By the time Trump finished his speech, he did not echo any of the bellicose overtures that were so ominously foreshadowed earlier throughout the day. The word "Venezuela" was not even uttered a single time. Instead, the president took 20 minutes before a national audience to wax poetic about the achievements made by his administration over its first 11 months. That vision Trump painted of his return to the Oval Office was at odds with the perception of a public that has become increasingly disconcerted with his administration. Instead, the grandeur Trump spoke with stood as a reflection of the esteem the donor class that has benefited from the fruits of his labor continues to hold him in, even if that sentiment is increasingly becoming removed from the feelings of average Americans who were largely left flabbergasted by his address that described the country in a light that feels alien to the one they have seen their nation become.

The elation of that donor class with how the onset of the second Trump administration has transpired was made evident by remarks made by Trump's top donor, Miriam Adelson, in the days leading up to the address. At the White House Hanukkah party on Tuesday, Adelson offered her own speech, in which she compelled Trump to run for a third term in 2028. Adelson went as far as to promise to pledge Trump "another $250 million" if he runs for a third term.

While the prospect of a third term in office is unconstitutional on its face, as it is in clear violation of the 22nd Amendment, Adelson assuaged those concerns by stating she spoke with another one of Trump's biggest supporters who was in attendance at the White House Hanukkah party, former Harvard Law School professor and self-avowed age of consent critic, Alan Dershowitz. Adelson revealed how Dershowitz, who has also served as private counsel to Trump and notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein alike, refused to rule out the possibility of a third term in office. "I say, Alan, I agree with you, so we can do it," Adelson told the crowd as she stood beside Trump at the podium, prompting the crowd to break into a chant of "Four more years."

Dershowitz himself did not pour any cold water on Adelson's remarks. If anything, he added fuel to the fire. Dershowitz revealed that he met with Trump in the Oval Office earlier in the day before Adelson gave her speech to discuss his new book with the president that examines the constitutionality of a possible third term. "I said, 'It's not clear if a president can become a third-term president, and it's not clear if it's permissible,'" Dershowitz told The Wall Street Journal in an interview revealing his meeting with Trump. Dershowitz added that he left Trump with a copy of the draft of his forthcoming book, titled Could President Trump Constitutionally Serve a Third Term?, which lays out several scenarios he believes could see Trump elected yet again. He added that Trump intended to review the copy of the draft he left with him during the meeting.