zimbabwe, a similar debate has intensified as ZANU PF factions reportedly push for constitutional changes to allow President Mnangagwa, now in his second and final term, to remain in office beyond 2028. Proponents argue that his leadership ensures “policy consistency and economic recovery,” while critics warn that such a move would undermine democratic principles enshrined in the 2013 Constitution.
“The logic behind both cases is eerily familiar,” said a political analyst based in Harare. “In the U.S., Bannon frames Trump’s continuation as divine providence. In Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa’s loyalists invoke stability and unfinished business. The narrative is the same — power must not change hands.”
Bannon, 70, who served time in federal prison for contempt of Congress, characterised Trump as “a vehicle of divine providence,” adding, “He’s very imperfect — not churchy, not particularly religious — but he’s an instrument of divine will. We need him for at least one more term, and he’ll get that in ’28.”
In Harare, ZANU PF officials have used similar rhetoric, describing Mnangagwa as a “God-chosen leader” tasked with steering Zimbabwe’s post-sanctions recovery. Some senior party figures have even floated the idea of aligning constitutional changes with “Vision 2030,” the government’s long-term development plan.
However, constitutional experts on both sides of the Atlantic remain firm. William Baude, director of the Constitutional Law Institute at the University of Chicago, told NPR: “There is no wiggle room on the 22nd Amendment.” Likewise, Zimbabwean legal scholar Lovemore Madhuku recently said any amendment to extend Mnangagwa’s tenure “would be politically reckless and unconstitutional.”
Both scenarios underscore a broader concern over the erosion of democratic norms worldwide. “The trend of personalising governance — whether in Washington or Harare — signals a deeper crisis of constitutionalism,” observed another analyst.
For now, Bannon’s claim and Mnangagwa’s alleged ambitions remain speculative. Yet, the echoes between Trump’s “third term” dream and Zimbabwe’s unfolding term-limit debate reveal how political power continues to test the boundaries of constitutional restraint — in both established and emerging democracies.
