Mary Trump, the niece of former President Donald Trump and a clinical psychologist, has issued a serious warning regarding what she perceives as an escalating threat to American democracy. With Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office, discussions about his potential pursuit of a third term are gaining traction—an idea that Mary insists must be regarded with seriousness, rather than dismissed as mere political theatrics.

Having distanced herself from the Trump family for many years, Mary garnered national attention with her 2020 memoir, Too Much and Never Enough, in which she detailed the family’s toxic dynamics. Currently, she cautions that Trump’s ambitions may reach far beyond mere reelection, potentially challenging constitutional boundaries and jeopardizing the very foundations of democratic governance.

Mary contends that these are “uniquely dangerous times” and calls upon citizens to engage politically in new, more proactive manners. She posits that conventional civic practices may fall short in countering what she perceives as a burgeoning authoritarian agenda. Her apprehensions follow Trump’s previous comments regarding potential legal “loopholes” that could allow him to prolong his presidency—remarks that she interprets as trial balloons for more extreme actions.

In a recent interview, she candidly asserted that Trump’s true objective may be to secure permanent power. If he were to refuse to vacate office, Mary questions whether the current democratic safeguards are robust enough to ensure a peaceful transition. “We don’t know, because we’ve never faced this issue,” she remarked.

Positioning Trump as a product of decades of political decay, rather than an anomaly, Mary Trump perceives his increasing influence as indicative of a more profound crisis. The pressing question now, she cautions, is not solely about reelection—but about the preservation of democratic norms.